Ex-sheldon brown gunnar street dog, on the road again!
07-09-13, 03:53 PM
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Ex-sheldon brown gunnar street dog, on the road again!
Izzit classic or vintage? You decide, but let's keep it pleasant.
The late, great mechanic Mr. Brown, put this bike together out of bits 'n' pieces, based upon a UPS-damaged Gunnar Street Dog 58cm frame that he got for free...it's a fascinating patinaed pastiche of parts that found their way into his visual field and got grabbed and Preston D'Service.
The details are on his site: https://sheldonbrown.com/org//gunnar/ and https://sheldonbrown.com/org//gunnar/old/
Its previous owner purchased it from Sheldon's estate, but it had been laid up for lack of some machine work on the rear hub, as S-A no longer stocks parts for 1950-vintage ASC 3-speed fixie (that's right, 3-speed fixie!) hubs. So, I did a bit of lathe work, and adapted a new indicator chain and adjuster assembly, and after a small tuneup--WALLAH! (my favorite mispelling of all time...)...it's back on the Karl Malden / Michael Douglas-infested streets of San Francisco.
It's mostly as Sheldon left it, with the exception of the afore-mentioned hub repair and one black cable jacket. It's frisky to ride, a quick handler, and great for thrusting thru, er, thraffic. Oh, almost forgot to mention, for those of you who were unaware of its existence, Sheldon built it with the chainline on the LEFT side, as living proof of his "why be normal?" mantra.
I plan to leave it essentially "as-is", though the red accents really bother me...
The late, great mechanic Mr. Brown, put this bike together out of bits 'n' pieces, based upon a UPS-damaged Gunnar Street Dog 58cm frame that he got for free...it's a fascinating patinaed pastiche of parts that found their way into his visual field and got grabbed and Preston D'Service.
The details are on his site: https://sheldonbrown.com/org//gunnar/ and https://sheldonbrown.com/org//gunnar/old/
Its previous owner purchased it from Sheldon's estate, but it had been laid up for lack of some machine work on the rear hub, as S-A no longer stocks parts for 1950-vintage ASC 3-speed fixie (that's right, 3-speed fixie!) hubs. So, I did a bit of lathe work, and adapted a new indicator chain and adjuster assembly, and after a small tuneup--WALLAH! (my favorite mispelling of all time...)...it's back on the Karl Malden / Michael Douglas-infested streets of San Francisco.
It's mostly as Sheldon left it, with the exception of the afore-mentioned hub repair and one black cable jacket. It's frisky to ride, a quick handler, and great for thrusting thru, er, thraffic. Oh, almost forgot to mention, for those of you who were unaware of its existence, Sheldon built it with the chainline on the LEFT side, as living proof of his "why be normal?" mantra.
I plan to leave it essentially "as-is", though the red accents really bother me...
Last edited by Senhor Colnago; 07-09-13 at 04:06 PM.
07-09-13, 03:58 PM
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Weird. I like it including the red accents. That bike makes a statement of some sort.
07-09-13, 04:01 PM
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That's so nice and good to know that your machining skills keep this relic of some sorts alive! How's the ride? Can you compare it to the new 3 speed fixed SA hubs?
07-09-13, 04:07 PM
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Vintage or classic? I just call it very cool. Way to revive a one of a kind. Oh and dont touch the red...
07-09-13, 05:58 PM
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stupid question - why is the crank on the left side of the bike (other than the 'why be normal' mantra?
07-09-13, 06:09 PM
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07-09-13, 08:31 PM
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Not a stupid question, but if you have an inkling of Sheldon's quirky sense of humor, I think it does make sense that he only did it for its "WTF" value. If you do look at the RH view in the above top photo, it looks darned strange without the chainwheel drawing the eye as it usually does. There is only 1.5mm clearance between the chainwheel and LH chain stay, BTW...I suppose he thought this oddly humorous, too.
07-09-13, 09:45 PM
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Last of the v8 interceptors - a piece of history.
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07-10-13, 12:01 AM
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Great to see it back alive. I belatedly saw the eBay auction in which it was sold - couldn't believe for how little it went considering how valuable that hub is + the infinite value of owning one of Sheldon's rides. I will be on the lookout for it (and Michael Douglas) in SF!
If I miss you and you see me riding my city bike, flag me down and say hello!
If I miss you and you see me riding my city bike, flag me down and say hello!
07-10-13, 07:51 AM
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Gingi--The auction ran at least twice, maybe more. I caught it and put it onto my watch list, then got a notice that it had failed to sell and was relisted, so I bid. I'll keep an eye out for you on Market Street, among the thousands...
07-10-13, 08:14 AM
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Not a stupid question, but if you have an inkling of Sheldon's quirky sense of humor, I think it does make sense that he only did it for its "WTF" value. If you do look at the RH view in the above top photo, it looks darned strange without the chainwheel drawing the eye as it usually does. There is only 1.5mm clearance between the chainwheel and LH chain stay, BTW...I suppose he thought this oddly humorous, too.
07-10-13, 08:24 AM
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Awesome...
07-10-13, 08:45 AM
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Cool that someone else on here got that bike. The original post Sheldon buyer posted on here about it after he purchased it.
07-10-13, 10:06 AM
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJtufmXF448
Would have been a shame to blow it up.
Would have been a shame to blow it up.
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07-10-13, 10:08 AM
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJtufmXF448
Would have been a shame to blow it up.
Would have been a shame to blow it up.
Last edited by Grand Bois; 07-10-13 at 10:49 AM.
07-10-13, 10:32 AM
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We call them Blue Heelers... I had one and he was a great dog, very protective of his people and property. He would bail from the 4 wheeler at 30 mph to go chase something.
Aaron
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Webshots is bailing out, if you find any of my posts with corrupt picture files and want to see them corrected please let me know. :(
ISO: A late 1980's Giant Iguana MTB frameset (or complete bike) 23" Red with yellow graphics.
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RIDE, YOU FOOL, RIDE!"_Nicodemus
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Webshots is bailing out, if you find any of my posts with corrupt picture files and want to see them corrected please let me know. :(
ISO: A late 1980's Giant Iguana MTB frameset (or complete bike) 23" Red with yellow graphics.
"Cycling should be a way of life, not a hobby.
RIDE, YOU FOOL, RIDE!"_Nicodemus
"Steel: nearly a thousand years of metallurgical development
Aluminum: barely a hundred
Which one would you rather have under your butt at 30mph?"_krazygluon
07-10-13, 10:47 AM
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We call them Blue Heelers... I had one and he was a great dog, very protective of his people and property. He would bail from the 4 wheeler at 30 mph to go chase something.
Aaron
Aaron
I'm getting him one of these because my throwing arm gets sore:
https://www.godoggoinc.com/index.html
They're called Heelers because they nip the heels of cattle to keep them moving. He does the same to us. It must be instinctual.
Last edited by Grand Bois; 07-10-13 at 10:58 AM.
07-10-13, 11:07 AM
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I saw that both times it was up for sale. You might've had some competition if it wasn't way too big for me.
07-10-13, 11:51 AM
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Why, do you want them to?
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