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I am going to be participating in my first long bike trip - from California to Florida - and I don't think my old hybrid is going to cut it. I think I want a cyclocross bike, as I like going over the occasional curb or rough pavement. Does anyone know about the Surley bikes? I don't see them mentioned on the forum. Any help would be appreciated.
There are a lot of reviews here; do a search but spell it SURLY
Lots of happy Surly owners here.
The Surly cyclocross bike is a "Cross Check" (sometimes spelled "Crosscheck" and I don't know which is most common/right.)
Another Surly that might be lovely for a long ride is the Surly Long Haul Trucker.
there is a Surly CC/LHT owners forum with some great photos: www.surlyville.net
Happy Cross-check owner here. My main steed is my Orbea these days but for touring and rainy days I definately use the cross-check. I have racks and fenders on mine and its steel so the ride is cushy. You can also put fat tires on it. I've run it with skinny 23's and wider 28's. A good reliable bike for the money.
I've often thought my Surly Pacer road bike would be a perfect bike for a coast-to-coast supported (or credit card) tour. I've gone off curbs and on gravel roads with it with no problems. It's a tough bike.
If you want to carry all your stuff a Cross Check or LHT would be great. If you are very short the CC does not go quite as small as the LHT or Pacer (check the geometries out).
Thanks for the feedback. I think I've narrowed it down to the Long Haul Trucker vs the Cross Check. But someone else said I should only get a women specific bike, perhaps a Terry. Any thoughts on this? Thanks again!
Women's specific design isn't really women's specific. They're bikes for people with short torsos and long legs. Most "men's" bicycles are built for people with shorter legs and longer torsos. I've got short legs (29" pants inseam at 5'6"), and a "men's" bike is good for me. A lot of women my height would have a *much* longer inseam, but there are plenty of men who would too at my height.
A WSD bike is great if it fits your general build. If you're built more like me, it might not be a good idea. The best way to tell is go out and try some bikes. Most bikes are pretty adjustable. After you've test ridden a bunch, one should stand out as feeling *good*. If it's got the features you need (rack brazeons, fender brazeons, enough water bottle brazeons), go for it. Just make sure you go for a long enough test ride to shake out fit problems.
WSD bikes don't work for me at all. As Torrilin said, they are made with the assumption that women are proportionately longer in the legs and short in the torso, which is true for a lot of women. I'm not - I've got long arms and a long torso, and the women's models are all wrong for me. Which is kinda too bad, since a lot of them really appeal to me aesthetically. Ah well! :rolleyes:
Your best bet would be to find a really good bike shop that's willing to take the time to figure out what you need - or even better, schedule a formal fitting.
I can't ride WSD, either. I have long legs, long torso, and long arms. WSD feel cramped to me. Cyclocross geometry seems to suit me.
My Surly Cross Check was love at first ride.
Ride a few bikes, try the LHT and the CC, see what feels good.
Fit, function, and true love are all that matter.
(BTW, Trek420 is smaller than the average bear, but she loved the Surly Long Haul Trucker in a size 42 cm. She is a more womanly build than I am, but felt the LHT was lovely to ride.)
Edit: I've heard that Terry bikes are being warned about catastrophic failure of the aluminum frame. Whatever you get for your long ride, make sure there aren't any warnings or recalls about the frame material. You will be putting that frame thru some stress on a loaded cross-country tour!
So I went in to my bike shop and said I narrowed it down to the Surly Long Haul Trucker v Cross-Check. Then a store employee that I hadn't talked to before said the LHT is great for unsupported touring but for the type I'm doing (fully supported) it would be creating a lot of extra work for me. He suggested I try a Giant OCR1. What a great bike! It made the Cross Check feel horrible by comparison. The ride on the OCR was smooth and the same route seemed to take a lot less work. Now why hadn't anyone else told me about the Giant??? Anybody have any opinions on this bike or company? Thanks.
If you are interested, I'd do a search in threads for ocr or giant. There have been many discussions here re giants.
I love mine! It is a TCR - more race specific than the OCR. They are light, handle nicely and ride with a good feel. My girlfriend has an OCR - she likes to sit a little more upright than I do and she loves it too.
Happy bike hunting!
*g* that's why I said to try *lots* of bikes. It's not a bad idea to try everything your LBS has that can fit a rack. If there are other shops close that sell different bikes, try there too.
Here is one review. Keep in mind the Giant is aluminum and the Surlys are steel. I think I'd choose steel for touring, the ride is cushier. Can you run fat tires on the Giant, how about rack mounts. Just things to think about. Read some reviews and check some of the touring sites like crazyguyonabike and see what people are riding just so you have more to go on.
(Clint Clemens)
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GIANT OCR1, $999
THE PITCH >> A weekend workhorse for club riders, charity cruisers, and heart-rate checkers.
YOUR MONEY BUYS... At two ounces shy of 22 pounds, including Shimano pedals, the OCR1 is porkier than the other rigs on these pages, but you're getting bomber durability and a comfortable ride at a fetching price. Giant built the frame with 6061-T6 aluminum, a gold-standard bike-tubing alloy, and added a bump-dampening carbon-fiber front fork, taller head tube, adjustable stem, and slightly longer wheelbase. The rider pedals in a somewhat upright, stable stance, which lends confidence to those who might otherwise get the jitters crouched over a carbon-fiber hot rod. To keep the price under a grand, Giant marries a mixture of Shimano and SRAM parts in the drivetrain. Meanwhile, a carbon-fiber seatpost and beefy 25cm tires—road bikes typically run 23's—help soften the bumps.
THE RIGHT BIKE FOR YOU? Punish your shiny blue OCR1 with a decade's worth of rain, sleet, slush, and snow, or take on 10,000 miles of road-expansion joints—it'll still be there for you. Giant's forgiving, compact geometry invites new roadies to build up their mileage and confidence without endless ibuprofen hits. On the other hand, in tests this bike climbed and accelerated like an 18-wheeler: slowly. "I wouldn't attack my own shadow," said one tester. But remember: You're not chasing trophies, just having a blast. This bike rewards with quick handling during evasive maneuvers and near-gyroscopic stability on ripping descents. Get the OCR1 up to its ideal cruising speed, around 17