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.

We welcome your comments on our Facebook Page.

Here we go – the Gunnar Color of the Year for 2011-12. We’re following the style that everybody likes and that works do well. It’s based on our new English Blue metallic – a classic color reminiscent of the early 70′s stylings. This styling is available at no extra charge from now to September 30, 2012. Click here to see all the current no-extra charge colors.

Here’s a quick frame closeup:

Enjoy!

OK, this is totally off-topic, but worth a quick rant.

Good bye, Steve Jobs. A glorious day has ended with his passing. I got to play with my first Apple as a toy in the late 70′s, marveling at the ability to write my own computer program without punched cards or in a totally incomprehensible language.

Honestly, I lived and live in the PC world. Apples were all too pricey for my taste. However, whenever I needed a taste of what was coming down the road technologically, Apple had it, sometimes years before the PC world. Whether it was a laptop, networking, desktop publishing, anything arty, windows (It was a generic term before it became a brand), music downloading, i-pods, i-phones and i-pads.

Except for my tiny i-tunes account and my i-pod, nothing I have comes from Apple. Yet Apple innovations show up almost everywhere in my technological life. Windows wouldn’t be nearly as nice an interface if they didn’t have Apple to learn from. Browsers wouldn’t be so friendly, networking would still be a nightmare and my smartphone wouldn’t be nearly as smart.

Thanks, Steve for shining that beacon of vision that has truly enriched out lives.

We’re back to bikes tomorrow!

A couple of months ago, we updated the Gunnar message board to keep spammers from ruining things for the rest of us. It’s not just a matter of new software. We’ve had to monitor every person who wants to get a log-in. For those of you who are looking to post there, to get faster access, here are some suggestions:

> Include something cycling related in your user name. I ignore requests with user names like viagra-22 and youcangetrich. User names like willywheels and ifoundmygunnarspot are assumed to be our friends and not some spambot.

> If you find you were not authorized, feel free to email us through the Gunnar web site and we’ll get you going. Please include your user name.

One more thing: People registering their Gunnars don’t need a message board login. You can get your registration login at http://gunnarbikes.com/site/support/register-your-gunnar/. Of course we welcome you at the Gunnar Message Board, where you can get technical support and show of your Gunnar!

Thanks!

Gunnar CrossHairs in Basque Country 2010

Our friend Vinod toured northern Spain and Portugal last year on his bright yellow Gunnar CrossHairs. His photo album should stimulate a severe case of wanderlust for almost anyone as he and a group of friends toured northern Spain and Portugal along the coast line. Perfect weather, tasty food and terrific scenery grace most days of this memorable 10 day tour. Visit Vinod’s photo album.

If this doesn’t make you want to hit the road, I don’t know what would. Thanks for the memories!

Every four years runs the ultimate Randonneuring event – Paris Brest Paris. It’s a ride for most, a race for some and an accomplishment for anyone who finishes it. To finish, you must complete all 750 or so miles in less than 90 hours – over 200 miles per day. A French tradition which first ran in 1891, PBP, as it is known, is a dozen years older than the Tour de France. To qualify, participants must complete a number of qualifying events in order to make completion of this event possible.

Gunnar and Waterford owners have participated in the event going back to 1995, and each running includes more and more of our bikes. The Gunnar Sport, with its light weight, smooth ride and road fender clearance, enjoys a growing fan base.

Case in point: We received this fine report from Joe Platzner:

In November you built a coupled Gunnar with a low trail fork for me. I rode it all year to get ready for PBP.

In February, I went to North Carolina where I met Jimmy Williams, who has decent taste in bikes as well. At bike registration at PBP, among thousands of bikes, I found Jimmy’s bike leaning on a rack, so of course I needed a photo. You may notice there is a Waterford behind them as well. Turns out I rode a fair bit with Jimmy during the ride. The bike is flawless, BTW. The fork is just right. Thanks again. Joe

What a terrific adventure, all the more a pleasure to do it with new friends!

Collectors will appreciate the history of the Paramount, which starts with the origins Schwinn itself. There are technical details that help identify various vintages. We’ll have samples of several eras of Paramounts. Following the presentation will be a Q&A session.

The Heartland Velo Show is the first dedicated handbuilt bike show in the upper midwest. Madison was chosen not only because it is a cycling mecca, but it’s easy to get to from Chicago, Minneapolis and anywhere in the great state of Wisconsin.