HoboRider

I was thinking about buying the Surly Cross Check frameset for $480. I honestly don't really know a lot about bikes, but I know what I want my bike to be able to do. I'm looking for an all-weather commuter/grocery getter/trail bike/and touring bike.

I live in a small city (no car), which is where I'll likely do the majority of my riding. However, if you go outside of the city, it's hilly. And, I go out regularly. I would like to be able to take my bike to the local rail trails and trails in the county park, nothing major, certainly not Mt Biking... I would also like to be able to go off on 3-10 day hobo camping trips, where I take off with a backpack, my fishing pole and slingshot and live off the land.

I've had two bikes recently that both experienced catastrophic derailleur failure. Meaning, the derailleur broke off and flew into the wheel. Now, honestly, these bikes weren't in the greatest shape when I got them, but I'm kind of leaning towards a Single Speed setup just so I can keep it simple. Which, is the reason I was looking at buying the frameset and not the complete bike. And, I know that Surly makes a SS complete version, but I've seen that one going for as much as the geared version...

I would appreciate if anyone has any insight or suggestions for my situation. Is the Surly Cross Check the best bike/frameset for my situation or is there a cheaper option? I'm not looking to race or be super light or anything of that nature. It's all about versatility.

Thanks!

no1mad 

Welcome to the Forums .

I've heard that the CC is a versatile platform. I would use one if I were you, but I would probably opt for a IGH to help with those hills.

Ekdog

I was going to recommend an Internal-Gear Hub too. With one of those he could forget about the derailleur failures he's had in the past and still be able to climb hills with ease.

CliffordK

What were you doing when you lost the derailleurs?

If they broke off while you were in the lowest gear (biggest sprocket) on the rear, then your derailleur probably had a poorly adjusted stop, and you shifted the dérailleur into the spokes. Or, perhaps the chain was too short.

If you're riding a bike now, I'd encourage you to try sticking it in one gear, and keeping it there, just to see if you like it.

The Surly frame should be a good start, with horizontal dropouts.

Roody

I don't know. It sounds like maybe you don't like to spend a lot of time and attention working on the repairs and upkeep of your bike? Do you seriously have the motivation (not to mention the skills) to build up a bike from the frame? I never would. It would sit in the dining room for a year before I finally took it to the bike shop to get built. I just don't njoy bike mechanics enough to take on big projects. ymmv

Also, I would follow the advice of @CliffordK very seriously. Ride your current bike around for a week or two in just one gear to see how much you like a single speed on those hills and trails you're describing. You might not like it. Most cyclists don't like it. There's a good reaon that fad is dying out!

For the trips you're describing, you should think about a touring bike as well as a cyclocross.

Artkansas 

As someone who has been riding derailleured bikes for decades now, I've never heard of a failure such as you have experienced. It could be that the derailleurs were misadjusted or that you got the dreaded cross-chain situation.

Building up a bike from a frame can be done in a day. But you need to know what you are doing and you need to have the tools. It sounds like a better strategy than building your own might be to learn to maintain your own bikes and build up the tools and experience needed to do a bike build. There are a lot of resources on the web to help you. And the local library should have at least one bicycle repair book.

It seems like you really need two bikes, a utility bike and a "touring" bike. The utility bike would be optimized for your local chores, your touring bike can be optimized for your trips and also fill a back up role as "beater" bike for local chores. By beater, I don't mean it's in bad shape, but rather that it's not as well suited for the role, but can be pressed into duty if needed. This is also good for the times when you need to take the bike to the shop or get parts and fix it.

My utility bike is a 28 year old solid frame mountain bike that has been streetified with fenders, street slicks, lights, a rack and panniers. Where I live is very hilly, so the gears of the mountain bike are appreciated. I use it for commuting, grocery getting errands and general local travel. My panniers are SunLite Grocery Getters. My beater bike is a more expensive recumbent bike. Its also got fenders and a rack and I made sure that I could mount it on the bike racks of the city buses as well. But it's better suited for longer rides out beyond the edges of the city.

If you are interested in a single gear bike, do as others have suggested and just leave your bike in one gear. Also record which gear you are in so you know what you need. Write down how many teeth there are on the sprocket and on the gear of the cluster that you choose. If you have an internally geared hub, write down which gear number you are in and get online to find out what that is equivalent to. This will lead you to the numbers you need to buy a single speed wisely.

Artkansas 

On my most recent trip to pick up a new bottle of Tri-Flow it seemed that the hot bike on the dealer's floor is now a fat-tire bike. Raised in the era of skinny tire bikes, this is just about heresy, although I have to admit that I do have a fat-tire chopper in my herd.

Roody

yeah, the fatties look cool and are trending. I will look at them if i ever decide to buy a new bike. I put fatter tires (MTB knobbies, about 2 inches) on my bike at certain times of the year. Like during a spell of nice summer weather when I want to do some off-road riding as i cruise around town.

BTW, from your post just above the quoted post, I love your terminology of calling a more expensive bike the "beater" because it isn't as suitable for your main activities. It's cool to determine value based on something other than cost!

ussprinceton

welcome to the forum