VeloOrange

Hmmmmmmmm....... I like their stuff... and the aluminum chaincases????  I'm a touring gear nut so these folks are hitting my "t"-spot.

 

Anybody buy their gear from Velo Orange?

 

 

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Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on April 11, 2011 at 3:26pm
Yep, some stuff is nice but I have heard that with some stuff they are having issues with quality.
Permalink Reply by Ash L. on April 11, 2011 at 3:35pm
The Gyes saddle Brooks knock-offs they sell are pretty nice. Everyone I know with one says the quality is nearly exact for half the price. I love their porteur bars and leather grips too. You can build a fancy ride for not a ton of dough with their stock.
Permalink Reply by Joe Willis on April 11, 2011 at 5:54pm
The stamped fenders are HOT! You gotta love leather washers!
Permalink Reply by J on April 11, 2011 at 5:57pm

Matt, not sure if it matters to you or not, but since I recall that thread you had some time ago about where components are manufactured... 

 

Velo Orange is very open about the fact that they sell mostly rebranded stuff made exclusively in China and Taiwan. 

 

For my part, I find Velo Orange's product line to be very uneven -- but you'd expect this from a business model that is completely outsourced. Some items are a good value for the money, but I wouldn't say anything in their line is best of breed. But for those seeking budget oriented simulacra of vintage French components or NAHBS city bikes (which themselves are often over the top reproductions of French/British historical rigs)... it's one of the few choices available in the U.S.

Permalink Reply by Mike Bullis 5.5-6.5 miles on April 11, 2011 at 11:10pm
Like others have said, depends on what yer gettin'. Not a fan of their saddles, got the Model 8 and not impressed. Money would have been better spent on a Brooks B67. However, I do like their chain guards, fenders, and other fiddley bits.
Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on April 12, 2011 at 1:53am
They are hot but annoying to install.  They come with about 3 pounds of assorted hardware and no instructions which is a bit frustrating.  There was a ton of extra hardware left over but we still had to go searching for bolts to get them on right when Katie built her bike.

Joe Willis said:
The stamped fenders are HOT! You gotta love leather washers!
Permalink Reply by Dottie on April 12, 2011 at 1:57am
I'm a big fan of VO because it's hard to find bike parts in their style elsewhere.  I bought a big wicker basket for my Dutch Bike from VO, as well as many of the components on my Rivendell.  My husband built up his old Raleigh with a lot of their stuff, too.
Permalink Reply by Kevin Mulcky on April 12, 2011 at 2:40am

VO has begun to distribute their products on a larger scale, that means you can buy a lot of VO stuff at local bike shops and support your LBS.

 

I'll echo what others have said; I've bought a lot of their products and it's hit-and-miss on quality.

Permalink Reply by Liz on April 12, 2011 at 2:53am

I really don't understand why the website doesn't include detailed step by step instructions.  He'll give you three close ups of an easy stuff, and then act like you're an uneducated ape because you coudln't figure out how to thread some mystery bit. 

 


notoriousDUG said:

They are hot but annoying to install.  They come with about 3 pounds of assorted hardware and no instructions which is a bit frustrating.  There was a ton of extra hardware left over but we still had to go searching for bolts to get them on right when Katie built her bike.

Joe Willis said:
The stamped fenders are HOT! You gotta love leather washers!
Permalink Reply by Kevin Mulcky on April 12, 2011 at 3:14am

The step by step instructions are in the Tech Info section of their website, found here.

 

Installing metal fenders is a hard job. It take a long time, thats why bike shops will charge you $100 labor for installation (if they know what they're getting into).

Permalink Reply by Liz on April 12, 2011 at 3:26am
Those instructions gloss over many very difficult details.

Kelvin Mulcky said:

The step by step instructions are in the Tech Info section of their website, found here.

 

Installing metal fenders is a hard job. It take a long time, thats why bike shops will charge you $100 labor for installation (if they know what they're getting into).

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on April 12, 2011 at 3:57am

VO seems to be all over the map.  Some of their stuff is really nice, some of it is lower/mid-end.  The prices are the same but don't always seem to correspond to the quality, cost of materials,  or difficulty in manufacturing which often strikes me as odd when it comes to VO.  Why  one chainguard is $25 when the other is $72 is beyond me -other than the "Poseur" is a more sought-after style and therefore can command a premium price.  Both are simple stamped aluminum affairs although the porteur has a couple ounces more Al sheet in it.  

 

Their whole product line is filled with these pricing puzzles.  Some stuff is really reasonable for what you get while other stuff is outrageous.

 

As for stuff that is made in Asia that doesn't bother me one bit.  I only buy things made by humans and people in Asia are humans too and want to work and feed their families -local people are no more deserving of my money than someone who lives a long way away.  

 

As for the fenders, there are not many metal fenders, especially thin graceful aluminum fenders, that are simple to install.  I've heard a lot of complaining online about the "difficulty" of installing the VO fenders and the lack of instructions.  Fenders, with the exception of ugly universal plastic snap-ons like the ones that Planet Bike sells, are always complex installations.  Every bike is different so you are going to have to use your brain-meats to devise a way to hang and space it correctly to suit your frame, wheels, and chainline and not have it look like used TP.  If you aren't handy then don't attempt it.  They take quite a bit of 3-dimensional thinking and familiarity with fasteners and shimming techniques.  If you have problems with mechanical things and need to recite "righty-tighty" every time you pick up a wrench then they probably aren't for you.

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