[mato_h2h]

It seems everyone on these boards agrees that the Surly and Kona are great "do it all" bikes. That's what I am looking for. I think the prices are close enough that I'd choose one over the other if there was an obvious benefit regardless of cost. My question is which one is set up for more casual, recreational riding? Is one more set up for racing or serious XC?

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[cosmo starr]

the cross-check to me seems like a jeep. it can work set in a million different configurations.

[c_m_shooter]

I think the biggest difference will be the shifters. If you like barends, go with the Cross Check. If you like STI go with the Kona. I can vouch for the Cross Check being tough as nails.

[bonechilling]

Or you can pick up a Cross-Check frameset and put any kind of shifters you like on it. If you have a friend or a good relationship with your LBS, you should be able to get the frame and fork for ~$400 after tax.

Also, if you're looking for an all-rounder, check out the Pake C'Mute (http://store.somafab.com/pacfrfoset.html). It's untested so far (at least I haven't read or heard anything about it), but it seems like a worthy challenger to the Cross-Check.

http://www.pakebikes.com/pakemute.html

[M_S]

Jake is aluminum too, but I'm sure it's plenty tough. It also has a triple, to the cross check's double. If you want singlespeed at some point down the road, go cross check. If you want huge tire clearance, go crosscheck. If you want a marginally better race bike that can also climb really tough hills right out of the box, go with the Jake.