The Green Gunnar goes HOME!...Finally!

Bob Winter checking out my finished Gunnar Crosshairs at Cycling Concepts in Rocky Hill, CT

Thanks to the men at Cycling Concepts the Green Gunnar is finally finished, and looks great.  At 22.01 pounds ride ready with pedals, and 38mm Cross tires, not so bad.  I believe I could get it under 20 with a fork change, and lighter tires, but I like the look and can't wait for the ride.

Sondre Says....Gunnar is Done!

Yes folks it is finally done!  Ready to ride...Nice.   

Gunnar awaits final build by the crew at Cycling Concepts...

Last night I finished what I could or wanted to do on the Gunnar build, therefore it now awaits cabling and tuning by the great mechanics at Cycling Concepts.  Really I am just avoiding the mess with the front derailleur.  I never was able to get it right on the R3.  There are also other considerations, time being one, as Cycling Concepts in RH is closing their doors and consolidating their efforts in Glastonbury. A move I am not very excited about, but have come to accept with a bit of trepidation.
So I wait.....

Gunnar Bike Build: Day 1...

Well yesterday was day 1 of my Gunnar Crosshairs build.  We started with the bottom bracket, a Chris King Bottom Bracket.

The only down side was that it did not come with the inserts for Shimano cranks, Sondre had to order them, and won't be in until next Tuesday.  That meant I could not do any cabling or set the front d.  

We then moved to the Headset, and Eric took his turn at being a mechanic...

Eric aligned the headset and then wanted to pound on something...

Sondre took over to set the Chris King headset...

Eric and I then installed the Thomson X4 stem and Thomson Handlebars...

Then the Ultegra 6800 11 speed shifters went on......

I then installed the rear derailleur, Ultegra 6800 Long Cage to accommodate the 11-32 ultegra cassette...

The front and rear Shimano Road Specific V-Brakes went on next....

The last thing to go on yesterday was the HED Belgium C2/Ultegra 6800 wheels with XKing tires, converted to tubeless.

Still to go on the Gunnar is the Ultegra 6800 compact crank with Speedplay pedals, chain, and cables, along with odds and ends for accessories.

Hopefully next Tuesday Night with bring us close to build end....

Frame Savor in...ready to build!

Yesterday, Sondre' at Cycling Concepts in Rocky Hill, CT, spayed my Gunnar frame with Frame Save to protect it from weathering.

Today will be the build out starting with the headset and bottom bracket.   There should be some great photos tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Gunnar Crosshairs...What's Next!

Now that the Frame is in at Cycling Concepts, Before I can build up the bike, CC has to spray Framesaver into the frame.
Therefore, today I can only strip parts for my R3, de-grease and then lube them.  The parts off of the R3 include the Drive Train: Ultegra 6800 Crankset compact, ultegra 6800 long cage rear derailleur, Dura Ace 9000 front Derailleur, and Ultegra 6800 Shifters.  Also the RR440 PowerTap/Chris King 11 speed wheels will be used for commuting and all around road riding. New 28mm Gatorskins will be placed on the 440's for durability and ride quality. The Ultegra 6800 11 speed 11-32 cogset is also being moved over.  Most everything else is new.
Chris King headset and bottom bracket are top choices that complement the Thomson cockpit: Seatpost, stem, and handlebars.  The saddle is a Rocket V WTB 143.  The Thomson parts are being used for durability, not ride quality, as most others fail under my lbs.  The brakes are Shimano road specific V-brakes that are designed to worked with road shifters/brake levers.  I have not made up my mind about pedals yet, but until I do I am using the SpeedPlay Zero's off my R3.
In addition to the RR440 wheels, I have built up a new pair of Hed Belgium C2 wheels with Ultegra Hubs.  These will be used for off roading, cross and gravel.  They are set up as tubeless wheels with X-King Cross tires from Conti.
Chompin' at the bit to get the Green Machine on the road, but part of the fun is in the waiting.

The Green Gunnar Crosshairs Frame Arrives at Cycling Concepts...At

At a frame only weight of 4.04 lbs, my new Gunnar Crosshairs frame in Shamrock Green arrived at Cycling Concepts.  I took a few pictures with my phone, they did not come out that great, but you can view them t HERE!

Now that it is in the shop, I will check with Sondre this week about what the build will involve, but it will be ready when the streets are.  Nice!
The paint job is incredible, and this picture sure does not do it justice.  The workmanship is fantastic on the frame, it is clean and mean.  The folks at Gunnar (www.gunnarbike.com ) were great throughout the frame building process, and patient with an old man like me.
I also want to thank Johanna from Gunnar for all her time answering my redundant questions, to Sondre for understanding my need for green, and to Keith for indulging my proclivities.  Cycling Concepts Rules!
Parts are in and ready, so Stay tuned for the build!