Hi every one if you all would entertain my question i would highly appreciate it.

Ok so i have heard that the Cross Check makes for a great commuter but I have also heard and read that it is not a great bike its just ok. Some of the issues i have read/heard include that its CS's are too short and you have pannier issues and that it is actually quite heavy. Also i have heard/read that it gets a little unstable when loaded. MY question is to all you cross checkers or others is the cross check a good commuting bike or is it ok and there are greener pastures with other choices.

As always, it depends.

When you hear that the Cross Check is heavy, the first thing you should ask is "compared to what?" Is the Cross Check heavy compared to a $3000 carbon fiber road bike? Absolutely, it's a pig. Is the Cross Check heavy compared to other $1000 entry level cyclocross bikes? Not really. It might be a pound or so over average. Is the Cross Check heavy compared to a typical hybrid/commuter style bike? Not at all. It's probably even a little lighter.

So what do you want to do with it? What kind of riding style are you looking for?

The biggest strength of the Cross Check is that it can do nearly anything. It is, however, distinctly better for some things than for others.

The chain stays aren't particularly short, but they aren't like the chainstays on a touring bike. If you have big feet and plan to use a pannier, it could be an issue. I wear size 43 shoes and never have a problem with it.

My biggest complaint about the Cross Check is that I don't like the geometry. It pairs a relatively long top tube with a relatively short head tube. If you want an agressive, stretched out riding position, then the Cross Check is great. If you want something more upright, you'll end up with a big stack of spacers and/or a rising stem. Most Cross Check owners (myself included) seem to be in the latter category.

Alternatives depend on your budget. The Handsome Devil is very similar but with a taller head tube. The Soma Double Cross is a nice alternative. So is the Salsa Vaya. My personal favorite in this area is the Kona Jake.

I have big feet, I'm 6'1"-6'2", with full size panniers on an axiom rack. As long as my panniers, Axiom Stormfronts and Arkel Bug are near the back of the rack, I have no issues with heel strike. There's not a lot of room left, but I also have the smallest frame, 56cm, that would fit me. The weight of the bike is insignificant in comparison to all of the gear that I load onto it. If you want to go lighter, there aren't a lot of options that still have the commuting accoutrements of the Crosscheck.

agree completely with Andy K. I bought a CC 5 years ago and commuted on it for the first 3. Also did some lite touring and a bit of cyclocross racing. It did all of those things well enough, which is why the CC is viewed as a good all-around bike.

i bought a LHT 2 years ago because my needs shifted away from cyclocross racing and more towards fully-loaded touring and weekly trips to the farmer's market. And it has worked great.

But now that i'm back to living in the City I'm making more casual trips out to the movies or ballgames or whatever, and it's annoying me to have to ride a bike with front and rear racks, full fenders, lights, etc. when all i need is something simple. enter the CC again - i'm pulling it out of storage and setting it up as a simple city bike with fat franks and platform pedals.

Surly sells lots of CCs for good reason.

Cross checks are a great bike if you want something affordable that can do a little of everything. Is it a "great" race bike or touring bike, no but it was never meant to be although it can handle those things just fine.

As far as weight goes it is pretty similar to any other bike in its price range, people always forget that the weight of a bike comes mostly from the components hung from it and not so much the frame. there might be a 2lb difference between a very high end frame and a cheaper frame like the cross check, the other 20+ lbs come from component selection and if you are going to build a bike that can handle serious commuter duty and maybe some touring you do not spec it with parts that are as light as what would be found on a race bike.

My only complaint with the CC is its short head tube, even that is not that big of a concern as if you want to get your hands higher, surly does not limit how many spacers you can use under the stem, it is just not as pretty having a huge stack of spacers over just a few.

The Surly LHT is a great commuter with no short head tube or pannier issues.

If you find a bike that's perfect at everything, let us know.

I have a CC and I love it, but I also have 5 other bikes and I love them too. Each bike is set up differently, and is slightly better than the others for what it does. My CC used to be my weekend bike for exploring back roads, but now it serves as my nice-weather commuter.

CC work. They are ok-good at most everything.

Not great, not the best, but ok, and in some cases good.

As has been said, no one bike will do all.

As far as a commuter goes, the CC works fine.
As far as heel strike goes, I wear a 14EEE and as long as I put the orlib (spell) bags on the rear of the rack, I never had any problems.
The CC is what started me being car free.

Everything you said is true except that it is a great bike! I commute on mine, but I don't like it with panniers because of the reasons you mentioned. I use a back pack. I would go with a Long Haul Trucker if you want to use panniers. I love my Cross Check but a high center of gravity (high bottom bracket) and short chain stays are not conducive to loading it down.

Lots of great comments, starting with the 2nd post in particular.

I commute on a Cross-Check primarily because I wanted to set up an IGH so I was after the horizontal drops. If I had it to do again I would go for the Disc Long Haul Trucker (was not available then) and tolerate a chain tensioner or tinker with an eccentric BB.

The CC is not the be all, end all, but it's got a very large sweet spot.

BTW, I'm 6'5" w/ size 12 shoes and 175mm cranks riding a 60cm frame (to mitigate the long TT) and showing a lot of seat post. If anyone should be having lots of heel strike problems, it's me. No issues w/ my Topeak Explorer rack and Jandd basic panniers. YMMV.

I have a tall upright road bike that I use if I am going to go on a short weekend tour or a long group ride, but when it comes to commuting, I love the aggressive aero posture of the cross check. When riding around town, I want something quick and snappy and the cross check fits that. I run a single Arkel Bug for commuting, and two large grocery panniers for errands with no heel strike issues. I have size 11 shoes and a 58 cm frame, there isn't a ton of spare room for my feet, but everything fits

I love my crosscheck, I put 90%+ of my commuting miles on it. Every so often I ride my Newest 1.0 for a week or so. It is much lighter and faster, but just not my Surly. Funny my heels were hitting my panniers today when I left work and I had to push them back a bit. I just enjoy riding it.

It ain't fast, but she does just about everything. Also, they are a little overbuilt because they are meant to go (light) off road as well. However, the newest ones have all of the full rack bosses, fender bosses, and water bottle bosses of the LHT, the onlyones missing are on the fork crown and the third water bottle holder on the down tube. Honestly, its like an LHT-lite.

Take a cross check and a LHT for a spin at your LBS, and unless your planning on hauling ALOT, go with the one that feels good. If you ARE hauling a lot, and I'm talking north of 30 pounds, see if you can ride them both loaded. I don't know how tight you are with your LBS, but its worth a shot.

Only think I wish I had on my Cross Check? Disk brakes. Funny thing, Disk Trucker has the same fork as the CC, with disk tabs...

wounderful wounderful replys very helpful thank you to you all keep the insites coming Also i belive on surlys web site i belive there are the brazons on the fork for the rack on the CC photo the only ones missing are the third waterbottle mounts am i wrong ? I just want a good bike i can 90% commute on and when the time arises do some centuries, roundos, normal rides and hopefuly in the future some touring !! I am doing all the searching and asking i can do untill the end of this year to assure i will be happy with what i choose i know the final decesion is mine and only i can decide but if i can have some insite from those who have had the bikes i would enjoy the reviews reviews are great!!
Other bikes i am interested in are te ALLCITY SPACE HORSE and the MASI CX and CX UNO

For those interested I have 2 routine commutes to school 10mi round with hills and to work 30 mi round going north so some incline at points total a week 150 wthout random errands