Patrick from the Lacrosse Wisconsin area, wanted to try as extra long crank on his new Gunnar Sport. Unfortunately, putting a long crank on a regular bike frame raises the risk of hitting your pedals on the ground.

The solution? Working with Gunnar dealer Blue Heron Bicycle Works, we built a custom frame with a an extra-high bottom bracket. The normal large crank length is 175mm and the maximum bottom bracket drop is 80. To keep the pedals that same minimum distance from the ground, the bottom bracket drop must decrease by the same amount as the crank increases. So we built a frame with only 50mm of bottom bracket drop.

Here’s Patrick’s report (edited over a couple of emails): “Just wanted to give you an update on what I’ve been calling the Gunnar Sport Gigantor Edition…!” How do the cranks work? “It’s great! The cranks took a bit longer than anticipated, but they finally got here and Kevin put the finishing touches on it. I was VERY impressed at the quick delivery and attention to detail that is clearly evident with the frame! I’ve attached a picture of the final product.

(It) feels pretty weird at first. Per Kevin’s suggestion, I took it easy at first, just spinning. Finally got enough free time to hammer a couple of the monster hills around here. The combo of cranks and the 34/50 and 11-28 make pretty much any hill a breeze. The integrated BB design is uber stiff.

I feel like my whole leg is now engaged in the effort – the perception of increased torque is significant. I find when I get out of the saddle, I almost need to drop down a gear in anticipation, the acceleration is nice. Time will tell how it treats me in the long run. On the bright side the BB’s not freakishly high, so going back to 180′s would be a non-event…

As far as handling, it’s rock solid. . . . One final note – the welds/finish work/paint are gorgeous – you guys really did a STELLAR job!

It was truly a pleasure to work with you and Kevin on this build. The collaboration and overall positive experience will be something that I’ll share with folks wherever I ride…”

Extra-long cranks aren’t for everyone, not even every tall person. But we’re seeing that this might be the right alternative, when you need that extra stretch.

We get lots of requests for information on older Gunnars, like, “Is the geometry on my ten-year old Roadie the same as it is today?” or “When did you go to the Paragon Dropouts on the Ruffian?”. We now added a Gunnar history page to fill in this gap. It has geometries of old, up to 2005, the year we started keeping individual records on-line (which you get access to when you register your Gunnar). Click here to visit the page.

One of our old friends and a great dealer for us, Alan Ardizone (Cascade Bikes in Montrose, Colorado), retired a couple of years ago. He’s also known as Uncle Al, tech guru for several years at http://roadbikerider.com, a weekly newsletter for roadies. His practical, no-nonsense advice was a breath of fresh air from the usual hype about bikes, parts and service. After retiring, we’d hear reports every so often, but missed our more regular contact. Just before transferring his shop to his son, he purchased a Roadie for his wife Leslie, and a Sport for himself. Since then, he’s taken large chunks of time traveling the country with his pick-up and camper. Yesterday, he passed in this report along with a couple of nice photos.

“Thought I’d send this photo to you taken on the Mickelson Trail in South Dakota last fall.

This bike was a retirement bonus to me after 20 years owning and operating Cascade Bicycles. It’s THE perfect machine for the mixed surfaces one encounters on Rail to Trails. It handles like a dream. My other favorite bike is my orange Roadie.

I run 32mm Conti Contact tires and have the Tubus rack and Ortlieb bag (only one side) for those long days on the trails. Extra clothing, lunch, tool kit, etc. We ditched the fenders as they always rattle and make transporting the bikes in the back of our truck a bear.

Leslie and I do out and back rides,usually around 50 miles total, returning at the end of a ride to our inviting little Scamp trailer (see other photo). We feel like we’ve died and gone to Heaven. This bike has been on the Mickelson S.D., the Paul Bunyan, the Heartland, the Gitchi Gammi, and the Willard Munger Trails in Minnesota, and the Katy Trail in Missouri. Thanks for making our cycling lives so wonderful! Uncle Al & Aunt Leslie Ardizone, Happy Campers “

We can’t thank Uncle Al enough for all he’s done for us, for his community and for the larger cycling community.

By the way, to eliminate rattling fenders, try a product that didn’t exist 3 years ago – leather fender washers . Thanks!

We get lots of calls and emails about buying a used Gunnar bicycle or frame. Of course, we’d be happier if you were buying a new one, but we know that a sold Gunnar as often as not makes room for a new one in the stable.

Here are some important tips:

1. Know your best framesize before you shop: Money spent on a Gunnar that doesn’t fit is money wasted. You can use “My Gunnar” to figure out what size works for you. Though geometries have evolved through the years, you won’t be more than a centimeter off on fit, even if you are buying an older bike. Do be careful about standover heights, as the Roadie and Sport are two centimeters shorter than they were in 2004. If you’re not sure about your fit, invest in a fitting at your local bike shop. If you’re not buying a bike from them, you should pay for the fitting. Be up front and you’ll keep harmony with the relationship. This could come in handy when you need service or when you upgrade to a new Gunnar.

2. Get a serial number: This is important. Just about every Gunnar is traceable – at least to the initial owner – by the serial number. You should be suspicious if they are unwilling to give it to you. The serial number takes the form of “M YYSSS” where M is a month code from A to M, YY is the last two digits of the year and SSS is a serial number for the month. Our FAQ section has information on the serial number format and location.

3. Warranty: The Gunnar Loyal Friend warranty extends to the original owner only. This means you’ll want to know that the bike or frame was well cared for. Ask about how the bike was used and maintained. We recommend a 1-2 week inspection period, though you should be prepared to pay for return shipping, if needed.

A used Gunnar is a great way to join our family of Gunnar owners. It may be just the right stepping-stone for a new one.

Thanks,

Richard

Now that steel is getting the recognition it deserves as an ideal bicycle framebuilding material, we keep getting asked, “You build with chromoly, don’t you?” Indeed we do – but not on Gunnar bike frames. Our steels are a significant step up from the venerable 4130 chromoly alloy:

> Our steels, known as air-hardening steels, are specifically formulated for TIG welding, the method we use to build Gunnars. As a result, we don’t need as heavy a tube to build a durable frame. We’ve been using it for over 15 years with proven results.
> Our steels are heat treated. Heat treating makes the same steel almost twice as strong as 4130, which lets us lighten our our bikes even more.
> We’ve developed a custom palette of tubes we use for our designs. We vary tubes by frame size, to give big people the same ride qualities as medium and small riders. That means we also have special tubes unique to our company.
> Our frames are fully heat treated air-hardening tubes – not just the main tubes.
> Our steels come from respected suppliers – True Temper and Reynolds.

That makes our Gunnars custom-quality bikes at a terrific value.

This is not to disparage chromoly. It’s a great material out of which to make bike frames and has stood the test of time. Chromoly is over twice as strong as regular steel. It was the alloy that built aircraft that helped us win World War II.

But no, it’s not your father’s chromoly. Our tubes are way better.

This video came from our good friend Leonard Fancher. The bike is not a Gunnar, but it makes me smile too much not to share it. Happy Thanksgiving.

This all started when Gunnar owner Steve Haynes sent in photos of his recent build – a Fastlane with a SRAM i-Drive hub. No, it doesn’t have horizontal dropouts. It doesn’t have the Paragons. It was totally stock. Take a look:

He makes it work with a few zip ties and Paul’s Melvin derailleur mount chain tensioner. All I could think at the time was, “All the cool kids will look down their noses at this. Should I even put it up?”

But the more I thought about it, the more I think Steve got it right. More and more people want to try internal hubs, but fashion has been dictating the use of horizontals. Yet there are loads of reasons to follow Steve’s lead:

• The brake calipers and pads – whether disc or canty – are always aligned with verticals.
• Easier wheel removal and re-installing. You don’t have to worry about trying to keep your wheel tensioned and keep the wheel centered. Also, you don’t have to loosen and readjust a stabilizing arm).
• Fewer fender hassles. With rear facing dropouts, you may have to disconnect the fenders to get the wheel out.
• With disc brakes and verticals, racks mount easily. With the regular Paragon dropouts, the rack mounts have to go in an unusual place and be separately brazed or welded on. Paragon and others have recently introduced a “Rocker” design.
• The chain tensioner has no meaningful effect on drivetrain efficiency. After all, every derailleur system uses a tensioner as a standard part of the installation.
• The added weight of the chain tensioner is off-set by the reduced weight of not having to use an anti-rotation arm. Instead, use an “anti-rotation washer”. Learn more from Sheldon Brown’s pages at Harris Cyclery.
• Finally, should you decide you want to go back to a derailleur, you’re already set to go. You have the ultimate in drivetrain flexibility – and you’ve had it all along!

Closer look at the Paul's chain tensioner.

The first internal hub was invented decades before either verticals and chain tensioners. When verticals hit the market about a dozen years ago, few people cared about internal hub drive trains. Now, as more people are commuting and looking for townie designs, it’s time to rethink how things go together. It’s paradigm shift time.

We’ll continue offering horizontal (track) dropout options, as well as the Paragons (which work great, by the way). But it’s time to put it out there that going vertical can make a lot of sense.

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