by Igor
It's hard to believe that another amazing year has already flown by! 2018 has seen some great new additions to our lineup as well as events and experiences that have grown the brand and company. We have a really positive outlook for 2019. Here's a look at some of the awesome things that we've accomplished this year:
Our collaboration with Road Runner Bags has been a ton of fun and a great addition to the VO line. Currently, we have a Randonneur Handlebar Bag, Porteur Bag, Medium Saddle Bag, as well as additional pockets for your small camera and cell phone. Made entirely in the USA with vegan-friendly materials. Be on the lookout for new colors for 2019!
Polyvalent and Piolet Releases
Both of these frames have been great sellers for us. More Polyvalents in both Lilac and Green are due around February, while we can expect more Piolets towards the Springtime.
These have become my favorite drop bars by far - and we've tried a lot of bars. I mean a lot. I would have a hard time spec'ing anything else for aero brake lever'd bikes.
In a world with a ton of flat bar choices, our Curvy offerings stand out. They feature elegant bends and generous width. They're great for commuters and tourers alike.
With so many bikes designed around the 650b platform, it was a no-brainer for us to offer a fender that has a very traditional design while retaining modern manufacturing requirements. We're getting more in the next few months!
What can I say? People wanted them, and we are happy to oblige. While they are designed to support the 11 speed cassette length, with a simple 1.8mm spacer you can use 8-10 speed cassettes without issue.
This event and ride was such a good time! Beautiful bikes, scenery, and people.
Philly is one of our favorite events of the year.
FFD is so much fun! If you can swing it, make your way out to CT. You won't regret it.
Boston's Builders' Ball
While the Ball is a small show, we appreciate the intimate ambiance with passionate riders and designers. We featured three stand-out bikes in the blog: Chapman's Flat-Bar Tourer, Porter Cycles Winged Victory, and Royal H's Disc Rando.
The VO Bus
We got ourselves a new company vehicle - a 1977 VW Transporter Westfalia. So far, it has taken us up to Boston, Connecticut, Cape Henlopen, and a few weekend camping trips/photo shoots. We're going to do some logo'ing when it comes out of hibernation towards the end of Winter.
2019 is showing a lot of promise!
Expanded Luggage Lineup
We're working on Panniers and a mini Rando Bag! The former will hopefully be a 2019 item if all the hardware details fall into place.
New Rims
We've been working closely with the master wheelbuilder and master cool guy, Tommy Barse of Cutlass Velo in Baltimore, to help design a new rim that will essentially be the Everything Bagel of rims. It'll fit tires between 38mm and 2.25" and be fully tubeless compatible. I've even fit 2.5" on there without issue. But, do as I say, not as I do.
Small Wheeler
We're working on one more round of prototypes for the Small Wheeler (possibly calling it the Quark - but don't quote me on that) before we go into production. I'm crossing my fingers for Fall of 2019.
More Fenders!
We're planning on offering at least two new styles. A 700x38mm Smooth and a 650bx60mm Smooth. We'll have samples within the next couple months, we'll test them out, and then send them to production. They'll be available in Silver and Noir.
Finally, as we do each year, VO will be closed starting December 22th and re-open on January 2nd to give our staff time off to visit family and enjoy the outdoors. If you needed to get anything sent out before then, place your order before 3pm EST on December 21st.
Happy Holidays and see you in 2019!
