By Chris
We're doing year end inventory here at VO. And we've also been chatting about next year's frame production. Here's the executive summary:
- We will, sadly, discontinue the Camargue. It's a great frame, but everyone is ordering the Piolet instead. So we'll put the remaining Camargues on sale at 30% off (shops get the lower price, too).
- We'll also discontinue the current Polyvalent, and those remaining frames are now 30% off.
- Piolets have been selling faster than we expected and we are out of some sizes; sorry about that. There are more being built. We hope to have them in March
- The Polyvalent will be redesigned or may be replaced with a somewhat similar frame. The goal is to fit larger tires, shorten the top tube a bit, and possibly add disc brake mounts.
- No changes are anticipated for the Pass Hunter and Pass Hunter Disc.
- We've been discussing a new color for the Campeur and we've gotten sample tubes painted in four possible shades. (Can't really judge from paper samples.) But almost everyone likes the current grey best. We may just keep it.
- We have a few blemished frames that we need to photograph and put in the store, but I doubt we'll get that done before our Holiday break.
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17 comments:
A Polyvalent designed for 42-50mm tires with appropriate fenders would be great.
Adding disc capability to it would be a mis-step, in my opinion.
I'm tempted by the Camarague frameset, but I'm not sure about the sizing. If I plan on building it with a mountain bike flat bar, should I go a frame size up?
It's looks like the 56 cm Camarague frame is similar to my road bike and the 59 cm frame is similar to my mountain bike. I've got long-ish legs for my height, so I'm not too worried about standover.
I'd love to see a Camargue Redux some day with vertical drop-outs and possibly even a kick-stand plate welded on. It'd be an affordable Hunqapillar and I bet would sell well. In the meantime, I look forward to enjoying my Piolet!
Agree with Nate. The market could really use another option for an affordable 650b rando machine. 42mm tires with fenders, shorten the top tube a bit, vertical dropouts. Maybe paint it that muted blue color that was on a few bikes in the Golden Age of Handbuilt Bicycles.
+1 on what Nate said about the Poly. That's one of my fave bikes to ride...but I would love the option to put drops on (top tube length makes it tough). Although limiting, some direct mount centerpull posts would be nice on a production frame.
Nate is spot on.
Would love to see a Poly with disc brakes, all the current options are either custom or semi-custom and really put it out of most peoples price range.
The Camargue discontinued??? The Piolet disc frame aesthetic is just plain unappealing! YMMV. Looks like I will need to look elsewhere for a wide tire touring frame. Sigh......
Echo Nate and everyone else-- not many low cost 650b low-trail rando- frames to be had out there, and in my experience the Polyvalent is a really excellent set in the price range for this purpose.
I can't speak for the market, but a disc frame has its advantages, but, personally, it would have turned me off of the Polyvalent.
Thumbs up to a shorter top tube! Are you thinking of lowering the trail + shortening the chainstays as well?
(If only I'd waited 10 days to order my new Polyvalent-- took advantage of the 20% off sale... but 30% off the frame would have been nice. :-) )
Another +1 for Nate, but do keep the current (polyvalent) blue, it's just perfect.
I think the Polyvalent is sort of your signature frame I might have bought one already, but you've been out of my size forever. I amcool with the idea of slightly wider tires, but I feel the top tube length is fine. As far as disk brakes go I think I am 50/50 on that from a functional standpoint, but opposed to it from an esthetic point of few, because it flys in the face of what that bike is all about.
I wanted to buy a Piolet, during your end of the year sale, but again you were out of my size!
I think a Polyvalent disc will be my next bike.
A Polyvalent disk (in the current blue) would be a thing of beauty and wonder! But please don't shorten the top tube below square with the down tube sizes! And please make the head tubes taller too...
Vote for Nate. I had a 1985 vintage mountain bike (26" wheels) that had a geometry *very* similar to the Polyvalent's except that the top-tube was shorter. It was fast, handled very well (even with a heavy front load comprising mostly of camera gear) and could be taken anywhere. In the early years the bike was used for MTB'ing, in its mid-life it was used for commuting, and in it late years it was set up for touring. The bike even had longer chain stays and a kick stand plate (like a proper bike ought to) -- a most versatile bike akin to Polyvalent's design. The current blue or a muted blue as mentioned previously is also good IMO. As far as the brakes are concerned, I am ambivalent but I think it should clearly be one or the other -- nothing is more disturbing than seeing useless/unused/superfluous elements (a.k.a. hodge-podge) in what should be a clean and elegant design. VO knows their business and will likely make a good call.
I'd be interested in a disk Polyvalent. I realize this docks me a few retro-grouch points, but disks work so well in the wet. I think if the great French frame builders of yore were working today, they'd find a way to incorporate disks -- elegantly. ;-)
pleeeeeaaase bring back the polyvalent, ive ridden mine almost daily for 6 years and i love it, being able to fit even bigger tires would be great but keep the canti posts!!
bringing it way back... are those VO panniers I see?!
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