Here are a few little projects and developments that may interest you.
Unlike many companies we often make components that factories are unfamiliar with. Every crank factory is expert at 110bcd rings, but our 50.4bcd rings are designed from scratch and so it's easier for an error to creep in.
Our new glassine packaging is very cool, if I do say so myself. We've been looking for a distinctive and environmentally-friendly packaging system for small parts. Kyle came up with the idea of glassine envelopes and worked tirelessly to find a source for them in Taiwan. It'll take a year or more until all the small parts come this way, but we're on the way. The package above contains down tube cable stops.
This is our newly designed fender L-bracket. This bracket uses a single 6mm bolt so it fits front fenders designed for a fork crown daruma and uses the existing hole. Darumas work on most bikes, but sometimes there is not enough room in the steerer tube, especially on carbon forks. So if you can't, or choose not to use, a daruma this is an easy substitute. It can also be used on a rear fender, but you need to drill the hole. Works perfectly on VO and Honjo fenders and probably on some others too.
We have a new scissor action kickstand. The Copenhagen kickstand is a double leg stand that allows both legs to fold to the non-drive side, much like the Pletscher stand we stock. The Copenhagen stand has the advantage of adjustable leg length. And it's less expensive.
We have a small quantity of tan mudflaps. If the tan color sells well we'll keep making them. We've had problems keeping leather items in stock recently, not because of unusually strong sales, but because the little Northern California tannery that supplies our leather has seen a shortage of good quality hides. We may have to find out where that Gucci guy get his.
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14 comments:
This Gucci guy?
http://tinyurl.com/29azhtu
Glassine! Genius ...
Sincere thanks for making that transition.
Are the single ring grand cru cranks on the way soon as well?
glasine looks cool but id rather see something biodegradeble or recylable
thx superfreak
Superfreak, Glassine is nothing but paper that's been run though compression rollers. The process is called calendering and makes the paper shiny and water resistant. It is 100% biodegradable and can be recycled.
Thanks for the explanation about glassine. I was just about to Google it.
I'm anxiously awaiting a single ring 50.4 crank, too, for my internal gear hub Polyvalent.
anon, thx for educating me on glasine. i thot it was plastic. nice work vello orange!
thx superfreak
Can the kickstand work with bikes without kickstand plates?
Good work on the glassine packaging. I had to google it as well, as I had never heard of it. Chris, would you consider adding some small symbol or print to advertise that it's biodegradable/recyclable. It's so difficult to know what something is made of, whether it's biodegradable, recyclable or neither. At the risk of coming across as a crank (pun?) I think the issue of packaging really needs to be elevated in minds of consumers. Few things infuriate me more than the consumer packaging that just ends up going in the garbage. Christmas is coming. The horror, the horror.
The new kickstand works on bikes with or without kickstand plates. Bolts for both applications are included.
Halfstep, I'm trying to review all our products and packaging so we can make whatever changes are feasible to be as environmentally benign as possible. We already specify recycled paper and non-toxic ink where we can. The problem is time; we deal with so many factories and different types of packaging. It's a huge job that may take a couple of years to finish.
Is there any possibility the discontinued thicker 50.4 rings will be available separately as specials? Some of us still use freewheels and wider chains, and the additional thickness is bound to make the rings more rigid. The flexing of TA rings is the most unnerving thing about them.
Is there any ETA on when we can expect individual GC 50.4 rings?
The thickness only varies along the base of the teeth (the rest of the rings are identical) and it is only an issue on the 30t ring. Stiffness is not effected. We've been tossing the thick-toothed ones; there were not very many.
No ETA on the individual rings yet, but they are in line to be produced.
Regarding unmentioned new items: The RA-0031 Pass Hunter rack is configured for canti bosses+center-bolt; the RA-0030 Randonneur rack is configured for a fork daruma+fork eyelets. I'm looking for a decaleur rack for centerpull brakes: Fork daruma stay+canti bosses. Is there any chance you're producing a third variant of this rack, or that the center-bolt fitting on the Pass Hunter is removable, for replacement with a daruma stay?
Eaglerock- for centerpull brakes, you should use the Randonneur rack (Ra-0030). Another option is to use the Dia-Compe ENE front rack, but that does not have an integrated decaleur. The ENE rack will fit the Dia Compe 750 and 610, Most MAFAC, Universal, Weinmann and a few other manufacturers/models.
Dia Compe Rack:
http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/accessories/racks-decaleurs/racks/gran-compe-ene-mini-rack.html
We have no plans to make a VO rack that mounts off centerpull brake pivots at this time.
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