Price Paid:
$600.00
at B & L Bicycles, Pull Favorite Ride: Gunnar Crosshairs Bike Setup: Crosshairs, Bontrager X-Lite clinchers, FSA compact cranks (good for 'cross and road: just switch the large chainring.) Summary: I'm enamored with the Crosshairs ability to tackle nearly any task. I initially purchased the frame and fork to use for training but quickly fell in love with the comfort of the ride.
So far I've used it for long distance racing (S2S in Washington, 284 miles), cyclocross, road-racing, commuting, and normal training for all of the above.
I now own 3 sets of wheels for it and plan on building 2 more sets in the next month for specific applications. It's amazing that with just a switch of wheels and removal of fenders it can go from a 22 lb rain bike/commuter to a sub-19 lb racer. Imagine the joy of training all winter with fenders and heavy wheels/tires only to shed several pounds while retaining the exact positioning on the bike. Pure bliss.
Don't get me wrong: there are plenty of bikes that I would rather be racing on the road, and a few that I might like to try on 'cross courses, but I'm still stunned at how well it performs in both arenas. Strengths: Affordable, well-built, versatile. Eats up road vibration (although this may be due to the awesome steel fork that it came with) and is sprightly enough to keep up with guys' collegiate high-zoot road machines.
Descends like a demon. Weaknesses: A bit heavy for competitive road use. Long chainstays makes for slightly slower climbing on the road, and not quite as quick as a crit bike. Similar Products Used: Cannondale road bike, old Specialized Allez Epic (carbon)
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