Originally Posted by
c_m_shooter
I am 5'8" with a 32" inseam and bought a 52 based on the LBS's recomendation and the information of people on this forum. I wish I would have bought a 54, I got this one to fit, but it took a lot of changes to get it worked out. The head tube is short on the Cross Check. If you want the handlbars anywhere near saddle height you'll want the 54 and run a slightly shorter stem. Mine has a taller stem, dirt drops, and I still couldn't get into the drops at all until I bent the original fork in a crash and got a new one with an uncut steerer tube so I could use a few extra spacers.
If you are going to use it off road or with fenders the toe overlap is bad with the 52.
See, I don't understand, if you have the bars high enough that the drops are level with the seat--what good does it do to have a drop bar, just use a flat bar instead?
The Surly Cross Check is a cyclocross type frame/bike, the head tube is quite short and the bike, in most sizes has a horizontal top tube, as a result, there is no way to get the bar tops up level with the seat unless you leavfe the steering tube very long and stack spacers or cut your own spacer.
I left my steering tube very long and actually have several spacers above my bar, I did this to allow mounting a second stem for lights, racks, bags etc. I might go ahead and cut it someday but I like the ability to mount the second stem as well as the flexibility it gives me to raise and lower my bars as suits me, however, there is no way I could get my tops level to the seat much less the drops on a 54cm or even a 56cm CC without an excessive spacer stack. Excessive to me is more than 2 inches below the stem.
Not a very good photo but you can see the uncut steering tube and spacers. I have since cut a couple of "custom" spacers, one is 1.25 and the other is 2.0 inches rise.
The CC being a cyclecross bike has a relatively high BB, this along with the level top tube results in a compressed triangle and a short steering tube. The only way around this would be for Surly to do what Soma etc have done, use compact frame geometry and a sloped top tube to allow for a longer/higher top tube. And, I would rather they didn't myself, I like aggressive bikes and I like at least two inches drop to my bar top from the saddle on my casual bikes and four on my fast bikes.