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I'm close, very close to ordering this frame set, just need to find one!
I need a frame that will run geared or ss, be suitable to race in a local CX league, take racks and be tough as old boots.
Only negative I can see is the geometry is fairly relaxed and it weighs as much as the moon, I'd like it to feel as racy as possible so maybe run a longer - stem? Would it be possible to run a carbon disc mount fork with this frame in the future as an option, one to save a little weight and have the bonus or a disc. (I don't want the straggler)
Will use it for commuting, weekend gravel adventures, winter road(ish) and light touring with friends.
5ft 11 and ride a 54 CAAD8 with 120mm stem, 56 in the Cross Check perhaps?
Keen on the light or dark blue or green, please post if your LBS has a frame set or have sported on on a website.
Big thanks in advance.
Hi mate. Just check your sizing. I'm the same height as you and ride a 58cm frame. Drop Charlie the Bikemonger an email as he is an expert on these frames.
Brilliant bike tho!!
Thats great thanks, I've sent him an email
Have you considered a Surly Straggler. It's a cross check with disc mounts. Might be more flexible?
http://surlybikes.com/bikes/straggler
Weirdly at 5 11' the 54cm fits me fine. Fantastic bike, gone from SS to geared, racked child carrier. Not sure I'd want to race it though that's probably more to do with me than the bike.......
echo the 'check sizing' comment. surly don't measure the same as everyone else...
i ride ~54.5 road bike and have the '52' CC. look at the ETT numbers.
good frame, solid paintwork, but yes, heavy. doesn't really show when you're riding hit, but when you pick it up.
for comparison i noticed the weight of mine last night, having been riding my chameleon HT for a month or so, which is built reasonably light ( ss, albeit with coil fork ).
tough as old boots though. crabon fork should be no problem. ran a rim brake one on mine for a while.
CTBM is the man.
Try to find a shop where you can try one out as the geometry is a bit unusual. Very long, and also quite low.
Mine is great, I think it's a great frame for people who can't decide what they want 🙂
I'm 5'9 & ride a 52cm cc. Definitely a do anything bike, but that's also it's downfall IMO -always feels a little bit compromised for whatever you're doing.
Very short headtube as well.
Mine's for sale if anyone's interested.
Fantastic help from everybody, thank you. A shop local to me has built up bikes in but can only get the black framesets unfortunatly. I will give CTBM a call and possibly make a trip to see.
Agree on everything being a compromise as its a do it all but thats just the way things are really, happy to put up with if because of the all round ability.
Again thanks all for your help.
Great all round bike, mine is currently fixed with guards and dynamo lights for commuting. Has been set-up in past as a geared cross, racked tourer, road bike, SS cross and bike-packer. Size wise you can be pretty adaptable, head tubes are not crazy long and with the steel fork you can run a big stack of spacers if you want the bars high (you didnt want to look cool did you? 🙄 ).
ISON are the UK distributer so any shop can get stock but Triton cycles or Billys (ISONs shop) usually have good prices. New colours due soon, green still available in some sizes (56 at triton).
My CC is SSCX mode, recently resprayed red from black.
[url= https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8253/8665182437_218c4d4999_n.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8253/8665182437_218c4d4999_n.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/ecHjRc ]Finally (re)found the yellow brick road. Not been able to find this for years!![/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/21705939@N06/ ]dickyelsdon[/url], on Flickr
Triton have the CC in multiple colours, http://www.tritoncycles.co.uk/frames-forks-c6/cyclocross-frames-c49/surly-cross-check-frameset-p10934
Worth also checking the All-City Macho Man on there - it has slightly steeper angles, I think, but you'd have to use a tensioner to SS it.
The CC might be a little lardier than an alu/carbon frame but it is properly bombproof and rides well. A much easier handful off-road than the alu+carbon CX bike I had; YMMV.
OH's CrossCheck came from Keep Pedalling in Manchester. No idea if they've got the stock you need, but they're lovely and great to deal with. Might be worth a phone call?
All-City Macho Man
all city nature boy is the SS version.
good friend along the road has a CC; he loves it, hasn't had it SS or anything fancy, just a general rough road bike for short, medium and long distance bike rides. I say he loves it, he fell out with it initially - partly because it wasn't his beloved Raleigh Europa and partly because the decals peeled off when he washed it; when he emailed Surly they were pretty surly in response along the lines of "it's a bike for riding not washing" or similar..
All well now.
Mine's a 52cm too - I'm 5'10"; had it almost 15 years now and is a great do-all bike. I bought it as a winter commuter but it's managed charidee rides across France, including a trip up (& down) Alpe d'Huez.
To be fair on some of the roads (particularly the backside of the Col du Luitel) it absorbed the shonky road surface far better than a racing road bike.
Currently built as a cafe racer style ss.
should have said - i'm a smidge over ( it's important! ) 5-10
54cm then, I reckon.
I'm just over 5ft 10, do you think 52 would be better for me as I want it to feel a little more "racey"
Maybe. I'll sell you mine if you want a 52cm, but it's black.
Ah I'm after a coloured one sorry John.
Big ask but could somebody that knows about these things have a look at both frames, I ride a 54 CAAD8 with 120mm stem run - and a fair bit of seat post. I'm thinking 52 CC will be bob on.
[url= http://surlybikes.com/bikes/cross_check_green/geometry ]Cross Check Geo[/url]
[url= http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s6p4333/CANNONDALE-CAAD-8-SORA-2012 ]Caad8 Geo[/url]
Big big thanks in advanced
Cheeky bump
Im 5'10 almost lol. And i rode a 54 and found it a good fit
Fixed
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Geared monster mode
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Again size is key, same height as you & ordered a 56. When I offered it up to my road bike it looked like a gate.
Sent back & got a 54 which was bang on. They are long in the tt. I ran mine as cx, road, city bike, & finally a dad bike with flat bars & cx tyres. By far this was the most fun. I loved the way it rode, you don't notice the weight & is so comfy.
I only sold it because I got lost in fancy expensive bike land & wish I had kept it as it rode just as well for the money, it's a bike for life!
I got mine from spa cycles in Harrogate. Great staff in there. Bloke brought his own bike in for me to test sizes as no demo.
They had sizes and colours actually in stock when I bought mine as well. Was a while ago now though.
Great bike. Ride it every day. Thinking of single speeding for work commute over winter.
Agree with the above on sizing - we have a full size run of Surly hire/demo bikes (Long Haul and Disc Truckers) and they do come up larger than you'd imagine. I'd generally go to the 54cm first for someone your height (though you may well also get a good fit on a 56cm) - definitely try both or get a good fitting session with a shop which knows and understands Surly geometries before buying.
Stock is indeed in limited supply at the moment and if you don't want to wait you're going to need to find a shop with a frame in the size and colour you want in stock.
5'10 here and ride a 54 cm (fits perfectly, reach-wise... albeit with a stack of spacers).
Love mine - a daily work-horse.