Little Bit of This and That

by Igor

I'll keep it short and sweet.

We're putting Microfiber Touring Saddles in regular and wide widths with dinged or crooked badges on sale. We've moved to doing a screenprinted VeloORANGE logo because we think they look better and are safer during transport.

We're working on a new design for our VO skewers to make them more disc brake friendly (they currently flip open more than 180 degrees), so our current ones are on sale. They're perfectly fine for disc and rim brake applications granted you have brushed up on Quick Release 101.

Thanks so much for your patience with the Cigne Stems being out of stock. They take a long time to make and the last production run sold through way faster than we expected - sometimes that happens when you test the waters with a new product. We're getting lots more in early-April.

More Mojave Cages are arriving next week. When you sign up for a product alert, you get an automated email telling you a product is in stock.

Using bikepacking equipment means you probably have braze-ons that go unused. These nifty plastic screws plug your frame and fork's holes to deter moisture and debris from entering your tubes.

That is all. Have a great day!

Tie-dye Fri-dye!

by Clint

Ready for warm weather

We have an office tradition of wearing tie-dye on Fridays.  Tie-dye Fri-dye.  I may or may not be the only participant.  Anyways, I was looking at our white bar tape the other day and thought a little tie-dye would be a great way to spice it up.

Gettin' in the nooks & crannies

It's easy enough to do.  You just need a tie-dye kit and white cotton bar tape.  I like our tape for this application.  It's nice and thick so it'll soak up plenty of dye.

I experimented with a few different folds for the tape.  I don't think these ended up making much of a difference.  It's easy enough to wrap a few rubber bands around it right out of the box and get to the dying.  When you've got it all wrapped up, I'd recommend soaking it in water before you dye.  This will help the dyes absorb into the fabric.

Dye patterns: Stripes & top and bottom dip

Time to dye!  I tried a couple different dye application methods.  Stripes along the rubber bands and soaking the top and bottom of the coil.  Both worked pretty well.  You really need to get in the cracks of the tape to make sure it all gets color.  Unless you want some white.  That's a pretty cool effect too.

Here's the tape on a couple bikes!  I think it turned out pretty darn well.  Just in time for the unseasonably warm weather we're having!

Tie-dye klunker

Shout out to Alison for the corks!

Dreamy bar wrap

We had some leftover dye from the bar tape so we tied an dyed a few shirts, shoes, and caps!  Great participation in tie-dye Friday today!

Tie-Dye crew.

Differences Between Brake and Shifter Housing & Tie-Dye Sneak Peek!

by Igor

We've had quite a few calls recently about the difference between shift and brake housing. It's probably because it's the time of year when people are swapping their winter bikes for their Spring/Summer/Fall steeds or overhauling their year-round'ers. Amongst all of the tasks to do during an overhaul, one of the key parts is changing out your cables and housing so your shifting and braking is crisp and friction free for optimal performance and safety. From the outside, brake and shift housing looks similar, but the differences are important.

Brake housing consists of an inner liner, spirally wound stainless steel wire, and an outer plastic sheath. This design makes for good, consistent braking performance. Shift housing, similar to brake housing, uses steel surrounding an inner liner, and then coated in plastic to impede moisture infiltration.

Brake on the left. Shift on the right.

But notice the difference! Shift housing uses strands that run the entire length of housing rather than spiraling. This is known as "compressionless" shift housing. This design was mainly brought about for indexed shifting, where precision was important, otherwise you would get stuck between gears.

You don't want to use shift housing for brake housing as it simply isn't designed to take the amount of force that a brake levers requires. Your housing will split and you'll have a bad time. You can use brake housing with friction shifting, but why would you when there is a better option?

We do offer this retro stainless steel shift and brake housing. Mind you, the shift housing is only compatible with friction shifting for the aforementioned reasons. On vintage, steel racing bikes this housing looks so good.

A few tips if you're installing cables and housing for the first time:

• Your housing should have gradual, natural bends. If it's too long, you'll introduce more friction than necessary. And if it's too short, you'll have poor performance and potentially limit the range of handlebar movement.
• Use a file on the housing end to get rid of burrs prior to using ferrules to ensure proper, flush interface.
• Modern cables don't stretch like older cables did. Today, they come pre-stretched from the factory. Any slop you experience soon after installation is most likely the ferrules settling onto the end of the housing by getting pressed against your cable stops. Release the cable from the pinch bolt, pull a bit more cable, and re-adjust.
• When you cut housing, the inner liner might close up. Use a dental pick, wooden tooth pick, or your trusty "Pokey-Spoke®" (a spoke that has been sharpened to a point) to open it back up.

Totally unrelated, yesterday was a balmy 70°F, so we tied-dyed. We'll post photos next week once everything dries.

Trekking Bars - The Original Alt Bar

By Scott

It's hard to believe that it has been 3 years since we launched Casey's Crazy Bar. In a world of drop bars and flat bars, the Crazy Bar was polarizing. But, we'd be remiss if we didn't dig back further into the realm of alternative bars to an original one - the Daija Trekking Bar.

I remember seeing these bars on bikes ridden by an older Austrian couple in New Zealand back in 2001. The bars fitted well with the front and rear panniers, rack top bags and trailer they were each pulling around the south island of New Zealand.

Compared to flat bars, trekking bars offer more hand positions. You can use the sides to rock up a hill, you can stretch out forwards in a headwind, or keep your hands close to the brakes and shifters.

In terms of set up, there seem to be two camps. You either have the open end of the bars face towards you or away from you. A search of photos on the net shows more people run them with the opening towards the rider, thus keeping the brake levers and shifters close to you. Go ahead, do the Google search, we can wait.

OK, so now that you have seen the myriad of cockpits out there, you can see how this bar is the ultimate in individualizing a handle bar. I've never seen flat bars or drop bars get built up with such a personalized feeling about them. In the photo above, we put tape along the sides, but you could easily use another set of grips there as well for more cushioning.

For those of you who are now intrigued by these, some basic spec's - the clamp area is a 25.4 mm, standard for flat bars. The straight section where your main grips, shifters and brake levers would fit is a 22.2 mm clamp area and is 15 cm long. They work best with a 25.4 mm threadless stem, as trying to get a quill stem around all those curves could prove to be a nightmare. If you had a quill stem with a removeable faceplate, that would work as well (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).

( Photo taken by Endlessvelolove )

So how many folks out there are fans of alt bars and how many just want a flat bar with a bit of curve/bend to it?

A Big Hello From Igor and Adrian

by Igor and Adrian

Being part of the Velo Orange team for a combined 10 years has always been an amazing and rewarding experience. We get to work with fantastic people and design and produce bicycle products that we sincerely enjoy. As we step into our new roles as owners, we’d like to share a bit of what we hope to accomplish.

But first, we wanted to give all of our readers and customers a huge thank you. You guys and gals drive our passion to create, develop, and launch products that have a foot in both worlds of yester-year and today. Thank you.

Aside from losing Chris and Annette, who will be sorely missed, all staff will remain. So expect to get the same exemplary customer service out of Velo Orange, with timely shipping and familiar ordering.

From a product standpoint, development within our niche is exciting. Sometimes it’s a classic concept that has been lost to obscura, and other times we come up with an idea that is totally unique. Either way, we will strive to keep you updated through our various social media avenues. Be warned, we do enjoy teasing drawings and prototype photos. And as always, safety and function is paramount to us, so we will ensure that every single product VO offers will be tested to the appropriate standards for its intended use both in the lab and on the bike.

Content generation is the lifeblood of any successful business, so expect more tour reports, show and expo participation, and general cycling musings. Cycling is our passion. Adrian and I, and the VO gang, have long resumes of cycling: traditional touring, randonneuring, bikepacking, cyclo-crossing, road racing, fixed gear-ing, and mountain biking - we’d like to share more of these stories with you.

We are excited to continue VO’s direction of quality, affordable, reliable products with vintage flair for cyclo-tourists, commuters, and city riders. It is what VO was built on. If you have a good chunk of time free, please explore the blog from 2006 onward. There is a lot of valuable insight, interesting bike parts, and great discussions from VO’s early years.

Feel free to reach out to us anytime: igor(at)velo-orange.com and adrian(at)velo-orange.com

Thanks and happy riding!

Website is Back Up and Restocked!

by Adrian

Thank you for your patience; velo-orange.com is back up! And we've restocked a ton to boot - Porteur and Campeur Racks, Fenders of all shapes and sizes, Seatposts, Bottom brackets, Bottle cages, Cables - Bam!

We've also got our new Happy Stems. If you need to get some more rise, this'll do the trick. It has a 45 degree angle, 31.8 clamp, and is available in 90 and 110mm extensions.

The VO Site Will Be Down for 48 hours

The VO web store will be undergoing maintenance for about 48 hours. We'll grease everything, replace some the bearings, run new cables, and more.

It'll be shut down tonight at around 5pm ET and be back up again late on the 9th, so if you need anything shipped right away please order in the next few hours. We won't even be able to sell stuff in the showroom since the whole sales system will be down.

That is all; carry on.

Them Stems

by Clint

I can't wait to get these stems in!  They look fantastic and I think they're going to be useful for a lot of builds.  We received final prototypes earlier in the week and they're ready to be put into production.  This should keep them on schedule for the Spring!

Other than a few minor aesthetic differences, these are the new stems.  The logos will be centered and removed from the quill portion.  They will be supplied with the alloy wedge shown on the far right stem.

Here's a quick rundown of the specs:

• 31.8mm stem clamp with removable faceplate
• 120mm of extension above the minimum insert
• 90 deg bend for a little extra height
• ISO mountain tested
• available in 80mm, 90mm, 100mm, and maybe even a 110mm
• ED Black, Chrome, or Brushed Nickel finish

You should be able to run just about any bar with these stems.  We have some shims on the way for folks wanting to run smaller diameters too.

In addition to the new quill stems, we're also finished prototyping the quill adapters for the Cigne stem.  We should have them around the same time.  They'll look good on old school mountain bikes, touring bikes, or really anything with a 1" threaded fork that needs bars up high.

Look forward to two great options to dial your bar fit!

Re-Radiusing Fenders

by Igor

Chances are, you don't need to re-radius your fender if you choose the proper width relative to your tire size. Alas, we do not offer a 45mm 26" fenderset. Yet. So for those of you with 26" wheels with 1.5" tires, our 650bx45mm hammered fenders can be re-radiused to match the curve of a 26" wheel.

As a reference, here is what how a 650bx45mm hammmered fender sits over a 26" wheel with 1.5" tires. The subject is Adrian's 26" Campeur, in case you were wondering.

Before

And here it is after some massaging. Notice that the fender is only attached at the seatstay and chainstay bridges, and has a smooth line that follows the curvature of the tire. Once this "fender-zen" is achieved, your fenders will live long and fruitful lives free of stress risers.

After

First, here is what not to do:

Do not bend the fender by grasping on the ends and squeezing. You will kink your fender, and it will be extremely difficult to fix. Rather, you need to work the fender bit by bit until the fender matches the curvature of the tire.

To decrease the radius of the fender, you will need to increase the width. Since I am using an aluminum alloy fender set, I just use my hands to depress the middle and pull the outer edges. I have heard of others using a tennis ball, but since 1) I don't play tennis and 2) the yellow fuzz is bad for a dog's digestion tract, I simply do not own a tennis ball. 

Decreasing radius

You don't need to do a lot at a time. Little bits over the length of the fender can decrease the radius enough to work. With the wheel in the dropouts, simply mock it up and adjust as necessary. Conversely, if you need to increase the radius, squeeze the edges together.

Increasing radius by squeezing

With the proliferation of off-road touring and gravel/all-road/any-road/road-plus/adventure/quiver-killer bikes, we have started including a pair reinforcement plates in all of our alloy fender sets. Just peel and stick it under the screw during installation - one under the seatstay bridge and one under the fork crown.

Here's the final result:

We'll probably bring in some fenders for the narrower 26" crowd. What other sizes would you like to see?

Blem Stems and Frames, and Warm Holiday Wishes

by Igor

Every now and again, we find some finishes which aren't up to snuff, so they get sent to our "scratch n' sniff" bin until we feel the time is right to post them on the specials page. Today, the time has come for these Nickel-finished Cigne Stems and a few Campeur frames.

These Cigne Stems have some not-so-stellar plating with some minor inclusions under the finish and clear coat, but are in perfect functioning condition. If you're handy with a wire wheel and torch, you could even strip the finish and braze on a downtube shifter mount and cable stop:

Time to shift into some fun. thanks again @kermodecycles for an awesome job! #upgrade #brazed #handmade #stem #shifter @velo_orange

A photo posted by Kiefer Blackburn (@woodwheels) on Dec 13, 2016 at 8:30pm PST

We also just posted two paint blem'd Campeur frames and one with a dented seat collar in the Discounted Frames page. None of which affects the frame's function, but cannot be sold in our regular batch.

Lastly, we're going to be closed from December 24th until January 1st, 2017. If you want to get your order shipped before the New Year, submit your order before 11am EST of the 23rd.

Thank you so much for a fantastic and fun 2016!

Have a terrific and safe holiday season and see you all in the new year!

Opinel Essentials 4-Pack and Holiday Gift Ideas

by Igor

Opinel knives are just a treat to behold. Beautifully simple, incredibly light, and well balanced. My No.8 Carbon is a mainstay of my Everyday Carry - always ready to divvy up some meat and cheese on tour or open mail at home.

In addition to their folding knives, Opinel makes terrific kitchen knives.

Just in time for the holidays, we brought in their Essentials 4-Pack which includes (from top to bottom) a Paring Knife, Serrated Knife, Vegetable Knife, and a Peeler.

Both the Paring and Serrated knives have 9.5cm blade lengths, while the Vegetable knife has a 7cm blade.

Though they are all dishwasher safe, I still tend to wash them by hand. The set comes in a nice package for gifting and would make a great addition to any chef's kitchen.

A good set of flat pedals with loads of real estate make any city and touring bike significantly more comfortable. The Sabot Pedals have 3 sets of sealed cartridge bearings, rounded traction pins, and are toe-clip and half-clip compatible.

A cycling cap is an essential piece of every cyclist's kit. The cap must be high quality, lightweight, and have the proper amount of luft. Instructions for proper cap wear can be found here.

The VO Baguette Bag is a simple canvas and leather bag that can mount to your saddle's loops or the front of your handlebars. Great for road bikes without rack mounting points for a bit more carrying capacity during an all day ride. Since it straps on, you can take with you into the cafe or shop.

Add a bit of distinction and safety to your rear fender with our Grand Cru Fender Mounted Reflector. Installation only requires a few minutes to drill one hole and is compatible with any fender type.

I shouldn't get so excited about bungee cords, but the Constructeur Bungee Cords from Rustines really are fantastic. Since they don't have a braided outer lining, they hold down a dry bag or tent super securely without worry of shifting or sliding. They're available in several colors to match your bike or your country's flag.

Lastly, our Gift Certificates are compatible with short and linear pull brakes, Campagnolo and Shimano, and 1" quill and threadless.

Scott's Small Parts and Trip Planning Post

By Scott

Well even though winter is upon us, certainly out west the cold air has been flooding in and it looks like that cold air will hit the east coast by the weekend, we're still getting new products into stock.
Most of these are not as sexy as the Cigne stem or a new frame like the Polyvalent, but I think part of this time of the year is getting all the parts for my builds/project collected and ensure that the prep work is done so that when the time comes to put it all together, I'm not looking for that last part with desperation.

To start with, we have received a new color in the Rustines shifter covers - red! We had asked for these back in the late summer and the red took longer to produce in Le Mans, but they came in yesterday and they look great. So if you are working on a project bike this winter that needs that touch of color, these are a great add on.

Next on the list is straddle cables for the Grand Cru canti brakes. These straddle cables (a set of 2- ie enough for one bike) are the ones to use if you need to replace the straddle cable on the Zeste or the Mk2 brakes.

Finally, we brought in some Jagwire step-down cable ends. For those of you with older frames that don't take 5 mm cable ends (you can use the Park tools caliper to measure if you need to), it bridges the gap to allow you to use modern cables on older fittings. Remember, put just a dab of grease on the end of the cable where it goes into the fitting to prevent it from rusting into place from the sweat of hard work.

The other thing I do over the winter is dream up/make plans for the following year's tour. Adventure Cycling is a great organization for this. VO has been a corporate sponsor of Adventure Cycling for a number of years now. Adventure Cycling is offering a complimentary 6-month trial memberships ($20 value) to first-time members so that you can experience all that Adventure Cycling has to offer. 

ADVENTURE CYCLING MEMBERSHIP INCLUDES: 

• Adventure Cyclist magazine - published 9 times a year
• Discounts on Adventure Cycling maps
• The Cyclosource catalog, our book, map, & gear guide
• Members-only online resources and articles
• Access to our special organized tours
• Exclusive discounts on partner products and services

This free trial membership is valid only to new members and must be sent to a U.S. mailing address. 

https://www.adventurecycling.org/membership/free-trial-membership/?r=Y5-VO17

Just a reminder that the winter sale continues until the 18th. We're starting to run low on some parts, so grab your parts soon.

Winter Sale

Hey, we're having a sale!  Same deal as last year.  Even a similar blog post!

Details: You can get 20% off your order starting right now and ending December 18th, 2016 (at exactly 11:59pm Eastern Time). But you have to use the not-so-secret coupon code, as detailed below. This sale applies to both retail customers and to shops!

Just to be clear, you get 20% off on all in-stock frames, wheels, parts, accessories - everything except gift certificates and items that are already on sale - but only if you follow the steps below:

• Add all of the products you want to your cart, just as you normally would.
• Don't check out yet! Instead click on "My Cart" to review your products.

• Enter the coupon code - WINTER16 - in the little "discount codes" box in the shopping card page, as in the screenshot below.
• Click on "Apply Coupon".

• Check out as you normally would and enjoy your savings! That's all there is to it!