The Radavist

Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…

Velo Orange’s Crazy Bars have a cult following ranging from commuters to tourers and everything in between. These bars give you the benefit of a riser bar’s riding position with the option for a more aero hand placement. Sure, they look… uhh… crazy but that’s their name, right? For this round, VO widened the bar to 780mm and the sweep has been reduced to a more comfortable 35º. The horns also got massaged by shortening them to 110mm for an overall better riding experience. See more details and on-the-bike photos at Velo Orange.

Velo Orange has long made practical bars with versatility in mind. Their newest bar, the Seine Bar, is a dirt-worthy riser bar featuring a super comfortable position with loads of real estate and leverage for long days in and out of the saddle.

Specs:
Width: 780mm
Sweep: 35°
Grip area: 205mm
Rise/drop: 40mm
Stem clamp diameter: 31.8mm
Grip diameter: 22.2mm
Weight: 443g
MTB approved
Bead-blast finish and available in silver and Noir

In stock now at Velo Orange.

Bags. They’re easy to get addicted to. Especially ones that serve multiple disciplines within cycling. Handlebar bags are aplenty these days but it’s nice seeing some new takes on what is normally a very straightforward design.

The Biggish bag from Velo Orange is a multi-use bar or seat bag that expands to carry your ride’s essentials. It measures 13.5″ (34.3cm) wide, 9″ (22.8cm) high, and 6.5″ (16.5cm) deep when it is closed up. The interior is completely waterproof thanks to its seam-sealed design.

Made by Roadrunner Bags in Los Angeles and in stock now at Velo Orange for $180. Head to their blog for more photos and information.

The Velo Orange Neutrino is the perfect bike for urban dwellers who are short on space or adventure-minded people looking for something different to meander the familiar upon. This year’s Neutrino stock just landed at Velo Orange, with a few updates. The first of which being the most obvious: that color! The second is the Neutrino now has dropper-post integration. Head to Velo Orange to read all about it and to pick one up for $750 if you’ve been waiting.

Velo Orange does such a great job documenting projects like Melissa’s Sport Touring Low Kicker:

“Hill got the conversation started about a new bike for his wife, Melissa. They were looking for something to replace her aging, skinny-tire’d road bike so that she could more comfortably participate in gravel and mixed terrain rides both by herself and with her riding club. She also wanted to make sure it could handle a bit of luggage for overnight, sport touring trips where minimal gear is needed while going between BnBs or hotels. The Low Kicker Polyvalent was a natural selection for the frameset. Needless to say, this sounded like it was going to be a very fun bike for Melissa and a very fun project for us.”

This project has some special details, so head to Velo Orange to see the full spread!

These days, if you want a bike to go touring or bikepacking on, you end up with a lot of vacant cargo bosses when you’re not loaded up. Japan’s Runwell Tools makes various cycling accouterments, including these punk, metal studs that screw into cargo bosses. Velo Orange is now the US distributor for Runwell Tools, so head over to their webshop to see all the offerings, which vary from NJS chain tools, hammered stem caps, and handlebar grip shifting knobs for autos. Unfortunately, the punk studs are sold out but they’re expecting more in stock soon!

The Polyvalent is Velo Orange’s do-it-all; gravel, commuter, tourer, you name it. These frames have a rather large and generous tire clearance. It will fit 650b x 48 or 26 x 2.3” (smooth tires) with fenders. Without fenders, the Polyvalent will fit a 650b x 2.1” or 26×2.3 (knobby).

This new model features a “Low Kicker” top tube, making it easier to dismount when the bike is loaded, offers an easier exit for those with limited flexibility, and make the bike more comfortable in urban environments where there are multiple stoplights or stop signs.

See the full specs and details at Velo Orange.

Velo Orange has put a ton of time in designing their Pass Hunter frame, which we’d call a sportif or endurance road bike but don’t let that limit its possibilities. You could ride a randonneuring event with it, take it on some light touring, or a club ride.

The Pass Hunter is a DIY project, offering up a utilitarian frameset with details galore.

They’re currently running a pre-order for these frames for only $695.00, with an arrival of November 2020, so head to Velo Orange to familiarize yourself with this versatile frameset.

Specs:
-Frameset material: 4130 double butted chromoly steel
-Fork: 1 1/8″ -> 1 1/2″ tapered threadless, 4130 double-butted chromoly steel
-Wheel Size: 650b or 700c
-Tire Clearance: 650Bx47mm or 700x32mm w/ fenders
-Rear Spacing: 12x142mm thru-axle
-Front Spacing: 12x100mm thru-axle
-BB: English threaded 68mm
-Brakes: Flat Mount disc, 140mm rotor compatible
-Seatpost size: 27.2mm, non-integrated seat collar (not included)
-Front Derailleur Size: 28.6mm
-Water bottle mounts: Double on top of downtube, under downtube, and on seattube
-Fender bosses: seat stay bridge, chainstay bridge, under fork crown
-Rear Dropouts: Vertical with aluminium alloy replaceable hanger
-Frame Eyelets: Single eyelets on rear dropouts for fenders, internal eyelets on seat stays
-Fork Eyelets: Double eyelets on fork dropouts for racks and fenders, triple thru-bosses on the blades for cargo cages, hourglass braze-on for Randonneur Rack
-Rear Brake Routing: Easy internal routing for rear brake cable housing/hydraulic tubing
-Paint: Cool Blue or Burgundy Red with metallic VeloORANGE logo

Hey! I’m Chip and I run WhatBars.com and the @whatbars Instagram page. I’ve had a the privilege of working with some great companies, and I love sharing that excitement with others as well!

I reached out to a few of those companies and together we put together a pretty great prize package including:

– 1-pair of Velo Orange handlebars, of your choosing
– An Atwater Atelier Basket Tote
– A pair of Teravail Tires, of your choosing

Read the official rules below for a chance to win!

Racks, bags, and accessories can transform your bike from a wall-hanger to a well-used tourer and racks like the new Velo Orange Flat Pack Rack are designed to be very sturdy and adjustable, taking the guesswork out of a traditional decaleur setup. They call it a “demi-porteur” rack since its size is somewhere in between a full Porteur and traditional Randonneur front rack. Check out this video for more info and head to Velo Orange to read all about it.

Remember that big-tire, mini-velo that Spencer Harding took on a packrafting trip in NYC with? The Velo Orange Neutrino is a mini bike with big possibilities and these frames are arriving to Velo Orange mid-February, so they opened up the pre-order today. For $695, you get the frameset, which features:

-4130 double butted chromoly frame and fork that accepts fenders and rack.
-Unicrown fork with accommodations for Fenders, Randonneur Rack, and even a Mojave Cage or a bikepacking-style cage.
-Seattube, downtube, and under-downtube bottle cage mounts.
-406 Bead Seat Diameter wheel size. That’s BMX, so high-quality rims and tires are cheap, plentiful, and strong.
-Clearance for 2.3″ tires WITH fenders. Holy cow!
-Sliding, 135mm QR dropouts for geared, single speed, or internally geared hubs.
-Disc brake mounts (POST rear, IS front). We suggest 160mm rotors.
-Full length, external cable routing.
-1 1/8″ threadless steerer.
-31.6mm seatpost, compatible with external droppers.
-Paint is Cool Gray with Galactic Glitter.

Path Less Pedaled takes us on a trip inside Velo Orange’s HQ with another look at the Neutrino.

Velo Orange has historically only offered their  Polyvalent and Piolet as framesets until now. They just announced the details of their new Complete Polyvalent and Piolet Complete Bikes. The Polyvalent has two build kits:  Drop Bar or Upright Bar. Both options come with SRAM 11 speed kits, a full-component kit of VO parts and accessories, and Teravail 650bx47mm Rampart Tires. Polyvalent Complete: $2,400 USD

The Piolet features their Curvy Bars and an 11 speed Shimano SLX drivetrain, Deore Hydraulic Brakes, and Teravail 29×2.4 Honcho Tires (or 26×2.4 Maxxis Ardent for the Small size). Piolet Complete: $2,200 USD

Head to Velo Orange for more details and read Morgan’s review of the Polyvalent here.

The latest rim from Velo Orange might pique your interest! Their Voyager Rim is a classic-inspired, yet modernly equipped, tubeless, box section rim that looks great on everything from a randonneur, to an all road bike and beyond. Its polished finish ties in well with classic componentry. Durability is always a concern with aluminum rims too, so VO built the Voyager with stainless steel eyelets and utilized a double wall construction. You can run from a 38mm tire all the way up to a 2.4″ and comes in 26″, 27.5″, or 29″ diameters.

-Intended Tire Size: 38mm-2.4″
-External Width: 27mm
-Internal Width: 22.1mm
-ERD: 26″: 541.7mm | 650b: 565mm | 700c: 601.4
-Weight: 26″: 576g | 650b: 597g | 700c: 638g
-Drilling: 32 and 36 holes
-Tubeless Compatabile
-Rim and disc brake compatible

Minivelos gained popularity in cities where space is limited. The Neutrino Mini-Velo is a full sized bike with BMX tires, so high-quality rims and tires are cheap, plentiful, and strong. The small diameter wheels keep acceleration quick for cruising around town. Thick 2.4″ tires eliminate the harshness of typical small wheeled bikes. The short wheelbase makes it easy to store inside so you don’t have to worry about it getting ripped off overnight.