My husband was recently looking for a 'cross bike and considered the surly cross check, but in the end he decided to go with a used gunnar. The main reason is that the surlys are made from straight gauge chinese steel instead of reynolds 853 or true temper ox platinum. Another very competitively priced option is the Soma doublecross, which is made from Tange prestige tubing. The main issue with straight gauge compared to butted is that it is not as strong or light. Just something to think about.