seeker333

I had a LHT, then a 56cm Disc Trucker (DT), and have an 83cm PBH, so perhaps I can offer some advice. Obviously I believe Surly's LHT/DT offer one of the the best values in a competent, proven touring bike.

Read Marcus T's link if you are interested in my take on the Salsa Marrakesh. I rank the Kona Sutra about the same as the Marrakesh or the 520. Several years ago the Sutra had a tendency to lose cantilever brake mounts, indicating the factory who made them had some fundamental problems in welding/brazing/bike frame manufacture. The latest Trek 520 was discussed in this thread, probably one of the better 520 threads.

Someone who apparently worked in a LBS decided to make his touring bike decision based on a poll. Poll results were 33 for Surly DT, 19 for Trek 520. I think you can see where I'm going with this.

Any of the four may be purchased as a frameset and customized to the user's needs. For me this was (twice) an inexpensive alternative to buying a Surly Complete bike. Others don't seem to build their bikes as cheaply so they recommend buying as a bike, not a frameset. Surly DT frameset MSRP is $575, Salsa Marrakesh is $800, Kona Sutra is $600 and Trek 520 is $700, all prices before shipping cost or sales tax.

Surly and Salsa are brands of Quality Bike Products, their frames and forks are produced in a highly reputable Taiwanese factory operated for decades by Maxway. LHT has been made by Maxway and sold by QBP continuously since it's introduction 15 years ago. Because of this long history of proven quality production, and my experience building and riding a 2006 LHT and a 2013 DT, I am comfortable recommending the DT over the other three alternatives. If you intend to build/ride a single speed or internal gear hub (Rohloff) drivetrain bike, then you need some way to provide chain tensioning capability, in which case I recommend the Salsa Marrakesh. If you want a standard derailleur drive, get a Disc Trucker, as the Marrakesh's swinging (Alternator) dropouts serve no purpose on a derailleur bike, they are a useless, unsightly complication of the rear dropouts, plus they limit your rear rack choice to Salsa's short-height rack (which compensates for the fact that rack must be mounted ~9cm higher than most touring bikes, fixed to the hinge bolt of the Alternator dropout).

The 56cm DT I had fit my 83cm PBH fine, but the reach was longer than I liked. I have lumber disc issues, so I prefer/need a high, relatively short reach to the handlebar. OP, you are 3/4" taller than me, so the the 56cm DT should fit you. BTW, there is no significant advantage to 700c wheels over 26" wheels for touring - in fact many believe the opposite (26" better for touring). My experience was that a 700c DT is not any faster than a 26" LHT. Also, a 700c 56cm Trucker, or most any 700c bike with big tires and full fenders, will have toe overlap (TO). TO occurs when you've turned the wheel sharply to execute a U-turn in the width of a two lane road (or similar small radius turn) , and your shoe's toe will smack the back of the front wheel fender (or tire) as you pedal. This is not a big deal once you learn how to time your pedaling with sharp turns, but TO is completely avoided on smaller diameter 26" wheeled bikes, so another advantage to 26" wheels.

WRT the Crosscheck (XC), many have toured on XC but it IS a cyclocross bike. Compared to a DT, XC has a higher bottom bracket, which normally results in higher standover height, shorter chainstays so that heel-strike on panniers is more likely, smaller diameter top tube meaning less load handling capability. XC also has a shorter headtube, so it's more difficult to achieve a handlebar-level-with-saddle-height setup popular with tourists for more comfortable long-term posture. XC is closer to a road bike than a touring bike.

Somewhere I read Surly may have a new touring-oriented bike debut in June/July - if you are not in a hurry you might want to wait and see what it is.

Try to ride before buying, but be warned that touring bikes are not super popular, so the odds of finding one in your size at a LBS are not great.

TL/DR version: Disc Trucker>Sutra=Marrakesh=520