reroll

Surly Bikes got started about 25 years ago and continues to make 'steel is real' bikes. As everybody here at C&V knows, however, the bicycle technologies of 25 years ago have undergone some major changes, so Surly had to develop new models for new components, and then a couple of years ago Surly discontinued production of all but one of its last few models having near-vintage components. But C&V participants could be interested about that one remaining near-vintage model, the Surly Cross-Check bike, designed for 700c wheels, has front fork and rear stay bosses for cantilever or V-linear brakes, has downtube shifter bosses, can be set up for single, double, or triple chainwheels, and it is among the last of new, near-vintage bikes available. Currently available in complete and frameset versions, its availability has been somewhat sketchy in recent years, sometimes available and sometimes not, its future in question, which prompts me to bring this bike to the attention of the C&V forum. And yes, I have one.

Here is an article written in 2020 about the Cross-Check; https://www.seasurfdirt.com/2020/08/...y-cross-check/

I have no business involvement with Surly other than my being a long time Surly retail customer.

nlerner

“Near vintage”?

Nwvlvtnr 

In 2005 I bought a Cross Check new, it was my last new bike purchase and remains my newest bike.

merziac

Surly, solid, cookie cutter, plug and play, spendy substitute for a genuine C+V bike/frame/etc that might require some skill to wrangle.

nlerner

You don’t need to speak for me—I’m old.

scarlson 

reroll

Yes, compared to the cost of many authentically C&V bikes most any new bike can be spendy, spendier, and spendiest. Worse, if given a choice between a complete bike and the same model in a frameset I would almost always go for the frameset and that is where spending can and usually does accelerate.


Other than the costs involved, the Cross-Check is a bike well worth having. As has been said by many, the Cross-Check is a jack of all trades but master of none sort of bike, but that is what makes it so good, that it is versatile, a general purpose utility bike.

BT7274

Crosschecks are great. Last of a breed; a basic reliable bike. Easier to get than a vintage roadie, so it has that going for it.

merziac

That's the point, C+V, not about being easier, although it can be and often for less $$$ if you know what you are doing and then when you get done you have the real thing.

Andy_K 

This thread needs a picture.



I was never quite happy with the Cross Check geometry. It seemed like it was simultaneously too big and too small. Maybe that's just my taste, or maybe I should have gotten the next size up. From Surly's geometry chart, everything from the 50cm to the 58cm has nearly the same reach (within 1 cm), and, curiously, the 56 has shorter reach than the 54. I had a poor understanding of bike fit when I bought this one.

The best thing about Surlys is their tire clearance. They were ahead of the curve on that. The Cross Check is spec'd for 700x42 with fenders and it doesn't even get Surly's highest self-rating for tire clearance.

It's interesting that most of their current pictures show the bike with flat bars. The geometry makes a bit more sense that way.

BikingViking793 

I really like mine.

reroll

Here is the current Surly Cross-Check website: https://surlybikes.com/bikes/cross_check

52telecaster

My son has an old rim brake long haul trucker. Built up well, surly stuff is quite nice.

BT7274

Wow that's a great color! I agree. I had 2 Crosschecks, and they were always a hair too big for me. I'd like to get a smaller one if the chance ever came up. To paraphrase an old review, they're like Willies jeeps. Not the best, but can handle most stuff thrown its way. I remember climbing like a beast on the old stock model up some singletrack. Triple chainring fun!

BT7274

It really breaks my heart seeing Surly move to disc brakes and discontinuing the Pacer, the 1x1, etc. At least the new. models are retaining downtube braze-ons, and I kind of dig the Straggler's look.

TugaDude

I've never owned a Surly but I've always admired them and their products. I have seen many of them close-up. They have a quirky, fun vibe to them. I like the FFF sticker on the rear triangle, standing for Fatties Fit Fine. We all know larger tires can be an advantage at times.
They also have introduced some interesting components such as their "Whirly" crank set and their "Dingle Cog" , which gives fixed riders an opportunity to change gearing easily.

The Cross-Check is iconic, probably the first bike people associate with them.

reroll

Yeah, the Cross-Check is built that way, long in the reach and short in the stack. Cyclocross bikes ordinarily get built that way, for riding long and low on drop bars, but after finding myself with my hands on the tops of drop bars nearly all of the time I switched over to flat or flat-ish bars, my favorites having become the Velo Orange Porteur bars https://velo-orange.com/collections/...eur-bar-config. However, because of the long reach and short stack on the Cross-Check I am now using the Velo Orange Left Bank bars on mine https://velo-orange.com/collections/...ndlebar-config along with a -17 degree 60mm stem.

52telecaster

I use the porteur bars on most of my bikes. Very comfy!

Germany_chris

Yea I have a couple Cross Checks and yea they’re pretty great

reroll

The Porteur bars are close to being drop bars but without the drops.
And yes, they are comfortable, good for long rides, and I especially like the wrist angle.

reroll

Surly produces easy-to-get-along-with bikes by directing their bike models towards certain uses but stopping short of becoming overly or too intensely focused on those particular uses. Competitive events get won on other bikes but non-racers like how Surlys are user-friendly.

polymorphself 

I would potentially agree with this other than one very key feature to the Cross-Check that many in the touring/commuting/randonneuring world have come to appreciate (and, as you surely know, re-discover from the mid-century French) and that is the ability to fit wider than 32mm tires and/or fenders with ease, because it is designed for them. No crimping fenders, dimpling chainstays etc, which even then on many C+V models will only get you so far.

Andy_K 

I used to have a Long Haul Trucker. I bought it used, and it was another in a long line of bikes that were too small for me before I figured out the bike fit thing.



For the first year or so that I owned this, I didn't really like it. I had heard such great things, but the ride just kind of felt dead to me. Then I took it on a tour and really loaded it down, and it was like:



The heavy load didn't really have any negative impact on the way the bike rides. I guess this is a general theme with touring bikes, but this was my first true touring bike and it surprised me.

panzerwagon 

Well, if it’s hanging a couple hooks from the Raleigh International...?

panzerwagon 

Interestingly, when I was in the market, I tried the LHT and got the same impression. Ended up with a 2005 Trek 520 instead, which felt livelier. A couple years after that got my first Univega Specialissima (the ‘84) and promptly sold the 520 on craigslist. No heavy touring, just commutes and light loads. I can totally imagine heavy loads flipping that around.