Originally Posted by
huizar
Don't forget to think about what kind of steel their using, as not all steel is created equal. CrMo, like the stuff used on Bianchis and Surlys, is going to be heavier than TrueTemper OX or Reynolds 853 (or other even higher quality steels!). After a long battle with trying to figure out what I wanted my next bike to be, I finally ordered a Gunnar Sport today. I won't get it for another 6-10 weeks, but after all I've read and researched about this bike, I'm sure I'll love it forever. You can get one of these built up with 105s for not too much. The Roadie is slightly more aggressive. I got mine because I want to commute and do fondos on the same bike, but real races, this probably won't suite. I'm anticipating it to be around 20 +/- 1 lb after it's all built up. More when it's built up in Commuter-Mode (racks, fenders, bags, goofy yellow jacket...).
When I started looking though, Bianchi and Surly were at the top of my list! I own a bianchi and love it a whole bunch, but this Gunnar is probably going to weigh less than my pista, plus it'll be hand built in Wisconsin, which is pretty rad. I'd call it "affordable," depending on what components you choose. There was a stock, built, 54cm Gunnar Sport at my LBS going for ~$2400.
Good for you. Good choice. I'm not interested in racing so I'd go for the Sport if I were doing a road bike with Gunnar. The Sport geometry and flexibility with tire widths is important and gives you a wide range of uses.
My Gunnar Crosshairs has the Gunnar steel fork that came with it. If I were doing it over, I'd have an ENVE fork for it and let Gunnar paint it to match. I think that might make it a pretty plush ride all the way around for sure. In looking into this, I think you could get that weight of that bike down to 18's and for sure sub 20lbs with some careful component selections. I can do that on my 58cm frame so you should be more than fine on your 54cm frame. PM me if you are interested in the details.
J.