Darth Lefty 

This, from the most recent Surly blog post:

I've been trying to read between the lines and there's not much to find. How do you get a year shortage of such a basic bike? Perhaps they are modernizing the frame or substantially changing the spec for MY 2021 and want to sell out old stock?The rest of the blog post is about building up a Pack Rat as a single speed commuter, you might enjoy:https://surlybikes.com/blog/pack_rat...ke_it_your_own

Kedosto

Probably a supply issue with the component spec. If they can't get the components they want, or get them at a price they're willing to pay, complete bikes will be a no-go until the issue is ironed out. Meanwhile, the frames are readily available because they're not tied to component availability. Just a guess.


-Kedosto

Darth Lefty 

I thought about that too... But for a year? For "Japanese-standard" non-fancy parts? For a bike sold by a major distributor?

My conjecture is that they're going to rework the frame for MY 2021. Smaller wheel sizes for smaller frame sizes, add disk tabs, get rid of the horizontal drops and make it adaptable to QR or TA like the "knot-boost" on the Monkey

Darth Lefty 

Well heck, just saw this on the Soma Fab facebook page:
Betcha...

TXBDan

Isn't a Straggler pretty much a disc Crosscheck with thru-axles?

pdlamb

Must be tough being the product manager and looking for fringe-about-to-become-cool concepts all the time.

I wonder how much market share the Cross Check has lost to gravel, "all road," and "adventure" bikes?

TXBDan

Probably a **** ton. No wants a freaking bar end shifter.

no motor?

I'd want one.

Darth Lefty 

It came out a year or two before the thru axle fad, so it’s QR 135 with awkward sliding drops for single speed builds

cs1

I’m pretty sure it isn’t bar end shifters that would hurt sales. If it was Surly would just change it.

TXBDan

Yeh. My larger point is that its overpriced for the really outdated build that it has. "Enthusiasts" know that crosscheck is a cool frame with a lot of flexibility, but anyone new to the market would run down that spec list and quickly dismiss it. Maybe it would live on best as just a frameset.

cs1

I agree with that 100%. The frame is great but it is not a good for the money. Everyone else is giving you Tiagra for the same money or 105 for a little more. BTW old guys like me love barcon shifters.

davei1980

+1 - I feel liked lots of guys and gals with large parts bin hoards will always need these types of frames and this is a good one but yes, you can buy a "cooler" bike with better components for less off the shelf.

Darth Lefty 

Maybe, but do you think the world will ever run out of Trek Multi Tracks?

davei1980

You make a good point - if you're not too hung up on wheel size, there are no shortage of horiz dropout, quill stem MTB's which you could mold and shape in to just about anything for less than $20 initial purchase price... I am thinking about doing exactly this - making a single speed, rigid MTB for fun riding near my house for next to nothing. I might even use bull horns just to keep it weird.

ThermionicScott 

Agreed with @TXBDan. At the time the CC was introduced, "cyclocross" bikes with braze-ons were a welcome change from road racing-specific bikes with no tire clearance or braze-ons, but now there are lots of alternatives with better geometry and frame materials.

I wonder if the CC will be the next bike to get axed after the Pacer...

Darth Lefty 

1x1, Instigator, and Moonlander are retired or at least on hiatus. The first two probably due to the near-end of 26" mountain bikes. That's why I'd have picked the Troll to get the hook before the CC, but who knows...

With kids now, I wish there were junior size Surly frames to build up for them, but it really wouldn't fit with all the beer-and-pot-and-cussing marketing. 5yo will need a new 20" bike around next summer or Christmas. Will it be a MTB? hmmm

MEversbergII

I'm familiar with Surly, and the Cross-Check, but what exactly makes (made?) it an "outdated" build? Of the Surly line, it is one I had considered briefly, but I'm not super knowledgeable.

TXBDan

rim brakes (everything now is disc)
quick release axles (most bikes now are thruaxle)
steel fork (most now are carbon)
130-135mm rear hub spacing (most now are 142mm)
not as many mount points as some new gravel bikes
lesser tire clearance than some gravel bikes
bar end shifters (everything now is brifters0

I'd have a hard time choosing it over something like a Jamis Renegade.

I-Like-To-Bike

Why is this thread that is 100% about the specifications of bicycles sold by one company in the commuter list? There is 0% commuting content.

52telecaster

I like barcons too, speaking of useful framesets, i like to build on old touring-cross bikes.
98 volpe

ThermionicScott 

Your confusion is understandable, since it's not a German-made 3-speed.

But the CC is/was a popular commuting bike, and sometimes we like to talk about hardware and where bikes are going. Don't like it? Move on to the next thread where you can harp about something else.

I-Like-To-Bike

Lots of bikes are used for commuting, probably a good number of them were sold by Walmart. I certainly wouldn't be surprised if Walmart bikes are used for commuting by far more bicyclists than Surlys,

Based on the logic of your snarky reply I assume threads about the detailed specifications of any and all bikes, with 0% commuting content are "commuter" topics, as long as "we" might use them for commuting.

MEversbergII

Ah, I now understand. Indeed, looks like some of my own knowledge is behind the times, though I can't say I was ever super mechanically knowledgeable. I hadn't realized thru-axles were now the norm, though that makes sense with the proliferation of disc brakes I suppose.

Actually, before I took my hiatus on here (and from bikes) in 2015 I don't think I'd ever heard the term gravel bike - at least not nearly as frequently as I do now. Is that the "hot new style"? Just seems like a MTB with drop bars to me, but I'm often wrong about these things.

davei1980

I think technical threads are great here as most commuters are DIY-centric/work on their own bikes. It's necessary to communicate tech specs and share knowledge and know about your frame so you know which replacement parts will fit on it.

I have built 3 bikes having 0 prior technical knowledge purely on information gleaned here. That said, we should try our best to be positive, encouraging and professional here....