Why not a Cross Check for a commuter?
1- It's a little more challenging to mount a front rack. If you want to carry front panniers, you'll have to deal with the fact there are no fork eyelets on the Cross Check fork. I mounted a
Jandd extreme front rack with the Jandd mounting hardware. It was such a pain, that I won't be removing the rack. If I had eyelets, I could easily remove it/put it back on. A work around for this is to buy a LHT fork and put it on your Cross Check. I just checked Surly's site and it looks like the new
Cross Check complete comes with a fork that has rack eyelets.
2- I prefer the Cross Check's bar end shifters, so I don't see that as a negative. They have taught me to appreciate and efficiently use non-indexed shifting (I took mine out of indexed mode so I didn't have to fiddle with derailleur adjustments).
3- The LHT has built in extra-spoke carriers. As a big dude, you'll probably want to carry extra spokes.
4- My stock Cross Check wheels were pretty much worn out at 5500 miles.
5- I converted my front brake to an Avid V-brake using a
travel agent. The front cantilever brake didn't have the stopping power I needed for a heavy commuting bike, particularly in inclement weather.
6- The Cross Check's wheel base is a tad short. The full coverage rear fender (
Planet Bike Freddy Fenders) rubs on the front derailleur. It hasn't caused any shifting problems, so it's only a very minor annoyance. Perhaps a larger frame (mine is 55 cm) wouldn't have that issue.
7- It needs a Brooks saddle,
Schwalbe Marathon tires, etc.
Overall, my Cross Check is a great year around commuter. I ride it, as well as a couple other bikes, and commute all year half-time. I have almost 8000 miles on my Cross Check.
Others that would probably fit the bill just fine would be the
Salsa Casseroll,
Thorn Raven,
Bianchi Volpe, etc.