More Arts and Crafts, Shellacked Cork Grips

I love the look of shellacked cork grips almost as much as the look of shellacked cotton tape. They are comfortable, shock absorbing, made of a natural material, inexpensive, and they look great. Shellacking grips is an easy afternoon project. Here's how to do it.

First get some VO cork grips. You'll also need a small can of amber shellac from the local paint store. While at the paint store, also pick up a disposable brush, but get the biodgradable wood type, not plastic.

Shellac is a resin secreted by the female lac bug, on trees in the forests of India and Thailand. It's made into flakes that are mixed with alcohol to make a varnish-like coating. You can buy flakes and mix them yourself, but for this little project I wouldn't bother.

Make a little stand for the grips by sticking a couple of pencils into a cardboard box. Slide the grips over the pencils and brush on a thin coat of shellac. Allow to dry for an hour or so, or until no longer tacky, then brush on a second coat. I like about 4 coats total; putting on more will add gloss, but it will also make the grips a little slippery. In between coats put the brush in an airtight ziplock bag to keep it from drying out.

When the last coat dries, slip the grips over your bars. Remember that cork grips fit 22.2mm bars, not 23.8mm. Usually cork grips fit too loosely for my taste, so I put a strip of tape over the bar first; it could be duct tape, handlebar tape - anything that takes up space. Push the grips on gently as it's easy to tear them. That's all there is to it--go for a ride.

In Stock

We know a lot of you have been waiting for VO wheels. We finally got our big shipment from the wheel builders so most wheels are now in stock. Sorry that they've been out of stock for so long,

We also have those top tube protectors I wrote about recently. We're making them in a new type of leather called oil tan. It's made for chaps and meant to take a lot of abuse. They look really looks nice. 
That's all.

Observations on a Gentleman's Bike

One of the standard models in most constructeurs' catalogs was an elegant city bike, a "gentleman's bike." There was usually a similar ladies bike on a mixte frame. These were comfortable city bikes meant to be ridden around town and to work, even when dressed in business attire. The photo below is of old Alex Singer and Herse catalogs.

We just finished building such a bike around a VO 60cm Polyvalent frame. I rode it home and a round town yesterday and thought I'd share some impressions. It's my second Gentleman's bike; the first was a custom by Ahren Rogers. But I've been riding a sportier singe speed/fixed city bike the past few years.


The Polyvalent frame handles beautifully and I find it easy to ride no-handed or to dive into turns. There is really little to say about it because it simply does what is asked with no drama or compromise. That's the thing about this style of bike; it simply gets where you want to go in a comfortable and relaxed manner. And much of that is due to low-trail geometry.

The handlebars are VO Montmartre bars. I really like their narrow width for slipping through traffic, and the rise allows one to sit upright. I have to admit that it takes a while to get use to the regal upright position, but once accustomed to it it's easier to look around. You really do see more. Some might wonder if 42cm wide bars fit me, being 6'3" tall with very wide shoulders. This was the standard bar width on bikes for most of the last century. They feel perfectly natural (we do have the similar Left Bank bars for those who want more width.) I think the trend toward wider bars has more to do with poor bike geometry than fit. Notice how wide the bars are on cruiser style bike and beach bikes.

The wide sprung Model 8 saddle provides decadent sprung luxury. I purposely sped over Annapolis' brick-paved and cobble streets just to enjoy the shock absorption.

The 38mm 650b Pari-Moto tires are very comfortable. I prefer them to the the Hetres I had on a previous city bike as they are, in my experience, less flat prone. But I'll probably switch to Panaracers Col de Le Vie tires which are even more rugged and have a deeper tread pattern. Some will argue endlessly over exactly which 650b tires are most comfortable, but given a 650b tires' large air volume and cushy ride I find it a rather ridiculous discussion. Is your bum really so sensitive? I'll also ignore small differences in rolling resistance; this is a city bike after all and the time spent fixing one extra flat will negate any advantage in rolling resistance. Give me a reasonably comfortable and flat resistant 650b tire with enough tread for the occasional unpaved park path or snowy day and I'll be happy.


The three-speed Sturmey Archer hub is perfect for this style of bike, particularly so in a city like Annapolis with only modest hills. The gearing is low enough to avoid unseemly perspiration, yet there is the option to  shift up on the downhills. My previous gentleman's bike had a 1x6 drive train which might be better for hillier towns at the cost of a little more maintenance. Indeed, a 1x5 drivetrain is what most constructeurs used.

I'm trying the White Industries Urban Platform pedals, which are a nice copy of the French Lyotard M23 'Marcel Berthet' pedals. They work well with VO half clips, leathered of course. 

The crank is a Grand Cru as is the chainguard. The bell is in the wrong spot for a bike ridden in an upright position; I'll move it to the handlebar. The leather bar grips are of a new thick oil-tanned leather we're trying. The front rack has an integrated decaleur which I now find almost essential on all my bikes. My old ALPS handlebar bag is perfect for my laptop, as well as a few groceries and a bottle of wine picked up on the way home.

Chainguards Part 2

Not as exciting as Part 1, but...

I said it couldn't be done, but I was wrong. Casey managed to get a Porteur chain case to work with a rear derailleur and a 9-speed cassette. The clearances are tight, but it works perfectly. (Of course it won't work with a front derailleur.) The crank is a Grand Cru 110bcd fluted double, but with only one ring. A fair number of the original porteur bikes had 1X5 drive trains, so this modernized 1X9 is in keeping with tradition.

Speaking of single cranks, do you think we should get a single speed version of the 110bcd Grand Cru? It has more clearance that the 50.4bcd so is much easier to set up. And if so, what is the ideal chain ring size? I'm thinking 46t.

Some folks feel that the logo on the Grand Cru chainguard, in the previous post, is too big. Let me explain why I did it that way, even though I generally dislike oversize logos. The large logo on this chainguard follows a certain style of chainguard that I happen to love. Many companies made guards with their logos as part of the design. It was considered cool, even fashionable. My all time favorite is the CLB guard.

If you don't like this style then don't buy it; we already have plans to make another, minimal-logo, chainguard next year. The etching is super easy to change and we may change it every year. How about the circle containing a French rooster, sunflower, peace sign, yin and yang... Wonder if we should open up the design process and ask for submission from artistic customers? I've even considered making some blank ones that frame builders could have engraved with their own logos. But the Grand Cru design is what I wanted for my bike so that production run gets made first ;<)

Chainguards Part 1

Here is the new Grand Cru Plume Alaire chainguard. Back in the day there were dozens of companies making elegant chainguards in dozens of patterns. They kept one's trouser cuffs presentable and added a bit of style to even the most pedestrian city bike. Have a look at this post, called Chainguards as Art.

You might notice I wrote, in 2007, that VO should start working on an elegant chain guard. These things take time. Actually we already have the Porteur Chaincase and VO Alloy Chainguard. We also made this prototype simple chain guard that may return next year.

We should have them in stock by late summer.

A Few Notes

Here are a few updates on various topics.

• We received an air shipment today, mostly re-stocking stuff that's been selling faster than expected. VO touring pedals are the one item we were completely out of that came in.
• Every few months we review inventory for products that are overstocked. I put a few of these on the specials page. It's worth a visit.
• We've been out of wheels for too long. Our wheel builders are almost finished and they should arrive late next week. That's the good news; the bad news is that we are still out of Raid rims and wheels.
• How do you guys like the soft cloth bag packaging we're using for hubs, saddles, and other components? The bags cost more than boxes, but they're reusable. (I use several to organize stuff when traveling.) We also save a little on shipping using bags since they take up less space. We're considering using them for more products.
• Cirque du Cyclisme happens this weekend. Lots of cool bikes and a very nice swap meet.

Peugeot PX50 "Barn Find"

Some fascinating bikes visit our little showroom. One of our customers just found this Peugeot bike on Craig's List and brought it by yesterday; she needed some new 650b rims. It's a late '50s PX50, probably 1959 (from the serial number). I wrote about this model in 2006, which I called "A Randoneusse for the Common Jacques".

Even in the glory days of French cycling, not everyone could afford a Singer or a Herse. So what was the French lunch-box-kind-of-guy to do when he wanted a randonneusse. One option was to get a Peugeot PX50, a production randonneur bike... It's just the thing for a rough French country road. The front rack is perfect for a handlebar bag and the rear would take small panniers. Also note the Cibie lighting system and the cool brake levers.
I see that the first catalog to list this model is the 1953 edition. It seems to have disappeared sometime between 1963 and 1969. Apparently not many made it to North America, but they were sold in Japan. The photo [below] and information is taken from Cycles Retro Peugeot , a wonderful collection of Peugeot catalogs from 1929 to 1989.

The link to the original post is here.

Here a brochure photo of a similar model. Note the Mafac cantis, guidonet levers, and lever-shift front derailleur.

It's really great to find original condition bikes like this. This particular PX50 has wonderful patina, which I would want to preserve. The spokes are shot and it has steel rims. I'd either rebuild the wheels or simply get a second set for riding and keep the originals for display. The freewheel is a 4-speed, and almost certainly French thread, which might be hard to replace. The Henri Gauthier saddle is rotten around the rivets, but these show up on E-bay. Or one could replace it with an Ideale saddle. Otherwise I'd replace the cables and brake pads and do a little polishing with Simichrome to remove the rust and protect the remaining chrome. Everything on the bike works except for the lighting, but the original dynamo came with it

The new owner is very knowledgeable and I'm sure she'll have her new PX50 in fine shape and on the road soon.

Summer Pleasures

One of life's little pleasures is a glass of wine and a bit of reading after dinner. On nice summer evenings I'll take my wine in the old Adirondack chair under a tree and beside our tiny pond. I caught a glimpse of my city bike, not yet put away for the night, along with my wine glass and book from an upstairs window. I think it makes a pleasant summer scene.

Returning to the garden I found our 12-year old son pretending to be me. Smart-Alec! Nothing profound here. It's just that we should take the time to savor long evenings, nice bikes, good books, and clever kids.

On Quality and Product Development

We just received another box of samples and prototypes from several factories. Our agent consolidates these and overnights them to us every so often. Of the four items we've received recently, only one will make into our inventory. Product development is tricky business. If we can get 70% of our new projects to the point where functionality, quality, appearance, and price are up to snuff we're thrilled. The reality is that the figure is closer to 50%. Here are some recent examples.

An aluminum bell we wanted to import just didn't look good enough. Tone and durability were fine, but not appearance, so we'll drop that idea.

A leather saddle bag we have high hopes for needs more work, The opening is too low so items could fall out if not opened carefully. And the shape is not quite right as it rubs on our thighs. Re-design time, too bad since the quality is pretty darn nice.

A new VO chain guard with a cross-check pattern on it won't be produced because there is no way to get the pattern exactly right at reasonable cost. We'll give up on that one.

Another chain guard, however, looks fantastic and will be available in a few months.

We find that we're getting more concerned with quality every year and becoming ever more picky. And we continue to make little improvements with almost every production run.  I'm really proud of the quality of our fenders, for example. I feel that they are as good or better than any made. And the quality, strength, and durability of our racks stacks up against racks that cost twice as much. The same can be said of our brakes, seat post, and stems.

But it takes time and a lot of little, often unseen, improvements to get products to the point that they really are the best. Here's an example: Casey was testing VO Moderniste water bottle cages, actually pulling them apart to see where they would fail. He figured out that if we made a small change in the location of the butt-joint in the tubing, the cages would be a lot stronger. At the same time we're increasing the wall thickness of the tubing used by 0.2mm. We're actually having custom tubing drawn just for our cages. I'll bet not one of our customers would have noticed those two minor changes.  But the cages will be much more durable.

More Arts and Crafts

Above is Igor's design for a U-lock holster. It's nicer than mine. This is one of those little things I wanted to try on my own bike. I'll run errands downtown, typically stopping at the hardware store, drug store, wine shop, and, on Sunday, the farmers market. With so many stops it seems that a quick-draw holster might be an improvement over digging through my pannier for the lock. We'll see how it works out. Igor already put one on his bike. I don't think we'll make it, but it's fun to try new ideas.

In other crafts news, the above shows Heidi's broken aluminum rear rack and her clever repair with two Allen wrenches and electrical tape. It broke on the first day of her first ever bike tour. This is why we prefer stainless steel racks. Heidi is getting a second Dajia expedition rack for this bike since the one on her son's bike has held up perfectly.

By the way, Heidi's tour is along the C&O canal, which reminded me of this old post.

Leather U-lock Holder and Croissant Bag Straps

We were kicking around the idea of making a U-lock holder to work with Velo Orange racks. This is one design I came up with. It's simply a strip of leather tied to the rail of a rear constructeur rack; it would work with a front rack too. We used the leather we make mud flaps from. There are notches to keep the twine from slipping off. You could probably make your own from an old thick leather belt. I don't think we'll make them.

On another subject. I notice that VO Croissant bags, and other similar bags, are often attached incorrectly, which allows them to sway and bounce. The strap should come out of one the holes, go around one saddle rail, go back into the bag, then come out the other hole and around the other rail. Well, you can see what I mean in the photo. A further refinement is to have the buckle inside the bag. By the way, this style of bag is still my favorite. They hold just enough for a whole day on the bike.

Motobecanes Again

Yesterday I saw nice old Motobecane in Annapolis and today noticed this one on Velospace. I was reminded of this post I wrote in 2007.  As I wrote previously, Motobecanes seem a cut above Gitanes or Peugeots of similar vintage. Classic Rendezvous has a run-down on the various models here. Finding an older high-end Motobecane to re-build is one of the least expensive ways to get a really nice riding rando or city bike.

I still own and enjoy a Motobecane Le Champion that's set us as a fast city bike. And my previous city bike was a Grand Jubilee (pictured above).

Of course the currently made Asian Motobecanes come from a  different company and share only a name with the classic French bikes.

Catching Up

Things have been pretty crazy at VO. Not only have we been busier than ever, but we've been working on a bunch of new projects. We're also scrambling to order more stuff; you guys are cleaning us out in record time. I mean as soon as we increase quantities and push for faster and more container shipments, demand rises above our most optimistic projections. Air shipments will be incoming. So given all that, I'll ask you to excuse me for not posting more often.

Here are a few of the newest things we're working on. I won't provide many details for competitive reasons, but you might make some educated guesses. Of course not every project will come to fruition, and most will take longer to finish than I anticipate. And some of these items are rather specialized and probably won't sell in huge quantities. They are a little like the porteur chain cases in that they are items that I think should be made, even though we may not make much of a profit from them.

• We hope to have a new and very stylish Grand Cru crank by this Fall.
• We're working on three new fender models, each will be unlike anything currently made.
• A new and rather elegant chain guard is in the works, but it may be expensive.
• Those top tube protectors I wrote about recently will be available soon. We just need to pick the best leather.
• Some Grand Cru luggage is in development, but might not be ready until 2013.

I took the photo along the Canal du Midi. It has nothing to do with this post, except that it's a great place to ride a bike. Wish I could take a few days off and do just that.

Rims and Hubs are Here

We finally have all of our rims and hubs back in stock. This includes the following items that we were out of and that many of you were waiting for:

• Grand Cru High Flange Freewheel Rear Hub 126mm
• Grand Cru High Flange Front Hub, 3hh and 36h
• Grand Cru Fixed Front Hub, 32h and 36h
• Grand Cru Touring Hub, 130mm, 32h
• Grand Cru Touring Hub, 135mm, 36h
• VO PBP 700c Rims, 32 and 36h

The Diagonale Rim in 700c size has made a comeback. (We'd only been making these in 650b size in 2011.) These rims have a very strong triple box-section. They will be a great match for the upcoming Campeur frames. We'll also be using them on a new touring wheel with the VO touring hub. They are available only in 36h.

We'll have some of the rims and hubs built into wheels and available in a few weeks.

Pelago Bike Shop in Finland

One of the things about VO that has, pleasantly, surprised me is our strong international sales. It's neat to see that our products have gained favor not only in those places that have long had a strong bike culture such as Britain, France, Japan, but also in places such as Finland, which I didn't know was so into cycling. Yet we have gotten many orders from Finland almost from the start. Here's a little about the history and mission of Pelago, a shop in Helsinki that sells VO products. It's written by Timo, one of the owners.

The root idea which eventually has led to work with bicycles must go back to late eighties and early nineties. Being involved with the underground, skateboarding, going to punk rock shows and getting brainwashed into the ecologism in the teenages must have lead into search for creative yet meaningful job in the adulthood.

Bicycling came along as a choice for moving around and making small trips, but then growingly as an object of intrest. When you can't find the bike you like, you end up fixing your own. After building a couple of them came the question what if we could make a living out of it.

At first we tried to rebuild and restore bikes from old and abandoned ones. There's a large recycling center in Helsinki where loads of these bike wrecks are piled up. You can also get parts there for cheap. Unfortunately most of it is crap and we learned the hard way that it was a laborsome job – especially when you try to meet your prefered aesthetic or function. The amount of hours put into rebuilding a bicycle wouldn't pay back in the price people are often ready to pay for a used bike. This lead into search for new frames, which lead us into designing our own frames which lead us into starting Pelago. (The name is short from archipelago which is a nice part of nature in our country). 

Besides making the bikes, we run a shop and service in Helsinki which offers a variety of cycling goods for day-to-day errands and alternative travelling. Velo Orange has a nice selection of goods which we've been happy to offer for the needs of local cyclists. Although rooted in the Helsinki pavement, we still look at cycling from greater context. Sustainability is a common effort. It’s not just what you buy – it’s what you make. It’s about what you do at work. Bicycles is an obvious and easy choice for us, but in everything we do, we should think what meaning it has for the society.

Running the company for three years now has thought us a lot. Building one bike is relatively quick job compared to designing a bike for production. It's a process that consumes time and money. Two years ago it felt we had barely scratched the surface of what we'd like to be doing. That feeling hasn't gone anywhere. There is a lot to do, a lot learn, but we believe we have something to give which keeps up the spirits. After all, we embarked on the journey with long term intensions.

Can you recommend any good overseas, or domestic, shops that stock VO stuff?

What about NERVAR?

Here is another blog post from 2006, slightly updated. I've been re-reading those early post; good memories. Of course many of the items we used to look for on E-bay are available new today, 50.4bcd cranks from VO, centerpull brakes from Dia Compe, etc. But it's still cool to recycle the classic parts.



Many connoisseurs and restorers of fine French bikes seek out old TA Specialties and Stronglight cranks. This is understandable as both companies made beautiful and practical cranksets that were fitted to the finest bicycles. But there is a third brand, Nervar, that also made top quality components and whose cranks were occasionally used by even the best constracteurs.

The relative anonimity of Nervar cranks makes them a bargin. I bought the 50.4bcd crankset in the first photo for about $20 on E-Bay (in 2006). Yet it is as well made and takes the same chain rings as a TA Cyclo-Tourist or a Stronglight 49D crankset, either of which usually sell for much more. As for appearance, I think the the 49D is a bit more elegant, but I find the Nervar prettier than a TA.

An additional benefit of Nervar cranks is that they use standard-taper axles and standard crank removers, no special tools required. And yes, they work fine with 9 or 10-speed drivetrains.

The great thing about this 50.4mm-bcd bolt pattern is that you can run a wide range double, say a 46 and 30. This means that with a modern 9 or 10-speed 12-27 cassette you'll have the equivalent of a triple with only two chainrings and standard cage derailleurs. And most riders will find that they stay in the big ring 90% of the time with plenty of gears on either side of a normal 15-19 mph cruising speed.

The lower photo shows what may have been the last model of crank Nervar produced. They are pretty 122-bcd cranks that makes a fine single on my Motobecane. They are very light, lighter than Campy record cranks, or so I've read. I paid $15 for them.

Do you have any favorite old component brands?

Polishing with Simichrome

This post is from 2006, and might still be useful. There are now 840 posts on the VO blog. You'll find more worthwhile info in the archives.

I bought some old Dia Compe 980-R brakes on E-bay. They were made in 1983 and didn't seem to have been cleaned since. So I poured a glass of wine, sat down in the big leather chair, and started polishing one of them with Simichrome. In about 10 minutes it looked like... Well click on the photo to enlarge it and see for yourself.

The trick is to first use a scrap of very fine sand paper, about 400-grit, to get rid of any deep scratches. Then dap a drop of Simichrome on a piece of soft cotton cloth, like an old t-shirt and start polishing. The cloth should be about 6" x 6". Keep using the same piece over and over because the little Simi-particles build up on it and make polishing even faster with use. It doesn't take long to get an amazing shine.

Simichrome polish is made in Germany and it's not cheap, nor is it easy to find. But it is the best and a little lasts a long time once your cloth is saturated. It does a great job on non-anodized aluminum, chrome, brass, stainless steel, and silver, perfect for brass bells. It also leaves a thin film that protects the metal. We still stock Simichrome; you can find it here.

Brake Levers, a New Golden Age

I remember how hard it was to find decent looking silver brake levers for upright bars just 10 years ago. Usually I'd search E-bay for old levers to use on my own bikes. How times have changed...

I really liked the Tektro FL750 levers from the moment I first saw them. They combine a clean moderniste shape and Tektro's usual high quality. But the black clamp wasn't quite right, so we asked Tektro to make us some with silver clamps. Now they are stunning. They fit 22.2mm bars.

If you prefer a MTB style lever, check out the Tektro FL740 levers. The new version has red quick releases. I wasn't sure about the red at first, but they are kind of cool once on the bike.

For the true retro look there are always the inexpensive, but classic, VO City Levers.

Dia Compe Guidonnet Brake Levers are another great choice. Who would have though, ten years ago, that brand new guidonnet levers would ever be available again.

Finally there are two inverse levers, the Tektro RX4.1 and the Dia Compe inverse levers. The latter are available to fit 22.2 or 23.8mm bars.

I think it's pretty great that we can build practical and great looking city bikes without searching for parts on E-bay or at swap meets. Are we in a new golden age of sensible bikes? 

Yard Sale this Sunday

Don't forget to attend the VO Yard Sale this Sunday.

• In-person only. No internet orders, sorry.
• Cash or credit only
• 15% off anything we have in-stock except build kits
• lots of prototypes, old french stuff, bits-and-bobs, used parts, at a huge discount
• 9AM - 12PM  at 1819 George Ave. Annapolis, MD 21401 

Zeste

The Zeste brakes were developed by an engineer who designs and makes brakes for at least one major pro bike team. Two VO employees put a lot of miles on the prototypes and both were immensely impressed. Nick used them on a cross-country trip. My own personal set ended up being used on a display bike for the British hand-built show, but I'm putting a new set on my pass hunter this week. Here's the description from our web site:

The Zeste brakes may be the most powerful canti-brakes we've tried. This is due to extra-long arms for increased mechanical advantage. Need to stop a loaded touring bike  down a steep mountain pass? They use a double plate design for superior "mud-clearing" for those of you who ride dirt roads or Cyclo-cross. The low-profile design helps them clear luggage and, on small frames, your heels. But just as important is their excellent adjustability.

There are spring tension adjusters on each arm for easy centering.

Up and down adjustment in the brake pad slot result in greater frame and fork compatibility; not all canti studs are in exactly the same place on every bike due to manufacturing tolerances or intended specification.

An adjusting mechanism at the end of the straddle wire easier setup and fine tuning for perfect clearence and wire angle. You'll wonder why all canti brakes don't have these adjusters.

Brake pads have adjustable toe-in, offering superior stopping power over most OEM pads.

The pivot bolts and washers are stainless steel for long term corrosion resistance.

Price is for two sets, or a bike's worth. Including straddle hangers, mounting bolts and cable end caps.

Sliding the arm onto the boss, note the spring's position.

 Setting up these low profile canti-brakes is pretty easy, but it's important to pay attention to the height of the straddle wire hanger, or yoke. It's height determines the "yoke angle" and thus much of the mechanical advantage of the brake system. If the hanger is too low, you'll have amazing stopping power, but poor modulation and excessive lever travel. If too high you'll have to squeeze the brake lever very hard to get good braking. As your pads wear the yoke angle changes; the yoke get's higher when the pads contact the rim. Use the adjuster at the end of the straddle wire to shorten the cable and compensate for wear.

The yoke is at about the right height for this Polyvalent.

The exact height of the yoke will be based on rim width and on the exact position of the canti studs on your fork. But the photo above will give you starting point. Our Zeste support page is here.

Spring position

Spring Warehouse Sale

Starting to sort out the sale pile; there's more.

We're having a spring warehouse sale. We used to call it a "yard sale", but our parking lot is not much of a yard. In any case, here are the details:

What's for Sale: 

We're selling sample parts that were sent for review or displayed in our showroom. There are some returns and a bunch of prototypes, some discontinued parts, parts that have been used on test bikes. All-in-all there are hundreds of items. We want to blow them all out in one day! So most will be priced at about half the regular web site price.

In case you can't find any garage sale stuff you like, we'll offer 15% off on any parts, accessories, or frames (but not mini-build kits) in stock. This reflects our savings in not having to process, pack and ship, so you must be here to get the discount.

When: 

The VO Garage Sale will take place between 9am and 12pm on Sunday April 22nd, rain or shine.

Where:

At Velo Orange of course, 1819 George Avenue, Annapolis MD, 21401

The Fine Print:

• Nothing can be pre-ordered.
• Cash or credit card only.
• the 15% discount is available only to those who buy in person, not on-line.
• Frame build kits not included.

Developments

Here are a few new developments that may interest you.

This is the little model name decal that will go on our Polyvalent-700/Campeur frame. The frames are now being made, but we don't have an ETA yet. The drawing is by artist and writer Dan Price. He's an amazing guy; check out his web site.

Our long delayed container is here and we have a couple of new products. It may take a couple of days to get everything checked and entered on the site. The next shipment, in about two weeks, will have all our rims and hubs along with a few miscellaneous components.

The amazingly powerful Zeste brakes are here; I'll write more about them soon.

The new Grand Compe ENE shifters have also arrived. We have both the down tube and the bar end versions. These use the same internals as Silver shifters, but have more attractive levers. they also use the newer and stronger friction washers.

We also have more 50.4bcd double hardware that many of you were waiting for.

We are changing the finish on our seat posts. They will be machine polished rather than hand polished. The advantage of this is that diameters will be more consistent. In the past we had issues with over enthusiastic polishers polishing them so well that they ended up slightly undersized. The disadvantage is that they will not be quite as shiny.

Top Tube Protector

In our early days we sold this VO leather track style top tube protector. It was made from very thick leather and intended to protect your top tube from being dented when track bike handlebars slammed into it. Bikes with brake cables usually don't get these dents because the brake cables "slow" the bars. Folks still email occasionally asking if we have any left.

Igor, our warehouse manager, wanted a top tube protector for a different reason. He wanted to protect his paint when he leaned his bike against a parking meter or street sign. But he didn't like the BMX-style top tube pads sometimes used for this purpose. So Igor made the protector below out of the elk hide that we use for bar covers.

I think it's a pretty good idea. It would work even better on a bike with a run of cable, rather than cable housing because it would fit under the wire better. Or you could sew it over the housing. In any case, do you think this is something we should make?