Commuting - Surly Comparison

im currently riding an old specialized rockhopper and looking to drop some money on a decent bike for commuting and maybe light touring (perhaps also a little cx but that doesn't matter right now).

im a big guy, 6'3" and 240 with a very large build who could probably lose 15 to 20lbs but not much more. i've been thinking about getting cx bike instead of a road bike for a couple reasons.

this bike will be my absolute only bike. it will be used for commuting every day of the year, rain or shine (no snow here) as well as some medium-intensity fitness training. also, i encounter some serious hills around here. an average ride of a couple miles means going up and down a couple 100ft hills, and a normal commute to school is about an 800ft climb so granny gears are needed.

i've narrowed what i want down to either a surly or soma cyclocross bike and am leaning far towards the surly. a local builder has two options of surly cross checks to offer:

custom shop build for $835: http://store.yahoo.com/momovelo/crmobu.html
stand surly setup for $785: http://www.surlybikes.com/bikes.html

im too much of a newb to be able to compare these two, but is the custom build with the extra $60 or so plus adding my own saddle? also, ive been tempted to get a cannondale bad boy rigid in the same pricerange.

comments? suggestions? thanks a bunch.

For your purposes I'd say either would be fine, the difference being slight differences in component prices. Note that the Surly combo comes with 9 speeed, which would be preferable to me. I have a Cross Check, and it's an awsome bike....if I only have ONE bike, the Cross Check would be it. Mine cost 1300 built with the Shimano 105 road group. I have 3 sets of tires for my cross check : 23x700 road, 35x700 cyclocross, and 30x700 touring.

I'm looking for a commuter / road / touring bike.

I'm tempted to get the Cross-Check rather than build up a Surly Pacer. Will the CC be too sluggish or heavy for keeping up on the road? (I don't dig aluminum that much, so I'm looking for a steel frame, whatever I do.)

I've already got two dedicated mountain bikes, so the CC won't be spending much time on the trails. Just for commuting year round and touring in the summer.

How will it hold up as a steel road bike? Am I just wasting money on a hybrid...should I get a more road specific bike instead?

Do you absolutly need gears? You could really save some money and set up a single speed. Surly makes a damn fine single speed. They also make a frame called the karate monkey that has track like ends on it and has a hanger as well for a rear derailer. But then again I am kind of biased about single speed.

That'd be one advantage to buying a cross-check: it has long horizontal dropouts, so options are available...also has adjuster screws back there, from what I can tell.

I might just want to do fixed on whatever I buy; can't do that on a Pacer.

I'm looking for a commuter / road / touring bike.

I'm tempted to get the Cross-Check rather than build up a Surly Pacer. Will the CC be too sluggish or heavy for keeping up on the road? (I don't dig aluminum that much, so I'm looking for a steel frame, whatever I do.)

I've already got two dedicated mountain bikes, so the CC won't be spending much time on the trails. Just for commuting year round and touring in the summer.

How will it hold up as a steel road bike? Am I just wasting money on a hybrid...should I get a more road specific bike instead?

I ride mine on group road rides, and seem to keep up just fine, as long as it doesn't get too fast. Keep in mind that the CC frame is a good 2-3 lbs heavier than a steel road frame, and built up with heavier components, mine weighs in at around 24 lbs. So it weighs about 5-6 lbs heavier than an average steel road bike. It's not a huge difference when you consider the weight of the rider added in, but still could be significant if you were going to be competitive. If you were only going to do official road rides in groups, I'd go for the Pacer. For an all around bike for commuting, trail riding, and occasional group road rides, go for the Cross Check. Most importantly, have fun...

Do you absolutly need gears? You could really save some money and set up a single speed. Surly makes a damn fine single speed. They also make a frame called the karate monkey that has track like ends on it and has a hanger as well for a rear derailer. But then again I am kind of biased about single speed.

im looking to buy a decent commuter bike cause i have some serious hills to climb, i dont know if you've ever been along the central/northern california coast if i didn't have gears my knees would fall off.

im planning on building this guy, and then putting a punk rock fixie together for a hundred or so.

i've narrowed what i want down to either a surly or soma cyclocross bike and am leaning far towards the surly. a local builder has two options of surly cross checks to offer:

custom shop build for $835: http://store.yahoo.com/momovelo/crmobu.html
stand surly setup for $785: http://www.surlybikes.com/bikes.html

comments? suggestions? thanks a bunch.

I bought a cross check set up, but I'd probably go for the custom if you have any idea what you want. The difference is only $50, and for that you get a bike more to your liking.

My cross check is my only commuter bike. It got me through the snow and ice of winter. I love it. But plan on spending more money as you learn what you want and need.

I'm looking for a commuter / road / touring bike.

I'm tempted to get the Cross-Check rather than build up a Surly Pacer. Will the CC be too sluggish or heavy for keeping up on the road? (I don't dig aluminum that much, so I'm looking for a steel frame, whatever I do.)

I've already got two dedicated mountain bikes, so the CC won't be spending much time on the trails. Just for commuting year round and touring in the summer.

How will it hold up as a steel road bike? Am I just wasting money on a hybrid...should I get a more road specific bike instead?


How's your legs and lungs? If you set it up right that would be the only reason you wouldn't be able to keep up on the road. I love my Cross Check. I think the geometry is perfect for an all arounder.