theconquerorwor

Commuting in chicago - flat but many potholes, etc. Hoping to ride year round. Carrying panniers. The ride is 28 miles roundtrip. Currently on a converted single speed from an 80s fuji. Works fine and is tough, but it's just too small for me. I've saved some cash and would like to consider, either:


Surly Cross Check

Surly LHT

or

IRO Rob Roy

?

I'd like to do longer trips sometime, but I don't envision anything cross country - though maybe in the future?

neilfein

What size frame do you take? The smaller LHT frames only take 26" wheels.

You could check out the Novara Randonee while you're at it.

theconquerorwor

probably a 56 or 58cm (60cm for rob roy because of their different sizing). i'm 6" with a 33.5" inseam or so.

Mr. Jim

For the OP, i would say the crosscheck is your best bet for a commuter. As for the LHT I do not know what everyone's issue with the 26" wheels is. I just got mine last night and rode it into work today, size 50 with the 26's, seemed fine no slower or faster than my previous commuters (27in wheels) and I appreciated the fact that I had NO to overlap at all. I chose the LHT due to the fact that in addition to my commuting I do some touring and am carfree, I needed something a little more cargo friendly than the crosscheck and i was concerned about toe overlap and heelstrike on the crosscheck.

jmichaeldesign

If you want to do longer trips you don't want the Rob Roy. Single speed is great for around town, but you'll want some gears for the trips.

I ride a cross check now after commuting on an IRO Mark V for the last 9-10 months. Singlespeed was fine when I was in Michigan, but now that I'm in Colorado it wasn't working. I run my crosscheck 1X9 and have more than enough range for commuting.

Plus with the crosscheck you can always go singlespeed if you want to.

Magnolia_Fan

Just use an internally geared hub on the rob roy, then you have gears.