Picture Day

We had our little photo studio going, so I asked Alec to shoot some of the staff bikes currently on site:

Alec's VO Rando

  Robert's custom 650b Rando, built by Robert.

Trygve's brand new Polyvalent, just finishing up the build.

Kyle's Motobecane Le Champion fixie. Kyle also has a Polyvalent at home.

Colin's Raleigh Portage, a rare 650b production bike from an English company.

Colin's VO Mixte, a brand new project.

 Alec's Crosscheck all-arounder.

This reminds me that VO is not a bad place to work. Staff members get parts and frames at cost, as well as lots of free prototypes and samples to test. So there are always a few cool builds in progress here.

Have any new builds? Add a link in the comments.

Fender Coupon Code

 It's time for another one of our occasional flash sales. This one runs this weekend and is for 20% off on all in-stock fenders. Yes, both Honjo and VO models are included, even the ones on special.

Just in time for spring showers, and mud. In case you didn't see it, the new Bicycle Times review of VO Hammered Fenders is two posts down.

The coupon code is "flashyfenders".  Click on "My Cart" (not "Checkout") on the top right of the screen to enter a coupon or a gift certificate. The sale runs from midnight tonight (2-4-11) to midnight Sunday (2-6-11) Eastern US time.

BTW, here are answers to two very common fender questions:

• 700c fenders do fit 27" wheels with no problem at all. The difference in radius between the two size wheels is only about 1/4-inch.
• 650b fenders fit 26" wheels and vice-versa. The fit is close enough that no one will ever notice. If you flex the fender a few mm it can be easily made perfect. Look at the photo below of a 650b and a 26" fender.

Paleo Rambling

I just returned from 10 days on the left coast. I visited Vancouver BC, San Francisco, and San Luis Obispo. Also stopped for lunch in Santa Cruz. They are all great places, but San Luis Obispo, the one city I hadn't previously visited, was my favorite. This may be partially because SLO is smaller, less crowded and seems to have a slower pace. If VO opens a west coast location, a distinct possibility, SLO is at the top of my list.

In addition to visiting potential distributors and being a tourist, I spent a couple of hours at Rivendell's headquarters in Walnut Creek. Grant Peterson was a great host, gave me the full tour, and showed me some beautiful frames. We even talked about a few areas where Riv and VO might cooperate.

Every time Grant and I meet I'm struck by how much we have in common. One of our mutual interests is paleo diet and exercise. Paleo diet is based on the fact that paleolithic and pre-industrial peoples have incredibly low rates of most of the "diseases of civilization". These include cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimers, and many of the other maladies we consider common. Though they have a higher chance of dying at a young age, and so a lower average lifespan, once out of those dangerous years pre-industrial humans remain amazingly healthy and live almost as long as we do.

Grant gave me a copy of Gary Taubes' new book, Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It (which Riv also sell). I'd read Taubes' groundbreaking first book, Good Calories, Bad Calories, an exhaustively researched and somewhat dense review of diet and nutrition. Taubes was instrumental in showing a startling disconnect between current mainstream nutritional advice and what is actually based on science. He read hundreds of peer-reviewed studies and extensive historical data only to find that most of what mainstream doctors and the government experts tell us about nutrition is simply wrong. His findings also go a long ways toward explaining why the pre-industrial, or paleo, diet may be far healthier than what we eat today.

In any case, I wasn't sure it was worth reading what's basically a simplified version of Taubes earlier book, but there was that long flight home so I did. I found the new book brilliant; thanks Grant. If you're not going to look up references in PubMed, it's a lot easier and faster read while imparting all the basics of his earlier book. Buy it (from Riv, not Amazon) and you'll learn a lot; guaranteed. Just to be clear, I don't think Taubes interpretation is 100 percent perfect, but it's darn close. I'd also recommend reading the Whole Health Source, a blog by neurobiologist Stephan Guyenet.

I know I'm rambling, but if you're interested in this stuff I'll do another post with a lot of other great sources, books, and blogs  about Paleo diet and exercise.

An amusing aside, Grant and I are both interested in soap. Grant gave me a bar of the pine tar soap he sells. I can't say I was taken by the scent, reminiscent of a forest fire, though it's very very effective and definitely manly.  I sent Grant a chunk of Savon de Marseille, an artisanal and traditional French olive oil based soap. We use it not only as soap, but also as shampoo, and shaving cream. Annette says it eliminates the need for moisturizing cream; amazing stuff. As with bicycles, most of the really good stuff was developed long ago.

Bicycle Times Review of VO Fenders

Karl from Bicycle Times Magazine was kind enough to forward the following review of VO fenders. It's from issue #9 which should be in stores and mailboxes by now. The review is pretty positive, but the part I found most interesting is that they installed the fenders on a bike with disc brakes, something we have not done. (Click on the image to enlarge)

Miscellany

The winner of our handlebar naming contest is Postino, submitted by Jeremy (1/21/11, 3:47pm). If you could e-mail annette@velo-orange.com, we'll send the handlebar to you. We're all totally amazed at the number of really good suggestions submitted.

I'll be traveling for the next week, so no blog posts. I also try to get away from e-mail when I travel, but VO's staff will be answering tech and shipping questions as always.

Below is a shot of the Grand Cru cassette hub.  I'll post more about it when I return, but here is one interesting point. This hub has four identical and rather large Japanese cartridge bearings. Most hubs with low flanges don't have room for four bearings this big, so we went with a large flange design. It's also nice that they are a common size and relatively easy to replace if they ever do wear out.

New Handlebar Name?

 
I've had this old Italian handlebar for many years; it's the one on top. I really like it for a fast city bike and thought that VO should make something similar, the one on the bottom. It's much like our Milan bar, but with zero rise. It's actually designed from scratch, not based on the Milan, but the similarity is evident. We just ordered the first production run and hope to have them here sometime this spring.

All we're missing is a name for our new creation, which is were you come in. Whoever comes up with the name we like best gets a free VO or Grand Cru handlebar, any model you like. Please post your suggestions in the comments. (Don't forget to use a name in the comments so we can credit the right person.)

Update: Thanks for all the great name suggestions. The VO staff is considering them all and we'll pick the name today.

Update II: Congratulations to Jeremy, who submitted the winning "Postino." 

Raid Rims

The first shipment of our new Raid rims just landed. These are my absolute perfect rims and what I will use when I get new wheels. I know that not everyone has the same needs and tastes, but here is why I like them:

• At 22mm wide they are the perfect size for 28-38mm tires (though you could go a little bigger). I think 28-32mm is the ideal size for 700c road bikes. For me those sizes combine the light and lively feel I like with a good dose of comfort.
• They look great; the shape is simple and classic. And the high polish finish is stunning.
• They are box section rims with double eyelets and that makes them very strong. I won't hesitate to ride them on unpaved roads or on a loaded tour.
• The brake surface is a little taller than on classic rims. This makes brake setup easier.
• Based on our other rims from the same factory, they should consistently be very round and easy to build up.
• They are a bit dear at $78, but that's because we paid a lot for the tooling for the rim extrusion and for the tooling for the double eyelets.The polishing is also not cheap. So I think the price is more than fair.

New Camper Racks

These are our new loaded touring racks, or at least the prototypes. These versions are pretty good, but not perfect. The front rack is very close and, if testing goes well, might make it into production this spring. The rear rack will need at least one more prototype to get it perfect. We tried to make the racks in the style of French constructeur racks. We studied hundreds of photographs and drawings of classic touring racks before designing these.

The front rack has an integrated decaleur and low rider frames. It can be mounted to the fork crown, to low-rider bosses, or to both.

The rear rack has a lower rail that wraps around the rear fender. This makes for an exceptionally stiff rack. It also allows the panniers to be lifted off without disturbing the load on top. Finally, the lower rail allows for a lower center of gravity and better handling.

They are made of stainless steel and the workmanship is really nice. Don't ask me about price; I don't know yet.

Incoming

Here are a few notes about arriving items and new products.

We've been out of a few things due to the holiday rush so we arranged an air shipment. The following should be back in stock within the next couple of weeks: BBs in many sizes, Grand Cru headsets, VO touring, road, and city pedals, cargo nets, wheel stabilizers and stems.

Our new Raid rims should be here within days. They are a strong double-eyelet box section rim. The width is 22mm and they look like a wider version of the PBP rim. I think this size falls right the sweet spot in rim width and in strength-to-weight ratio. I'll post full details and photos when they arrive.

We'll also be getting the new switchable dyno hubs very soon, at least the first small shipment. The rest of the production run will arrive in March. Again, I'll post full details only when they arrive, but here is a photo of one of our test units with a few thousand miles on it.

March will see many new products arriving by ship, two containers worth actually.

The most exciting of these are probably the new Grand Cru hubs. The high flange cassette version won't be done in time, but the freewheel, high-low, and fixed hubs are almost ready.

The long awaited VO and Grand Cru chrome stems will, with a bit of luck, also be ready in time to sail.

And, finally, the single speed version of the Grand Cru 50.4bcd crank is nearing completion and should be aboard.

Posters

The poster below were made by Dylan. He's a graphic designer who's "trying to get an illustration career going." We really like them and think they fit right in with the VO style. Remember those great posters from French and Italian bike companies? Might be time to bring them back. Which one is your favorite and should I have some printed?

UPDATE: Almost everyone like them so we'll print some, probably the top three.

Porteur Rack Coupon Code

Our coupon code flash sales have proven very popular, so we'll do one every few weeks. This one is good for $40 off the VO Porteur Rack, with or without rail. 

If you need a front rack to haul heavy and bulky items, or just a box of donuts, this is a great deal. Here's the full description:

This is a traditional-style Porteur rack as used on the famous Parisian newspaper delivery bikes. Those Parisian delivery bikes were reputed to carry as much as 110lbs of newspapers on similar racks, but of course they had strengthened bike frames and forks, not only racks.

The VO porteur rack is made from strong stainless steel tubing and polished to a lovely shine. It won't rust like painted steel racks or fatigue and crack like aluminum racks. The quality is actually superior to that of many custom racks. In short, this is a real load-carrying rack, not an aluminum "style-rack".

The platform is about 36cm x 29cm.

The tangs are pre-drilled to fit 700c, 27", 26", and 650b bikes. There are four bosses for light attachment. There is a boss for securing your fender to the rack, no rattling. Please also note the elegant pannier/tie-down loops above the mounting tangs.

Mounting hardware is included. The Porteur rack mounts to the dropout eyelet and the brake bolt (or fork crown hole).

The coupon code is "bigload".  Click on "My Cart" (not "Checkout") on the top right of the screen to enter a coupon or a gift certificate. The sale runs from midnight Friday (1-7-11) to Midnight Sunday (1-9-11) Eastern US time.

Happy Holidays

I just wanted to wish our customers, staff, and friends happy holidays and a prosperous new year. 

Thanks for making 2010 a spectacular year at Velo Orange.

Holiday Hours

Velo Orange will be closed from December 24th through January 2nd for our annual holiday break. If you need anything shipped this week, please order before 12pm on December 23rd. Our holiday shipping deal will end on January 2nd.

VO's Snow Commuters

 

I want to congratulate the three members of the VO staff who continue to commute by bike even when it snows. They are Robert, Collin, and Alec.  I have to admit that I never liked riding in snow, especially after a painful crash on a patch of ice years ago. So I have nothing but admiration for this hardy bunch.

BTW, Robert gets double kudos because he won his first cyclo-cross race last weekend. And Alec does ride in those sandals.

Anyone else bike commute all winter in snow country? Have any tips to share?

Also, there are a few new items on our specials page.

About VO, Part 2

You may remember that, a few weeks ago, I started a series a posts about VO's history. This is the second post; part one can be found here.

Before long we'd outgrown our first garage-sized space and found a storefront on West Street in Annapolis, which is essentially main street. The space was cheap because the building's owner planned to tear it down and redevelop (three years later, it's still for lease and still not razed). We signed renewable 90-day lease and I spent a week repainting and buying furniture. (A few more photos of the new space can be found here.) Since this was in the midst of a major commercial real estate slump, I guessed that it would be many years before the building was replaced and I was overjoyed at the dirt-cheap rent. What I didn't plan on was VO's outgrowing the space in 10 months and having to take more space next door. Then, 8 months later, we outgrew the combined space.

Now that we had a retail showroom, we opened accounts with several domestic distributors. This allowed us to offer many products that we could not import directly.

We soon had two more employees - Heidi, who ran the shipping and packing end of it, and Tom who sourced products and also started to develop a wholesale company. Tom had loads of experience in the bike industry and in sourcing parts overseas. He knew which factories had the best quality, knew many of the owners, and had a relationship with a superb trading company in Taiwan. Now I could concentrate on envisioning and designing things, and Tom would take care of having them made.

We also decided to offer semi-custom frames and found two excellent builders to make them. The rando frame was a huge success and we soon had a two-to-three year waiting list. Unfortunately, our rando frame builder promptly declared bankruptcy and left us to refund many thousands of dollars of frame deposits he'd held. The city bike frames did not sell as well.  I eventually decided that custom, even semi-custom, frames were simply not worth the trouble. The frames were perpetually late, customers wanted to change specs at the last minute, and I was spending far too much time on each order. Despite all this, the frames were generally brilliant; they were beautiful, rode like a dream, and those who got them loved them.

I realized that in the amount of time it took to have a few custom frames made, we could design and produce hundreds of production frames that were based on our successful custom designs. The production frame project had a steep learning curve, but eventually we managed to have three frames produced: the Rando, the Polyvalent, and the Mixte.

Anther successful project was having fenders made. At the time the only high quality metal fenders available in the US were the Japanese Honjo fenders. These were almost exact copies of French fenders and very nicely made, but expensive. The heavier stainless steel French Canyon fenders, marketed under the Berthoud brand, had temporarily gone out of production. So it seemed an opportune time to introduce VO fenders. Their success emboldened us to move forward on other projects - more racks, brakes, stems, handlebars, bottle cages...

One of my basic business rules was to try to offer things that were unavailable, or at least difficult to find, elsewhere. We were still selling a lot of new-old-stock items, but our suppliers were running out of the good stuff. And our growth meant that we had to look for stashes of hundreds, not dozens, of NOS parts. When we started going to Asia to visit factories I was surprised to learned that we were getting big enough to have many more of our own components manufactured. The focus of the company changed almost overnight; we went from looking for NOS stuff and being reluctant manufacturers to focusing on designing VO products.

I remember a few factory owners' skeptical looks when asked to make some of our early products. Who would buy roller hangers, or decaleurs, or 650b fenders? What sort of company was this VO? I'm sure our agent had to convince a few factory owners that we knew what we were doing, or could at least pay for our follies.

As the new products arrived we heard from more and more shop owners who wanted to stock them. VO Imports, our new sister company, was growing even faster than Velo Orange. Before long we had hundreds of dealers all over the world. Interestingly, we often sell VO racks and bars made in Japan to Japanese shops and VO components made in Taiwan to customers in Taipei.

In July 2008 we moved again, to two warehouses in the industrial section of Annapolis. Our new space was a few doors down from my former company, Chesapeake Light Craft. We also hired several more employees and suddenly had a staff of 11.

I'll write about the last couple of years in the next installment.

Grand Cru Titanium Saddles

We now have the new Grand Cru Titanium saddles in stock.They have titanium frames and titanium rails, obviously. The shape of the top is like our very popular VO Model #3 saddle, but with a cutaway skirt to save weight. What remains of the skirt skirt is laced to prevent flaring as the saddle ages. The leather is extra thick and there's an anti-stretch layer laminated onto the bottom to further increase longevity.

Weight is about 420g, length is 285mm, and width is 170mm. This is a particularly good saddle for those who like their handlebars at or above saddle height. The rails are extra long and it does have bag loops. It's available in black, brown, and honey.

We're still working on the carbon fiber rivets.

Integrated Decaleur Racks

 
I've been using racks with integrated decaleurs on two of my own bikes for a couple of years and absolutely love them. They make a solid and rattle-free system that perfects the whole handlebar bag experience. I have two bags, a VO Campagne bag and a huge Japanese Alps handlebar bag. Each has a decaleur attachment installed so switching bags is as simple as lifting one off and dropping the other in place. I've also used the system with a basket for farmer's market trips. If I don't need to use a bag, I simply slide the U-shaped piece into place and have a regular front rack.

 Of all the products we've developed, this is among those I'm most proud of. Not only does it clean up and simplify bag mounting, but it's much cleaner, lighter, and simpler to install than a separate decaleur and rack. BTW, I know that they look a little tall in the photos, but once on your bike they blend right in and look great.

We used to sell racks like these, but our US supplier couldn't keep making them. The new ones are all stainless steel and made in Taiwan. The stainless construction means that they will never rust or flake.

They are available in two versions. The Pass Hunter rack fits bikes with canti brakes, while the Rando rack is for bikes with caliper brakes.

A Couple of Specials

Remember these cranks? They are the chrome plated version of our new compact double crankset that were produced in error. We made a prototype that was chrome plated aluminum alloy. While it looked great and performed perfectly, most folks preferred a polished alloy finish, as on the triple and polyvalent cranks. Unfortunately, the change in specifications did not reach the factory. We received some in August; the rest just arrived. Again, they look and function perfectly in every way and have proven to be very durable. They are simply not what we wanted. So I decided we'd just blow them out.

The regular anodized finish version are also available.

We also ordered a wrong fender model. Instead of ordering a model we were almost out of, we ordered one that we had tons of. So our 48mm fluted fenders are on sale. Not a good day in the ordering department!

Little Things

Here are a few little projects and developments that may interest you.

Grand Cru 50.4bcd cranksets are now 10-speed compatible. We had a problem with a few chain rings that were made 0.5mm thicker than specified. This was limited just a small percentage of the first production run. We have replacements that work with 10-speed chains. If you've bought one one of these cranks previously and have one of the thicker 2.5mm inner rings, we can supply a replacement 2.0mm ring (measure at the base of the teeth). It only matters if you run a 10-speed chain.

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.

Free Shipping On Orders Over $100

 As we did last year, we're offering free shipping over the holiday season. From November 25th through January 2nd, we're offering free ground shipping on all orders over $100. This offer does not apply to wheels and frames (because they are over-sized), and it only applies to orders shipped to the continental USA.

Happy Thanksgiving

Velo Orange will be closed from 4pm today until 9am Monday for the Thanksgiving holiday. We wish all of you a pleasant holiday and hope you have time to get out on your bikes.

If you get bored waiting for the big meal, check out the Velo-porteur-ancien blog. In French, but great photos and lots of examples of how porteur bikes should be set up.

Velogibe is another neat French blog. And you might enjoy collection de vélos anciens Gilbert FAUTRIER and Tonoton Velo.

Anyone know of other cool non-English language sites? Please post.

Saddle Days Coupon Code

Our first coupon code "flash sale" was so successful that we decided to do another. This time VO saddles and the Grand Cru seat post will be 20% off. The sale lasts from 12:00am Saturday, Nov. 20 until 11:59pm Sunday; that's EST time zone.  

The coupon code is "saddledays".  Click on "My Cart" (not "Checkout") on the top right of the screen to enter a coupon or a gift certificate.

We also have gift certificates again, just in time for the holidays.

Still More Nice Bikes and a Few Notes

Nice Bikes

• One of our Japanese customers sent us a link to his blog that describes his building-up a VO Rando frame. The build is super as is that flashlight and holder. I love blogs like this.
• Here's a flicker set about installing a Grand Cru crankset.
• How about this tandem that's based on am old Gitane frame. I like the linked VO chainguards.
• In case you missed them, check the comments section in this recent post for more links to pics of cool bikes.

Notes

• Prices for Japanese products continue to rise along with the value of the Yen. If you need Nitto, Honjo, Ostrich, or Sugino products, it might be wise to buy them sooner rather than waiting until Spring. Would that make you a currency speculator?
• We're occasionally asked if any VO products are made in China. One of our bottle cages is. About 90 percent of our products are made in Taiwan. A few are still manufactured in Japan, the USA, or various other places.
• Some of our products are being stocked by Quality Bike Parts, or QBP, the worlds largest bike parts distributor. So over 4000 bike shops now have access to them.

Grand Cru 110 or Alpina

The question we get is, "Which of the high-end compact double cranks should I put on my new bike?" Since we've been long-time fans of the Sugino Alpina crank and now we make what is seen by many as a competing crank, the Grand Cru 110, it's a question we must often address. The Alpina is regarded by many as the best compact double available today, the successor to the discontinued TA Zephyr. How to choose? I'll try to be objective about this and do a point by point comparison.

Style

This is the most obvious difference between the two cranks. The Alpina is a modern design while the Grand Cru could have been designed in the 1960s. Since this is strictly a matter of taste neither crank has an advantage.

Q-factor

The Crand Cru double has a q-factor of about 140mm; the Alpina's is 159mm. Both use 110mm square taper BBs. So the Grand Cru has significantly lower tread, which some cyclist believe results in less knee pain and a higher power output.

Weight

A 172.5mm Alpina crankset weighs 702g. The Grand Cru 172.5mm crankset weighs 683g.

Chainrings

Both cranks have very well made 110bcd CNC cut chain rings made of 7075 alloy. These have superior wear characteristics compared to the chain rings found on lower cost cranks like the Sugino XD and regular VO cranks. Shifting is great with either, perhaps a touch faster with the Grand Cru. Both are 6-10 speed compatible.

Note that the Grand Cru is also available as a triple, while the Alpina is only a double.

Crankarms

Both cranks have arms that are cold forged and polished. The slightly wider width of the Alpina means that it's probably a little stiffer.

Note that each size Grand Cru crank has different crank arm length, while the various sizes of the Alpina cranks all have the same arm length, but with the pedal hole drilled in a different place. Look at the first photo in the post to see what this means.

Fit and Finish

The close up photos below show the differences better that I can explain; click on them to enlarge. The fit is clearly tighter on the Grand Cru cranks. This is most evident where the the chain rings meet the spider. I'd judge the Grand Cru's polish to be a little shinier, while the Alpina has more of a satin finish.

Cost

The Alpina currently costs $175. The Grand Cru runs $190.

Summary

So there you have it. The biggest differences are style and Q-factor, but these are very significant for many cyclists. If you need a much lower Q or like the classic style, the Grand Cru is the obvious choice. If Q is unimportant and you like the more modern look, or want to save a few dollars, the Sugino is a very fine alternative. It's hard to go wrong.