rumatt

I want to build up a new bike for long rides and commuting. The current leader is a Gunnar Sport, but I'm looking for other suggestions. Here's my requirements / preferences:

1) I want the bike to focus more on comfort than a road race bike, and take 28c tires easily. I already have a carbon Parlee Z4 if I want light and fast.

2) Must allow attaching a rack. Full touring not required.

3) The bike still needs to be relatively light and fast because my commute will be 30 miles each way. The commute will double as a training ride so I will be biking somewhat hard, not a Sunday stroll.

The Gunnar Sport is my current leader. It has slightly longer wheelbase and chain stays than a typical road bike, yet has long reach brakes so it takes up to 32c tires. The riding position is slightly more upright, but not so much you can't drop down if you flip the stem.

Another option is the Habanero Cross titanium bike. The titanium would make me less paranoid of rust every time it rains or if there's salt on the ground. But I'm not sure I need a full cross bike with Cantilever brakes for my long commute or century ride.

Does anyone know of a non-ridiculously-priced Ti bike that is more similar to the Gunnar Sport? Or maybe a cross bike is fine for my needs? Any thoughts on these choices, or other suggestions? Thanks!

tarwheel 

The new Salsa La Cruz cross bike is titanium. It is reasonably priced ($1,800) for a ti frame, but might be more than what you want to spend.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about the rust w/ a Gunnar Sport unless you live in an area where they heavily salt the roads and ride all winter. There are plenty of cyclists with steel frames that are 30+ years old with little or no rust if properly maintained.

Barrettscv 

Hard to go wrong with either. I have a ti road bike from Lyskey and a steel CX bike from Soma. I enjoy them both. The CX bike is more versatile and 95% as fast as the Ti road bike.

Metaluna

The Gunnar Sport is a great frame and you really can't go wrong with it for what you want to do. If you're looking for the feel of a road bike, this will deliver, only with a slightly more comfortable geometry and more stable and sedate handling (due to the longer chainstays). With the Gunnar fork, it has that "springy" feel you get from steel, which is a nice departure from my carbon and Ti road frames. I also really appreciate the caliper brakes, as I find them much easier to deal with than cantilevers (though obviously the downside is limited tire sizes, especially with fenders). The only issue I've had with mine is that the paintjob is somewhat delicate and flakes off easily. This is an older frame though and I think this was a known problem on some frames so hopefully they've fixed it by now.

I currently have 28mm Gatorskins and SKS P35 fenders on mine. I haven't tried it but it looks like there might even be clearance for a 30mm (if anyone makes one) or smallish 32 under them (with the fenders on).

rumatt

Thanks guys. I'm definitely leaning toward the Gunnar. There is some appeal to the flexibility of a cross frame, but I guess don't really need that right now. The head tube angle seems similar so I suspect the handling would be in the ballpark. The biggest difference is the cross bike having a higher BB for clearance. Not really sure how that affects things while riding.

Does anyone have thoughts on steel fork vs carbon fork? I am leaning toward carbon to save weight, but I know the purists will be disgusted. In order to justify the weight, the steel fork would need to be significantly more comfortable.... Does it really impact ride quality that much?

Regarding the paint, I talked to Gunnar and the said the early paint jobs didn't have clear coat, but now they do, so unless you want a custom paint job you don't need to go for the Waterford paint.

canyoneagle

Bang for buck, Ti, cx versatility, https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...ross_ti_xi.htm

BengeBoy 

Gunnar Sport seems like a great bike; I don't think you can go wrong. Another bike similar to that is the Co-Motion Nor'Wester (note...not the Nor'Wester tour...).

I looked very closely at those two bikes last fall for similar purposes, though I ended up getting something made for me with a bit more tire clearance (I wanted room for 32c plus fenders); this is a gallery of photos the builder took of my bike during construction:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/boedeke...7622152129839/

tarwheel 

If you haven't noticed it yet, Gunnar has a great fit tool on their website. You just plug in the frame model, size, seat height and stem choice, and it shows how much drop and reach your bike would have. It's a great way to figure out which frame model and size to get. I ride a size 57 frame, and Gunnar's are sized in 56 and 58. Using the fit tool, I could figure what stem rise and reach I would need to fit on either size frame.

My only complaint with Gunnar is that I find their decals kind of ugly and overbearing. I asked if they had any more subtle decal choices (like just outlined letters) but they don't. So, if I got a Gunnar, I would probably either ask them to leave off the decals or buy a black frame with black decals, which are outlined in white or silver and don't stand out so much.

rumatt

Yeah, gunnar's fit tool is awesome.

I agree on the gunnar decals. Leaving it off is an interesting option... I may actually consider that. I wonder if they'll actually do it.

Schwinnrider

I have a Gunnar Sport, 2005 model. It's a great bike. I was hit by a truck and returned the frameset to Gunnar for repaint. I had the decals left off. Looks great.

AzTallRider

I have a custom Gunnar sport, bought as a frame set and built up by my LBS. One option to consider is the Waterford fork that has the classic steel curve. The Sport steel fork is straight. It isn't clear on the website, but you can get the Waterford fork for the Gunnar. In my discussions direct with Gunnar, I was told I wouldn't be able to detect a ride difference between the steel fork and a carbon fork. I went steel. As far as looks go, as mine was custom, there were a lot of paint and decal options - I went for the more subtle approach.

eofelis 

Another Gunnar Sport here.

Mine is a tiny one. It was a custom geometry frame for someone. Scored it *cheap* on ebay. It fits me pretty well. I have a Surly Pacer steel fork on mine. Mine has been powdercoated a very dark metallic green with no decals.

I used mine on the Bicycle Tour of Colorado in June. Day 1 was 110 miles, over Slumgullion Pass. Descent off the pass was several miles of pavement riddled with numerous large transverse cracks. Kachunk, kachunk, kachunk....I was glad I was on a full steel bike. At the end of the day I was tired, but not beat up by the bike at all.

If you're on more of a budget a Surly Pacer is a decent steel ride for a $400 f/f. Not light & fast, but comfortable and stable. I rode one for 4 years before I found the Sport frame.

KonAaron Snake 

I know this is a bit different than what you were probably considering, but how about getting an old Raleigh International? Mine meets your requirements exactly...it'll take 28s easily (that's what I use), a rear rack and even fenders. Change the rear gearing, or maybe just update the whole drive train, but the frame is probably exactly what you're looking for. It's a pretty light frame, I doubt a whole lot heavier than a gunnar, if at all.

I have a Ti bike (a Merlin) and I LOVE it...not worrying about rust or scratches during lock up is a great and liberating feeling. Someday I'm going to have either Tom Kellog or Bilenky build me a titanium frame that matches my Raleigh Int's geometry.

On the CF question...I will probably be ostracized from my C and V home, but I love carbon forks from a comfort perspective. They feel TERRIFIC! The down side is carbon failing scares me (I'm not trying to start a debate on this, it just scares me and that's my right). I feel like steel is a longer term, more secure option.

[IMG]file:///C:/Users/KEYSTO%7E1/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot.png[/IMG]

rumatt

Bump! It's 9 months later and I'm ready to actually make this purchase. However now I'm currently leaning toward the Habanero over the Gunnar, because:

1) I'll be more likely to take the Ti frame out on salty spring and fall rides than the gunnar, and
2) The cross bike adds flexibility if I want to mount 35c tires and go on a dirt road or whatever.

My only concern is comfort. Can anyone compare the ride quality I could expect from these two frames? The geometries are almost identical. Would either one ride more harshly than the other? I'm told Hab has a rep for being pretty stiff bikes.

I'm game to order the Hab, but I don't want to compromise my primary goal of comfort on the crater-filled manhattan roads.

waynesworld

Holy cow! Kareem Abdul Jabaar is on Bikeforums!

Seriously though, I see a lot of larger bikes in craigslist (Columbus, Ohio), for some reason. Very few, if any, are that tall. Man it must be a real pain finding equipment. Guess that explains the 'custom' part. Nice looking bike.

pennstater

I recently purchased a 2010 Lynskey Cooper CX Ti frame from chainreactioncycles.com for 1,100.00. They still have them for that price in ML.

I have had it out for a short test ride. Performs more like a road bike than a cross. Built it with spare parts. This is my first experience with cantilever brakes. I moved a set from an old mountain bike but didn't like them. I have a set of new Shimano BR550s ready to install. From what I've read, cantilevers are a bit harder to adjust than side pull calipers but should give similar performance. It's a beautiful frame.

tarwheel 

Since you are still making a decision, I would add the new Salsa Casseroll to your list of choices. I bought one in early April and love it. I wanted a faster, lighter commuter than my touring bike and it fits the bill perfectly. It has a sport touring geometry, mounts for fenders and racks front and rear, and clearance for tires up to 38 mm with fenders.

gunner65

What size is your cass?

tarwheel 

Size 56

rumatt

The salsa looks like a contender. But the horizontal dropouts are a but funky, and the head tube looks pretty long! The Gunnar is more upright than the Hab. I think the Salsa might be even more than the Gunnar.

Mr IGH

There's a new Bike Direct Ti touring frame, no details about geometry yet, $1000 including carbon fork, takes 40mm tires and has fender/rack mounts:
https://bikeisland.com/cgi-bin/BKTK_S...ls&ProdID=2114

bakhurts

Something about a TI bike. it's versatile and has a great ride. I think ride is more important than weight. Also, the ability to put on fatter tires usually does not slow one down, and is more comfortable.

JeffS

If you want Ti, I'd just watch ebay for a Litespeed Blue Ridge or similar to come along.

The Salsa is definitely tall. It was already tall, but not freakishly so before the redesign. They've crossed the line now - as with most of their bikes. Most people will need to factor in the cable stay, and the spacer it usually takes to make it work as well. My previous gen Casseroll runs a -17 stem with no spacers. Basically, they're building bikes for people who ride with bars at or above saddle now.

The Gunnar is probably a good choice. If you wanted to go a little cheaper, maybe the Soma Smoothie or ES.

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I was slow to pull the trigger on a Ti Merlin road sport on ebay once and kinda regretted it, but I've definitely been happy with the Casseroll. If I had to replace it, I'd go one of the routes mentioned above -- unless I was ready to pull the trigger on custom.

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As for rust... everyone's different I suppose, but I don't worry about it. I got soaked again today on the ride and I just let the bike drip on the porch for a while before moving it to its spot in the house. If it rusts, so be it. I'm 3 years in and there's no visible rust. I've already gotten my money's worth from a frame that started its life as a $500 singlespeed complete. Now, if this were a $3-4K Kirk or Vanilla frameset, I'd be more concerned.

tarwheel 

The Casseroll head tube appears longer than it is because they've dropped down the whole top tube. The frame is designed for riders who want a more upright position or less drop, but it is easy to lower your bars with the right stem and fewer or no spacers. The horizontal drops are a concession to fixed/single speed riders, but have little effect on the functionality of the frame if your bike has more gears.

I am glad that Salsa redesigned the Casseroll with a tall head tube. There are tons of options for cyclists who want frames with shorter head tubes. If you like the basic Casseroll design but want a shorter head tube, the Soma Smoothie, ES or DoubleCross might be good options. Also, the Gunnar Sport or Crosshairs.

DVC45

Novara Verita

https://www.rei.com/product/807242/no...rita-bike-2011