Stef 1
Senior Member
- Location
- Cotswolds, UK
Hey all,
I need a little help with sense and reason. I'm spending an unhealthy amount of time researching this when I could've done a few hundred miles already, so hoping your experience can help.
After my first few posts on here I was pretty settled on buying a Charge Plug 1 as a couple of online places currently have a good price and generally it seems to be seen in a fairly positive light. I fancy the idea of a single speed at the moment and it'd be a decent upgrade to my ageing, super cheap MTB. At around £360 the Plug 1 was at the top end of my budget.
My riding is 10 - 15 mile round trip daily commute depending upon route. A few smallish inclines... nothing I couldn't manage on a SS. Then a bit of fun at weekends... nothing too serious. I live in the Cotswolds so roads (especially B-roads) aren't exactly 'smooth'.
In the last couple of weeks I've started thinking longer term and after a lot of reading like the idea of a Surly Cross Check. Seems like a very versatile bike with lots of scope for a looong life in multiple guises. I like that idea... that I can hange it to a geared bike later in life, add guards for the winter, or change width of tyre etc etc, being able to take off the road and onto forest track etc... From what I read, people seem to love them although I can find very little comment about the SS variant.
The Cross check can be bought built as a Single speed for £730. Not far off double my initial budget. Or as just a frame for a little under £300.
I can't easily afford a pre-built Cross Check, and not sure how I'd persuade my better half, but there's a chance I could be persuaded that its the better option in the long run if I can find a way to finance it. So I have a few of questions:
1) with the cross check being double my initial budget should I just stick with the Charge Plug 1 which I can afford without trouble right now. For my kind of riding do you think the Plug 1 will be suitable? Or should I somehow 'stump-up' or find the extra for a cross-check?
2) If I take the (I'm presuming) relatively budget components of a Plug 1 as a base-line, how much do you reckon I'd need to spend build my own CrossCheck SS on a budget? I can then upgrade bit by bit at a later date. Could I do the whole thing for under £500 as an initial 'budget' orientated starting build, or is the pre-built SS version the minimum I should expect to pay?
3) Not built a bike before, but it's the kind if thing I take to without much difficulty. Is it essentially to spend a bunch of specialised tools, stands etc?
4) It seems cross-checks don't really come up for sale second hand which says a lot about them. Is it worth holding out for a second one that's the right size or will I still be here waiting in a year or two?
I guess I'm really on the fence which way to go. I realise they're different beasts so it's not a straight comparison.
For someone like me, can the extra £££ of a crosscheck be justified?
Just need a little help firming my sights on one or the other.....
Thanks
I need a little help with sense and reason. I'm spending an unhealthy amount of time researching this when I could've done a few hundred miles already, so hoping your experience can help.
After my first few posts on here I was pretty settled on buying a Charge Plug 1 as a couple of online places currently have a good price and generally it seems to be seen in a fairly positive light. I fancy the idea of a single speed at the moment and it'd be a decent upgrade to my ageing, super cheap MTB. At around £360 the Plug 1 was at the top end of my budget.
My riding is 10 - 15 mile round trip daily commute depending upon route. A few smallish inclines... nothing I couldn't manage on a SS. Then a bit of fun at weekends... nothing too serious. I live in the Cotswolds so roads (especially B-roads) aren't exactly 'smooth'.
In the last couple of weeks I've started thinking longer term and after a lot of reading like the idea of a Surly Cross Check. Seems like a very versatile bike with lots of scope for a looong life in multiple guises. I like that idea... that I can hange it to a geared bike later in life, add guards for the winter, or change width of tyre etc etc, being able to take off the road and onto forest track etc... From what I read, people seem to love them although I can find very little comment about the SS variant.
The Cross check can be bought built as a Single speed for £730. Not far off double my initial budget. Or as just a frame for a little under £300.
I can't easily afford a pre-built Cross Check, and not sure how I'd persuade my better half, but there's a chance I could be persuaded that its the better option in the long run if I can find a way to finance it. So I have a few of questions:
1) with the cross check being double my initial budget should I just stick with the Charge Plug 1 which I can afford without trouble right now. For my kind of riding do you think the Plug 1 will be suitable? Or should I somehow 'stump-up' or find the extra for a cross-check?
2) If I take the (I'm presuming) relatively budget components of a Plug 1 as a base-line, how much do you reckon I'd need to spend build my own CrossCheck SS on a budget? I can then upgrade bit by bit at a later date. Could I do the whole thing for under £500 as an initial 'budget' orientated starting build, or is the pre-built SS version the minimum I should expect to pay?
3) Not built a bike before, but it's the kind if thing I take to without much difficulty. Is it essentially to spend a bunch of specialised tools, stands etc?
4) It seems cross-checks don't really come up for sale second hand which says a lot about them. Is it worth holding out for a second one that's the right size or will I still be here waiting in a year or two?
I guess I'm really on the fence which way to go. I realise they're different beasts so it's not a straight comparison.
For someone like me, can the extra £££ of a crosscheck be justified?
Just need a little help firming my sights on one or the other.....
Thanks
