N+1 advice: LHT or Cross-Check?
Hey there fellow Clydes,
Right now I live 26mi from work, so I can't spend the time to cycle-commute to work (on an uninteresting mid-2000's Trek 1000) any more than about once a month.
But I dream of moving closer to work, selling the 2nd car, getting a bike that I can be proud of, and riding it to work every day, rain or shine. Well, down here in San Diego it's almost all shine, but I would ride in the rain anyways. Even if my clothes get wet, my body happens to be waterproof, and I have showers at work.
So I have some friends that are all crazy about their Rivendells, but even in my dreams I can't see spending that much money! So I'm setting my sights on Surly (seems like there are plenty good deals on eBay).
I'd like to hear what you all think of the LHT vs the Cross-Check? If I ever do any touring it will be pretty light -- overnight at most -- so the accessory-mounting options on the CC should be sufficient. So I guess the question is, would the CC give a more fun/sporty ride than a LHT? This is my dream, remember, I don't want to switch from driving a car to driving a bus...
FWIW I'm 6' 240#. I like to pretend I'm a fast rider, but San Diego is pretty hilly, so I think I'll need something geared at least as low as 34/28 or 34/30 at the bottom end. I assume any Surly frame would be pretty flexible in how the gearing can be set up.