I had the Cross Check for about 4 years. I bought it as a complete when I was in a hurry for a replacement after a crash. Cheap build. If you buy one, build it up from a frameset. I replaced almost everything on it. When I was done it had a Brooks saddle and tape, mustache bars, fat Schwalbe Marathons, new cranks and a replacement fork with an higher steerer to get the bars up high. It was a fun bike to ride but I hated the short headtube that required a huge stack to get the bars up even with the saddle. Weird proportions. It was pretty bombproof but the ride was dead compared to my Hillborne. Of course I didn't realize that until I tried a Rivendell. The geometry on the Hillborne is much nicer as an all-arounder. The bottom bracket is lower and the sloping top tube lengthens the headtube and gets the bars up higher. The ride is smoother and less aggressive but feels faster. The fact that the proportions look nicer is a side benefit.
When I bought the Cross Check, I had hoped to build an all-arounder for both roads and trails. It works for that but not nearly as well as my Hillborne. When I've sold bikes in the past, I often felt a pang of remorse. I didn't feel that with the CC. It is a good bike but I never felt any attachment to it. Now, the Hillborne may have ruined other bikes for me (although the Clem is pretty great). I am even considering selling my SOMA mtb because I don't enjoy riding it much anymore. The Hillborne just feels great. With beefy wheels and knobbies, I get that bombproof feeling on the trails. With light wheels and Compass tires, it feels every bit as fast as I was on the Bianchi road bike I sold... but much smoother. It really is the best bike I've owned. A joy to ride. (I also prefer the Albastache bars over the old Mustache bars). John On Monday, May 25, 2015 at 5:31:30 PM UTC-7, Eric Daume wrote: > > How is the Riv better or different from the CC? > > Eric > > > On Mon, May 25, 2015 at 11:49 AM, Surlyprof <jmcc...@gmail.com > <javascript:>> wrote: > >> >> PS: I am one of those foolish people who thought he could turn a Cross >> Check into a Riv. For the $2K+ I spent trying, I could have spent a few >> bucks more and had many more years of enjoying my Hillborne. Live and >> learn! >> >> John >> >> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
