Velo-Orange

[vav]

Hi forum; Has anybody used extensively VO products? Like parts and accesories. Recently purchased a set of fenders and the quality seems good. Installing them wasn't a walk in the park and I had to get creative but overall nothing to complain.
They have their own "Rando" frame for $ 500 but nowhere in their site I could find the kind of steel and more details. Again, has anybody bought one of these frames and built it up?
Thanks

[Bob Loblaw]

No frame but I have been quite happy with my VO stem and Grand Cru crank.

BL

[Fishbike]

I have purchased a handful of parts. Mostly shiny silver stuff and small parts. I also bought some nutted brakes that I couldn't find anywhere else. Good prices and good service. The company fills an interesting and -- I am guessing -- expanding niche of fairly-priced, retro looking, non-racing bike jewelry.

[palincss]

They have their own "Rando" frame for $ 500 but nowhere in their site I could find the kind of steel and more details. Again, has anybody bought one of these frames and built it up?


I have one of the original Johnny Coast-built Velo Orange Randonneur semi-custom frames. SC53 has one of the production versions you're referring to. They're both very nice bikes. The production frame is described in detail here: http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/frames/rando/rando.html The steel is described as " traditional diameter, not oversize, 4130 double butted chrome-moly tubing. The lugs are classic medium point style with small reinforcement webs. Tubing specs and geometry are virtually identical to those used on our semi-custom Pass Hunter and Rando frames."

[vav]

Thanks everybody. Let's see how the fenders fare.

[sjbraun]

I'm pretty happy with my VO rando frame, especially at the price. I'm told by the shop that it built easily.
It has a very comfy ride. My only quibble with the frame is an immediate and pronounced shimmy when I take my hands off the bars. The shimmy is worse when I have a load on the front rack. It has never happened when riding with one or both hands on the bars, so it's not a big deal.
One more thing, while the bike rides crazy smooth, it descends really well.

It's a far different ride from my Pegoretti or Look 585, but in it's own way, it's equally enjoyable.

-Steve

[DHallerman]

Was sorry to hear the other day that the lovely, silver VO threadless stem with the 31.8mm clamp will no longer be available.

They told me that not enough customers bought them.

Some nice stuff on VO, but it seems many of its customers are determinedly retro.

Dave, who says that silver stems with 31.8mm clamps are hard to find and yes I know that Ritchey makes one but the simple no decal VO stem pleases his eye more

[rugbysecondrow]

I like their stuff. Brakes and stem are good. I have the fenders, good for the money. I have heard others prefer berthoud or honjos to VO, but I think it is more to do with the mounting hardware than fenders themselves.

Paul

[cataño]

VO is a pretentious, overpriced, euro-phile Origin8* that has the poor taste to malign the companies from which it blatantly steals.

They make a few nice handlebars, but in general I've found that their house-brand stuff largely misses the point. Every year it seems like the list of decent products in their catalog shrinks.

Case in point:

http://store.velo-orange.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/530x530/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/g/r/grand_cru_quill_stem_-17-2.jpg

"It may look like a $450 fillet brazed stem from a custom frame builder..."

...or it may not.

* note: I like Origin8.

[buldogge]

These stems are Taiwanese and sold by other companies...QBP carries them as 'Dimension'.

-Mark in St. Louis

Was sorry to hear the other day that the lovely, silver VO threadless stem with the 31.8mm clamp will no longer be available.

They told me that not enough customers bought them.

Some nice stuff on VO, but it seems many of its customers are determinedly retro.

Dave, who says that silver stems with 31.8mm clamps are hard to find and yes I know that Ritchey makes one but the simple no decal VO stem pleases his eye more

[GRAVELBIKE]

Here is the same stem with different branding:

http://www.interlocracing.com/stems.html

[NHAero]

I have a couple of stems and quill adapters. I bought a pair of pedals and sent them back - just seemed low quality. I like the stems but resent that the hardware rusts quickly. Why can't they spend the extra small amount for stainless bolts?

[bart998]

I love my VO saddle... excellent quality.

[wfournier]

I have their seatpost, it's worked just fine for me.

[oldpotatoe]

I'm pretty happy with my VO rando frame, especially at the price. I'm told by the shop that it built easily.
It has a very comfy ride. My only quibble with the frame is an immediate and pronounced shimmy when I take my hands off the bars. The shimmy is worse when I have a load on the front rack. It has never happened when riding with one or both hands on the bars, so it's not a big deal.
One more thing, while the bike rides crazy smooth, it descends really well.

It's a far different ride from my Pegoretti or Look 585, but in it's own way, it's equally enjoyable.

-Steve

'Descends really well", but, "My only quibble with the frame is an immediate and pronounced shimmy when I take my hands off the bars."

??

Great big frame?

[oldpotatoe]

These stems are Taiwanese and sold by other companies...QBP carries them as 'Dimension'.

-Mark in St. Louis

Like lotsa carbon wheels, they have private sourced a lot of this stuff, labeled it 'VO', put it on a website and sell it. Not a lot different than J&B and Origin 8(altho J&B are a distributor).

It generally works, isn't expensive, and you get what you pay for. Don't expect stainless steel 'bits' in a low priced gadget. O8 stuff is good for what it is also.

[DHallerman]

Here is the same stem with different branding:

http://www.interlocracing.com/stems.html


Interesting, though, that when I go to IRD's "Where To Buy" (http://www.interlocracing.com/where2buy.html) page, and check out online retailers I've happily used before -- Universal Cycles, Speedgoat Bicycles, and Bikeman -- none of them actually carry the IRD stems.

Neither does JensonUSA, PricePoint, or Glory Cycles, three other online retailers I've bought from over the years.

I'd say IRD is no longer selling stems, because no models from that company are available on those six retailer sites -- despite the "Where To Buy" links.

[sjbraun]

'Descends really well", but, "My only quibble with the frame is an immediate and pronounced shimmy when I take my hands off the bars."

??

Great big frame?

I wondered if I'd get called out on that comment. Let me try to clarify, I pretty much keep least one hand on my bars when descending a mountain pass. The VO only shimmies if I take both hands off the bars, so I'm inconvenienced when I want to shed layer and keep pedaling. It's really not a big deal to pull over and stop to shed a wind jacket. My Waterford 1200 used to shimmy occasionally without a front load and my hands firmly gripped to the bars.
As far as descending, the longer wheelbase and lower bb of the VO frame allow me to carve turns nicely.

The frame is not too big, ( ala Rivendell sizing.) It's a 58cm frame, 57.5 tt, just like my other bikes.

[oldpotatoe]

'Descends really well", but, "My only quibble with the frame is an immediate and pronounced shimmy when I take my hands off the bars."

??

Great big frame?

I wondered if I'd get called out on that comment. Let me try to clarify, I pretty much keep least one hand on my bars when descending a mountain pass. The VO only shimmies if I take both hands off the bars, so I'm inconvenienced when I want to shed layer and keep pedaling. It's really not a big deal to pull over and stop to shed a wind jacket. My Waterford 1200 used to shimmy occasionally without a front load and my hands firmly gripped to the bars.
As far as descending, the longer wheelbase and lower bb of the VO frame allow me to carve turns nicely.

The frame is not too big, ( ala Rivendell sizing.) It's a 58cm frame, 57.5 tt, just like my other bikes.

I donno...been in the bike biz a long time and when I sold a bike that shimmyed, it was always a 'return and find out why', issue.

I ALSO ride a 58cm, 57 or so tt size frames, have had many, and have never had one that shook.

Don't think an unloaded bicycle in that size ought to shakerattleandroll. IMHO.

[jvp]

I had to replace my crashed '76 fuji track bike (that I used as a commuter), so I had a local framebuilder build an "in kind replacement". Used parts from the fuji, plus some parts I already had, plus a VO threadless stem and origin 8 headset. Just finished it yesterday, rides great so far and I like the way it turned out.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v218/jvpro/IMG_0103.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v218/jvpro/IMG_0109.jpg

oh yea I went for molteni orange!

[eddief]

http://store.interlocracing.com/stems.html

Interesting, though, that when I go to IRD's "Where To Buy" (http://www.interlocracing.com/where2buy.html) page, and check out online retailers I've happily used before -- Universal Cycles, Speedgoat Bicycles, and Bikeman -- none of them actually carry the IRD stems.

Neither does JensonUSA, PricePoint, or Glory Cycles, three other online retailers I've bought from over the years.

I'd say IRD is no longer selling stems, because no models from that company are available on those six retailer sites -- despite the "Where To Buy" links.