Gunnar Cycles USA Message Board

I'm planning/hoping to get a new road bike next spring however I said the same thing last year. In attempt to make it easier I'm thinking about buying it in 3 stages and having it assembled. Stages include Frame/fork, wheels, and everything else. By doing a build this way, would I spend much more than purshasing it all at once?

For what it is worth, I'm hoping for the following
-Roadie w/steel fork
-Campy groupset with Centaur/Chorus mix (2006 Centaur CT alloy crank)
-Campy Eurus wheels

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

Unless you have a LBS that will give you a special package deal (bike, frame, components, etc.) your idea seems reasonable to me. Be sure you let the LBS know your plan and let them know you plan on buying everything from them. You might be amazed what they can offer to help you get the bike of your dreams, i.e. layaway or special financing. You might consider going all Centaur. Only a slight weight difference than Chorus with no significant performance difference. The Eurus wheels are great wheels but very expensive. You might find them on sale somewhere but Zonda's are easier to repair and only slightly heavier. Unless you are doing Cat 1 racing I doubt you'd notice the difference in weight and performance between Centaur versus Chorus, Eurus versus Zonda. Your wallet however will notice the difference.

another option for your wheels would be to use the hubs from the group you buy and lace them to Mavic Open Pro rims. Real hard to beat in quality and price. Buy all from your favorate bike shop. You will benefit from it one way or another.Labs rule

most shops will give you a discount if you buy everything from them. If you don't like that option you can go to a place like excel sports on the internet and buy a complete kit from them for about the same price if you include the discount. Of course then you have to assemble the bike yourself.

You can also do what I've done with my new crosshairs and buy all the parts on ebay, you can save big $$ this way. Then order your frame and either assemble yourself or have your LBS assemble (usually for a fee).

Thanks for the replies. I now have a bunch of questions concerning component groups and wheel choices but I feel I better make up my mind about this frame first.

LBS is a Gunnar dealer and they have a 60cm bike sitting on the floor. I ride a 58cm but hopefully it will be close enough for me to get a feel for it. Reason I"m wanting to jump now is because of the Orange Glow over silver color of the month expiring at the 30th.

I'm realitively young (28yrs old) and a club rider that is working my way into weekend century rides. I live in central WV so I have a lot of hills but no mega mountains. Will I be sorry with getting a Roadie with a steel fork? Only option I'm considering over the fork is the frame protectant. Am I overlooking anything?

Buy the bike at the LBS only if it fits you. That phrase"close enough"should never even cross your lips! The Roadie would be fine for your riding. As far as components go, try to ride bikes with Shimano and Campy.Pick the group with the best feeling hoods.Have fun.

gunnarluver

"Close enough" was referencing the test ride bike. My LBS is a Gunnar dealer but very low volumn. They do not have a 58cm for me to test ride but I figured the 60cm is about good as I was going to get for testing purposes.

Matter of fact, just got back from riding it this evening, felt great. Actually I might have been more impressed with the components than I was with the frame. My bike is a several year old Sora components, this Roadie had Ultegra 10, Mavic Open Pro rims, and an FSA crank. Shifting was crisp and I cannot even begin to explain how much better the brakes felt. The combination frame, wheels, & component group made for a very nice riding cycle. I noticed it the most on the decents. I felt WAY more connected and 'in control' than I do with my bike.

I must say though, I'm starting to cosider a carbon fork. The bike shop owner Rich is an old school steel lover. He can talk for days about his Schwinn Paramount that he still rides. Even he sort of recommended against the steel fork idea. Didn't get to talk to him long but said it is nearly a pound more than a good carbon fork.

If U can afford it go for the carbon fork you won't regret it. The best ones are
Alpha Q
Wound Up
Reynolds Ouzo

They all cost about the same.

As for the framesaver your LBS should put that in there before they build the bike and they should do it for free, after all you're spending a lot of $$ for this bike insist they do it right. IMHO its a MUST to have it in there.

If they wont do it, you can do it yourself. A can of framesaver only costs about $10.

If you are looking for options other than your local dealer, you should contact Andy at Yellowjersey.org. Yellow Jersey is a bricks and mortar shop in Madison WI but he is very competitive on pricing complete kits with everything other than the frame for both Campy and Shimano. However he is also a Gunnar/Waterford dealer so you could purchase everything from him if you so desire. While I have always been a Shimano purchaser, take a hard look at going Campy, assuming the ergonomics work for you. I am now a Campy convert.

Pat Mc

I did my Sport build like that. I bought the frame/fork from my LBS, put together a Rivendellish parts kit, and bought wheels from the LBS. They did the assembly, and it took me about 3 months total. I paid the bike off the day I bought it, no credit card. I spent less on some parts than the LBS coud get them for. Some of the parts were only available from Rivendell, so I got them, but paid more than for a comparable part. Bottom line is, I got exactly the bike I wanted. It was worth the effort.