Cupcakes' Surly Cross Check

^ inline seatpost?

Yeah, I need one but only have laybacks for some reason.

Tentatively looking for a 54 to swap (this is a 56).

Looking good. Is it playing nice with the rack at the rear?

I have a condor inline seatpost on mine. Quite nice, and only 20 pounds or so.

Yeah seems to be. I've had full panniers on there for commuting and it works ok, no foot clearance issues or anything. I've tipped it forward a little bit because I realised it was wonky when I looked at this photo.

I kind of wish I'd got a lighter one, this is a tortec expedition and it weighs a tonne. I just figured I'd get the strongest one just in case I do ever need to carry proper loads.

Tentatively looking for a 54 to swap (this is a 56).

No point swapping your 56cm for the 54cm - the reach is almost identical.

Better off with a 52cm, or a 50cm (stack is the same from 42cm to 52cm).

Interesting Ed. I'll look into that.

I've not bought anything new for this build apart from the £15 cx50 crankset which I've used the rings from. Tempted to build some wheels for it to take larger tyres more comfortably. LX17 a safe bet?

17mm internal would be fine for large tyres, I would go for the Grizzly that have an 18.8mm internal.

Stick with your 56cm an run a short stem, you'll get used to the handling after a couple weeks, or go for very short reach handlebar says 70mm.

I'm keeping an eye out for a shorter stem at the moment. I think that's a 110 and just what I had in the parts box.

£30 for grizzlys seems alright. I'll look into it in a few months, sort of spent my 'non-essential' funds this month on rims, spokes and tyres for these:

Bump.

I'm going to get some nicer wheels for this. Plan is currently something wide, to allow the use of chunky tyres (37mm paselas would be nice) and maybe a dynamo front hub.

Any recommendations?

I'm probably going SP/Exposure and either Hope/XT to Archetypes in a few months.

Depends on how budgets look and if I really need the "light"-ish rims.

I'll also be updating the brakes to vees or mini vees- whichever is needed for clearance to the tyres.

Cx9s everytime for mini vs.

I have some shimano ones already which I plan to try. If they fit over the tyres that is!

CX9 do look lovely. But pricey.

Planet X are doing them cheap-ish

^^ aye, but well worth it ,I think. Plenty of power, quality materials, and a built I cable adjuster.

followinggggg

what about the Paul minimoto's?

When you need a gif you can never find one.

The Paul mini motos look great. I would actually like a pair but I can't afford or justify

• Dollar bills gif *
  

Think I've come to a conclusion about wheels tho.

I want a decent dynamo hub but can't stomach the expense just now. The Shutter Precision x Exposure with decent rims (archetypes?) As mentioned by Andy upthread is what I'd like but funds won't stretch. Happily tho I have found an old pair of shimano LX mtb hubs in my parts box.

So I think I shall be having them laced to rigida sputniks for the moment, and riding through this winter on normal battery powered lights.

You can all now convince me otherwise. Go!

Pretty great low budget dynamo option here. I have these on my cross check and have had no problems: work well with my Supernova light as well as USB charging.

I got very carried away and asked my LBS to build me 2 dyno wheels and an new rear for the Cross Check...

In theory, at least one of them makes sense as it'll force me to go faster...!

i too have thought long and hard about dynamo lights but settled on keeping my Strada up front and shelled out for the Blaze at the rear. With 4 bikes, i know that whatever dynamo wheel set i plumped for, i would always want it on the bike that didn't have it on?! shifting clamps and the Strada is much easier

Thankfully I've only got 2 bikes where a dynamo makes sense and they both have Exposure clamps already fitted so it'll be a 2 second job swapping the light until I fashion a bracket/mount for a more permanent light on the Cross Check.

Hmph, well, 'that escalated quickly'.

I found that the hubs from my parts box weren't quite in the best condition. There was some cone pitting and a bit of wear to the flanges. Probably solve-able, but I mulled it over for a week whilst on holiday and was then overcome with a feeling of not-wanting-to-mess-about.

So I just ordered most of the bits I need to finish this bike properly: a Shutter Precision front dynohub, rear shimano 105 hub, and mavic a319 rims. I'll have these built up and will add panaracer pasela 37mm tyres.

Light-wise, I am now thinking a Edelux 2 for the front and a secula plus for the back (possibly fender-mounted). This is driven by a combination of aesthetics and performance. But I have a bit of thinking time, since I want to order the tyres and front light together from SJS to save on postage, and the light is out of stock for a couple of weeks. (Rear light I may get from SJS too - haven't looked into it properly as I only just found out about it today)

Probably for the first time ever I am actually buying what I want rather than making do and convincing myself something else will work. It is a nice, indulgent feeling.

I'll probably need full V-brakes and new v-compatible levers to clear the fatter tyres and 'guards, though I'll confirm that when the wheels are built and installed.

Meantime if anyone knows a source for tektro RL520 levers in black/black for maximum stealth points, do shout!