Commuting - Surly Cross Check Complete. Questions . . .

I know I should have asked before, but I ordered the complete bike from my LBS.

First of all, Tires . . . The bike comes with Ritchey SpeedMax Cross 700x32. I don't think those will do for commuting through pavement. This is my first road-ish bike, ever. Well maybe not ever, I had an adult roadbike that my parents bought me at the flea market when I was thirteen. Way too big, but I was excited to have a cool bike. Quicksilver was a big movie for me then when I got it.

Now, after a few months riding my modded Redline Cruiser around town, I decided to drop the relatively big bucks on a new bike. I wanted something that could accomodate fatter tires (I'm a clyde and want cushy), but I wanted a road-type bike. My choices narrowed down to cyclocross bikes.

I did some reading on these forums and I don't remember seeing any negative posts about Surly. I kinda liked the Long Haul Trucker, but my 5'6" frame wouldn't allow 56cm frame I needed to get the 700c wheels. Their Cross Check on the other hand . . .

I did some more searches here and found that everyone that had one, loved their Cross Check. I did some more reading in the clyde forums and my fellow clydes loved theirs as well.

I've done a lot of reading in the past month or so, but it's hard to find the posts that deal with commuting tires that fit the Cross Check. Specifically in the 40c and up range. The easiest tires to find that would be fat enough for me would be Schwalbes'. Plenty of good road tires. What other tires are recommended?

For those of you that have a Complete Cross Check, what kind of brakes are on the bike. Do I really have to stretch out as far as that to reach those brakes, or are there brakes by the stem? I'm really hoping it's the latter. If not, I'm gonna be spending some money on better brakes and possibly shifters.

Is there any way some of you Cross Check owners could post your setups, as stock or complete builds?

I'm really looking forward to this bike. I'd like to try some of the things from Quicksilver eventually, but first I need to have the bike . . . :D

GD

The stock tires are cheap. I replaced them with 28mm Armadillo slicks. One of the 'dillos blew out and I replaced it with a Bontrager Hardcase (only thing the nearest shop had).
The 32mm Bontrager is on the front. the Bontrager is a very smooth riding tire and I have had no flats on it so far.
I've had three sets of armadillos on various bikes. 'Dillos offer excellent flat protection, and a firmer-than-average ride.

I haven't tried a tire as large as 40mm. I would simply email Surly and ask them how large you can go, they are very good about answering email. I included pics to show that I have a lot of clearance left and I have 32mm tires with fenders.

I don't know a lot about brakes, but I have the "complete" bike and the brakes are fine. They leave plenty of room for any tires that would fit the frame. My only brake complaint is occasional squeaking, even after adjustments at the LBS. as far as reaching the brakes: you are comfortably upright (IMHO) while riding in the hoods.

My bike is still mostly stock. In the next week or two I'm switching to a Nexus-8 hub and going to a single 38t chainring, then I'm enclosing the entire drivetrain in a chainglider (I cant wait :) just waiting for parts). that conversion is going to set me back about $600 :cry:

This is only my second bike with drop bars. One thing I love about the complete bike is the wide bars with very comfortable hand positions. I probably wouldn't have bought those if building a bike from scratch (probably would have gone more traditional-road-style), but I'm very glad I have them: they're awesome

A lot of people complain that the crank is cheap. I don't really know the diff between a good and bad crank. the only complaint I have about the crank is that I wish it were 170 rather than 175

Hello I bought the Crosscheck complete as well. :)

I am 5' 6" tall. I ride a 46cm in the Crosscheck. What size did you order? :rolleyes:

The best part of the bike is easily the frame. :beer: The frame is a 10 for commuting. It has eyelets designed to accept fenders and rack as if the frame is begging you to add them. I was worried about the geometry but I find I can climb well and cruise well. It's not a race bike. Your acceleration will be slack but you can maintain a good cruising speed. The frame is about strength and distance.

The brakes are fine. You will need to learn how to adjust them for good braking. The Tiagra gearing was a pleasant surprise, very stable and dependable. I have had to adjust the cable for the rear derailleur ever so often, but after adjustment it is very smooth. The Tiagra gearing certainly is not as good as my Ultegra bike, but nonetheless it works fine. :)

The handle bars were adequate I switched them out for mustache bars and Cinelli tape. Just my preference. Most people ride the bars as is.

The tires are knobbies. I found them not good for pavement. On pavement, the knobbies slow you down and do not corner well. If your commute involves some trail or dirt roads then the knobbies may be right for you. Otherwise, if your commute is all pavement then some tires with a road tread would be better.

IMO, the weakest part of the Surly Complete bike are the wheels. :o I am not saying the wheels are bad. I am saying they are average. Make sure you check the spokes on the wheels when you Crosscheck arrives (don't leave the LBS without having them checked.) I had two or three spokes completely loose when I received my Crosscheck. Riding with a loose spokes can ruin the wheel. I used the wheels for awhile until I could save up for the Open Pro with Ultegra hubs. This upgraded the bike tremedously. I could ride faster, carry more weight, and climb better. The Open Pros are strong. The Ultegra hubs made the Crosscheck go from a harsh Jeep ride to a Cadillac ride. My average speed went up as well as my riding performance due to better wheels.

The saddle that came with the bike was small and very basic. It will do. I am sure you will be looking to upgrade to a Brooks. The wonderful Crosscheck frame deserves a Brooks.

If you are excited you should be. I love my Crosscheck and feel I got a great value. :beer:

I hope you didn't get a 56 CC. At 5'6" you're going to need a step ladder for that bike.

I found the crossmax tires to be fine for rolling resistance but worthless for flats. I got tons of flats with them. I'm currently running 38mm Maxxis Overdrives. Plenty of room with fenders.

Mine is pretty much stock but with different drop bars and older Dura-Ace brifters. The geometry doesn't fit me all that well, so I may end up selling it.

How do you like the Overdrives?

The stock tires roll ok on pavement, but I put 28mm Gatorskins on mine because I mostly use it for long club rides and commuting. I don't think you'll need 40mm tires unless you are trail riding it exclusively. The bike doesn't come with in line brake levers on the tops of the bars, but they are only $15 or $20 a set, and aren't difficult to install. The only changes I've made to mine are the tires, a Brooks B-17, and a set of fenders. One of the fenders broke last week though, so I took them of for now, I guess I rode down one too many sets of stairs.

How do you like the Overdrives? Happy with them so far. Much better than the Armadillos I had on there.

I hope you didn't get a 56 CC. At 5'6" you're going to need a step ladder for that bike.

I agree, if you are 5'6'' a 56cm is far too big. That could explain your reach problem with the brakes. I'm 6'2'' and 215 I ride a 58cm Cross Check. If that's the case you might wanna see if you can do a trade with the LBS. That bike is going to disappoint you.

Georgiaboy, ModernJess and IDCruiserman, I ordered the 50cm CC. What I meant was that for me to get the 700c wheels on the LHT, I'd need to get the 56cm frame. It's the smallest frame allowable for the wheels. As for loose spokes, my LBS makes a it a point to check over the whole bike before it rolls out the door. I've just got to find out if he can do the frame-saver service.

I will eventually upgrade the wheels, but for the meantime I'll stick with stock. Are the stock wheels double-walled? From what I was able to gather from a foreign web page, I believe they may be. Once I upgrade, I'll keep the stock ones for off-road use.

Brooks, fenders, and rack are also in line for the CC. I was considering the Overdrives also because of how well my Hookworms perform on my modded Redline Cruiser. I can take corners like nobodys business. And they look awesome on the bike as well. They just happen to add about seven pounds to the bike. Not good for a twenty-mile commute with a long climb. Below is the ride:

My Ride (http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ca/salinas/556749911)

I haven't ridden it yet, but I'd like to make a weekend ride of it before I attempt a full on commute. I've ridden twenty miles before, but that was RT. If I'm too petered out, I'll just take it real easy back home.

I have been thinking about moustache bars, but I'm gonna try the road bars first and see how comfortable I am with them.

Thanks for all the replies, keep them coming . . .

GD

Georgiaboy, ModernJess and IDCruiserman, I ordered the 50cm CC. What I meant was that for me to get the 700c wheels on the LHT, I'd need to get the 56cm frame.

I think, given nominal proportions, the 50 was a good choice. I'm 5'-8" and have ride a 54, but could have easily gone to a 52 (which I might for the third Cross-Check).

Georgiaboy, ModernJess and IDCruiserman, I ordered the 50cm CC. What I meant was that for me to get the 700c wheels on the LHT, I'd need to get the 56cm frame. It's the smallest frame allowable for the wheels. As for loose spokes, my LBS makes a it a point to check over the whole bike before it rolls out the door. I've just got to find out if he can do the frame-saver service.

I will eventually upgrade the wheels, but for the meantime I'll stick with stock. Are the stock wheels double-walled? From what I was able to gather from a foreign web page, I believe they may be. Once I upgrade, I'll keep the stock ones for off-road use.

Brooks, fenders, and rack are also in line for the CC. I was considering the Overdrives also because of how well my Hookworms perform on my modded Redline Cruiser. I can take corners like nobodys business. And they look awesome on the bike as well. They just happen to add about seven pounds to the bike. Not good for a twenty-mile commute with a long climb. Below is the ride:

My Ride (http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ca/salinas/556749911)

I haven't ridden it yet, but I'd like to make a weekend ride of it before I attempt a full on commute. I've ridden twenty miles before, but that was RT. If I'm too petered out, I'll just take it real easy back home.

I have been thinking about moustache bars, but I'm gonna try the road bars first and see how comfortable I am with them.

Thanks for all the replies, keep them coming . . .

GD

I'm thinkin' you shoulda got the 46cm. It sounds crazy I know. I ride a 51cm Bianchi. :rolleyes:

The best way to know is to ride it when you get it. :)

My CC is definitely a tank with Overdrives, fenders, and a rack. I hope you like yours.

Good choice on the CC. Even the complete bike is a very good machine for almost everything. I agree, however, with Georgiaboy on the wheels being the weak point on the complete bike. After my front wheel got tacoed in a crash, the first thing I did was replace them with Mavic Open Sports.

Congrats on getting a CrossCheck.

Tires: The CrossCheck will fit up to a 45mm tire with fenders, much bigger than most cyclocross bikes. My favorites are Schwalbes. Marathon Supreme looks to be a real nice commuting tire when available (if expensive). My LBS installed Conti SportContact 37mm tires on my Cross Check and these seem to be a pretty good tire also.

Brakes: The CrossCheck complete comes with the same road brake levers as I has installed. There is not any brake levers near the stem but it is easy to add cross top levers if you so desire. You should be able to easily reach the aero levers while riding, if it is an uncomfortable stretch you should raise the bars higher to make it easier. Most road bikes have the handle bars set up uncomfortably low. It makes them look sportier and faster but is uncomfortable except for the most fit riders. If you can not get the bars high enough with the current stem your LBS should be able to swap it out for a high rise stem for little or no cost.

I had my LBS build my Cross Check to my specs. It is a fixed gear commuter so differs considerably from the stock.
I have WTB Mountain Drop Bars on the bike with Shimano aero brake levers. I very seldom use the top bar so I have not installed cross top levers.

Craig

Hiya --

I have a Kona JTS, and also have two wheelsets -- one fast commuting / long distance set (deep Vs with conti ultra gatorskin 28s) and one winter / trail set (stock open sports with semi-knobby 38s). Keep in mind that the rim width is also a consideration -- it's worth checking with the manufacturer of the rim what the max tire width recommendation is.

As for size, cross bikes tend to have higher BBs, so the key is standover and top tube length. FWIW, my JTS is a 58 (I'm 6'3 and change, but my legs are on the short side for my height). In a roadie I would ride a 60, 61 or 62. Remember also that bigger tires will also be taller, reducung standover clearance a bit.

My bike is still mostly stock. In the next week or two I'm switching to a Nexus-8 hub and going to a single 38t chainring, then I'm enclosing the entire drivetrain in a chainglider (I cant wait :) just waiting for parts). that conversion is going to set me back about $600 :cry:

Well, how's the chainglider?

Also, did you order both teh 38t chainring and chainglider from the same place? Because if I get a chainglider I'm going to need a 38t ring too.

Only thing I can comment on is the tires; Ritchey Speedmax tires are great off road, very fast in the flats and grip well, but they're really, really soft. You'll wear the tread down in a matter of weeks (yes, I tried it doing some urban riding on my now broken mountain bike, and regretted it).

The Armadillo Nimbus tires I can't recommend. I had these as original equipment on my now veteran commuter bike (Specialized Sirrus), and they were very slow, and very, very stiff. Probably not as big a deal on the Surly, it being a steel frame and all, but it really would hurt you the 4th and 5th days on the Sirrus. The 700x28 Nimbus tires I had are waaaay slower than the Michelin 700x32 Transcity's that I am using now.

So I guess I'd recommend the Transcity's, although the flat protection isn't bulletproof. I don't imagine anything is, so that's not at the top of my list. They're really fast for treaded 32's, grip very securely in the rain (confidence is muy, muy importante in the rain), have a big reflector on the sides of them, are cheap, easy to find, and ride very nice. At 85psi, they could be described as comfortable. I run between 70 to 105psi, and they aren't back breaking even at the highest.

Your milage may vary, and again, you probably won't as effected as me by your tire selection with that frame.

Cheers.

[QUOTE=gaudentius]I know I should have asked before, but I ordered the complete bike from my LBS.

First of all, Tires . . . The bike comes with Ritchey SpeedMax Cross 700x32. I don't think those will do for commuting through pavement. This is my first road-ish bike, ever. Well maybe not ever, I had an adult roadbike that my parents bought me at the flea market when I was thirteen. Way too big, but I was excited to have a cool bike. Quicksilver was a big movie for me then when I got it.

Now, after a few months riding my modded Redline Cruiser around town, I decided to drop the relatively big bucks on a new bike. I wanted something that could accomodate fatter tires (I'm a clyde and want cushy), but I wanted a road-type bike. My choices narrowed down to cyclocross bikes.

I did some reading on these forums and I don't remember seeing any negative posts about Surly. I kinda liked the Long Haul Trucker, but my 5'6" frame wouldn't allow 56cm frame I needed to get the 700c wheels. Their Cross Check on the other hand . . .


--I'm 5'6" and I don't think there's any way I could handle a 56cm anything. I looked at the geometry on the CC and the SO would raise my voice and it has a 57cm top tube. Are you sure that's the size you need?

Mike

Georgiaboy, ModernJess and IDCruiserman, I ordered the 50cm CC. What I meant was that for me to get the 700c wheels on the LHT, I'd need to get the 56cm frame. It's the smallest frame allowable for the wheels. As for loose spokes, my LBS makes a it a point to check over the whole bike before it rolls out the door. I've just got to find out if he can do the frame-saver service.

I will eventually upgrade the wheels, but for the meantime I'll stick with stock. Are the stock wheels double-walled? From what I was able to gather from a foreign web page, I believe they may be. Once I upgrade, I'll keep the stock ones for off-road use.

Brooks, fenders, and rack are also in line for the CC. I was considering the Overdrives also because of how well my Hookworms perform on my modded Redline Cruiser. I can take corners like nobodys business. And they look awesome on the bike as well. They just happen to add about seven pounds to the bike. Not good for a twenty-mile commute with a long climb. Below is the ride:

My Ride (http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ca/salinas/556749911)

I haven't ridden it yet, but I'd like to make a weekend ride of it before I attempt a full on commute. I've ridden twenty miles before, but that was RT. If I'm too petered out, I'll just take it real easy back home.

I have been thinking about moustache bars, but I'm gonna try the road bars first and see how comfortable I am with them.

Thanks for all the replies, keep them coming . . .

GD


Putting smaller wheels on smaller frame sizes is a good idea. I would imagine that toe overlap with fat tires on a 50cm Cross Check would be pretty severe, especially if fendered. I'm considering a LHT in 52cm for that very reason. How is the toe overlap on your CC?

My Cross Check is a 52, and I get some toe overlap, about the same as the 54cm Kona Jake that I test rode before ordering the Surly. I was thinking about switching to 165mm cranks from the 170's. That will probably eliminate it, and make my knees feel a little better on long rides.

Schwinnrider, I'm still waiting on the bike. I'm overly-anxious waiting on the bike now. I should be hearing something from the LBS today or tommorrow. Hopefully, toe-overlap won't be an issue. Also, I ordered the 50cm not the 56cm frame. If I wanted the LHT with 700c wheels, I'd need to get the 56cm frame. I'm just a tad too short to fit a 56cm frame on any bike! :)

I'm definately going to be looking into different tires for the road. I'll eventually get another wheel-set so I can swap'em out whenever. There's no rush yet. It's still a waiting game, anyway. I hope it gets here soon.

Gimme my bike!!!

GD

Schwinnrider, I'm still waiting on the bike. I'm overly-anxious waiting on the bike now. I should be hearing something from the LBS today or tommorrow. Hopefully, toe-overlap won't be an issue. Also, I ordered the 50cm not the 56cm frame. If I wanted the LHT with 700c wheels, I'd need to get the 56cm frame. I'm just a tad too short to fit a 56cm frame on any bike! :)

I'm definately going to be looking into different tires for the road. I'll eventually get another wheel-set so I can swap'em out whenever. There's no rush yet. It's still a waiting game, anyway. I hope it gets here soon.

Gimme my bike!!!

GD

Are you going to fender it? If so, I'd appreciate it if you could post your thoughts when you get it, especially with regard to toe overlap with fat tires and fenders. If not so bad I'll add the CC to my short list.

Are you going to fender it? If so, I'd appreciate it if you could post your thoughts when you get it, especially with regard to toe overlap with fat tires and fenders. If not so bad I'll add the CC to my short list.

I'll definately let you know. I do want to get fenders on it (Planet Bike?). I'll also be getting a rear rack for it. I think I may eventually end up changing the handlebars as well. I'm more used to an upright riding position, but I want to try this setup for a while.

GD

have 42 mm Schwalbe marathons on my cross check,
they work great for commuting. last week we did the
Erie Canal ride, 400 miles of MUP and road with spots
of gravel and some sand, sticky hot asphalt, etc. plenty
of fine crushed stone, there were a lot of flats, we
(wife, son and myself) did not have a flat.
both the bike and Marathon tires were great.

Pick up a set of inline brake levers and you can have brakes at both the drops and flats. I have them on one of my bikes and am very happy with them.

Toe overlap: I had that problem with SKS fenders because the hardware stuck out beyond the fender (I know, I should have cut the hardware off).

Now I have planet bike fenders because the SKS fenders cracked when a stone hit them.

I have no trouble with the Planet Bike fenders. IMHO, they are superior to SKS

------------------------

to the person who asked about the chainglider+nexus setup: I took my bike to the LBS yesterday to have everything installed (it took them a while to get the shifter for some reason). I'll let you know tomorrow or friday how I like it. they are keeping my bike til then.

My Cross Check complete experience: I commute every day and do club rides of 30-50 miles and have gone on a five-day 300-plus mile tour with it -- all with 28cm tires (Bontrager hard case). Been very happy with bike and tires. Don't let the road bars worry you -- if the stock is not high enough for you, swap it out to get it higher. When I first bought mine, I swapped the stock stem for a HUGE riser stem to get the bars up -- as I rode more and became more fit, I kept lowering the bars. Now, they're an inch or so below the saddle.

I opted for SKS fenders (silver) and really like them. I chose them over Planet Bike fenders purely on looks. The Silver SKS's look nice on a black CC, IMO. You can''t go wrong with either brand.

The one minor issue I have with the CC is I have to adjust the rear derailleur once in a while due to chain skip. No biggie, but it is annoying when you dig in and the chain skips a gear.

hi, I just put a 700x30 ritchey speedmax cross tire on the front of my bike... I was impressed by how light it was and how easily it rolled on pavement. That being said, I'm getting some panaracer T-servs (messenger favorites) to go on there because my commute has miles of broken glass, road debris, and construction stuff that are unavoidable. I've got some 700x35 panaracer pasellas that I absolutely love, but are too big to fit under my fenders (I ride a bianchi volpe - similar to the CC). When I was riding those I got a few flats but nothing too out of the ordinary.

I know I should have asked before, but I ordered the complete bike from my LBS.

First of all, Tires . . . The bike comes with Ritchey SpeedMax Cross 700x32. I don't think those will do for commuting through pavement. This is my first road-ish bike, ever. Well maybe not ever, I had an adult roadbike that my parents bought me at the flea market when I was thirteen. Way too big, but I was excited to have a cool bike. Quicksilver was a big movie for me then when I got it.

Now, after a few months riding my modded Redline Cruiser around town, I decided to drop the relatively big bucks on a new bike. I wanted something that could accomodate fatter tires (I'm a clyde and want cushy), but I wanted a road-type bike. My choices narrowed down to cyclocross bikes.

I did some reading on these forums and I don't remember seeing any negative posts about Surly. I kinda liked the Long Haul Trucker, but my 5'6" frame wouldn't allow 56cm frame I needed to get the 700c wheels. Their Cross Check on the other hand . . .

I did some more searches here and found that everyone that had one, loved their Cross Check. I did some more reading in the clyde forums and my fellow clydes loved theirs as well.

I've done a lot of reading in the past month or so, but it's hard to find the posts that deal with commuting tires that fit the Cross Check. Specifically in the 40c and up range. The easiest tires to find that would be fat enough for me would be Schwalbes'. Plenty of good road tires. What other tires are recommended?

For those of you that have a Complete Cross Check, what kind of brakes are on the bike. Do I really have to stretch out as far as that to reach those brakes, or are there brakes by the stem? I'm really hoping it's the latter. If not, I'm gonna be spending some money on better brakes and possibly shifters.

Is there any way some of you Cross Check owners could post your setups, as stock or complete builds?

I'm really looking forward to this bike. I'd like to try some of the things from Quicksilver eventually, but first I need to have the bike . . . :D

GD

gaudentiusm okay, so, did you ever get your Crosscheck? How's it working for you?

You guys need to go fat with those tires. I've got 700x42 Mythos CX tires (http://www.irctire.com/tires/mythos_cx_slick.htmlhttp://www.irctire.com/tires/mythos_cx_slick.html) on my fixed Cross-Check. And absolute ball to ride (amongst other things I use it for commuting). My other Cross-Check sports Panaracer Pasela Tg Road, 700x35. It will eventually sport some Schwalbe Marathons 45's.

Once you've gone fat, you'll never go back.

You guys need to go fat with those tires.

Oh, wow, I thought 32s were fat. Maybe not.

What they said - the stock tires are no good for any urban riding. I've used em to good effect though on the C&O Canal which is pretty gravelly/muddy in spots. I have Conti Contacts for around town.
The stock brakes are a pain to adjust but they're fine, I replaced my front with an Avid because i got sick of dealing with the tektro.
Never had any problem with deraileur adjustment, or any other mechanical problem. I did screw up the rear wheel (my fault) but the other week I drank the kool-aid and converted the bike to a fixie with new wheel - love it!

The only downside to the crosscheck is that they're not the lightest, especially fully loaded with rack, fenders, light bottle battery, etc!

Oh, wow, I thought 32s were fat. Maybe not.
No 32s are the minimum. I currently have 37mm Sport Contacts on my CrossCheck but plan on putting a 50mm slick on the front and the back will eventually have something 40+. I guess I didn't believe there could be that much room when I ordered the bike. Now I realize that for the CrossCheck fatties really do fit fine.

Craig

So now I have the bike. Being as that I've never really had a roadish bike in my adult life, I was uncomfortable from the get-go. So I've made it comfortable. And am extremely happy with it!!!

:love:

Let me mention the changes:
Road bars are gone, replaced by Nitto moustache bars.
Stock brakes replaced by Tektro Oryx. The stock brakes kept shifting on me.
Saddle replaced by a black Brooks B17 (great straight out of the box . . . with the right shorts).
Stem was too short, so I had a stem extender added to raise the handlebars 3".
Replaced the tires with Serfas Vida 38's. They're ok, I guess.

But what a huge difference in ridability! I was able to take it out for a twenty mile ride when the bike was completely finished. It took a couple of weeks to actually make all the changes and I would ride it everyday at least three miles before it was done.

For my birthday, I rode fifty miles. That was an effort! Ok, not really, more like thirty but it felt like fifty. I've never taken that long a ride before. I wasn't intending to, either. I was just going to ride to Monterey and back, but it was such a nice day that I kept going.

One of these days I'll make the half-century mark, but I've gotta get stronger. Slowly but Surly (get it?), I'll catch the fifty. Then on to the hundred!

I'll post pics soon.

GD