A Couple of New Items

We have two cool new products. The first is our 25.4mm-to-26.0mm handlebar shim. Maybe you don't think handlebar shims are sexy, but wait till you see these. First off, they were a bear to have made. The tooling was very expensive and took forever to create. But it was worth it; the advantage of our shims is that they come in two widths, 35mm and 45mm, so they fit most quill stems and most threadless stems. They are beautifully made from stainless steel and then bead-blasted to give them a no-slip textured finish. They even come in our neat glassine envelopes.

The other new item is the Postino bar, which is currently my favorite city bar. I've owned a much-loved ancient Italian city bike handlebar for many years. It's a little like our Milan bar, but with zero rise. We've long wanted a similar bar, but with slightly longer grips. The Postino bar is ideal for those who like a slightly forward position and those who like to ride fast. Like the Milan bar it's ideal for converting old racing bikes for urban use. 22.2mm diameter accepts standard mountain bike and city bike controls. 57cm wide, zero rise. 25.4mm stem clamp area.

Also, all seatposts, in all sizes (from 25.0mm to 27.2mm) are back in stock. And almost all stems. So are Porteur, and other, handlebars. Not to mention Model 8 saddles, cargo nets, VO city levers, metallic brake and derailleur cable kits, mirror-finish bells, many fenders...

Unloading

Another ocean shipment arrived today. It's a big job unloading one of these containers. It's surprising how much stuff fits in a 40 x 8 x 8-foot space. Eight of us needed almost an hour to get everything into the warehouse. It'll take two days or so to get everything sorted, checked, counted, put away, and entered into inventory. But you'll soon see those items that have been out-of-stock reappearing.

Among the boxes are the new green Polyvalent MK2 frames. They, and the build kits, will be available on the site tomorrow. So many folks at Interbike asked us when the Polyvalents would be available again that I'm worried we didn't order nearly enough. Get them while you can.

We also have thousands of seatposts, both Grand Cru and Uno. More hubs are here too; the first batch of those sure sold fast. There are also racks, fenders, handlebars, and a lot more stuff out there in the warehouse.

Off to Interbike

With a third of our staff at Interbike for the rest of the week, there will be delays in answering technical questions and publishing blog comments. Orders, however, will go out as fast as ever.

The next big ocean shipment should arrive next week so most items that have been out of stock will soon reappear. That includes the new 650b Polyvalent frames.

Polyvalent 700c

Here are a few more photos of the Polyvalent 700c frame that we'll be showing at Interbike. The show bike is built up as shown in the previous post.

This is not simply the same frame as the 650b Polyvalent, but with larger wheels. It is still very much an all-purpose frame, but the 700c version is geared more toward touring. That's not to say you couldn't build it up as a great city bike or use it for brevets or club rides. It's just that we wanted to make it strong enough and comfortable enough for those very long rides.

So what are the differences between the 700c and 650b versions? The 700c frame has longer chainstays and a slightly shorter top tube. There is the low bottom bracket height. There are also some aesthetic niceties such as the head tube collars and a rear cable stop with adjuster. 35mm tires fit with fenders and 50mm without. And there is that cool grey, with just a touch of blue, paint color.

We've really taken pains to nail the geometry and so far this frame has preformed beyond expectation. Robert has been riding the bike recently and testing it with various loads, very heavy front loads, very heavy rear loads, front and rear loads, no loads, etc. Alec will put a few thousand miles on it next. With luck no significant changes will be necessary and we'll have the first shipment in spring.

Racks

We've seen a lot of interest in the VO camping racks so I thought I'd post a couple of more photos. These are prototypes and the attachment points will be shifted a bit on the production versions. The rear rack will also be a little taller. Note that the front rack has an integrated decaleur.

I'd also like to answer a few oft asked questions about our racks.

Why don't you make aluminum racks?

That's easy. They break suddenly due to metal fatigue if you use them long enough. Aluminum might be okay on a city bike where the rack is used only occasionally, but a broken rack is the last thing you want on your loaded touring bike when 300 miles from home. By the time you make an aluminum rack that's beefy enough it weighs about as much as a tubular steel rack and looks like construction scaffolding.

Why doesn't VO offer painted or powder-coated racks (or fenders)?

Painted racks may look nice when new, but it only takes a couple of months for the paint to get scraped and worn and look awful. After all, you're hanging panniers on your racks and strapping all kinds of stuff on top. Powder coating is tougher than paint, but it still scratches and wears off. Our stainless steel racks are hard to scratch and any scratches are easy to polish out.

Is stainless steel better than chrome plated steel?

Chrome plated 4130 steel is a little lighter for the same strength, but every well used chrome plated rack I've seen has some chrome worn off and ugly rust spots. Look at those classic touring bikes from Europe. Most have chrome plated racks that need to be re-chromed. And re-chroming is now ultra expensive. So we prefer stainless.

Why does the rear constructeur rack bolt to the rear fender?

Because that's the way the Constructeurs did it. Also, it makes for a really clean attachment and prevents any rattling between the fender and rack while getting the rack as low as possible. Our new rack also attaches to the seat stay bosses or canti-studs.

Interbike and Price Increases

Next week we'll be at Interbike, one of the big three bike industry trade shows (the other two are Eurobike and Taipei). We'll be meeting with dealers and distributors, and introducing a few new products. Please drop by our booth if you're there.

We'll also have new price lists. This is the time of year when most bike companies adjust their prices. In our case there are few really big increases, but there are many smaller adjustments due to increased production and material costs. Of course that means that you can save a few dollars by ordering before the show. This applies to shops as well.

Another important part of the show is meeting with folks from the factories that make our products. They don't all attend, but several of the larger factories have booths or at least send a small team. So we'll be discussing all sorts of new projects.

Free Shipping Extended and Other News

With so many folks on our coast still without power or internet, we decided to extend the free shipping deal until noon Thursday. Details in the post below.

We have two new wheels in stock:

• Grand Cru Touring Hub, RAID rim rear wheel, 130mm, 700c
• Grand Cru High Flange front hub, RAID rim wheel, 700c

We also now have these funny pedals. We noticed that a couple of VO staffers had these and loved them. One has some 20,000 miles on his pair (bearings were replaced). They are very comfortable with sandals or soft shoes and great for casual riding. Folks with large feet are especially fond of them!

Below are a couple of pics showing some things we're still working on. Details to follow.

Yet Another Polyvalent Build

I know you guys are probably tired of Polyvalent build pics, but here is how we built up the third of our demo frames. I think this would make a great commuter and fast city bike, or delivery bike.

Free Shipping Deal

We have a lot of stuff arriving in Septemeber: frames, an extra-large container of VO parts, wheels, etc. The warehouse will be bursting at the seams. So we've decided to make a little room by offering a free shipping deal for the next week. We won't charge shipping on any order to a continental-USA address. But only if you enter the coupon code. Here are the specifics:

• The coupon code is "freeshipping". Click on "My Cart" (not "Checkout") on the top right of the screen to enter a coupon code. This deal runs from noon today (8-23-11) to noon next Tuesday (8-30-11) Eastern US time.
• The code will work for any order shipped to any address in the lower 48 US states.
• Frames and wheels and rims and sale items and anything else that's currently in stock is included. 
• Items on the specials page or that have a "special price" are not returnable unless obviously defective.

Our super efficient packing staff is standing by.

Another Polyvalent 650b Build

Here are a few photos of another new Polyvalent 650b build. This one is set up as an all-around road bike. This is the sort of bike I'd have if I could own only one bike. It's fast enough for club rides and can carry enough to make it useful for shopping, commuting, or even weekend tours. With our upcoming camping racks a similar build would make a nice long-distance tourer.

VO Porteur

Here are a few photos of a brand new VO Polyvalent built up as a Parisian-style porteur. Porteurs were the bikes of newspaper delivery riders. These guys would haul massive stacks of papers (up to 50kg) to news stands around the city. The papers had to get from the printing plant to the stands quickly, so they had to be fast and strong riders. Some engaged is porteur races on weekends. The better routes paid very well and those who rode them often had custom-built bikes by the best Constructeurs. Some images of classic porteurs can be found here.

Note the bell mounted on the shifter boss. This is a nice way to use the other boss on a bike with an an internal-gear hub.

The New Polyvalent 650b Frame

We just received a couple of new versions of our very popular Polyvalent 650b frames. The rest are enjoying a leisurely ocean cruise and should reach us in about four weeks. These first few are for demos and display at Interbike.

The Polyvalent is an  all-around frame, an urban ride that's equally at home on a loaded tour. Outside magazine said it was, "Easily the most versatile bike out of dozens tested, the chromoly Polyvalent handles like a dream on long city voyages with as much as 40 pounds on the front rack"

 You'll notice that they are a nice shiny green color.

The decals are rather subtle, but we'll also offer white decals with a brown outline for those who desire bolder graphics.

A couple of the frames will be built up later this week. I'll post photos.

Customer's Bikes

It's been a while since we posted some of the photos of great bikes that we see in e-mails; here are a few.

Bob B. sent a photo of his VO Rando which he'll be riding in the 1200K Paris-Brest-Paris. He comments:

Let me tell you a bit about your bike since it left home.  I bought it within days of you first listing it on your website.  It is 57cm. Has many VO parts, seatpost (awesome for the Brooks Flyer), headset, bottom bracket, wheels, two types of pedals,  decaleur on an early acorn bag in the photo.

It has many rando miles on it.  It has been ridden in snow, rain, and gravel.   This is my second year with this bike.  I have completed 5 Super Randonneur Series on it so far.  I intend to add PBP and another SR to the list this year.  

It may not climb like a monkey, but it carves a wonderful line downhill.  For brevet riding it rides straight and true, absorbs road shock, and truly takes care of a tired rider.   Great job guys!

I'm very excited to be riding the VO Randonneur in Paris Brest Paris.

 Jo W. built this lovely LHT with many VO parts:

 I wanted to take a minute to thank you for your great service and share my winter project with you. It a LHT that features wheels, stem,bell,spacers, pedals, clips, cages, seatpost, cranks, rack, and fenders purchased from you. This bike is an absolute blast to ride and the quality of the  VO/ grand cru parts is amazing.

Harry W. did a fantastic job on his new custom tourer:

Hello to velo orange,

enclosed you will find some pictures from my homemade touring bike.

Some parts from your shop, rims, fenders,stem,pedals, handlebar and others.

I also built the frame myself .

On Friday i will start my first journey from London to Edinburgh.

Guy B sent this photo of his Mikado, a brand I hadn't seen in many years.

I send you a picture of my Mikado Cyclotoureur bike updated with some Velo Orange parts. Mikado was a french canadian bicycle brand bought by Procycle in mid 90's.  The bike is a traditional mid 80's touring bike but after several years as a single speed bike (Phil Wood fix/free hub) i decided to update the frame. The rear fork end are new (no more derailler tab). Mafac Racer brake on brazed posts. A lots of other tiny frame change + brand new black powder coat paint job. The framebuilding job was done by Giuseppe Marinoni in Montreal and myself (small braze-on only).

Then what about Velo Orange fluted aluminum fender, bottle cage, stem and Ostrich handlebar bag? It's now a classical bike.

You can see more of it at: http://guybouchard.wordpress.com/velosbikes/mikado/

Note the bulge downtube on this picture: http://guybouchard.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/img_0016.jpg . The called this Mikado Low-flex downtube. I never saw another like mine.

 

Francisco did a nice job on his Polyvalent. What are those bars?

More VO Cinema

Here's a video about installing our new chain ring guards. We also have some of the hardware separately, should you want it use it on another chain ring guard.


VO Chainring Guard from Velo Orange on Vimeo.

And, in case you missed it, there is a video about installing a Rackaleur.


the Rackaleur from Velo Orange on Vimeo.

Bonne Route!

guest post by Alec Burney

Over the past few weeks, we've been hearing from more and more customers that are excited about their upcoming trips to PBP. I know of two new VO Rando frames that will be rambling around the French countryside this year, and maybe there will be more. This year we've also chatted with a couple folks looking for new handlebar bags for the ride.

Are any blog readers heading to France next month? What are your goals for the ride? What kind of bike will carry you across the finish line? Would you care to share your bike number with us so that we can watch your progress on the PBP website?

Ed & Mary (check out the cool fenders and mudflap!)

I'd like to take the chance to wish a public "Bonne Route" to folks from our local club who are headed to Paris, and to some of our dealers who are taking time off to join the ride.

After the spring brevet season slowed down, most people around here who plan to head to PBP transitioned into a different kind of training. 

I've joined these folks for some short weekend tours - getting up early, riding hard, eating well, and having a few laughs is the best "training"  I can imagine.

Riding PBP is not an easy task, but all of these folks are ready!

Charlie, Gary, Maile

So, best wishes to the amazing tandem couple, Ed & Mary.

And all the other DC Randonneurs going to PBP: Carol, Charlie, Cindy, Gary, George, John, Kelly, Maile, and Nick.

Kelly

Maxi, Maxi, Maxi!

guest post by Alec Burney

Because of the positive reception to our freshly updated Rando Build Kit, we've tried to put together an even better deal for you folks. The Rando Maxi Build Kit is available now. It sports almost everything you need for a great new road bike, including wheels, seatpost, saddle, bars, stem, brakes, a front rack...

We're also trying something new. For $40, we'll chase the bottom bracket threads, face the head tube, and install the bottom bracket and headset cups for you. You won't find a deal that good at any bike shop, and it will save do-it-yourselfers even more in expensive specialized tools. In most cases, you won't need any special tools for the rest of the assembly. Home mechanics, rejoice!

If this is an idea that interests you, please speak up! We're in love with the idea of building machines whose parts all work together in harmony. I think we're getting close with the parts that come in this kit. Most of the ingredients needed for a commuter, club-rider, or sport tourer are all in the Maxi Build Kit.

Our next project may involve a complete bike, designed around our Polyvalent frameset. It's a big step for us, so we're going to see how things go with the Maxi Build Kit. Are all of the pre-chosen parts restrictive or do they liberate you from the burden of choosing minor details? How do you folks feel about having the heavy wrenching taken care of for you?

Dealers: these are available to you, too.

Just a few things

guest post by Alec Burney

Although Chris has stepped out for a few weeks, we still have lots of news.

There's a new video online, and more will be up in the next few weeks. What would you like to see on our Vimeo channel? We're working on some more instructionals and fun things, but are interested to know what people would like to see most.

Robert's cyclocross bike - Challenge tubulars, VO stem, VO cable housing.. 

Scott's Gunnar - speedy randonneur bike.

Kristin's Chicago Schwinn Commuter.

Kyle's touring bike - VO Polyvalent.

You've probably noticed that we've got a lot of VO parts and frames. This isn't because we get a great deal on them (it helps), but because we're serious about our products. We make the stuff we like and want, and test parts thoroughly by strapping them to our own bikes to discover what works and fix what doesn't.

Wishing you all a good weekend,

Incoming and More Miscellany

We've been out of some items after our spring rush. It's just really hard to predict future demand. Here is an update on a few of these:

• The Tall Stack Stems, that many of you have e-mailed about, should arrive next week.
• 650b wheels and GC touring hub wheels should be here within a few weeks.
• The new Polyvalent frames are almost finished and we should have a ship date soon
• Contructeur front racks have been out of stock for month, but we should have more in 3-5 weeks.
• Metallic brake and derailleur cable kits are on the way, 3-5 weeks.
• Copenhagen kickstands are in the same shipment.
• All sizes of Uno sp-248 seat posts are also on the way.
• 50.4bcd cranks have been delayed for at least a couple of months, no ship date yet. Sorry about this.
• Another container is due around the end of the month and most other items we're out of will arrive then.

As for miscellany:

• Bike shops in Canada can soon order VO and Grand Cru products from our new distributor, Fourth Floor Distribution.
• We are working on a Maxi Frame Build Kit which will include most of the parts required to build up a Rando or Polyvalent kit. We'll have details in a few days.
• Peter likes our fenders.
• I'll be traveling for the next three weeks, but the VO staff will maintain the blog.

Miscellany

 The Cycloculture blog has been well regarded for their collection of interviews with bike designers, builders, and others in our industry. Unfortunately their standards may have have fallen recently, as they even published an interview with me.

The Lazy Randonneur has some nice things to say about our bars and stems. He also likes our headsets. The build is a 26" LHT. I've always like this blog, and not only for the bike content.

We just received a big shipment from our wheel building company. We'll do a little QC and photograph them today. The new wheels should be on the site soon.

This blog started out as, mostly, my blog and has evolved into an, almost, official company blog. We've recently been publishing more posts by other staff members, and I hope that trend continues. As part of the transition we're switching the Twitter feed from my tweets to the official VO account. I hope you follow both.

VO Garage Sale!

Once again we've accumulated a big pile of odds and ends, literally hundreds of items. Rather than put them on the site we'll offer them all at the second VO garage sale.

What's for Sale:

Prototypes, items we've used on display bikes, items from test bikes, seconds, overstock, returns, and even a few personal items from our employees are for sale. There are wheels, racks, fenders, cranks, a couple of frames, bike luggage, handlebars, stems, etc.

Most everything is priced at about half the retail price. We'll also offer any regular in-stock items at 15% off; this reflects our savings in not having to pack and ship the orders.

When:

The sale will be held from 9am to 1pm on Saturday July 9th, rain or shine. The last sale was big hit, so get here early for the best stuff.


Where: 


The Garage sale will be at the VO warehouses and office, 1819 George Avenue, Annapolis MD, 21401.

The Fine Print:

• Nothing can be pre-ordered.
• Cash or credit card only.
• The 15% discount is available to those who buy in person, not on-line.
• Items on sale not included.
• If you ride your bike to the sale you'll get a free VO Poster. 
• Garage sale stuff is non-returnable.