The Surly

I have two 'cross bikes, a racing bike and an "adventure" bike. The "adventure" bike is a Surly Crosscheck with a wider gear selection and less expensive, but very functional components.

Here's the Crosscheck.

I bought this frame over ten years ago. At that time Surly used Reynolds 631 tubing instead of the 4130 tubing they use now (a fairly useless fact only a bike geek would care about).
The trickest piece on the bike is this Wound Up carbon fork (old school 1"). The original steel fork has better clearance and perhaps a plusher ride, but the carbon fork is way lighter and rides pretty nicely itself.
The business end. I like my bars high and wide with Ultegra shifters left and right. The front is original. It's beat, but works fine. I think I am on my third rear. These things just get thrashed! The Runkle levers work well for long descents since they give more power than braking from the hoods.
I just put on the Schwalbe Racing Ralph tires which have a tread that seems to works well for most conditions around here.

Down low I have Time ATAC pedals attached to an old Ritchey 110 bcd crank (172.5) with 46 36 rings. The Ultegra derailleur has stood the test of time.
In the back I've gone to an XT mountain bike derailleur and a 12x32 cassette to give me some nice low gears for climbing.
Note the blue Velocity Aerohead (no relation!) rims. I confess to running my tires at a fairly low pressure for better handling and comfort, but the penalty is occassional pinch flats and rim abuse. These wheels, my second set for this bike, have held up surprisingly well.

I can't honestly say I have a favorite bike in my quiver, they are all different, but I truly love this bike for the places it takes me and the comfort it provides.