26 February, 2021
Melissa's Sport Touring Low Kicker Has Some Very Special Hoops
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16 February, 2021
Two New Handlebar Tape Styles
by Igor
A quality handlebar tape can make or break a bike's comfort. Even if your fit is spot on, if your handlebar tape is too thin or hits your hand in the wrong way, your ride isn't going to be fun, at least not for long. This is even more true on an all-road bike where terrain can vary with every mile, and even little impacts or road chatter can exacerbate existing comfort or fit issues.
Would I consider it a "Gravel" tape? Sure, why not? But it is so much more than just a hyped tape du jour. We designed this tape for riders that go over varied surfaces during tours and mixed terrain brevets: fire roads, double track, washboard roads, crushed limestone, and yes....gravel.
It's plush. It's 3.5mm thick. It has a very nice hand feel, wraps easily, and is long (200 cm!) - which is nice for today's wide bars.
The edges feature a taper so when you wrap your bars it can line-up mostly flat, or have a bit more overlap for a chunkier grip.
Additionally, the included bar plugs are actually really nice quality. You won't be chucking them into the bin like the cheap-o push in ones.
Survey around the office has an overwhelming favorite being Splash. Don't call it a comeback / It's been here for years.
Just as thick as the Foamy, this 3.5mm tape features a Diamond texture and adds a bit more grip. And like the Foamy, the edges are tapered so you can wrap to your desired handlebar feel.
This option is a bit more on the modern side, so I don't think it would look out of place on a square-tubed carbon bike or even a hardtail tourer with alt-bars, while still being neutral enough for any build.
These are currently available in Black and White.
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10 February, 2021
In Stock Now: Flat Pack Rack in Noir and More Parts and Accessories
How do you make the versatile Flat Pack Rack even better? Give it a black finish to match the rest of your glossy Noir VO bits. Prefer silver? Those are back up on the online store, as well. The rack headlines a fresh shipment of parts and accessories to replenish the VO shelves.
Bottle Cage Restock
Add a little vintage flair to your bike with one of our Retro Bottle Cages, back in stock with and without tab to accommodate your favorite water bottle. For more carrying capacity, we have also received more of the oversized Mojave Cages. The handy Bottle Cage Clamps are also back.
Cranksets
The Grand Cru 50.4 and Drillium Fluted 110 double cranksets are back in a variety of arm lengths.
Handlebars
We have received more Granola Bars as well as Nouveau Randonneur bars in 42 cm width.
...and more
This latest parts and accessories restock also includes:
- 650b Wavy Fenders, 58 mm silver
- Porteur Racks
- Handlebar Accessory Mount in Silver
- Grand Cru 0 Setback Seatpost
- Grand Cru Long Setback Seatpost
- Tektro Extra Long Reach Brakes (Nutted)
- Tektro FL750 City Brake Levers
- Tektro RL340 Aero Brake Levers
- 31.8 mm Threadless Stems
Coming Soon
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04 February, 2021
The Next Generation Crazy Bars - First Look.
Eight years ago, we released the first glimpses of the Crazy Bars. Immediately, they made huge waves in the touring and bikepacking communities with their 3-piece design, generous sweep, functionality with touring bags, and unique appearance. Since then, they have been a mainstay of our lineup, receiving tweaks with materials, tubing, stem clamps, and finishes. We even had a spin-off called the Seine Bar that was the Crazy Bar, minus the forward horns. We've used our experience with on-bike testing, manufacturing, community (thank you!) suggestions, and testing protocols and have designed a new iteration of the bars - and we're finally ready to release details about The Next Generation Crazy Bars!
Starting off, the bars have been widened to 780mm and the sweep has been reduced to a comfortable 35 degrees. This combo creates the perfect balance of leverage for out of the saddle climbs and natural wrist positioning for regular riding. Additionally, there is more room on the grip area for varied grip lengths and brake/shifter compatibility.
Accordingly, the horns have also been shortened to 110mm, but still retain the ability to mount bar end shifters. This allows significantly easier access to all of the positions without having to reach to the extremes of the bars.
We also introduced a bit of rise to the bars, 40mm. They're touring bars, so you deserve some rise.
They're MTB tested and will be available in bead-blasted silver and Noir finishes.
We'll also have the horn-less Seine Bar version, too!
We're expecting to have them in stock in June. We were hoping to have them earlier, but it seems that every step of the process was delayed due to raw material procurement and, you know, pandemic. We appreciate your patience. Keep your eyes peeled for more info when the time gets closer!
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14 January, 2021
Charlie's Piolet is ready for the CDT
by Igor
Charlie was ready to upgrade his current bike for one more suitable for doing the Continental Divide Trail (when it's finally safe for travel) as well as handling commuting duty through the winter of Michigan. After a great discussion about his needs we settled on a very nice build featuring wide, floaty tires, low gearing, handlebars with lots of grip options, and a very neutral and comfortable fit. This is one very fun and smooth ride that will be his new training and adventuring buddy.
Off the bat, Charlie knew he wanted to use Crazy Bars. They feature a bunch of different hand positions so he can switch it up as the terrain and ride requires. We outfitted the bars with Foam Grips and Comfy Cotton bar tape. There are so many different ways people have wrapped them, so check out this blog post for different pictures and styles of wrap-jobs.
Tommy from Cutlass Velo in Baltimore handled the excellent wheel build. The hubs are our own Disc Front and Rear and the rims are 32 hole Velocity Duallys. Getting a hand-built, custom wheelset is more spendy from the get-go, but make for a very good investment in the long term. Every part of the wheel experiences various loads, so a wheel builder can choose the correct components for longevity and strength. Touch base with Tommy if you're looking for your next custom wheel build - he's a rockstar.
The drive is a mix of SRAM GX mountain bike components for the shifty bits and Shimano XT for the whirly bits. They're all super dependable and hearty. So they'll be able to take whatever Charlie and the trail throws at them.
We went with lower-treaded Vittoria Mezcal tires in the 27.5 x 2.6" sizeway. I'm very impressed with how easy they set up tubeless and how quietly they ride on the road. I've ridden a lot of plus-sized tires and most of them have felt extremely sluggish and draining. But these are nice and light and supple.
Stopping is handled by the powerful and beautiful Paul Components Klamper Brakes connected to our Grand Cru Long Pull Brake Levers. The rotors are Shimano 180mm Ice Tech.
He'll be getting his own bags and such for the trail once he gets everything dialed in.
For a very complete build list, jump over to the build list here: https://velo-orange.com/pages/piolet-build-list-charlies-cdt-rider-with-crazy-bars
Happy Riding, Charlie!
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22 December, 2020
VO's 2020 Year in Review and a Peek into 2021!
by Igor
2020 has been one heck of a rollercoaster and honestly, too much to cover in this little year-end report. We all know what's going on, we're living it. But through it all, the bicycle industry has seen an explosion of ridership, a real silver-lining to an otherwise tough year. Whether someone is refurbishing an older bike for themselves or a family member, building up a new VO frame from scratch, or just working on that quarantine-project, our year has been extremely busy providing the goods to get people riding. And with that, I need to give a huge thank you to the entire VO staff. They have been absolutely amazing getting your orders out, receiving shipments, and providing top-notch customer service.
And they deserve a break. So, VO HQ is going to be closed starting Thursday, December 24th, and will re-open Monday, January 4th in 2021.
Behind the scenes, we've also been hard at work designing, prototyping, testing, and releasing lots of products. Here's a quick review of 2020!
With several of our frames utilizing thru-axles, we needed to update our hub lineup. So we designed, from the ground up, a whole new line of disc and rim brake hubs.
I have dreamed of a disc-brake step-through bike for yeeaaars. With the redesign of the Polyvalent, we saw an opportunity to make it a reality. And boy am I happy. All the functionality, beauty, and performance of a traditional diamond frame, and the convenience of a lower top tube. What's not to like? We're getting more in the Spring as it seems like you all like it a lot too.
We designed the Flat Pack Rack to be extremely adjustable and adaptable. We might even add some different rail or bag mount styles in the future. Anything you'd like to see?
Surprisingly, one of the most highly requested item is a cargo fenderset! So we made one to fit a 650b or 26" rear wheel and a 20" front wheel. So for those of you with cargo bikes or conversions, this is what you want. They're made in stainless steel for super durability.
Why didn't we do this before??
Thank you so much for your extreme patience. There have been port backups both in Taiwan and Baltimore, so it has been a bit longer than we expected to actually get into our warehouse, but they are now starting to ship out! I can't wait to see what kind of builds you put together!
You can affix this simple mount to the back of the rear fender for a blinkie or dynamo. Now you don't need to worry about panniers or rear bags blocking your light!
Coming soon:
Diamond Frame Polyvalents
These are in production and should be here around March/April. They'll have the same specifications and sizing as the Low Kickers, but with a horizontal top tube (with a couple degrees of slope).
More Handlebars
We have at least four new handlebar projects in the works. Something for everyone.
Cranksets
Still plugging away. These are taking longer than we thought, but the arm shape, spindle securing, and application has been finalized. We're doing CNC samples before we go in for the forging.
Simply, fully CNC'd cranks are more expensive per piece, but they are typically not as strong as forging. Forged cranksets have a significant monetary outlay on our side, but each piece is less expensive. So, we're planning on a flexible forged design and platform that can get a lot of mileage. Pun intended.
New Bar tape
Three new bar tape styles are going to be coming out in Q1 of 2021. They're all pretty thick and easy to wrap, and each style has its own unique hand feel. We're calling them Foamy, Rubbery, and Diamond. And yes, Splash is making a comeback.
New Biggish Bag
We're working with Road Runner Bags for a generously-sized handlebar bag that will fit on nearly any bike. We've teased it this year, and it is already in production.
New Old Frame
We're working on bringing back an older VO frame with some pretty cool tricks! I'm bursting at the seams to give you more details, but it'll have to wait.
15 year Anniversary
That's right! Velo Orange is turning 15 next August. From making bell spacer mounts and light mounts, sew-on toe clip leathers and shellac kits, to over 700 SKUs including frames, fenders, handlebars, headsets, pedals, etc....And we still offer the bell spacer mounts! What a wild ride.
We had some pretty big plans for the public this year that got scrapped. Our fingers are crossed that we'll be able to do a shindig in 2021.
Thank you for another spectacular year. See you in 2021!
Happy Riding,
Igor, Adrian, and The Velo Orange Crew
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15 December, 2020
Shawn's Rail-Trail Explorer
by Igor
The Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal rail trails are great gems of our area. If this is your first time hearing about these trails, the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) goes from Pittsburgh, PA to Cumberland, MD and the C&O Canal continues from Cumberland to Washington DC. The combination of 0 (read: zero) car traffic, low elevation change, cute trail towns, and free camping, and ample water sources makes this trail combo world renowned. People come from all over the globe (in normal times) to ride this route combination of nearly 333 miles. And since these trails are basically in our backyard, we've ridden them a lot.
So while the trails can be ridden on most wide-tired bikes, having a bike built up with the knowledge of what the trail entails and what the rider needs, means that the bike can disappear and one can simply enjoy being in the moment - surrounded by the beautiful scenery that the Mid-Atlantic has to offer.
That brings us to Shawn's Low Kicker Polyvalent build. He lives nearby to the trail and was ready to upgrade his current ride to a bike with dedicated front and rear racks, wider tires, upright position, fenders, and a timeless aesthetic. After a few conversations, we settled on a build list and went to work getting everything fitted. This is one ultra smooth and comfortable ride.
Let's talk cockpit. Trekking Bars are one of those love 'em or hate 'em sort of selections. Shawn liked them for their upright position and multiple hand positions. They're super popular in Europe for that reason, too!
Braking is handled by our favorites, the TRP Spyres, which we paired to our Grand Cru Brake Levers. The calipers have a piston on either side of the rotor, so it squeezes more consistently.
The wheels are our Rear and Front Disc Hubs laced to Voyager Rims. So while they are extremely shiny, they're also super tough as well as tubeless compatible. We opted for Ultradynamico 650bx48mm Cava tires. I really like these for all sorts of crushed limestone and roughly hewn trails.
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10:00:00 AM
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