Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Commuting
Reload this Page >

New cross check owner :)

Notices
Commuting Bicycle commuting is easier than you think, before you know it, you'll be hooked. Learn the tips, hints, equipment, safety requirements for safely riding your bike to work.

New cross check owner :)

Old 06-01-18, 08:32 PM
  #1  
xSurlyx
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
xSurlyx's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 6

Bikes: Surly Crosscheck, Bianchi Sport SX, Schwinn Traveler

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
New cross check owner :)

Hello everyone,


Long time reader, first time poster.

So I bought a Surly Cross-check two months ago, for work commuting (16mi RT). Love it!

Things I have upgraded:
Selle-anatomica saddle (switched from another bike)
Tubus rear rack & panniers
Panaracer Tourguard 700x38
90mm stem (7degree-same as stock)
Odyssey platform pedals ( cheap but I like them)


My question to you, what small affordable (100$ Or less) changes/upgrades would you do off the bat?

I apologize ahead of time if this has been posted before.
xSurlyx is offline  
Old 06-02-18, 08:56 AM
  #2  
no motor?
Unlisted member
 
no motor?'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Chicagoland
Posts: 6,193

Bikes: Specialized Hardrock

Mentioned: 29 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1376 Post(s)
Liked 432 Times in 297 Posts
Lights.
no motor? is offline  
Old 06-02-18, 09:25 AM
  #3  
Abe_Froman
Senior Member
 
Abe_Froman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Chicago
Posts: 2,566

Bikes: Marin Four Corners, 1960's Schwinn Racer in middle of restoration, mid 70s Motobecane Grand Touring, various other heaps.

Mentioned: 76 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 9347 Post(s)
Liked 57 Times in 51 Posts
Fenders
Abe_Froman is offline  
Old 06-02-18, 10:22 AM
  #4  
Gresp15C
Senior Member
 
Gresp15C's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 3,893
Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1062 Post(s)
Liked 665 Times in 421 Posts
Action.
Gresp15C is offline  
Old 06-02-18, 11:51 AM
  #5  
BobbyG
Senior Member
 
BobbyG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Posts: 5,960

Bikes: 2015 Charge Plug, 2007 Dahon Boardwalk, 1997 Nishiki Blazer, 1984 Nishiki International, 2006 Felt F65, 1989 Dahon Getaway V

Mentioned: 54 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1359 Post(s)
Liked 1,658 Times in 822 Posts
Originally Posted by no motor?
Lights.
Originally Posted by Abe_Froman
Fenders
Originally Posted by Gresp15C
Action.
BobbyG is offline  
Old 06-02-18, 11:57 AM
  #6  
Abe_Froman
Senior Member
 
Abe_Froman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Chicago
Posts: 2,566

Bikes: Marin Four Corners, 1960's Schwinn Racer in middle of restoration, mid 70s Motobecane Grand Touring, various other heaps.

Mentioned: 76 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 9347 Post(s)
Liked 57 Times in 51 Posts
I’d add bluetooth speaker as well
Abe_Froman is offline  
Old 06-02-18, 01:16 PM
  #7  
xSurlyx
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
xSurlyx's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 6

Bikes: Surly Crosscheck, Bianchi Sport SX, Schwinn Traveler

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Forgot to mention. I already have lights and I'm in the desert so it never rains so no need for fenders.

Action is on order
xSurlyx is offline  
Old 06-02-18, 05:37 PM
  #8  
cobyrne
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Maple Ridge, BC
Posts: 18

Bikes: Surly X-Check, Bike Friday Family Tandem

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by xSurlyx
Forgot to mention. I already have lights and I'm in the desert so it never rains so no need for fenders.

Action is on order
Bottle cages?
cobyrne is offline  
Old 06-03-18, 04:08 PM
  #9  
no motor?
Unlisted member
 
no motor?'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Chicagoland
Posts: 6,193

Bikes: Specialized Hardrock

Mentioned: 29 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1376 Post(s)
Liked 432 Times in 297 Posts
Duh, we all forgot the most important thing - post pictures!
no motor? is offline  
Old 06-03-18, 04:28 PM
  #10  
Buddha2499
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 64
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 23 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Nice! I wanted a cross check for about 10 years, and about 500 miles ago I finally bought a Straggler. Atlanta’s broken streets have never felt so smooth.

Buddha2499 is offline  
Old 06-04-18, 01:17 PM
  #11  
HardyWeinberg
GATC
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: south Puget Sound
Posts: 8,728
Mentioned: 29 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 464 Post(s)
Liked 49 Times in 27 Posts
Sounds like you're done, really (if you have bottle cages). Ride it!

A frame pump maybe?

Oh, a bell! Definitely a bell.

Last edited by HardyWeinberg; 06-05-18 at 11:29 AM.
HardyWeinberg is offline  
Old 06-04-18, 06:34 PM
  #12  
RubeRad
Keepin it Wheel
 
RubeRad's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: San Diego
Posts: 10,238

Bikes: Surly CrossCheck, Krampus

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 26 Post(s)
Liked 3,399 Times in 2,510 Posts
Hey there, welcome from another CrossCheck commuter, living in the desert with no fenders, but with selle an-atomica (titanico x) saddle, platform pedals, rack, etc!

Are you me?

Here's my original build (sorry the formatting is messed up), I cobbled it together starting with frame&fork.



That pic is pretty old, it's had red trim for a few years now, and the anatomica saddle, and different tires, different crankset... you know, always evolving!

Thing one, you want some Kool-Stop Salmon brake pads. Those Tektro CR-whatever brakes are apparently pretty good as far as cantilevers go, but no matter how well they're setup, they take a lot of hand-muscle.

Thing two: do you want even wider tires? 700x38 is pretty good, but I've stuffed up to 700x50 marathon supremes in there. Fatties fit fine, indeed.

Thing three: I forget, does CrossCheck still come stock with bar-end shifters? Consider moving those levers up to some Retroshift brake levers (now branded as "Gevenalle")

Finally, you need at least one bada$$ sticker. Here's mine on my stem, it helps me get up hills.:

RubeRad is offline  
Old 06-05-18, 08:38 AM
  #13  
RubeRad
Keepin it Wheel
 
RubeRad's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: San Diego
Posts: 10,238

Bikes: Surly CrossCheck, Krampus

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 26 Post(s)
Liked 3,399 Times in 2,510 Posts
But really, as much as I love my CC, my upgrade recommendation for you would be (would have been) to return it and get a Straggler. Because, disc brakes. I built my CC a year or two before the Straggler was released, otherwise I would have been in for disc brakes for sure.
RubeRad is offline  
Old 06-05-18, 08:56 AM
  #14  
Buddha2499
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 64
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 23 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by RubeRad
But really, as much as I love my CC, my upgrade recommendation for you would be (would have been) to return it and get a Straggler. Because, disc brakes. I built my CC a year or two before the Straggler was released, otherwise I would have been in for disc brakes for sure.
+1.

I love my straggler.
Buddha2499 is offline  
Old 06-05-18, 09:47 AM
  #15  
RubeRad
Keepin it Wheel
 
RubeRad's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: San Diego
Posts: 10,238

Bikes: Surly CrossCheck, Krampus

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 26 Post(s)
Liked 3,399 Times in 2,510 Posts
Except that initial Straggler was only available in that sparkle-pony purple. I'm not quite confident enough in my masculinity for a color like that.
RubeRad is offline  
Old 06-05-18, 11:14 AM
  #16  
rumrunn6
Senior Member
 
rumrunn6's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 29,527

Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0

Mentioned: 112 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5218 Post(s)
Liked 3,564 Times in 2,331 Posts
my recollection of starting commuting is, the more I rode to work, the things I needed, became self evident. embrace the failures
rumrunn6 is offline  
Old 06-05-18, 11:30 AM
  #17  
HardyWeinberg
GATC
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: south Puget Sound
Posts: 8,728
Mentioned: 29 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 464 Post(s)
Liked 49 Times in 27 Posts
Originally Posted by RubeRad
Except that initial Straggler was only available in that sparkle-pony purple. I'm not quite confident enough in my masculinity for a color like that.
Actually I like the purple enough to let it overcome my skepticism of Surly's implementation of disc brakes...
HardyWeinberg is offline  
Old 06-05-18, 12:20 PM
  #18  
RubeRad
Keepin it Wheel
 
RubeRad's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: San Diego
Posts: 10,238

Bikes: Surly CrossCheck, Krampus

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 26 Post(s)
Liked 3,399 Times in 2,510 Posts
? Did Surly implement disc brakes differently than everybody else?
RubeRad is offline  
Old 06-05-18, 06:51 PM
  #19  
Buddha2499
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 64
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 23 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by RubeRad
Except that initial Straggler was only available in that sparkle-pony purple. I'm not quite confident enough in my masculinity for a color like that.
oh but the new midnight-blue color is absolutely amazing.
Buddha2499 is offline  
Old 06-06-18, 02:36 PM
  #20  
xSurlyx
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
xSurlyx's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 6

Bikes: Surly Crosscheck, Bianchi Sport SX, Schwinn Traveler

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by RubeRad
Hey there, welcome from another CrossCheck commuter, living in the desert with no fenders, but with selle an-atomica (titanico x) saddle, platform pedals, rack, etc!

Are you me?


love the build!
Will be posting pics once I hit 10 posts.

I am actually considering dropping down in the future to possibly 35 or 32 tires. I switch off between my 41 Knards and the 38 Panaguards.
Yeah, my shifters are the bar end ones, but I am back and froth on them. Today I like them, tomorrow tho....who knows. Those Gevenalle's are awesome and look very convenient.
I have to pick up some pads. Like you mentioned stopping is great, but it does need some muscle.
xSurlyx is offline  
Old 06-06-18, 02:38 PM
  #21  
xSurlyx
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
xSurlyx's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 6

Bikes: Surly Crosscheck, Bianchi Sport SX, Schwinn Traveler

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by rumrunn6
my recollection of starting commuting is, the more I rode to work, the things I needed, became self evident. embrace the failures
I am starting to notice that. As of now, something that is kind of annoying, but not horrible is charging my lights/batteries. I keep thinking dynohub.
xSurlyx is offline  
Old 06-06-18, 03:05 PM
  #22  
HardyWeinberg
GATC
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: south Puget Sound
Posts: 8,728
Mentioned: 29 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 464 Post(s)
Liked 49 Times in 27 Posts
dynohub is the BEST!!!

Can get a wheel and light for $230, which kind of exceeds your c-note benchmark but it's not too bad for what you get

I put dynamo tail lights onto my kids' bikes as well so I don't need to keep reminding them to turn their tail lights on before heading to school (and off when they get there, and on again when they leave...)
HardyWeinberg is offline  
Old 06-06-18, 04:11 PM
  #23  
RubeRad
Keepin it Wheel
 
RubeRad's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: San Diego
Posts: 10,238

Bikes: Surly CrossCheck, Krampus

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 26 Post(s)
Liked 3,399 Times in 2,510 Posts
Originally Posted by HardyWeinberg
dynohub is the BEST!!!

Can get a wheel and light for $230, which kind of exceeds your c-note benchmark but it's not too bad for what you get

I put dynamo tail lights onto my kids' bikes as well so I don't need to keep reminding them to turn their tail lights on before heading to school (and off when they get there, and on again when they leave...)
Interesting. How bright is 30lux?

I'm a led flashlight man. I fix a cheap cree light onto my bars with interlocked hose clamps (see pic above). It takes one 18650 battery, and it is strong enough that I can confidently ride in total darkness. The zoomable head lets me put all the photons on the ground with a width I like. In the winter if I run it on medium (which is enough) I will get typically 4-5 days out of one charge. Blinking lasts longer. I have two batteries so always a full backup. The light was dirt cheap, it claimed 2000 lumen, and I'm sure it's not really that much, but comparing to pics online I bet it's well over 1000. The batteries that came with it were crap, I bought a pair of decent batteries for I think $15 (i.e. about what I paid for the light) from a U.S. battery-specialist website.

My taillight is a usb-chargeable cygolite hotshot. I run it blinking every ride. Daily roundtrip is maybe 70min or so. It needs recharging so infrequently I'm not even sure how long a charge lasts. I'm pretty sure it's a month or two.
RubeRad is offline  
Old 06-07-18, 07:10 AM
  #24  
rumrunn6
Senior Member
 
rumrunn6's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 29,527

Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0

Mentioned: 112 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5218 Post(s)
Liked 3,564 Times in 2,331 Posts
Originally Posted by xSurlyx
As of now, something that is kind of annoying, but not horrible is charging my lights/batteries. I keep thinking dynohub.
solve/address ea. issue as it pops up ...

for this one, I kept a charger at work & one at home (for my AAA taillights). I think I was using eneloop batteries which are better, but I don't remember for sure. my headlight had a big honkin' battery so that was OK for the round trip

but yeah, ppl w dynohubs, swear by them
rumrunn6 is offline  
Old 06-07-18, 09:03 AM
  #25  
RubeRad
Keepin it Wheel
 
RubeRad's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: San Diego
Posts: 10,238

Bikes: Surly CrossCheck, Krampus

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 26 Post(s)
Liked 3,399 Times in 2,510 Posts
Yes dynohubbers can get like religious zealots, unwilling to allow anybody else to prefer battery lights.

Not sure which extremists are crazier, the dynohubbers or the chain-waxers.

Last edited by RubeRad; 06-07-18 at 09:41 AM.
RubeRad is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.