Surly Cross Check, Custom Build, Beef Gravy Brown

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Frame / Size / Year:
Surly Cross Check, Brown, 56cm (color is nicer in person, was a gamble, growing on me)

Handlebars / Stem:
Nitto Noodle Bars, Velo Orange Stem, +/- 6

Fork / Headset:
Stock Fork, Velo Orange Headset, Silver

Front Wheel / Hub / Rim / Tire:
Mavic A719, 36 Hole, Silver, Shimano XT Hub, DT Swiss Silver Competition DB Spokes, 32C Continental Contact Tires w/ Ref Side

Rear Wheel / Hub / Rim / Tire:
Mavic A719, 36 Hole, Silver, Shimano XT Hub, DT Swiss Silver Competition DB Spokes, 32C Continental Contact Tires w/ Ref Side

Crankset / Bottom Bracket:
Sugino Alpina Cranks, Double 48/34 (Velo Orange) Shimano UN-54 BB, 110mm

Saddle / Seat Post:
Ideale #90 Competition Special Saddle, Nitto Dynamic 626 Crystal Fellow

Pedals / Chain:
Ultegra/XT Chain (9 speed), Shimano SPD/platform Pedals

Shifters / Derailers:
DA 9 Speed Bar end shifters, SLX Rear derailleur long, Ultegra Front derailleur

Brakes / Brake Levers:
Avid Shorty 4 Canti Brakes w/ Tektro Levers

Gearing / Chainring / Misc.:
Shimano HG80 Cassette, 11-32, 9 Speed

Notes:

Fenders, 45mm Satin Silver from Velo Orange, Salsa Dark Brown Bar tape, Stainless Bottle cages from Velo Orange.

Tubus Cargo Rear Rack
Old Man Mountain Ultimate Lowrider Front Rack
Lone Peak Panniers
Smaller: P-150 Millcreek Panniers
Larger: P-500 Mount Superior Panniers

Built this bike as cross btwn the stock Cross Check and the Long Haul Trucker. Went with a mid range gearing compared to the stock builds. Bike will be used for daily commuting and touring.

This is the first bike I built myself from the ground up. It was a great experience with quite a learning curve. Did have my LBS put the headset in for me.

People who friended this bike Fezdango, jellyfish, Roni Solomon DDS, awer1, recur, floggingdavy, owlboogie, ObrennanO, dmdeford, van, fastfixie

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hey, just finished my cross

Submitted by fixedforbroke on 06/28/2009.

hey, just finished my cross check build. Im glad to see someone else as satisfied as i am. I did mine a bit different, full dura ace and mavic wheels. I did my first actual off road riding today. have you tried off road? How did you think it handled?

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Not really, just got this

Submitted by nycphoto on 06/29/2009.

Not really, just got this done in the last week. I live in New York City, so my access is limited when it comes to "off road" choices. As for the road handling, I love it. It feels smooth and in control. It's the heaviest bike I have ridden in some time, so by default it has a different feel. It also has longer chain stays than any other bike I own so that is different. I think in the end the bike will prove to be prefect for the application it was built for. Enjoy your build. Sounds like a nice one.

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Very nice

Submitted by Ruffinit on 06/26/2009.

Good solid build. It's your bike, your colors. Brown on brown is fine, and the darker color of the tape almost matches the saddle. Are those aluminum fenders? Why would you switch out a good solid alloy rack for steel? Alloy will do you well unless of course it's an aesthetic thing to match the cages. Are you going to put low riders on it or are you talking about supported touring where you wouldn't have to carry that much? Lastly, if you are going with a wide gearing, why not go with a triple and set it up with half step?
Just questions, no hammer here... I love touring bikes and this is just what looks like a new breed.

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The fenders are aluminum,

Submitted by nycphoto on 06/26/2009.

The fenders are aluminum, from Velo Orange. As for the rack, it's a Topeak rack with a load rating of 40 pounds. The C&O is a bit rough and I want to go with steel for 2 reasons. 1: Higher load limits and 2: Can be welded by almost anyone/any place if it needed to. The steel racks I am looking at are mostly from Old Man Mountain and Tubus. Will probably go with the Old Man Mountain Red Rock for the rear and an Old Man Mountain Ultimate Low Rider for the front. The cross check has no mid fork braze ons so I dig what OMM is doing by offering mounting solutions for lowriders with quick release and canti boss mounting. I just hate the idea of putting p-clamps or brackets around the fork, it feels like a band-aid fit solution when OMM has an off the peg product that solves this. I plan on doing mostly credit card touring to start, with the idea of going unsuppported down the road. I guess I figure, if I am gonna buy racks, buy something good that is an investment.

Gearing. I went middle of the road meaning..... mountain cassette with a double crankset with smaller chain rings (48/34) For some reason, I'm a bit anti-triple. Hope it doesn't come to bite me in the butt when I am fully loaded looking up a big hill!!! Thanks for the support.

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Sounds like you have done your homework

Submitted by Ruffinit on 06/27/2009.

I've run all Jim Blackburn racks except my rear rack on the Bridgestone being the stock rack. I've toured loaded with it all over the world and I remember one time in China (Lantau) I was headed up a mountain (being cheered on by a bus load of Chinese) going to check out a Bhuddest Monastery with full loaded front/rear panniers. The T700 has the lowest gearing of 28 front 34 rear and I was standing up pedaling. So... hopefully for most things you will find the gearing sufficient. I run 50/44/28 and 12/34 set up for 1/2 step Alpine gearing. 27x1.25 tires with 36 front and 40 rear spoke. Enjoy! Make sure you post the updates as you complete them.

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T700/Blackburn

Submitted by nycphoto on 06/27/2009.

Thanks for the nod to Blackburn. Always good to hear what real riders are using. Your Tour de China sounds great. T700... what a great ride. Hope the Surly holds up as well.

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Classy

Submitted by jaybird74 on 06/26/2009.

Very nice build. I recently completed a Cross Check build for my boss; he also wanted the stickers removed. I used a blowdryer on high and a plastic putty knife. Once they heat up, they peel off easily.

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Thanks for the tip. I was

Submitted by nycphoto on 06/26/2009.

Thanks for the tip. I was gonna research some suggestions this weekend. TIme saved!

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Surly Cross Check, Custom Build, Beef Gravy Brown