If this is the first time you're hearing about this wonderful offering, here are the details: Whether you're a frequent traveler, apartment dweller, multi-modal commuter, or just enjoy a fun N+1 bike, the Neutrino Mini-Velo will fit perfectly into your heart.
For city and apartment dwellers, you'll get great acceleration for stoplight racing as the wheels spin up quite fast. When you've reached your destination, getting the bike into the building, walking up stairs, and parking it in your apartment is so much easier because the physical length of the bike is greatly reduced. You can much more nimbly negotiate stairwells and since it's warm and cozy inside, you don't have to worry about it getting ripped off overnight.
For multi-modal traveling, it's easier to take the bike in a train car without taking up a ton of room and attracting disdainful looks from fellow commuters. Oh and Rinko. Forget cutting fenders, removing handlebars, and wheels. Just loosen the stem, turn the handlebars 90 degrees, and put the whole thing into a Rinko bag!
Traveling with the Neutrino is also a breeze. Since we often travel to our cycling starting point by airplane, train, car, or bus, overage fees for checked bags, storage, and transportation add up quickly and are a real drag. To take full advantage of the traveling abilities of the Neutrino, the bike can be disassembled and inserted into the cardboard box that it comes with, or into the nylon travel bag we're working on. Details forthcoming on bags!
Simply put, the Neutrino is a blast to ride around. It'll put a smile on your face every time you throw your leg over.
For additional details about fit, geometry, and travel, check out Clint's Neutrino Build and Travel Tips!
Here's all the details about the frameset:
For additional details about fit, geometry, and travel, check out Clint's Neutrino Build and Travel Tips!
Here's all the details about the frameset:
- 4130 double butted chromoly frame and fork that accepts fenders and rack
- Unicrown fork with accommodations for fenders, Randonneur Rack, and even a Mojave Cage or a bikepacking-style cage
- Seattube, downtube, and under-downtube bottle cage mounts
- 406 Bead Seat Diameter wheel size. That's BMX, so high-quality rims and tires are cheap, plentiful, and strong.
- Clearance for 2.3" tires WITH fenders. Holy cow!
- Sliding, 135mm QR dropouts for geared, single speed, or internally geared hubs
- Disc brake mounts (POST rear, IS front). We suggest 160mm rotors.
- Full length, external cable routing
- 1 1/8" threadless steerer
- 31.6mm seatpost, compatible with external droppers
- Paint is Cool Gray with Galactic Glitter
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30 comments:
I really like the concept, and the execution is beautiful! Did you consider making it a folding bike? If so what was your reasoning with not going that route. Glad to see the creative minds at VO are hard at work!!
Hey John! There are so many folding bikes already, so we'd be competing in an already overcrowded market. The Neutrino is special in that it doesn't use any proprietary components, so you can have a lot more fun with building and sourcing products. And since it doesn't fold, we can dial in the tubing and geometry to allow it to ride and handle like a normal bike without the flexiness and klunkiness of folders.
-Igor
This is awesome! Thanks for not trying to make it a folder. I mentioned this on another blog post, but there are *very* normal length, normal weight bikes with low stepover / center of gravity that can take a child seat in the back and gear up front. Folders look like they'd work, but often have weight limits on the folding mechanisms, thus preventing such a use case.
I already own an electrified Bike Friday Haul-a-Day, but if this was out a year ago I would have seriously considered building up this as a single-kid commuter instead.
I've got enough components in the garage that I should probably go with a frameset. That being said, I know I don't have 20" wheels. Will VO be carrying appropriate wheels in October? Or should I look elsewhere?
@JKE,
Yes. We will be carrying the wheels from the completes: 32h VO Disc Touring Hubs laced to Velocity Cliffhanger rims in black. Stainless steel spokes, brass nipples.
-Igor
Do you guys have the dimensions for the downtube length on hand? Like from the bottom bracket to the headtube? Wondering what I could fit in there frame bag wise : ]
@ anon 1:54- The inside to inside measurement from the headtube down to the BB is 52 cm.
Scott
Absolutely love this! I'm also excited about the fenders, because they'll be perfect on my daughters bike (she has a 20" bike).
Love the concept. You list the large as being for folks 5'6" to 6'. Do you think it would work for taller folks (i.e., 93 cm pbh)? Just looks like a blast to ride.
--Tom
Hey Tom,
Unfortunately, I think you're too tall. We've had a lot of interest in an even larger version, but it's going to be a while for testing and development. It'll also sacrifice the ability to pack it as a checked bag.
-Igor
Count me in for one in XL! I'm 6'2" and have been dreaming of something like this for awhile to travel with
What is the highest PBH you would recommend for the Large, or Saddle Height. I’m really close but wanna ensure it would work. My saddle height runs 89 cm with a B17.
I need this in my life!
Are there plans to add an XL for future production runs?
I am 5’7”...Go big or go small?
Correction to my previous post, my saddle height is 77cm, my PBH is 89 cm. Do you think this would work for the Large?
@Anonymous,
At a saddle height of 77cm (I'm assuming middle of BB to top of saddle?) then you should be fine on a Large. That's roughly where my saddle is.
@Smitty,
Go big!
-Igor
Awesome! Thanks!
What is the stock chainring size on the complete?
On the geometry chart, what’s the difference between seat tube and effective seat tube?
@ unknown 5/22- The difference is the seat tube height is the actual height from the middle of the bottom bracket to the top of the seat tube. Effective seat tube is the seat tube length if the bike had a horizontal top tube.
Scott
Hi,
What´s the actual BB size - 68 / 73mm BSA?
Thanks!
Hi Norbert
The BB is a 68 mm wide shell, English threaded.
Scott
I imagine you'll be bringing out 20" fenders for this yahhhh?
A wide Bottom Bracket is 117.5, 122.5 or 127.5? How wide does the Neutroni take?
@Bart,
Yep! They'll be in sooner than the frameset.
-Igor
This is awesome! Mini-velos have a cult following in Japan, where cycle commuting is as common as minuscule apartments. But those ones are strictly city-bound machines, while the Neutrino have fat tires and lots of mounts for panniers.
We might be about to see the dawn of a new trend: a robust touring bike that doesn't need S&S couplings to be stored in a suitcase. How cool is that?
Are there any recommendations for ext bearing BBs/ cranksets?
Also down for an xl when ready
I read somewhere than an xxl is forthcoming, d now I can’t find it! I assume you will be posting details when it is on the way? I”d love to ditch my Brompton, I am 6’3” and look like a circus bear in that thing!
@Anonymous,
We should have XXLs early next year, around Feb.
-Igor
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