Velobuild VB-R-168 Frame

[Zoc]

very nice site to compare bike geometry
velobuild 168 already entered

https://bike-stats.de/geometrie_vergleich

[TCal]

Greetings VBR-168 community,

today my question to you folks is about the routing of the front derailleur cable. Having successfuly threaded the four cables of my fully mechanical setup through the integrated cockpit i proceeded to route the cables through the frame (i started the other way around, frame first then handlebar... well that didn't work!). I have now routed all four cables to their locations, RD is in place, RB is in place, FB is in place. When it comes to the FD I have routed the outter cable bellow the bottom bracket shell (Token Ninja Thread together), as others here have done, so that it can make the bend upwards towards exiting the frame. As the cable outer makes its way to the metal exit grommet provided I found that the way the piece was manufactured makes it impossible for the end of the cable outer to sit within it. Dont ask for a pic because is nearly impossible to see the area in question without an endoscope.

I ended up modifying the piece with a dremmel by opening the aperture of the grommet piece facing the inside of the frame so that the end of the outer cable has a better chance at sitting with in it.  Still not perfect fit. However, the cable inner does slides on through the grommet as intended.

I get to my question, How critical for shfting performance on the FD is it to have full contact on the cable outer into the grommet from inside the frame? In other setups that use just the inner cable, or in  external cable routing setups (without the outter cable) the cable is doing all the tension work. Seems to me that under this scenario the cable outer is not carrying much load, if any, and what is more important is to have proper tension on the inner cable. Does that make sense? Some pics for reference are below

[joegal]

Due to a coincidence in the 268 thread, I did some digging and found out that the 168 was probably originally made for S1Neo and was usedw for their 599D 2021-2022 Version. However, they use a new mold now for thee 599D.

But I found some old (japanese, i guess) youtube videos and a sale listing as evidence. ;-)

https://www.troc-velo.com/fr-fr/annonce/velo-de-route-s1neo-599d-3612063

https://youtu.be/VIRWE0uy4bA?si=hRsKO85p8jHbFcUk

[TCal]

@olliesimpson

Tell me again about filling the FD cable stop.  I am encountering the same issue, I filled it a bit but it is still not a perfect fit alignment to push the cable stop back into the frame.

[OlieSimpson]

@TCal

I've just sent you a PM on my instal method

For the filing, you need to file the inside of the cable stop where the outer enters the stop, I needed to 'open' the hole up on the cable stop so the angle to cable entered wasn't so tight.

[TCal]

@TCal

I've just sent you a PM on my instal method

For the filing, you need to file the inside of the cable stop where the outer enters the stop, I needed to 'open' the hole up on the cable stop so the angle to cable entered wasn't so tight.

Got it. And got your PM. Thanks again for your help.  Seems I am on the right path.

[TCal]

Does anybody know the mounting screw spec for the direct mount disc breaks? Is it M5 or M6? I am missing one for the Fork. I believe they are 15mm deep on the thread. Will be purchasing on Ebay or AliX. Thanks.

[TCal]

For anybody wondering, the spec on the mounting screws for the disc brakes on the VBR-168 is M5.  confirmed by velobuild via email exchange.  Additionally, on the issue of installing the FD and routing the cable through the frame, I ended up routing above the bottom bracket. The geometry in this region of the frame allows for a nice soft curve as the inner cable makes its way from the down tube to the FD cable exit hole.  I did take a bit of material off the cable stop on the side facing the frame, about 2 to 3 mm approximately. This allowed the cable to land at the stop at a lesser acute angle, still maintaining a good vertical direction as it rides up to the FD mech.
Going against the grain of the advice here about Sensah front mech, I went ahead with the install and it was pretty effortless. Just make sure the cable is routed cleanly from the front brifter. My first attempt had me cabling through the brifter in one of its “trimming” positions. Make sure that the lever is fully released in its small ring position when pulling the cable through.

[TCal]

Had to dig for this thread in the deep, with all the new banter about VBR-268, this poor little thread is getting forgotten.

[Serge_K]

Very clean bike, nice!
How did you enjoy the routing of 4 hoses & the mechanical brakes?
Did you order that before the 268 got released, or you chose it over the 268?

[TCal]

Thanks. I had it ordered before the 268 was released. Had I known… the 4 hoses went through fine. A bit of work but doable.  Also routing through the integrated cockpit was a bit of work but again very doable.

[Serge_K]

I dont think i ever posted my 168 build. built it for a friend and rode it myself for 1600km.
I didnt sprint with it, mostly used it on the flat.
It is fast. I had a lof of fun with it. It really goes vroom. Definitely comfortable.
Dont use such wheels in the mountains, you can't turn, crosswinds are sketchy. On the flat though, it's NICE.
I have a rim brake giant propel w 60mm wheels (the one that won bike of the year whenever it came out) and a cannondale supersix himod with campag bora 50 wheels. A bit of an unfair comparison because 25mm vs 28mm, and i didn't do side by side comparisons, and my supersix isn't even in the same country, and my propel is arguably too big for me, and i didn't ride the 168 enough, and i didn't sprint with it / try to make it flex.
BUT: i loved it.
For context, I have logged 36+k km on strava, so i'm not new to cycling, but i'm not good either. I'm 80-85kg, my ftp is around 280W so when we do group rides we routinely do pulls at 40+kmh, in fact i'm often the guy in front at 50kmh acting as the group tractor, and at no point did i feel "oh i wish i hadn't bought a chinese frame".
Again, unscientific, & my branded bikes are arguably "old", although they probably were peak rim brake, both of them. My supersix is the himod version peter sagan had (the green / white / black one).
I would like to ride the 168 again to compare it to my LT268, with which i have been doing sprints, and on which i've put 2.5k km this year so far.

Entire build was under 2k USD. Conti gp5000 28C w latex tubes, sensah 2x11 mec, jagwire kel-sl brake housing, mech brakes, farsports wheels in gangster depth. I never weighed it but it's probably 8kg, maybe less (w/o pedals). I used an ultralight k7, but the cransket is heavy, and tubes are latex not TPU.

I'm posting because i'm looking for a new bike to retire my supersix as my climbing bike, and i find very helpful to see people's build & their experience with it.

[TCal]

Wow. Thanks Serge for posting. Is refreshing to see another build where common sense decisions are made with a build. Not every build needs to be electronic grupo. Don’t have anything against electronic. Is just so damn expensive.  There is still such a thing as good, dependable use out of traditional mech.  I am using similar break calipers (hydro piston with mechanical cable actuation) , I like them. So far they are dependable and easy to adjust. What’s your take on them?
 I went with 50m deep rims with more of an oblong shape. I have 60m deep rims on my specialized tarmac and I find those behave like sails in the wind.  The 50m deep are less so.  Also the Sensah 2x11 setup with mid size cage is working nice also. Snappy shifting and very little need for adjusting.  I am using a Shimano 105 front mech with the trimming feature. It is playing well with the Sensah front shifter.  Love the feature. 
As for ride feel, I agree. This rides so much smoother than my tarmac elite (older model circa 2011). Specially with the victoria corsa 32c tires. The bike accelerates well and holds its speed. Something I don’t feel on my older tarmac.
And most importantly , keeping the build simple and mechanical makes it both affordable and easy to maintain with my amateur mechanic skill set. We all now we can use a bit of both always. Cheers and thanks for sharing.

[patliean1]

For what it's worth, I found the Sram Force eTap groupset 1x on latest my VB-268 for $500 used locally. Just needed rotors and cassette which I already had. The groupset wasn't pristine but it's a $500 frame end of the day.

1.5 years ago at the end of the pandemic, Sram was also offering brand new Force groupsets for like $850. Since then I regularly find deals on the various marketplaces.

If you constantly build new bikes with internal cables you wont wanna touch mechanical groupsets again. However, you if are only dealing with a single forever bike, all the more reason to go electronic 

[Serge_K]

Wow. Thanks Serge for posting. .  I am using similar break calipers (hydro piston with mechanical cable actuation) , I like them. So far they are dependable and easy to adjust. What’s your take on them?

They work, but I've since used L-TWOO hydraulic brakes and i like that better. I'd again have to ride back to back, but save for niche things like bike packing in weird places, I think i prefer hydraulic.
All of this is subject to riding more over a longer period of time though. Bike parts need to stand the test of time.
I've also since then converted my bikes to 180 rotors at the back because I found cheap adaptors. I'm c.83kg, for me it's a no brainer. On long steep technical descents with bad road surface I need all the help I can get.