Sorry for not taking more "in between" pictures.

Frame from Craigslist


Full Build w/ Deda handlebars and Cinelli cork tape, RX100 crank


Current Build w/ FSA Omega Compact Handlebars, Sugino XD Crank and VeloOrange Tape








I know she's not the greatest bike out there but she was an inexpensive commuter built with love and hand-me-down components and I love her.

And why not?
I'll probably do something similar if I ever get tired of vintage bikes...

Did the original owner run it as a fixie? That's a small chain wheel there.

OTOH it looks great now. I'll bet it's a real rider.

Very nice Cross Check.

Which saddles is that? What stem?

The crank looks typical of a cross bike to me, my Surly CC has a 48/36 front.

Like you I love mine too.

I have no idea how the original owner ran it. I imagine it was a flatbar fixie due to the crank, the scratched off Surly downtube decal and the front brake being a V brake. I tried running the bike with the V brake and STi's. The travel agent needed for this set up felt AWFUL. I ended up buying some new Kore Canti's.

I'm currently looking for a cool decal/sticker to place where the Surly decal was forcibly removed.

Thanks for the compliments Yes she rides like a dream.

The steel and lower pressure 28's feel so great that when i first hop on my roubaix i notice EVERY single crack in the road. I'm actually bumping up to some 25's just because i don't race and i like running the tires at lesser pressures.

*The saddle is a Brooks B-17 Honey, the Stem is a Felt take off and the sugino is a 48/34

Just last night I was thinking about getting a brown Brooks (narrow) B17 and VO tape to match for my fairly new 29er. I have the same FSA drops. Best drops I've ever used.

If i had the money i would do the same the Honey was only $60.

Russ made me very jealous with this picture. (click to enlarge)



I too am passionately in love with the FSA Omega. I really want to put them on my Roubaix but the bars are similar enough that i can't yet justify buying another one.

Ha! I was looking at that same photo trying to visualize it on my bike.

i saw your new 29er in that cx commuting thread. Looks really fun!

Sadly i would recommend a black brooks and black VO tape for that build. Will still look awesome though.

I'm trying to get more white on my Surly. the black and white looks good together.

Maybe you can get your hands on the Team Pro Tokyo brooks saddle? would probably be too much white but with black leather tape and a black seatpost it might just work


I guess they only made 250 of them but man is it beautiful.

Here is my artistic representation of how that would look

How is the geomotry of the cross check? Is it any more upright than a road bike?

It IS a road bike You can find the Geometry here https://www.surlybikes.com/frames/cross_check_frame/

From my limited knowledge i believe that the bottom bracket is slightly elevated to provide better clearance. It is fairly upright but its wheelbase isn't that long so its still got some zip. If i had to guess i would say that its in between a dedicated touring bike and a true racing bike. I imagine its more of a "sport tourer" but again i'm just guessing.

Having ridden a road bike, a touring bike, and test ridden a Cross-Check, I think I would agree with the "sport tourer" title. It does seem to be somewhere in between. At least it's zippy, unlike my touring bike.

It's a cyclo-cross bike. Hence the name "Cross Check".

You can get super specific if you want to. You are techinically right. However the frame was designed to be more like a road bike than a mountain bike and when you put on road wheels with road tires..... Road bike with slightly funky geometry

Nice crosscheck.


Cool-looking cat, too.

I hate to be that guy who says, "Nice bike, but you really need to fix X"....but....nice bike, but you really need to shorten the outer housing on the rear brake. I'm guessing you either have problems with the rear brake not releasing consistently or you have the brakes set up with really, really high return spring tension. Guess how I'd know?

I do like the bike though.

It is a road bike, closer to a touring bike but what it really is of course is a cyclecross bike .

It is slightly more upright than my Pinarello roadie but not anything like a typical hybrid or even a mtb. Yes, I sit leaning forward, the bar is about one and a half inch higher than the Pinarello in relation to the seat or slightly less.

Some people think a cross bike is a "cross" or hybrid between a road bike and a mtb, no, that cannot be because cyclecross bikes were around from the turn of the century long before mtbs existed but they do benefit from the lightweight and rugged components developed for mtbs.

I'll have to look at that rear brake cable housing. The rear brakes came with the bike and i copied the original length of housing when i replaced it. They very well could have a high spring tension without my knowing about it.

Since they work i'll probably just let it slide until they brake ( i was going to fix this typo but its too entertaining) and i can justify buying some white Kore Canti's to match the front

thanks for the input and compliments

My cat is awesome. She knows i really want a dog so she plays fetch whenever I'M willing and she growls at the mailman when he knocks.