Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by ad on April 12, 2011 at 4:16am

I've been a fan of VO for a while and follow their blog.  I didn't know their leather saddles were basically re-branded "Gyes" saddles, however. Gyes certainly sells their saddles for a heck of a lot cheaper online through other retailers (like Amazon) than what VO is moving them for.  All and all, though, I've always been extremely satisfied when dealing with VO.

Ash L. said:

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.

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Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on April 12, 2011 at 5:04am

Actually from a production and hardware point the two items are significantly different.  The more expensive one has a hole in it which adds complexity to the stamping die and may also increase the waste ratio on a standard sheet.  It also says hand made which means one may be getting popped out on a large multi-function press with a one piece die that does all the functions and the other may be getting done over several machines, or one machine with a die that is changed, and are probably hand feed and aligned.  There is also a significant difference in the hardware quality wise and the more expensive unit uses harder to produce hardware.

 

 

 

James Baum said:

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.  

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Permalink Reply by Ash L. on April 12, 2011 at 5:16am

Gyes makes and sells their own saddles and also makes saddles for Cardiff and VO. The ones they make for VO though are dissimilar to the versions they sell directly. I imagine that VO has an in-house design team and Gyes just handles production out of their mega plant in Taiwan. I haven't ridden on either saddle but I've seen both types in person and the VO is made from a single piece of stretched leather while the Gyes direct seems to be 3 pieces of thinner leather with a likely reconstituted piece in the center to maintain shape. Most of this info is from my hands on view and Ecovelo so if anyone has confirmation, please feel free to correct me.

 

A single piece of thick hide would merit a higher cost over a thinner three-ply.

 
ad said:

I've been a fan of VO for a while and follow their blog.  I didn't know their leather saddles were basically re-branded "Gyes" saddles, however. Gyes certainly sells their saddles for a heck of a lot cheaper online through other retailers (like Amazon) than what VO is moving them for.  All and all, though, I've always been extremely satisfied when dealing with VO.

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Permalink Reply by Ryan L on April 12, 2011 at 5:19am

I have their hammered 45mm fenders, Japanese sound bell with headset spacer, front pass hunter rack and leather mudflaps on my new Masi CX. The fenders were a pain to install but they were easier than Honjos which do not come pre drilled. I did have to drill the holes for a mounting bolt that fixes the front of the fender to the front rack and holes to mount the mudflaps. So far everything is awesome! Will totally order from them in the future.

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Permalink Reply by Moc Artsy on April 12, 2011 at 8:46am

I think the 48mm fluted aluminum fenders selling for $28.00 (i.e. less than the cost of plastic Planet Bike fenders) are a really great buy and very nice full cover fenders. They took about an hour to install, which I didn't think was excessive. Although I did not use the "fork crown daruma", I am at a loss to see how it can be stabilized. The bolt included to attach the front L-bracket to the fender was about .5mm wider than the pre-drilled hole. Front fender rattles a bit in the nose, and this just from the length. I also bought one of their Milan bars, which I like a lot. It was hard to choose from their handlebar selection because they are all really nice. I think the whole vibe with VO is kind of like Origin8 for the older rider. Instead of candy-colored, Taiwanese-made fake track parts, we get chromed, Taiwanese-made fake Randonneur and Constructeur parts. Something for everyone.

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Permalink Reply by Robot Gabe on April 12, 2011 at 10:37am

I have the porteur bars, cork grips and stamped fenders....Love them!

 

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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on April 12, 2011 at 11:09am

The cork grips look identical to the Dimension cork grips that you can find in most any LBS around here.  I know The Bike Lane and Boulevard both stock them for a few pennies more.   They are really nice with a few coats of shellac and they are easy to install and cover.

 

The porteur bars are pretty unique and they really can't be found anywhere else.  Not too bad of a price either.

Robot Gabe said:

I have the porteur bars, cork grips and stamped fenders....Love them!

 

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Permalink Reply by ad on April 12, 2011 at 12:26pm

I see.  That would make much more sense.  I thought you were saying the VO saddles were just re-branded Gyes similar to what you see on Amazon, not a unique product designed and spec'd by VO.  I've always stayed away from the Gyes saddles on Amazon based on comments seen around the web, but the reviews of the quality of the VO saddles has been much more kind.  

Ash L. said:

Gyes makes and sells their own saddles and also makes saddles for Cardiff and VO. The ones they make for VO though are dissimilar to the versions they sell directly. I imagine that VO has an in-house design team and Gyes just handles production out of their mega plant in Taiwan. I haven't ridden on either saddle but I've seen both types in person and the VO is made from a single piece of stretched leather while the Gyes direct seems to be 3 pieces of thinner leather with a likely reconstituted piece in the center to maintain shape. Most of this info is from my hands on view and Ecovelo so if anyone has confirmation, please feel free to correct me.

 

A single piece of thick hide would merit a higher cost over a thinner three-ply.

 
ad said:

I've been a fan of VO for a while and follow their blog.  I didn't know their leather saddles were basically re-branded "Gyes" saddles, however. Gyes certainly sells their saddles for a heck of a lot cheaper online through other retailers (like Amazon) than what VO is moving them for.  All and all, though, I've always been extremely satisfied when dealing with VO.

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Permalink Reply by Matt M. 18.5KM on April 12, 2011 at 12:49pm

J - I'm having budget issues BUT it sure is nice to see all these things in one place whereas we'd all be looking around for them in the "vintage" part of Ebay, hopping from site to site on the web, shops where people have NO CLUE as to what we're talking about, etc..THAT'S what I'm saying...!

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