09 December, 2022

VO's 2022 Gift Guide

As the end of the calendar year approaches, one's mind turns to gifts - gifts for yourself, gifts for loved ones, and people who help make your life just that little bit more special. Here at VO, we wanted to give some suggestions for gifts that aren't necessarily reliant on knowing what sort of bottom bracket your friend has on their bike or if their bike has flat or post mount disc brakes. So here are some gift ideas for 2022 that should suit any and all of your cycling friends!

Bottle Cages

We offer a variety of stainless steel bottle cages that will add a touch of class to any bike.

Runwell 15 mm wrench



These 15mm Wrenches come in Silver or Gold finish and have a unique 15 degree angle to the head, so that your fingers don't get jammed into the fork or seat stays when tightening or loosening your hub nuts. We also have a To-Go version with a shorter handle to more easily fit in portable toolkits.

Burrito Handlebar Bag

The Burrito Supreme Bag fits onto any handlebar using two straps around the bars and a third strap around the headtube to keep the bag from bouncing. With a capacity of 2.6 L, it will hold tools, wallet, phone, tubes, and pretty much whatever other small things you want. 

Bell

The classic choice in safety, a VO bell works on virtually any bike and is a wonderful way to announce your presence along the bike path.

Rough Stuff Fellowship Books 

These Rough Stuff Fellowship books are perfect for reading/looking at the photos while sitting next to a warm fire and dreaming of open roads and green lanes to ride through next summer. 

Bottle Opener with 10 mm Wrench

How many things on your bike need a 10 mm allen wrench? A few, but you can certainly use the Runwell Bottle Opener while you think of all the ways this could come in handy.

VO Hoodies





Want to stay warm and stylish this winter? Grab one of our Hoodies and stay warm and look good while waiting for spring to arrive.

Var Compact Multi-Tool


You should always have a quality set of tools out on the trail. These VAR Multi-tools are lightweight, compact, and can fix most issues you have on the side of the road.

Austere Cam Straps

These super cool US-made straps from Austere Manufacturing use a CNC machined body and a titanium pin for light weight and incredible strength. The strap is 3 feet long and can be used to tie down a myriad of items on your bike or elsewhere.

#8 Stainless Steel Opinel Knife

A classic knife, we've sold Opinel Knives for almost 10 years because they work and they stay sharp.  This Stainless Steel model is great for folks who might be around salt water or who don't always wipe their knives down after using it.

E-Gift Card

VO E-Gift Cards are perfect last minute gifts! It's totally electronic and guaranteed to fit. 

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Note: Shipping companies are getting into their super busy season, so while we can say your order will leave our warehouse asap, we cannot guarantee there won't be shipping delays.

02 December, 2022

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.