Why The Bike Cyclist Loved is Getting Killed

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Why The Bike Cyclist Loved is Getting Killed

Surly’s Cross Check was one of those bikes I appreciated even though I never wanted one. Although it was based on/inspired by a cyclocross bike with 700c wheels and cantilever brakes, it was more than that: An eternally useful, durable, reasonably priced bike that could do a lot of things and could be built up a lot of different ways.

For those reasons, the Cross Check was a fairly popular bike, and one of the few that resonated with both “core” cycling enthusiasts and people who don’t see themselves as cyclists but use bikes as tools to live their lives. I’ve seen a lot of Cross Checks in the wild, and no two are ever the same.

But as I said, I never wanted one. It was not enough of any one thing to be a bike I wanted for how, where, and why I ride bicycles. But the Cross Check made a lot of riders happy, and that’s good enough for me.

I say “was” because Surly recently moved the Cross Check from their bike page to their “Legacy Bikes” section. Which means it is no longer in production. But because it was never a bike for me, I didn’t think much of its transition to legacy status. Plus, I’ve seen thousands of bikes—all cycling products really—evolve, disappear, and die off during my career. A bike going out of production is as common and expected as a new product debuting.

Circle of life, capitalism, and all that.

So, I was surprised to see the somewhat sizable display of mourning for the Cross Check across the intewebz.

I do find some of the mourning over dramatic. While Surly may have retired the Cross Check name (for now), the Cross Check still exists in Surly’s line: They just call it the Straggler and it has disc brakes.

Or maybe the Preamble is the disc Cross Check? Or is it the Midnight Special? And that’s just Surly’s “Pavement” line: All told, the brand offers 16 models. 16!

Which points to another issue: I feel like Surly is trying too hard to stretch their whole vibe across too many models. For a company that seems to revere simplicity, their bike line is to quite complex.

surly preamble

Trevor Raab

The Preamble is one of the bikes that succeeds the Cross Check,

I’d even say between the Cross Check, Straggler, Preamble, and Midnight Special that they had too many of the same bike and something needed to go. I mean, they should really get rid of the Cross Check and at least one more model because they still have three versions of the same bike.

More than anything, the death of the Cross Check is just more evidence of the end of—or a huge reduction in—the demand for rim brakes. And because Surly is owned by a huge corporate entity—Quality Bicycle Products, AKA QBP—I have to imagine there are revenue, volume, etc. stresses (that capitalism stuff again) that aren’t compatible with what the Cross Check became: A niche, low demand, product.

condor heritage

Courtesy Condor Cycles

The Condor Heritage is one of several Cross Check like frames still available.

But hope remains Cross Check fans. Several other brands make a very similar product: Reasonably priced, utilitarian, steel framed bikes with 700c wheels, derailleur compatibility, and cantilever brakes.

A partial is includes: The Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross, New Albion Privateer, Handsome Cycles Devil, Cinelli Tutto Plus, Rivendell Sam Hillborne, Condor Cycles Heritage, Bassi Montreal, and the Crust Romaceur (although it rolls on 650b wheels).

The Cross Check will not be the last beloved product that disappears. In my time as a cyclist, I’ve seen my favorite bikes, shoes, tires, saddles, jerseys and more vanish when demand waned, or a company changed direction. And while I was sad to see a favorite product disappear, in every case I eventually discovered something new that I liked even more.

The Cross Check might have not been a bike for me, but I’m glad it existed. And I’m even happier to see its essence—with disc brakes and cantilevers alike—still exists in many other bikes still available today.

Headshot of Matt Phillips

A gear editor for his entire career, Matt’s journey to becoming a leading cycling tech journalist started in 1995, and he’s been at it ever since; likely riding more cycling equipment than anyone on the planet along the way. Previous to his time with Bicycling, Matt worked in bike shops as a service manager, mechanic, and sales person. Based in Durango, Colorado, he enjoys riding and testing any and all kinds of bikes, so you’re just as likely to see him on a road bike dressed in Lycra at a Tuesday night worlds ride as you are to find him dressed in a full face helmet and pads riding a bike park on an enduro bike. He doesn’t race often, but he’s game for anything; having entered road races, criteriums, trials competitions, dual slalom, downhill races, enduros, stage races, short track, time trials, and gran fondos. Next up on his to-do list: a multi day bikepacking trip, and an e-bike race. 

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