the stuff they spec their complete builds on works fine. Over time it will wear out and you can upgrade to your heart's desire.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=259055I bought a 54cm Surly LHT frame and fork in 2007 or 8. Dark cherry, very attractive. My LBS built it up for me with decent quality parts. I liked that bike. It was solid, comfortable but I couldn't get used to the 26" wheels. It was pretty heavy too, about 30 pounds. I sold it after a year and bought an old Panasonic tourer. Better quality frame, lighter and lugged. Had some additional barrel lugs brazed on, good paint, and quality components. Still have that bike. It's my favorite.

ha ha . . . I had a CrossCheck. Out of the possibly 200 bikes Ive owned, it is one of two that I
regret getting rid of. I would buy another one in a second if I had spare cash. The bar end shifters
are a HUGE reason why. To me, Friction is the ony way to go. It's either Surly or Craigslist if you
want to just buy and ride and are a fan of friction :)

Since the LHT uses bar end shifters, you can swap the brake levers for V-brake drop levers and run V-brakes instead of cantilevers. That will solve any braking problems and make it a lot easier to adjust the brakes.

I totally agree with this. I used to really like indexed shifting, but after you get used to friction shifting, it's actually a much more pleasant experience aesthetically, and it requires much, much less adjustment. Just set your limiting screws and you're pretty much set until the cassette wears out. For touring and commuting, I can't imagine using anything but bar-end shifters ever again.

Yeah, my new Cross Check has indexed shifting, and I'm really hoping I can figure out how to switch it to friction...

Out of all the bikes ive ever owned there is only 2 ive regretted parting with. 1 was a old beater Giant and 2 was my LHT. Illness forced me to sell the Surly and cash stops me from buying another now that i survived my so called (by doctors) terminal illness.

As in put in bar end shifters?

If you have the bar end shifters that come stock then just locate the d-ring tab on the side and turn it. Once it clicks you're switched to friction.

Woo! Worked perfectly! Thanks!