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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.
I, along with a few other eccentrics, have been dreaming of the idea of a small wheeled bikepacking rig for years. If you have ever had to box up your 29+ or other fat-tired bike for international travel in a small box, under 50 pounds, then you understand how annoying and stressful that can be. In my mind’s eye, I saw a 20” minivelo with a massive triangle floating on 3”-4” tires, maybe even a Ritchey Breakaway style seatpost break if I was truly dreaming. Minivelos have been around for quite some time, but they have almost always had rim brakes which limited their tire clearance and thusly my interest. When Velo Orange dropped photos of their new bike, I was drooling, my mind racing with ideas.
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.
Lilac Dreams and the Velo Orange Polyvalent
Photos and words by Morgan Taylor
Looks can be deceiving. The Velo Orange Polyvalent looks like a classic randonneuring bike, particularly when dressed in an all-silver build kit. But, after many miles and various tire and bag changes, a different story emerged for me. While its handling characteristics are markedly different, the Polyvalent is a peer – and interesting alternative – to the popular all-steel drop bar adventure bikes out there like the Soma Wolverine, Surly Straggler, Kona Rove, and so on.
Now in its fourth iteration, the Polyvalent for the first time gets disc brakes, and that’s exactly what prompted me to reach out to Velo Orange about doing a review. Over the past few years I’ve been exploring how the widely varying combinations of steel frames and wide tires manifest in ride quality. Yes, I’m still on the hunt for the elusive smooth-riding production disc brake bike. Could the Polyvalent Mk4 be the one?
WhatBars.com and Velo Orange are giving away a set of handlebars every week in the month of November, people just need to follow @velo_orange and @whatbars on Instagram, like the weekly photo and tag a friend in the comments. The weekly winner can choose from any of these bars from VO:
• Velo Orange Curvy One Handlebars
• Velo Orange Curvy Too Handlebars
• Velo Orange Klunker Handlebars
• Velo Orange Nouveau Randonneur Handlebars
• Daija Cycleworks Far Bars
For full contest details, visit the Contest Page.
If you’re looking for a way to add some rise and sweep to your city, touring, or bar bike, check out Velo Orange’s new Klunker bars. They’re a 25.4mm clamp, with a 76mm rise and a 45º sweep, coming in at 680mm wide. In stock now at VO and your local dealer.
I should preface this post with saying it WAS loaded for fun last weekend before the MWBA Pancake Breakfast campout. Before Mike, the new mechanic at Golden Saddle, left for the outing, I snatched up his Velo Orange Piolet for a few photos. Now, I’ve been a fan of the Piolet since its inception but haven’t ever been able to see one in person. Mike’s made the right impression with not only his build specs, but allowing me to see and ride this bike fully loaded. While we all obsess over parts and their performance, I think the overall picture of a fully-loaded touring bike is more relevant. For instance, people critique the Paul Klampers for being “too heavy,” yet on a tourer, that’s kind of moot. Speaking of moot, Mike went with a Moots bar, post and stem. My favorite detail however is that shot of the Paul skewer and Klamper, side by side, like they were meant to be! That and the backpack in the Wald basket…
Hopefully bikes like this inspire you to take your bike, put on a Wald, a saddle pack, flat pedals and just go camping.
If you’re looking for a slightly different kind of bike review, be sure to check out what Ultra Romance did with the Velo Orange Piolet dirt-tourer. It’s a bit different than what you’d typically see from bike media and personally, I dig it! Check it out at @UltraRomance!
