So when I first got the bug for a road bike my hubby said "ha, you're going to hate running once you start biking." Well, he wasn't entirely right on that count, but I have found that I need to cut my running mileage back to make time for biking. I'm OK with that. I'm not training for any marathons this year, so I don't need the sort of miles that I put in over the last year or so.

Then he and other cycling buddies who do cyclocross said "you run, now you bike...you should really do 'cross." And I said..."no way, you people are nuts!" But I also said for years that people who run marathons are nuts, then I ran 3 (they aren't nuts, they apparently have a higher tolerance for cramps than I do). Then I said that people who run trail races are nuts and I ran one and was hooked...I hope to eventually do a trail half-marathon (when I can find one nearby that isn't on a weekend with other time commitments).

So you see where this is going...I now have a bug up my butt about wanting to do cyclocross. Partly because it looks like an amazing, fun, dirty challenge. Also because I like that the bikes are a bit more versatile than my roadie and I could get studded tires to do some Winter riding, even, as well as hitting some 2-tracks with hubby and DS (once he has a good bike, too. He is 9 and just an inch or two too short in the crotch for Redline's Conquest 24 ride).

So I have a couple of questions as I consider my options. My road bike is a 48cm WSD (Cannondale Synapse Féminine 5). It looks like I'd have to go down to a 44 in most models from various brands for proper standover and top tube length, is this correct?

Also, how comfortable/safe will unisex shifter/brake levers be? Would I be wisest to find a framest and then have short-reach brake/shifter levers installed?

Any other words of advice I would greatly appreciate.