Going with a Specialized Crossroads

I am in the process of building the exact same bike. I also purchased mine used but I paid 150 for it. I too like the larger wheels and bigger frame and I am 5'11". I also am putting a Grubee Skyhawk on it but I have purchased a shift kit from sick bike parts and I'm going to give it a go. Good luck on your build. Post some pics when it's done.

Should be a nice strong frame with plenty of room to mount an engine.

Hi Burrus, I just got done with my Crossroads build yesterday. I was stuck for a bit on the exhaust. I have a stock exhaust that did not fit, I have one of those flexible hose expansions with a muffler on the tip and it would not clear the front tube either. I ended up doing some wild configuration on a banana pipe and although it's not pretty I really like how it operates. The exhaust gets thrown away from the bike and right under the crank but not shooting towards the crank.
I believe that because of the shift kit or the angle of the frame and that big front tube there is just no easy exhaust for this bike. I was thinking of ordering one of those MZ Miami pipes because they look like they have a sharp bend off to the left and could possibly clear but I wanted to use some of what I already had available.
The bike turned into my favorite build instantly. It has an extremely confortable riding position and the suspension seatpost and suspension front forks are badass.
It was my first time doing a shift kit so it probably took me 7 hours to build plus another couple hours messing around with an exhaust.
I must say though that having the shift ability on a bike is the icing on the cake. The gearing range is perfect. I can't wait to get this engine broke in and really find out what It can do.

I am not trying to hijack this thread, Burrus himself requested I post some pics of my build once completed since we started almost at the same time on the same frames.