The Bike Shop Ride: Refurbished Gunnar

A number of years ago a co-worker was looking to get rid of a Gunnar Crosshairs frame that his girlfriend had been riding but was too big for her. I don't remember now what exactly I traded for it, a couple bike parts of no great value.
At the time I really wasn't sure if the bike would fit me or if I would like it at all. But I needed a commuter bike and the Bianchi Volpe I had been riding for a while was too small. Lucky for me it turned out the bike fit me perfect and I love the way it rides. Its a great mix of stable and comfortable while still being relatively quick handling like a cyclocross race bike.
Due to some rust issues and lots of chips and scuffs I decided to get the bike repainted. I figured winter was the perfect time, so I sent the bike back to Gunnar to see what they could do.
While the bike was back at Gunnar I decided the parts needed a bit of an update as well. So I built some new wheels and picked up a few other odds and ends to put the bike back together just the way I want.

A shot of the bike before being sent back to Gunnar.

New blue paint for the old Crosshairs.

Feels good to be riding something that was made so close to where I live.

One of the new parts I picked up is a White Industries VBC crankset. I chose 36-48t chainrings based on how I will be riding the bike.

A carry over from my old build, SRAM silver brake levers. While they may not go perfectly with my mostly Shimano build, I find them to be more comfortable then Shimano brake levers.

A crown mounted brake hanger reduces fork shudder on this size (58cm) bike.

The bike had a black Chris King headset previously, but I couldn't bring myself to put a black headset back on this (now) blue bike. I went with a silver Cane Creek 110 headset instead.

Salsa seat clamp and Surly cable hanger work well together.

I'm not sure what fork this bike came with when it was new, when I got it it had an old Bianchi uni-crown fork. This Soma fork made from Tange steel tubing seems to work very well with the geometry of the frame and rides nicely.

Almost nothing shifts better than Dura-Ace 9 speed down tube shifters...

Particularly when paired with a Dura-Ace 7700 rear derailleur!

New wheels feature Pacenti SL23 rims. This is my first time building with these rims. They seems to build up nicely and the finish quality is excellent. I hope to write a review after I have some miles on them.

I chose White Industries T11 hubs and DT Competition spokes, laced 3-cross.

White Industries front hub and Shimano Dura-Ace quick release skewers.

Velo Orange fenders.

One of the new parts that I am most excited to try is Compass Bike's Barlow Pass 700x38 tires. I have ridden Grand Bois tires, which are very similar, in 700x26 and 700x30 and loved them.