Okay, so I know this topic has been discussed before, probably to the point of exhaustion. But like many others, I have determined that these are excellent options for commuting bicycles. So let's have a little poll. If you were buying something new as a complete build, not a frame build-up, purely for commuting with no touring aspirations, which one would you choose? The LHT or Crosscheck? I am talking 20-30 miles each way with a rear pannier or trunk box, no need for a front rack. I love them both and can't find either to test ride, so if I want to ride it, I have to buy it.

Thanks all for your participation

This is a thread I've been waiting for. Believe it or not, some people on a BMW Airheads forum have been discussing bikes, especially the LHT which I had pretty much ruled out due to my several miles of crummy gravel each way. But the bike guys there said the LHT will handle it. So as you answer the OP, please include what your ride/commute is like as part of the explanation.

...then there's the Trek Portland that one of you here is so happy with.... :-)

I'd go with the Crosscheck. It's lighter, and has horizontal dropouts, so it's more versatile. It also has eyelets for rears racks and stuff. The LHT, while it's a nice bike, is a lot heavier, and is made for heavy touring. If you're just going with a rear rack, you only need the Crosscheck. Also, IMO, the Crosscheck has a prettier color selection. If you needed front and rear racks and fenders, and were going farther, I'd get the LHT, but the Crosscheck is good for your needs, and will probably be able to fill others needs in the future.

Ive been considering the two of these also. Now I have added the salsa vaya to the decision. Then I was lead down the path of cross bikes so I have some serious decision making to do. To answer your poll I have decided that if I go with Surly it will be the CC over the LHT. I really want to test ride a vaya though. Search continues.

The LHT is a heavy somewhat unresponsive touring frame that I liken to Grandpa's old Buick. Some like them, some with valid reasons, some are just lemmings.

IMHO a cross bike is the perfect compromise bike for commuting. Can still carry a load, takes larger tires and fenders, for the most part is the perfect marriage between the speed and handling of a road bike and the durability of a tourer.

And you're not even required to have to put a Brooks saddle on it like you would with a LHT

I have a Fuji Cross Pro, and a Salsa Vaya which is more an offroad tourer than a cross bike. I love them both, but the Fuji remains the "go to" bike for commuting.

Personally I think you need to ride it before you buy it and not the other way around.

I did a quick google search and came up is Landis Cyclery in Tempe about 11 miles away.

Another option is to ask to ride someones bike. I was at a coop in Ithaca and a guy let me ride his CC He also told me where he got it and who to ask for.

I was in the market for a new commuter and have recently ridden both bikes. I'm upgrading from a hybrid bike (Trek Allant) so, to me, both bikes were definitely faster and more responsive feeling than the hybrid. I think either would make a fine commuter, it just depends on your commute and what you're looking to get out of the bike. As CCrew said, the LHT definitely feels big and comfy like an old car, and the CC feels a lot more nimble and responsive. Ultimately I decided on the CC because I felt more comfortable riding it in stop and go city traffic.

The LHT is quite a bit stiffer than the CC. If you weigh a lot and are buying a bigger size either is probably fine. In the smaller sizes the LHT can be extremely stiff so I'd steer you towards a CC.

I'm 175lbs and ride a 700c 58cm LHT which I like a lot loaded or unloaded.

You really can't go wrong with either but based on your criterias, I would go with the CC.

I just got a cc today and already love it

I'd definitely find a way to try before you buy.

The LHT will put you in a more upright riding position with the taller headtube and additional 10 degrees of rise in the OEM stem, and the longer wheelbase makes it feel like driving a '72 Cadillac.

Beyond that, with the complete bikes the CC has better brakes and bars (at least IMO). The LHT has a better rear derailleur, hubs, tires suited for pavement, 36H rims (may or may not be a good thing), and a wider gearing range with the triple and 11-34 cassette(also may or may not be a good thing). Of course, any of these components should be able to be swapped at time of purchase, but the OP wanted a complete bike and these are some of the component differences in the complete builds.

Edit- might want to check out https://groups.google.com/group/surlylht and see if there are any CC or LHT owners that might let you take a test ride.

I agree. I just bought a Gunnar Crosshairs frame that I had built up. From riding it, it's responsive, fast etc.. but it can take a rack and ought to be great for commuting when I start in about two weeks. I just would not want to ride some unresponsive heavy thing after riding my other road bike (racing frame etc...).

The other cool think about the cross bikes is that you can put road tires on them and then swap them out for cross tires and go riding down dirt roads - an adventure bike. I think the cross frames are probably the most versatile out there. Commute, road, adventure all in one frame.

J.

Domenic's in Tempe (where I got my CC) or Landis in Tempe should have one or the other on the shelf. If not they'll be happy to build one up for you as a test bike.

Given your criteria, I would say the crosscheck wins hands down. I have a CC which I built from the frame up with 105 components. I love it, but I use it as my weekend fun bike, not as my commuter. Never tried the LHT but I imagine it's similar to my Cannondale touring bike which I commute on whenever I need to carry lots of stuff. Comfortable and dependable, but not as fast as the crosscheck.

That said, there are a lots of really nice bikes for commuting 20-30 miles every day. If it has to be a Surly, then go with the CC. Otherwise, look at Salsa, Fuji, Kona, Masi, or a number of others. The picture thread is a great way to see what people use and get some ideas.

I would go with the Cross Check too... the main reason I went with a LHT was the 26" wheels, and I was building it up from scratch, I already had the wheels.

If you don't carry a lot of stuff all the time, get the cross check, more nimble than the LHT. If you are not doing fully loaded touring, LHT is overkill. A lot of them get resold by owner who find out that it is a slow overweight pig.

it would be cool if there was a 26" Crosscheck. I'm looking into building up a CX bike for commuting and trail riding, and I already have a nice 26" wheel set from a MTB. The only thing is, as stated before, the LHT is really good for loaded touring, while the Crosscheck is more versatile.

I own an LHT, but I'd recommend the Crosscheck for your needs. I wanted an LHT because I do tour sometimes. I also use it (with front rack) to carry four panniers for grocery shopping.

The Crosscheck, having horizontal dropouts, will allow you to switch to IGH down the road if you want.

Although the LHT was my commuter for a while, I now use my single-speed. It's quicker and more nimble.

Can't wait to see pictures. Post them here if you
Don't mind!

sure! it's all stock right now but still amazing


can't wait to trick it out

LHT is pretty stiff unless it is loaded down. Mine is pretty tricked out but now that I am racing I might replace it with something that has closer to my Tarmac's geometry that I can put a rack on.

I agree with this. I see them on craigslist constantly.

Surly should expand on the LHT line like what Jamis did with the Aurora, there's a higher version Aurora that is made of Reynolds 631 and nicer and a lower end version made of ho hum cromoly Reynolds 520. I think there's a market for a nicer LHT. Maybe make it out of a premium tubing like Prestige. I believe the first generation LHT was made of Reynolds 631 until they downgraded it to 4130 or was that the crosscheck???

While I really do LOVE my 2011 LHT, when I have commuted 35 miles to work, I would surely have preferred a CC. Still, I ask my LHT to do far more than just get me to work. Groceries, errands, pulling a trailer, touring and commuting. If commuting or light touring was all I'd needed, I'd have gotten an CC. (cant afford two bikes of this price range).

If I were to go out and buy one bike to serve all my needs I'd go crosscheck. It's just sporty enough to race on (I'm not saying you win any races, but it will get you out in the field.) and can carry a fair amount of cargo for commuting/errand running. Although I have never ridden a LHT. I've read that the ride is comparable to a late 80's early 90's commuterized MTB. I have one of those and the ride gets you from A to B and can carry a ton in the process, but a spirited ride it isn't, it's a pickup truck or a WW2 jeep.

I'm sorely tempted to create an "Ersatz" steel Specialized Sirrus using a Cross Check frame. My one complaint with my '07 Sirrus are the welds are huge and ugly. Not to mention the rear dropouts are one position. Chain wear is taken up by rear derailleur tension and going IGH on it would be difficult. (Not impossible, but who wants to run a chain tension-er with an IGH.. It defeats the purpose)