Maxi Kits, Wheels, and Pepe

The Polyvalent maxi build kits are back in stock and have been selling fast. The maxi kit includes:

• A Polyvalent frame set
• Grand Cru seat post
• Tektro CR-720 brakes
• Cable hangers for the brakes
• Grand Cru sealed bearing headset
• Grand Cru Touring Wheels
• Zeppelin 58mm fenders
• Porteur Handlebars or course handlebars. Your choice.
• VO quill stem
• Polyvalent crankset
• Grand Cru bottom bracket
• Headset & bottom bracket installation, if you want
• Any other components ordered at the same time are 10% off. 

Rando maxi build kits are also back.

We have 650b wheels again. They are built with the Grand Cru touring hubs and Diagonale rims. Front and rear (in both 130mm and 135mm spacing) are available.

Most other wheels are back in stock, including our fixed and touring 700c wheels.

This is a photo of Robert unloading the wheel truck with our new pallet-stacker. It's like a muscle powered forklift. We call him Pepe, our little mule (the pallet-stacker, not Robert). We'd been borrowing a forklift from Chesapeake Light Craft, but felt we finally needed our own. Instead of getting a carbon spewing LPG powered forklift we got Pepe. It's actually a pretty good quad workout pumping that pedal to raise the forks. So Robert may still spew a fair bit of carbon.

Polyvalent Print Ads

We're working on a print ad for the Polyvalent. Here are our top three versions. Which one do you like best? Or do you have a better idea?

Come to think of it, should we even bother with this? Some of us think that VO should only advertise online.  Ten years ago I read about 20 magazines and two newspapers. Today I read all periodicals on line (but still prefer paper books). Is print advertising still worthwhile or are we just wasting trees?

"The Book of Touring Bicycle" and Velocraft

Here are a few pages from the Japanese publication "The Book of Touring Bicycle". Many thanks to Kentaro Tsuchihashi of M's Bicyclette for arranging this and sending us a copy. Kentaro-san writes:

In this magazine, the publisher introduced Mr.Otsuki. Mr.Otsuki is the store manager of 'Velocraft'.The 'Velocraft' is one of the famous touring bike shop in Japan and Mr.Otsuki is the technical adviser and business partner for my company 'M's Collection'. He is very enthusiastic to Velo Orange products.

The Specials Page

Going through our inventory in preparation for our next big order we're finding some items that we're overstocked on and a few that are not selling as well as we had hoped. So we added them to our specials page. Have a look for some super deals.

Ordering the right quantities is a skill that still sometimes eludes us. Usually we run out, but occasionally we order too many. Some of these deals will last only until the stock levels return to where they should be, in other cases we'll simply discontinue the item.

Carbon Fiber and Boat Happenings

The cable hanger above may be the first VO carbon fiber component. The idea is that the carbon fiber absorbs vibration that contributes to brake squealing and shuddering. Does it really work? We'll let you know in a few weeks, but it was developed by the same bike racer/engineer who designs our brakes and he has a pretty good track record. This guy is also designing and making components for at least one major European professional bike team. So when he says we should try something, we do.

On another subject, the boat above is not made from carbon fiber (it's wood-epoxy-fiberglass composite), but the mast is CF. It was just built at Chesapeake Light Craft, the company I started 15 years ago and later sold, just a few doors down from Velo Orange. It's a modern Pacific proa named "Madness" designed by John Harris, my old shop manager and now owner of CLC. There's a section about Madness on their site. Watch the video if you're into sailing. There's more on their Facebook page. Madness is a radical and potentially super-fast sailing craft, yet it's based on an ancient Polynesian concept. John will have lots of fun with Madness.

I've been fascinated by proas since boyhood. In fact I recently joined a local club and started paddling in a six-man outrigger racing canoe, an OC-6, which is a little like a proa. OC-6 paddling is a great complement to cycling and it's fun to do a team sport again.

Update: The hanger had only minimal effect, so we won't be stocking it.

Polyvalent MK2s are Available

The Polyvalent frames and mini build kits are now in the store. We are waiting for more 650b wheels so we can again offer the maxi build kits; we hope to have them in a couple of weeks.

Speaking of Polyvalents here is a lovely build by Hoopdriver.

Now for something really bizarre: VO will be testing a new carbon fiber component this fall. If all goes well we'll have it available in spring.

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.