Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Advice on my new fixie?

I'm buying my first fixed gear SS, and need a good parts spec. It's gonna be a Surly Crosscheck, and I need to know what to build it up with. I picked the Crosscheck frame because I have read it will allow the fattest tires of any frame out there. Also what are the fattest tires I can put on it? The idea is to build a bike that can survive a nuclear blast. Disc Brakes, folding kevlar bead tires that have a kevlar belt inside and a very aggressive tread pattern. Drop bars and 1 brake upfront and a dummy on the other side of the handlebars... Thats about it... Thanks in advance!

Xeys

so is it gonna be fixed or singlespeed? street use or mountain use?

It will be for street and light trails. Sometimes I have to hit the grassy shoulders in town. And it will be fixed.

Surly crosscheck doesn't have disc mounts.

If you want all of what you describe, hit up the surly karate monkey.

http://www.surlybikes.com/karatemonkey.html

can I still run the 45cm tires or whatever?

can I still run the 45cm tires or whatever?
45c.

On the karate monkey, sure!

45c+ tires are so big, they are also called 29" tires, cuz they're so big.

Why you wanna run such ****** tires for light trails and grassy shoulders?

I ran everything from 2"-1.25' on my mountainbike when I had it set up for the street, and 1.25 baldies wer fine for most anything I got into. the one place they got a bit sketchy was on a steep descent dirt path. I just had to take it a bit slower on that bit, but big fat tires will slow you down on the pavement, and if that is where you will spend most of your time, way fat tires aren't going to be an advantage.

I found myself continually pushing the tires skinnier until I got a cross bike and put 28c tires on it. I have to admit I could go fatter now I got my first flat in years hopping a curb with the 28c tires. 38c is a bit too fat, so somewhere around 35c would probably be ideal for my mixed use, but again if I have to compromise somewhere I'll take speed on the road.

I ride a CrossCheck and its (the most fun bike I own).

(I have to say that in parens to make it sound quiet)

(mostly quiet for the freewheel it's got on the rear hub, but it's still the most fun bike I own in the right conditions)

Why you wanna run such ****** tires for light trails and grassy shoulders?

I ran everything from 2"-1.25' on my mountainbike when I had it set up for the street, and 1.25 baldies wer fine for most anything I got into. the one place they got a bit sketchy was on a steep descent dirt path. I just had to take it a bit slower on that bit, but big fat tires will slow you down on the pavement, and if that is where you will spend most of your time, way fat tires aren't going to be an advantage.

I found myself continually pushing the tires skinnier until I got a cross bike and put 28c tires on it. I have to admit I could go fatter now I got my first flat in years hopping a curb with the 28c tires. 38c is a bit too fat, so somewhere around 35c would probably be ideal for my mixed use, but again if I have to compromise somewhere I'll take speed on the road.

I love fat tires. I just swapped some 700x40 slicks onto my monkey after running 700x52 knobbies, and I miss the big fat air cushion. It's nice being able to plow over or through just about anything, not having to worry about dodging potholes and such.

Sure, the narrow slicks are faster, but I'm not racing anyone. I'm lazy, though, so I'll probably keep 'em on until my 700x60 big apples get here. And hell, they were only five bucks apiece.

Well, I'd like to know how wide can I go. I'm looking for a monster truck setup, but in 700.

Surly will getcha there, but I don't worry about about potholes with 28s. I just have to be extra smooth on the rear when I hop a curb. when I ran 38s I hammered on them without mercy, and never worried.

You should run em as fat as you like. I liked the 2 inchers, but really I see no reason to worry about potholes with anything over 35c

honestly, I wouldn't do this as a fixed bike. single speed disc brakes all around. if this is going to see any trail usage then you're going to want the ability to position your feetz for obstacles, such as tree roots, stumps, logs, jumps, rocks, and people that fell in front of you. not to mention descents, it's just alot less akward to not be pedaling going down hill and dodging things.

yeah yeah... people ride fixed mountain and everyone looks at them and says how awesome that is, but what ever, watch how they go down hill, feet off the pedals and put on the fork crown, f that.

Well, I've been looking at things and after sleeping on it, I think I will forgo disc brakes. I will put a brake on the front. I will then leave the rest of the bike stock. And I will buy a 1x1 next month for my single speed mountain bike. One other idea I considered was getting the karate monkey and making it disc brakes and drop bars, complete with the fattest tires that will fit. It would be nice if I could just get 1 bike that will do it all, but I'd like the ability to do fixed gear as well. The monkey looks like I could ride any trail I wanted, and also I could ride it around town or on a ride with the guys in the bike club in town. Thoughts?

The fattest tires you can put on a Crosscheck are 45c. I hear that the WTB Mutanoraptor in a 44c has been discontinued, but the Fire XC Pro in a 45c is still available. The Karate Monkey is significantly heavier than the Crosscheck and has mountain bike geometry rather than cross geometry. If you want one bike to do it all and if that includes bombing rocky single track trails at high speed, then the Monkey is what you need. Me, I have a Crosscheck with two sets of wheels (road and cyclocross) that I use as my road racer, cyclocross, and touring bike. It rocks! But for mountain biking I have a dedicated ride - a Voodoo Dambala steel 29er hardtail with a White Brothers fork, and big meaty 2.3 WTB Exiwolf tires.

I'd like to hear opinions from people who have put drop bars onto the Monkey... Anyone? And also people who have put straight bars on theier Crosschecks...