Surly Cross Check Update

So the bike is still in the build process...I did stop by to check it out though...several things stood out..the pictures do not do it justice...in person the thing looks tight...has an old school feel to it with just a smidgen of class but over haul screams build me the way you want and I will not be like any other bike around....just saying...perhaps some counseling could help me with...not sure..

Went with the Easton Carbon fork on it vs the Surly...mainly because I already had one and did not want to just see it sitting there...dudes and dudettes that thing looks tight on that frame...kind of a race look to it but not road bike look...not sure how to word it...the shizzle seems like a good word..

I had read the CC has a short head tube and I can confirm that...I have enough steer tube left to hang hats and coats on...will be cutting it down to appropriate length and fit...the welds look great and the paint looks great..I did the fonts on the stickers as it gives it a certain attitude...had the frame treated before build to ensure I could stave off any rust down the road as it is a steel bike...

As I stood there looking at the bike on the stand..half built..bits hanging off of it..waiting to be completed I could not help but stare at this bike...I have several cross bikes and road bikes that cost well over what this bike did..based on frame only..and for some reason I envisioned myself riding that bike everywhere..it has been a long time since I had a steel frame bike...and it was almost like I was seeing an old friend from days gone by...and I was watching life being breathed back into a classic that a lot of us bikers have forgotten about or written off...steel...in this day of high zoot carbon and aluminum it is not unrealistic to have bikes in the 15-16 pound range..light and fast...full of colors that almost rivals a nascar paint job...the ultimate cool....and behind someones barn is sitting a neglected old steel frame bike...rusting away...living out its last days being broke down by the elements of nature....maybe as I am getting older I am getting kind of nostalgic in my ways...not sure...when I decided to build another bike my goal was a steel frame..there are plenty of high end and budget minded steel frames out there...my research kept bringing me back to Surly..hardly any bad reviews on them..price really can not be beat for a frame and fork...you can change the way the bike is built as often as you change your morning coffee flavor...

I have never dealt with Surly and only sent them one email with a few questions and they got back to me the next day..just like Airborne Bikes that says a lot about a company and as a long time rider I feel compelled to start spending my money on companies like these...I still have bikes from S/T/C and they are great bikes...but I shelled out some coin for them..and after my experience with my Goblin I wonder where all that money went and how much profit someone made...and one company in particular stood out...the Big S...last year I emailed them about a part for my older Enduro that the bike shop no longer carried or new how to get...when I emailed Specialized and clearly stated I already tried the bike shop...they had no idea how to get the part and was wanting to know if I could get the part directly through Specialized...several weeks went by and I received a 2 line email telling me to check with my local authorized dealer for assistance with any issues I had with my Specialized bike...I wonder if they even read my email..oh well...I did end up getting the part from another Enduro owner..my last count I have owned and still own (some) close to 15 Specialized bikes..thats a lot of money I have given to a company as well as a lot of us who ride and race bikes..this is not about bashing bike manufacturers as there are a lot of great bikes out there by a lot of companies..and yes most all of them are made over seas now...but my thinking led to me think outside of the box..I ordered a Goblin..mail order..worked out great...I ordered the Surly through a authorized dealer and it worked out great..I am using a shop that I like and I trust the owner to build the bike right as he has done on every bike I have had him work on..the Surly is being built in a shop that is owned by one man..he sells and works on all bikes..he is his only employee..the shop is small and you can go in and hang out and talk bike stuff..surrounded by new bikes and old bikes a like..it has sort of a vintage feel to it..not a shopping mall feel..I have never been one who needed instant gratification so I can wait for the right bike...I told him to build it the way he wanted and how he wanted...that is how much that dude knows about bikes..and I know it will be great...and in the end that is the part of the process that makes that one bike..that one build unique and special..it represents more than a great deal on a great frame..it encompasses the whole bike experience..when I am out riding the bike I will know what went into getting it built from a frame to a rolling piece of art...built by someone I know...knowing I supported the LBS...because that is what supporting the LBS is to me..yeah something tells me the Surly is going to be a special bike..Thanks!