Quote Originally Posted by ginny View Post
It is a cyclocross bike with wider rims than the road bikes and a double in front. The gearing ratios are good for me - I live in the rockys and (needless to say), there are TONS of hills. Nonetheless the gearing is pretty good. It's a chromolly frame which I like better than aluminum for commuting (dampens the bumps), as do the beefier tires. So, that's my opinion... the bikes are a bit hard to come by. You need to go to the Surly web page and look up your state and they have the LBS listed that sell them... Good luck!
For $19 I added a third chainring to my Cross Check. Now she's a triple. If you find the gearing isn't working for you on your hills, consider adding a ring up front. (the spider has recievers, and the bar-cons can take the 3rd ring no problem!)