Last week I picked up my new Gunnar Crosshairs. So far I love it! I chose the Gunnar because they offer custom geometry at a more reasonable price.

This bike is basically to replace the 1991 Trek 520 that I'd been using for dirt roads and wet weather commutes. (I don't mean to diminish the 520- it's done well by me year after year, and while it's going to be ridden less, I'm still not intending to part with it.) The difference was immediately obvious. The toptube is markedly shorter making the positioning much more comfortable (the bike seems much more petite, but fits well). The new bike climbs like a dream (the old bike had a lot of excess weight and drag- BF immediately noticed the difference with the new one and is worried that it won't be nearly as easy to stay ahead of me on the dirt now). The bike also glides over potholes, bumps, etc quite comfortably. For anyone looking for a steel cross bike (or any steel bike for that matter), I'd highly recommend Gunnar based on my initial experience.