CBBaron

I am considering buying or building a new commuter. I ride year round in Cleveland so my bike is subjected to all kinds of weather and very rough roads. I ride fixed gear for my commuting.
My current bike is an an old Schwinn Passage which I have converted to fixed gear 700C wheels. This required cutting off the front brake studs and using a cheap extra long reach brake. The rear canti brakes I was just able to get to work. Due to the road and weather conditions I run 35mm tires with fenders. These fit the bike with barley one mm of clearance. For these reasons I am looking at a new bike.

I want a bike that won't require any cobbling to meets my needs, I don't want to squeeze tires into a frame with one mm clearance or cobble together mounting points for fenders. I need 35+mm tires. Full fenders. Fixed gear. And tough wheels. I am 220lbs and ride hard so I need good wheels.

I was considering building a fixed gear CrossCheck. I know that is a tough frame and it has plenty of clearance for big tires. However it would take about $1000 to build up the bike I want. Another possibility is a Karate Monkey. The frames are currently onsale and It would give me the ability to use disc brakes on the front for better all weather braking and I can use Big Apples but I'm concerned that I won't like the MTB geometry given I have always used road bikes. Either way I would use drop or moustache bars.

Recently I say a Raleigh One Way in a magazine. This bike looks to have all of my requirements met right out of the box. However I am concerned that the components are not up to the daily beating I give my bikes. Also how much more room is there for tires. At minimum I would run a 35mm slick.

I considered the IRO Rob Roy or Redline 925 but the tire clearances look to be too tight with fenders. My ideal bike would fit Big Apple tires with disc brakes but have more of a cyclocross geometry.

Any thoughts?

Craig

CBBaron

So no one has any thoughts on the One Way?
Will it hold up as a stock bike or will I spend as much upgrading it as I am saving vs. the Crosscheck?

Craig

georgiaboy

Chipcom a Bikeforum member, owns one. Give it some time and he may pop in for a comment.

The Raleigh One-Way just came out in 2007, so, there it is not so widely used yet. Although, I have heard good things about it. I especially like the 520 Reynolds steel frame.

fat_bike_nut

I've heard good things about the Raleigh as well, and unless you can stick to a budget of about $100 for components to build up the Cross-Check from scratch, you'll be paying more for the Surly.

fender1

The Raliegh rear spacing is 120mm the Crosscheck is 130mm. The crosscheck can be built into many different forms as you needs change without any structural changes to the frame.. The Raliegh, other than single speed /fixed gear only other option is a Sturmey Archer 8 spd Internal hub , which can be spaced down to fit 120mm. Any other geared combination will reqire spreading the rearstays to accept a larger rear wheel w/ gears etc. FWIW.

fat_bike_nut

Actually, the Cross-Check uses 132.5mm rear hub spacing, not 130mm.

This means that it's fairly easy to fit either road (130mm) or mountain bike (135mm) hubs.

fender1

True! Sorry for the typo!

fender1

And also Internal hubs. Shimano nexus 8 in 133 mm O.L.D. I think.

CBBaron

I know the Surly is more expensive. I have budgeted about $1000 for the build. That would be with good quality durable components. The Raleigh is attractive because it is cheaper and complete, however the CrossCheck is very versatile and has numerous good reviews. What I am most concerned about is is the components on the One Way going to hold up to my abuse like a CrossCheck with Surly Hubs and Dyad rims.
I purchased a complete "track" bike for the street a couple years ago that was a good value but I am slowly replacing many of the parts after only a few thousand miles because they were not of the best quality. I would rather buy once and have the bike last for 10-20k miles with only chains, brake pads and tires needing replaced.
I know I am impatient on answers but my current bike just had the third breakdown in as many Mondays.

Craig

fat_bike_nut

Well, if you're willing to spend that type of cash, I'd go with the Surly

dewaday

Try giving Century a call, they're Raleigh dealers, and also have a built CrossCheck in their Peninsula store. They're also showing the One Way as in stock. Could be worth a trip to kick the tires, so to speak.

CBBaron

Thanks, I intend to try to find one to "kick the tires" and check for fit. I usually ride a 62-63cm bike and the largest Raleigh lists is a 59cm so I intend to try it out for fit before committing. The local Raleigh dealers I've tried so far don't carry anything that "high end". I'll probably try Fridrich's first as they are a little closer.
Craig

PoorBehavior

Take a look at the On One Pompino:
https://www.on-one.co.uk/index.php?mo...sition=131:131

I have the Inbred 29er and have been impressed by the solid durability of the stock components. Everything on the Pompino may not be high dollar but everything is made for long term use.
You would not have to upgrade anything until you wanted to for a good long time.
Worth a look and in your price range.

modernjess

Build the Cross Check the way you want it. Hands down, I can't imagine you will regret it.

Like you I'm 6'2" 220lb guy. I ride a Cross Check single speed as my year round commuter/city bike. I built it up with the parts I knew would hold up and it's been well worth the money, not to mention the piece of mind of knowing it was done right. It's almost one year old, has 2400 miles on it and so far tires are the only thing I've replaced.

It's a pleasure to ride everyday for many many reasons, but I think it has a lot to do with the fact that it was built to MY spec not someone elses.