kouk

Hi everybody,

I've been riding a very cheap hybrid bike for the last 2 years in my home city of Athens, Greece. Recently some friends decided to chip in and help me finance a new bike for my birthday so we're looking into the possibilities. As you can guess money is the limiting factor.

What I'm looking for is a fast, resilient commuter which I can also take up to the mountains and have some fun. Mountains aside, Athens is full of potholes and is very unhospitable to bikes so the sturdiness factor is important. So I've been looking at cyclocross bikes and because of budget concerns that leaves me with very few options.

From what I've read online the Surly Cross check is designed for my purposes and is cheap (as far as these bikes go). Unfortunately very few dealers in Athens even _carry_ cyclocross bikes/frames so I'll be forced to order it from outside the country.

The Kona Jake '04 also seems like a good idea and there is even a local dealer that has a few left (for 1200 euros). There are two questions though:
a) will it be practical as a commuter? I usually need to carry things with me so I will need to get a rail installed on the back.
b) I've been measured to be 60cm for a road bike and 58cm for a cyclocross bike. The local dealer only has 56cm kona jake frames. How important will the difference be?

If I order from somewhere in europe I can probably find a 58cm kona jake and it seems to be a bit cheaper than the cross check (perhaps because of the new model coming out). It's lighter than the cross check too, but I like steel a lot and the cross check appeals more to me.

Apart from the specific questions any other suggestions are more than welcome! Keep in mind that I cannot spend much more than 1000 euros.

2manybikes

Since a cyclyocross bike is made for cyclocross racing it does not have the three chain rings (gears) in the front, like most hybrids. You will not have the low gears you may want to go up the mountains. A touring bike will have lower gears for the mountains. If you use the small gear in the front and the large gear in the rear on your hybrid a lot now, you will miss them.
It will not have the high gears either for going fast down hill. A touring bike will be typically 4 or 5 pounds heavier, but will go up mountains much better. It's better and cheaper to buy a touring bike in the first place than to convert a cycloross bike to a triple ( three gears in front) the rear gears are not the best either for mountains. It can be done however, but probably will go over your budget. Search the internet for touring bikes. Take a look at a Jamis touring bike, A Fuji touring bike. If you need something really tough look at the Thorn and Dawes 26" wheel touring bikes. Wheels like a mountain bike but with road tires. Good for rough roads and off road too. All the big bike companies make a touring bike, don't worry about the brand as much as a particular bike you like and a shop that you trust.
A touring bike will be easier to fit with racks (a rail) too. Panniers will fit better as well.

What hybrid are you now riding?

kouk

Thanks for your reply!

About my current bike: the steel frame is manufactured by a greek company called Ideal. This bike has the same frame and is the most similar to mine. The rest of the bike was put together by the bike shop, nothing interesting apart from being very cheap (120 euro at the time). The bike is very heavy as you might have guessed. One thing to notice is that last year I accidentally broke the front gear selection mechanism. Being busy at the time I temporarily locked the derailer to allow for only the biggest gear (which would allow me to go fast on the road to work). But as it turned out I rarely felt the need to switch to a lower front gear so it's been that way ever since.

So, I'm not that worried about switching gears. If I wasn't that worried about the rough terrain in and outside of Athens, then I'd go for a road bike, which would suit me fine and I could find for cheaper price.

-=(8)=-

Im not familier with the Kona line but I have a new Surly Crosscheck that I use as a
commuter. I chose it due to being steel and having what I felt was a stronger stock
wheelset than any of the other ones I looked at at that price point.
I like it a lot and if you do further research on it you will find it is a very versatile frame
that you can change whole wheel and drive train set-ups on with no problem. Fender
eyelets a plus too. Nice finish etc.....But, as the previous post rightly points out...the
gearing is very limited. Where I live there are lots of hills and speaking as a 46 year old
I have to admit my route choice is sometimes dictated by the gearing , or lack of.
If you do go with a Crosscheck you might want to get a custom cassette or smaller
front ring. Other than that, add a bag, a light and ride !!

Good luck and post some pics from Greece !

kouk

From what I've read the crosscheck is right for me. I'm considering the Kona because it's the cheapest cyclocross bike I've found in Greece and I would like to avoid shipping and other hassles. I would probably already be riding it if I the local dealers had a Kona in my size (as I mentioned they have a 56cm while I'm measured for a 58cm cross bike).

About the hills, Athens is pretty hilly so I can understand what you're getting at. Personally though I don't feel that it affects me much. As I mentioned my current bike has very limited gearing (by accident) and is very heavy. I seldom find myself in need of a lower gear, only when going uphill for a long while.

Cyclist0383

Have you checked out Ideal Bikes? They are made in Greece. My wife had one, it was a decent quality frame. Any frame made in the EU is going to be a lot cheaper than an imported frame due to anti-dumping tariffs. Mabey you can even get a custom job from Ideal, it's worth looking into.

https://www.idealbikes.net/

kouk

Yes, as I mentioned a few posts above my current bike is made by Ideal Bikes. They have great value/cost but I'm suspicious of the manufacturing quality.
They even make road bikes, but as I mentioned I'm not going for road bikes due to bad road conditions and dirt trails I sometimes have to take.
In any case, this time around I'm going to spend a bit more than usual but still not that much (~1000 EUR).

Can anyone explain to me how much impact a 2cm difference in size can make on riding? As I mentioned there is a dealer that has a 56cm kona jake the snake bike, but I'm supposed to be a size 58.

-=(8)=-

Hopefully this will be of some help in a roundabout way although not specificly an answer
to your question though....
My Surly is a 58c. It seems a pretty big 58. Its a big frame to me. I am 5'10"+. 33" inseam.
I have the seat post raised about 4" and I put all the stem spacers on the bottom
of the stem to raise it up but thats only because I prefer a taller bar height being more
mountain bike oriented. The stem is flippable if you want a more road/aero oriented
seating position. Even at my height, the stem / bar combo seemed too big
when I first started riding it. I was going to get a shorter stem to get stuff to move
in a little but after riding it or a while I actually appreciated the long reach because when I
stand up on hills It is very comfortable. The big frame is going to be more comfortable on
longer rides. www.surlybikes.com has a chart of all the components and their sizes, maybe you
can compare to any bikes you are considering or get an idea of what size is best for you 'cuz
it might be different than you might think.

kouk

well I am 1.88 meters tall (google calculator says that is 6.17 feet) so that's why I'm looking for a 58-60cm bike. I'm wondering if it would be worth the hassle and expenses to order a surly crosscheck in my size rather than buying the 56cm jake the snake for 1200 euro.

pharnabazos

If you order, remember the Surly runs larger than other bikes, especially because the toptube is loooong. 60cm c-c also has a 60cm toptube.

MrEWorm

I had my Surly Cross Check built up with a 105 Triple. If you buy the frame, you can add whatever components your heart desires.

climbo

The 56 Jake would be cuting it pretty small for a tall rider like yourself. If in doubt, order the Surly and build it up. It's not worth skimping if you get a bike that's too small. FYI, I'm 1.83 mtrs and would ride a 56cm Surly CrossCheck, the 58 sounds about right for you.

SteelCommuter

If you primarily want to commute and do occasional mountain rides, I think a 60 would be good. I'm shorter than you, but I would get that for myself. As far as a 56, I had a cross bike that size and it was frustratingly small. I'd strongly recommend getting the perfect size, not a smaller size simply because it's more immediate.

You may want consider their touring bike, the Long Haul Trucker. You can easily do off-rides on it, just nothing too technical.