From the outset, the basic design of the Gyrobee landing gear has involved a wide stance on the main gear and a pair of simple. bungee-loaded vertical struts. The advantages of this approach are pretty basic:
Simple
Inexpensive
Extra roll-over protection
Long field experience/history
The disadvantages can be summed up in a single word - width. The standard gear is approximately 7-feet wide, which requires custom accomodation when trailering.
In the face of this "problem", Star Bee engineered a spring-type suspension that reduced the main gear width to 5-feet 6-inches.This gear package is cleverly-designed and adds $295 to the total project.
So, with two gear options, which way should you go? In my opinion, the stock gear wins hands-down! Roll-overs are common with some designs, both in training and off-field landings. Numerous testimonials from low-time Gyrobee pilots will praise the stock gear for solid ground handling and a very significant resistance to roll-over. We are not low time Gyrobee pilots, but we elected the stock gear when we started our second aircraft from a Star Bee kit! Later, if you want to narrow the gear, you can simply trim the length of the main gear struts and resize the drag and vertical struts. No new material would be required and the cost would be zero. Alternatively, of course, you could swap the stock gear for the Star Bee spring-loaded gear.
A lot of thought has gone into the Gyrobee!
Build it stock first and save experimentation until later!