Surly Cross Check

The Surly Cross Check is a great bike. It was the third frame Surly ever offered and it’s maintained its place as an integral, versatile steel bike.  Neither the frame nor the component spec of the bike have changed much since they introduced it almost a decade ago because…well, “if it ain’t broke…”

There have been slight changes, this year they’ve added mid-blade eyelets to the fork for mounting a front touring style rack. While it isn’t a touring bike per se, it will handle lighter touring loads, and a front rack or basket can now be part of your repertoire.

But that begs the question: what is this bike for? It’s a cyclocross bike by trade, but that’s only the beginning. Ride it fully geared, add some spacers and use that horizontal drop out to convert to an easy singlespeed or fixed-gear. Ride it on the road or off.  Go fatter, get some big 38s or 29×2.0.  Add fenders. It does as good a job getting you across the country as it does getting you across town.

The stock components were chosen for their durability and and ability to not “dent your piggy bank too bad”  The frame is comfy, tough as nails, and versatile too. We continue to hear from people who have made the Cross-Check their default go-to bike simply because it performs so astonishingly well.  It’s also the only bike we know of who has it’s own fan-club ride at Pedalpalooza.  That’s right, hundreds of Surlys gather to parade their awesome-ness.  Now you’ve heard about it. Go try it.  *totally biased, this was written by a Surly Cross Check owner.