[wilesto]

My brother is also interested in a bakfiets-style bike, so we stopped by The Daily Rider last month and gave the bullitt a test run. It didn’t quite feel right for him, but we’re tall guys so that wasn’t a surprise. The owner (who commutes on a bullitt) was there and gave us lots of advice about other brands as well. The rest of the shop is cool too – definitely worth a visit!

[wilesto]

Here’s a few pictures of the damage to my bike. The bent steel in the pics is the easiest damage to see, but my brifters/handlebars/front wheel were bent up as well.

The impact was almost directly head-on and I was probably going about 15mph, maybe more.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]1573[/ATTACH] The downtube folded underneath as the headtube was pushed back. Yikes!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1574[/ATTACH] It’s a little out of focus, but the headtube was dented around the top tube as well.

Any other stories? I know it’s a little grim, but I do like to hear other crash stories so I have a better chance of avoiding them myself.

[wilesto]

@Certifried 28954 wrote:

he should really just carry-on with life.

He could become a runway model!

[wilesto]

@eminva 28619 wrote:

Although I don’t have a Surly and no intention of buying one, I’m finding the side discussion of bike fit very interesting. The LBS salesman who sold me my way too big bike about four years ago had me try a Cross Check first. All I did was straddle it in the bike in the bike shop and he said, “Nope!” Maybe this was why — insufficiently long monkey arms. At least he got that much right . . .

I actually ended up getting a size smaller than I needed. The 62cm they had in stock was “technically” the right size per standover etc., but it felt a little unwieldy underneath me. I had them get a 60, which feels much more maneuverable than the 62 but also much more stable than my old 57cm Poprad. I ended up with just what I wanted, so I’m happy! And that robins-egg blue is just so pretty…

[wilesto]

I occasionally use the drops, but not much since 90% of my everyday riding is in the city. I’m actually surprised that I can sometimes, since my seat is so far in the sky that it almost looks like a track bike.

[wilesto]

@4st7lbs 28587 wrote:

Cross Check lover here. Originally when I decided to get a new bike to help with weight loss I was strongly considering the Bianchi Volpe, which I test rode and loved, but decided on the Cross Check after a test ride of one that was sale ($900). I knew that going into the purchase I’d probably need to upgrade the rear wheel (I weight 400lbs) so I couldn’t justify paying $1,350 for the Volpe when my total budget was $1,500. Still, I really love my Cross Check now that I’ve put 1,500 miles on it; can’t wait to finish my first century on it!

I will say that the geometry of the CC is a little odd and most of the stock components aren’t that great but I really love mine now that I’ve made some upgrades to it. I’ve replaced the stock bar tape with Lizard Skin, upgraded the rear wheel to a Phil Wood 48h-Velocity Chukkar monster, swapped out the stock 90mm stem for a 130mm one, and gotten the Brooks B17 saddle I got for my birthday broken in. Now it rides like a dream. My next upgrade is to swap out the bar end shifters for the standard brake lever ones most road bikes have and upgrade the front wheel to match the back so I have a full 48h touring set.

That said it does have its problems. The bar end shifters are horrible, the frames run large (I’m 6’2″ and have a 56cm Cross Check but ride a 60cm in the LHT and a 58cm in most other bikes), the stock rims are really poor for larger riders (which is to be expected), and the stock seat could be used as a torture device. Still, for ~$1,000 it’s a great do-it-all “road” bike.

Awesome! I also made a few changes on mine as soon as I got it home, the seat being the first. That thing is seriously uncomfortable. Honestly, who’s shaped like that? The guys at the shop helped dial in my stem when I was test riding, so they got me what I needed when my bike was ready.

As for sizing, my understanding is that CX bikes generally run big because of the higher bottom bracket. More clearance below = shorter seat tube = smaller measurement for the same top tube height. I’m 6’4″ with somewhat long legs, so I’m on a 60cm CC instead of a 62 or 64cm road bike. That’s quite the haphazard explanation, so if anyone can do better/correct me then please do!

[wilesto]

@Tim Kelley 28548 wrote:

Welcome! Out of curiosity, how did you happen to find the forum?

Good question, I think it was just some link-surfing and googling that led me to a thread. I don’t remember exactly what it was.

[wilesto]

Hey! Just started reading on this forum today, but I bought a Cross-Check about a month ago so I thought this thread would be an appropriate place for a first post.

I’m a huge fan. I was in a crash with a car back in May that bent up my beloved LeMond Poprad, and banged me up quite a bit too. Once I was healthy enough to think about getting back on a bike, I was looking for a similar steel ride that would a) fit me better than my previous bike and b) be durable/equipped enough to withstand heavy city-riding.

So far I’m happy – my 60cm frame fits me better than any bike I’ve ever owned and is large enough that no one can borrow it (take that, slightly shorter brother!), and the CC can certainly hold its own when it comes to commuting. Like I said before, I’m a fan.

As for the bar-end shifters, …eh? I don’t really have a preference one way or the other. I had 105s on my LeMond and will probably end up with them again, but I don’t have any serious gripes about the bar-ends that make me want to switch NOW. Someone else mentioned something about inadvertent knee-shifting – that happened to me when I tried out a Trek 520, but the flared dropouts on the CC’s stock Salsa bars seems to have solved that for me, long legs and all.

Glad to get involved with this forum! Hi everyone!

[Author]

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