hey thanks for all your replies, much appreciated-I'm still struggling to decide, does anybody know how much it would cost extra to get an extend able stem put on a cyclo cross ? Iv got my eye on two cyclocross bikes;KONA JAKE THE SNAKE(or sutra) and SPECIALIZED TRICROSS 2008, all are on evanscycles.com but I cant really tell the difference in the spec-does anyone have any tips on what to look out for? I cant seem to work out the gears and I feel this is very important,cheers