Dreaming of a new cross bike

[Andrea]

I 2nd the suggestion to get SRAM Rival. Personally, I think that it's the best bang for your buck.

I run a single ring- I go with a 40t (and 11-26 in the rear), and even the one time I've had to sprint in a race, I have never felt the need for a larger gear (though on Saturday, there was a loooooong, muddy hill, and I would have loved to have had a 36t up there). If you go single ring, it's a good idea to have a couple of options and get proficient at swapping them out on the road.

Personally, I prefer tubeless wheels. They're a little lower maintenance and cheaper than tubular. If you go the tubeless route, I HIGHLY recommend Hutchinson Bulldog tires. I've been using them for the last two seasons and I've never ridden them in a situation where I've wanted something else- they seriously rock on on anything from gravel to singletrack to grass to any type mud you can imagine. It's nice to be able to run 25psi and not worry about pinch flats!
Along the same lines, there are some tubeless-specific rims (or pre-built wheelsets if you like that better) that can be run either tubeless or with tubes. You can also purchase a kit from Stan's NoTubes that allows you to convert any clincher wheels into tubeless. This is good, though it's a bit of a crapshoot as to whether your tires will seal up well and not "burp" air when under stress- some rims do a lot better than others. I've been lucky- I have a cheap-ish set of Zero A028 wheels that have been awesome. On the other hand, my Mavic Open Sport wheels that I use for single speed don't do so well.
Tubular tires tend to be more expensive. I've installed both tubeless and tubulars, and I don't think that anyone would disagree that tubular gluing is more labor intensive. The trade-off is that they are lighter, you can run any tire pressure you want, and you don't have to worry about "burps."

Keep an eye out for end-of-season frame specials. Cyclocrossworld.com usually has some great ones.

Hope this helps!

[tjf9]

Thanks for all the input. (I'm still open to ideas cause I won't be buying a new bike until next year some time).

The tubular vs tubeless feedback is especially helpful. That seems to be the hottest debate in cross right now! I'll definitely be on the lookout for sales and take advantage when I can.