Surly Crosscheck double chainring question
 

A friend of mine is thinking about buying a Crosscheck, which he wants to use for commuting and light touring and fitness riding. (Good choice methinks!)

But the bike's got a double up front. How tricky is it to add a third (small) chainring? Would he need a new crankset?

Thanks for your help!

If the cranks are only doubles i would think that he will have to get a triple crankset.

Generally a new crank and BB along with a new rear derailer are needed for the conversion. This is assuming that the left shifter is set up for it. You may want to look at a cassette with a wider range (may also need a new RD) or a compact crank (110 BCD).

The shifters are bar end shifters, and I believe that they are set up to work with triple and double chainrings. (But I'm not positive.)

So, I think that while he'll need a new crank, he will get by with the same bar end shifters.

As for the cassette, I have no idea what is on the bike he's proposing to buy...

Thanks very much!

The stock crank is a triple without the inside ring. He will just need a wider bottom bracket and the appropriate small chainring. The stock rings are 36/48, so the gearing is lower than a regular road bike to begin with. The rear derailer will work fine with an 11-32 mountain cassette if he chooses to go that route instead. I have two wheelsets for mine, one with an 11-32 cassette and 45mm knobbies for mountain bike trails and one with the stock cassette and 28mm slicks for road rides. I can swap between the two without adjusting a thing.

This post provided me with great help, I appreciate it.

In addition to the other stuff mentioned, he'll also need a new front derailleur for the triple.