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New Gunnar Roadie

51K views 77 replies 38 participants last post by  roadie09 
#1 ·
Here are some pics of my new Gunnar roadie. I swapped parts over from my 2009 Trek 1.5. I won't get to ride it outside for another month or two, but it will see some trainer time in the meantime.







Excuse the red rear tire (trainer tire).
 
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#37 ·
Tube thickness have a lot to do about how much you can carry.The higher quality steel you use, the thinner the tubes you can make.

OX Plat has butts of .4mm.

Surly frames weigh 1-1/4 pounds more than a Gunnar Roadie frame. They are made from 4130 CroMoly Steel, (a low tech steel........or as I call it.....gas pipe)

This is one of the reasons they are a lot cheaper.
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#38 ·
Being a Waterford guy I have to say their resale value isn't what a Surly is. Which really surprises me. If you're careful you pick up a Waterford or Gunnar for half or more of retail. Surlys aren't much less used than new. Now that Surly isn't letting dealers sell complete bikes online I would think their resale will be even higher.
 
#39 ·
Most people don't understand tubesets.
Surley has more name recognition than Gunnar, so people think that it's a "better" frame.
 
#46 ·
....and it's a bike!



210mm cranks take some getting used to... And yes, those cranks aren't too easy on the eyes.

Ultegra 9 speed for perceived durability and so I can swap wheels with my 66cm Cannondale Caad3. Phil Wood hubs, HED rims, Cane Creek brakes, Ritchey stems, bars, post topped with a Brooks.
 
#50 ·
Newly-Built 58 cm Roadie

My newly-built Roadie rides like a Corvette or IROC-Z Camaro, while my 2001 LeMond 853 Pro Team rides like a Nissan Maxima.

The Roadie rides and feels best on fast rides. At 10 to 15 mph it transmits a lot of vibration. But above that it goes away and it morphs into the great-handling sports car. The LeMond transmits much less vibration on those slower rides.

The top and down tubes of the Roadie are each one size larger diameter than the LeMond. The opposite is true for the seat tubes. LeMond has 31.8, Roadie 28.6.

Without a caliper I estimate the downtubes are 34.9 Roadie and 31.8 LeMond, and top tubes are 31.8 Roadie and 28.6 LeMond. I could be wrong, so please feel free to post corrections.

Thanks.
 
#51 ·
The Roadie rides and feels best on fast rides. At 10 to 15 mph it transmits a lot of vibration. But above that it goes away and it morphs into the great-handling sports car. The LeMond transmits much less vibration on those slower rides.

Thanks.
You have hit on something I noticed when I first got my Roadie, but since have gotten used to. Yes, below around 15 mph, if you pay attention, it just seems a bit coarse, I do mean just a bit. Especially when tires are inflated near the upper end of the psi range. Once you get just a bit more speed it seems like the vibration goes away, or gets into some kind of synchrony or something as you don't seem to feel it anymore.

Aluminum bikes (I have only owned a couple, so maybe not generic to them) seem to have this larger amounts of this vibration (more a buzz), and it doesn't seem to go away at any speed. Carbon bikes I have ridden seem to soak up this buzz. Now on coarse pavement and high tire pressure they can transmit a bit of the road buzz, but seem to soak it up mostly somehow without feeling at all deadened. Yes, I know it is stereotypical description of the frame types, and maybe I was just preconditioned to experience them this way. But it seems to be so.

Now if the Roadie is a Corvette (I don't disagree with that sports car assessment) I have a Bianchi 928 that must be a McLaren. As it is even sportier, snappier etc. It is a touch smaller frame and I wish it were the next size up, so that might have something to do with it. All things considered I still like the Roadie better.
 
#56 ·
Here's a shot of my Gunnar Sport. Not the greatest photo, but you get the gist. It's sort of a Guinness black-and-tan scheme. I'm still getting used to the bike. It's a stiffer frame than I would have expected, and rides harsher than my other steel bikes. I just swapped the tires from 25s to 28s to see if that will help. I'm using it mainly for commuting, hence the fenders and Bagman rack.
 
#61 ·
Chris - You misunderstood me or I wasn't clear. I have a Waterford RST as well as a Gunnar Sport (not Roadie). The Gunnar Sport and the Waterford RST are both described as sport touring frames, yet the RST rides much smoother. As I said, I think the tubing accounts for the difference. The Sport's tubing is much larger diameter than the RST. Both frames have long chain stays and both have steel Waterford forks, and both frames are about the same size (although the Sport is a compact design and the RST has a slightly sloping top tube).
 
#62 ·
My apologies, tarwheel2. You were perfectly clear, I just messed up. For some reason I must have been thinking of drmayer's quote about his Roadie, which started this thread.

I take back what I said, totally mistaken.

I do have one other question about the Sport. You say you have a Waterford fork on it, I think. I was wondering if you know what fork it is, and also wondering if the fork rake is the same they recommend for the Sport?

Since you discuss the ride as being smoother, one other thing occurs to me. Waterford had the RS (Road Sport) and the RST (Road Sport Touring) models. I haven't looked at those geometries closely in comparision to the Sport, but it may be possible that the RS is closer to the Sport. And that the more comfy aspect of the RST you feel might be attributable to it having a bit more of the touring geometry in it. But, I don't know.

But the tubing no doubt has an influence.

And, as I said, sorry for misreading your post earler.
 
#64 ·
I bought both my Waterford RST and Gunnar Sport used, and both were custom to some extent. The Waterford is fully custom and has a taller head tube, a low bottom bracket, cantilever brakes and clearance for larger tires -- all features that don't match the standard specs for their sport touring frames. The Gunnar Sport is a standard size 60 frame, but the original owner paid extra for a Waterford fork. Since he bought directly from Gunnar, I assume that they correctly matched the fork to his frame. Regardless, the stiffness of the frame does not seem to relate to the fork. It is similar in shape and tubing size to the fork on my Waterford RST.

The tubing on my Gunnar Sport frame is considerable larger diameter than the Waterford. I have owned other frames in the past with oversized tubing, and they ride stiffer. Some people like that feature, but I personally prefer a smoother riding frame. However, with larger tires the Gunnar rides just fine and it has enough clearance to run tires at least up to 32 mm.
 
#66 · (Edited)
Thread resurrection.

Here's my not-quite-so new Roadie. Minimal Gunnar logos ("G" on the headtube), charcoal silver paint, ENVE 2.0, 6700 everything except 105 brakes. Wheels are CK R45 with DT Swiss RR415. Bars are Bontrager Race Lite Aero. Almost everything else is temporary. I get a lot of people asking me if it is titanium. Somewhere around 18lbs 15oz.

Good to join the Gunnar club.

Bicycle tire Bicycle frame Tire Wheel Bicycle wheel rim


edit: Size is a 58. I'll cut the steerer eventually.
 
#69 ·
I have a Gunnar Sport and a Moots Vamoots, both 56cm. The 2010 Vamoots has a slightly longer wheelbase and a few other changes from previous years. Good combination of stability and responsiveness. The Sport is actually a little quicker feeling (not necessarily faster). It transmits more road feel as you might expect, and is very enjoyable to ride. Have not done any long rides yet as it is fairly new, and is my commute / winter bike. Both enjoyable rides. I ended up liking the Sport much more than I expected. If it was my only bike, I could live with that. The Vamoots is also a wonderful bike.
Bicycle tire Tire Bicycle frame Bicycle wheel rim Bicycle part
 
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