Drop Your Drop Bars!

by Igor

We've already extolled the virtues of changing your handlebars to change how your bike feels (in fact, we've even done a how-to video!). Changing from drop bars to flat or upright bars changes your riding position, the bike's handling, and the fun factor to turn a stagnant bike into a brand new one - all without spending a ton of dough. So let's dive into my Pass Hunter where we dropped the drop bars for some Seine bars!

This bike mostly gets ridden off road on lighter duty local trails, double track, and to and from the house. I have a road bike and an all-rounder, so I don't need fenders and dynamo lighting and all the gizmos, so something simple and unencumbered is what I was looking for.

 

In the effort to simplify, I opted to go with Sensah 1x shifty bits: CRX Shifter, SRX Rear Derailleur, and 11-46 Cassette. It's simple and without fuss.

 

Going with these components also gives me the ability to switch back to drop bars using the Sensah SRX Integrated Shifters if I want to change it up in the future. They're all a really good value and not a huge investment to try out a flat or drop bar system.

Click here to find the comprehensive build list!

Introducing the Granola-Moose Handlebar!

by Igor

The Granola-Moose is a beautiful one-piece bar and stem combo. It's based off our popular Granola Bar and features an integrated 1 1/8" clamp for threadless steerers. This integrated design makes for a truly buttoned up and streamlined appearance on your city, touring, or mountain bike.

Made from 4130 chromoly steel, this bar has a bunch of details that really makes it special. The steel is heat-treated, the tubing of the bar has multiple butting profiles, the front cross bar is slightly flattened for your lights and/or gizmos, and the system has been tested to stringent MTB standards. All in all, the Granola-Moose makes for a fun, unique, and comfortable upright handlebar.

It's available in both Silver and Black finishes on our webstore! Check it out now!

2022 Philly Bike Expo Roundup

by Connor

While VO didn't display at this year's Philly Bike Expo, Derek and I did go in place of the company, sporting our new VO Hoodies, scoping out this year's event. This year's turnout was really energetic, and we're happy to see participation in events like PBE is back! Below are just some shots from this year's expo we managed to grab. Enjoy!

SWOOD Cycles came out sporting full bikepacking regalia

 

Royal H had a few bikes highlighting some of our gear, including this Mixte with our Hammered Fenders, 31.8 Quill Stem, Nouveau Rando bars, Sensah SRX kit, and Touring Pedals!

 

This Mars Cycles frame caught my eye in particular, as its paint was matched to replicate a San Pellegrino bottle. Super Classy!

This fixed-welded Titanium rack was apparently a custom job requested by a customer at Blaze Cycles, a Moab-based Ti company. With Pinion Belt Drive, dropper routing, and custom touches throughout, the bike definitely was something to behold.

A number of months ago, Fergus at Ritchey reached out looking for a set of Growtac Equals for a project coming up. We didn't get many details at the time, but it would seem they made it onto this limited-run colorway Outback, and the blues we sent looked right at home!

I've been a Ritchey fan for well over a decade now, and this green/yellow colorway of the Breakaway 'cross frameset is still my favorite scheme to date- to me, it evokes Lotus Racing style without being too overstated.

While admiring how well-installed our Hammered Fenders were on a Handz Bikes road frame, Derek and I noticed this special touch on a mountain frame of theirs- a section of a stainless rotor, cut to the diameter of the seat and chainstay and welded on the non-driveside, then painted to match. It's just one of those custom touches that makes smaller-fab shops so special.

While browsing the Chapman Cycles booth, I couldn't help but notice this sage-green colored road bike with Chapman's own hand-made V-brakes. Note that the straddle cable isn't actually a cable, but a spoke.

Our friends Tommy (Cutlass Velo) and Chris (Bishop Bikes) were rep'ing our Baltimore area, showcasing their craftsmanship and attention to detail.

Having attempted harlequin tapejobs on bikes time and again with minimal success, I thought this custom paintjob on a Dean frame was really unique and tastefully done.

 

Alex Meade has been building custom frames for more than 20 years, and also produces his own jigs for folks looking for quality framebuilding tools. He's been a longtime customer of ours and his work is meticulous.

Doing a walkabout in town afterwards is, of course, necessary. Philadelphia's a great city with a lot to see. If you finish up at next year's expo early or get to extend your trip, I'd suggest staying downtown and checking it out - especially Reading Terminal Market for the pumpkin rolls.

 

 

Frame Blems and Overstock Savings!

 

Don't miss out on these spooky savings!

We've been going through inventory numbers and found we're overstocked on a selection of products, so we've put them on sale! No discount code is required! We don't have a specific end date, so when the levels are a bit lower, the prices of the respective products will go back to normal MSRP.  There are more products than these on the Specials page, but here are some highlights: Sabot Pedals Disc Front Hubs Some Disc Rear Hubs Rim Brake Rear Hubs Nouveau Randonneur Bars Moderniste Bottle Cages, Noir Microfiber Saddles in Regular and Wide widths The Vintage Bicycle Books ...and more!

Check out the Specials here!

Blem Frames, too!

We're pretty picky when it comes to our frame finishes. Each frame comes out of the box and gets inspected prior to shipping out and sometimes we find one that has a little blemish. That could be dust under the clear coat, a scratch, etc... nothing that would affect performance or safety. But we can't sell them at full price, so we've knocked some $$ off of them. These typically go fast. Medium Polyvalent Low Kicker XL Diamond Polyvalent XL Diamond Polyvalent - offset headtube lug Small Polyvalent Diamond Large Polyvalent Diamond Small Pass Hunter, Red Medium Pass Hunter, Blue Small Pass Hunter, Blue

Snag your new frame here!

Beautiful Bikes of Bespoked UK - Part 1

by Igor

This was our first time to the Bespoked UK show and it was a blast. It was so great to catch up with friends, meet new people, finally put faces to IG handles, and see cool custom bikes - all the while with track racing all around us!

Bespoked is a London-based expo focused around custom ("bespoke" if you're in the UK) and high-end production bikes and accessories - with a focus mostly on UK and European companies. This year it was hosted in the 2012 Olympic Velodrome. It's really inspiring to be in the same facility that some of the highest class of riders in the WORLD raced in. But enough chit-chat, let's get to the galleries!

Clandestine

Pi does a masterful job of balancing performance, utility, and classic styling like none other. The integration of racks, mudguards (we're in the UK, remember?), and dynamo lighting creates a perfect package specifically designed for this bike. This all-road touring build features our 650b Smooth Mudguards, Long Setback Seatpost, Disc Rear Hub, Voyager Rims, Retro Bottle Cages, Copenhagen Kickstand, and a previous generation Crazy Bar. The icing on the cake is super slick, integrated steering stop. It's super useful to eliminate the wheel from flopping around when loading the front of the bike up.

Crossley Metal

Duncan is not one who is afraid to experiment with bike designs. One has a bunch of VO, and the other doesn't have a lick of it - I'll let you figure out which one is which.

This is his Chrome Tourer, designed for a gentleman to travel between vineyards in Tuscany. This was faaaaancy. Rohloff hub, Cigne Stem, Randonneur Front Rack, 0 Setback Seatpost, and Chrome 1 1/8" Threadless Headset. The frame and fork are fully chromed and polished to *chef's kiss* perfection.

The other bike he displayed was a Grass Track Racing Bike! I've never heard of grass track racing, but it looks super fun. It's like track racing on a flat oval, but on grass. So while you still can't use brakes, you do need the extra grip afforded by some fatter tires. This one also has fitting for mudguards for off-track training - a nod to the traditional UK path-racer. The frame is a mix of all sorts of tubing and the fork is custom painted with a bunch of scenes.

Etoile Cycles

I love seeing builders experimenting with tube junctions and designs. This quadruple triangle tourer/commuter from Etoile Cycles features our Milan Handlebars, cushy tires, custom build front rack, and loads of details. Super nice, Elodie!

Sour Bicycles

Sour debuted their new Clueless gravel bike featuring a group of limited edition Shimano GRX and a complete suite of VO bits! They have done an amazing job of developing production of their bikes to Germany as well as utilizing existing European production capabilities. This bike has our Nouveau Randonneur Bars, Rubbery Bar Tape, Long Setback Seatpost, 31.8mm Threadless Stem, and Mini Rando Bag.

Stay tuned for part 2 coming shortly!