Does anyone ride a surly long haul trucker? I read the surly cross check thread and thought I'd toss this one out there also. I'm looking to upgrade from my Fuji Silhouette (flat handle "road" bike) to something I can both commute on and take on longer recreational rides and club rides, and am thinking about both the LHT and the CX with a granny gear added. The twist is that about 75% of my riding (commuting and recreational) is done with a trailer with 55 pounds of kids (who are only going to get heavier). The LHT is definitely the more practical choice, as I could more easily add paniers for errands...but will it be as fun a choice as the CX on those days when I manage to ditch the kids?

And does anyone have any experience pulling a trailer on a bike with drop bars? One of the LBSs I've been test-riding the surlys at is really concerned about that combination, the other thinks it's not a big deal.