Originally Posted by
Puget Pounder
OP, love your ideas for the build. Some of this is a repeat of what others have said.
I would opt for some higher zoot bars, CompCyclist had EA70s not too long ago for $30, but are not gone. I recently got a set of FSA Compact Wings and they are GREAT. Point is, it's not hard to find nicer bars for cheap. Compact bars with slightly flared drops works well on your build.
Unless you are going to pound away your cranks on trails, I would opt for a road triple. It'd be lighter and sleeker. I know gearing is personal, but I'm not a triple person. I find that a wide range cassette and compact cross gearing is suited for any terrain.
Wheels: consider A-23 rims with a higher spoke count. Choose hubs according to how much abuse you want to put your bike through. If you are ok with getting middle of the road hubs, consider Tiagra. Great value. If you want to move into higher zoot, go 105. Go with higher end Deore otherwise.
What about fenders? Velo-Orange has very nice aluminum offerings.
Seatpost - Thomson.
I'm looking into upgraded bars right now. I'm broad in the shoulders and 46's are the only way to go for me so I'm looking at different options. That EA50 was in my size and dirt cheap ($15 at JensonUSA) so that's how it made it into the initial build list. Right now I'm looking at the VO Rando bars or something similar.
Originally Posted by
biknbrian
Just my two cent, but the biggest reason why I ended up building a Cross Check for my wife instead of buying one complete was to get away from the bar end shifters. So obviously I find it a little odd to go through all the trouble and expense of a build but still use bar ends. I also am not a fan of the Mavic Askiums on a Cross Check. They just don't seem to go with the style at all, I mean a Brooks saddle with Askiums, really? If I was happy with bar ends I'd definitely just get the complete and change a few things. Then again it isn't as much fun as building something.
The build has changed a lot since I made the original post thanks to the insight offered here. I'll post it in a little while. Bar end shifters are still there but the Aksiums are not. I also had to get a little better education as to what kind of parts hold up for offroad/trails and general commuting since my knowledge of what is what is kind of dated (back to the 1980's a la Shimano 600 and old-Suntour).
I also didn't like the 'black is the new black' the bike had taken on...so that changed.