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VeloBuild VB-R-068 Build thread
Hey all, so I finally got my frame from VB about two weeks ago and finished building it last weekend but was only able to ride it for the first time this past Saturday and Sunday due to life stuff. I'm coming from riding a Cervelo P3 that I converted into an aero road bike. It was actually really fun and fast but there were some issues that I just couldn't fix/get dialed in to my liking. Seeing as how I'm getting into racing I wanted what I thought would be a good reliable training/racing frame. I did as much research as I could and settled on the VB-R-068 aero frame- I chose rim brakes because all of my wheels and groupos are mechanical rim and I'm also a weight weenie who prefers rim over disc for that reason- I don't ride in the rain often and I've never had any issues with brake fade or anything like that on any of the local descents. The reason I chose an aero frame instead of a climbing/endurance frame is because at 85~kg/185~lbs I'm no lightweight and in my personal experience I go faster on a heavier aero frame than on a considerably lighter climbing frame. I'm still all about the weight weenie-ism but I'd rather get the lightest possible aero frame I can and use the lightest components on it. The P3 had a mixture of SRAM stuff on it- Rival22 right shifter and RD, Red 10s left shifter and a Force (and then Ultegra 6500 b/c the Force FD was quite shitty) FD with Apex brakes and a 6800 crank. I wanted a change and also saw that Merlin was selling Dura-Ace 9100 shifters for $410, R8000 brakes for $87 (the whole set, both front and rear!!) and front and rear Ultegra derailleurs for less than $150. I was going the weight weenie route when I was rocking the SRAM but the front shifting was really underwhelming plus I was ready for a change and honestly felt like spending some money- what can I say. Here's a list of weights for the build: -VB-R-068 frame in 56cm: 1276g -VB uncut fork: 404.5g -VB uncut aero seat-post: 192.1 -ICAN 38mm carbon clinchers: 1394g -Bontrager R3 tires (non tubeless): 415g -Continental/Bontrager tubes: 170g -VB Headset: 130g -BBR60 Shimano threaded BB: 75.6g -Generic Amazon Ti QR skewers: 42.5g -EC90 carbon stem (120mm/-7): 131.9g -Selle carbon saddle clone: 97.5g -Generic Amazon carbon aero drop bars (40cm): 184.1 -Dura-Ace 9100 shifters: 369.1g -Ultegra R8000 FD: 90g -Ultegra RX800 RD: 242g -Ultegra R8000 brakes (with SwissStop Black Prince pads): 367.4g -SROAD 11-32 cassette: 219.8g -Amazon carbon bottle cage: 15.8g -Ultegra R6800 crank- 53/39 and 172.5mm: 696g (as per Shimano's website- I took the crank off the P3 and didn't remove the pedals and forgot to weight everything) -Garmin V2 Dual-Sided PM pedals: 358g~ (I didn't feel like taking them off the crank just to weigh them and I don't have the numbers at my apartment- this is based on Google search results) -The cumulative weight is 7.5kg with bottle cage and pedals I *think* that's about it. The build was fairly straightforward but I'm not sure I'd suggest it for someone that doesn't have any experience in working on bikes. I did a ton of research before buying/building this so I more or less knew what I was dealing with. 2 miles into my first ride on Saturday the rail clamp shifted a few degrees upwards- guess I hadn't tightened it enough. Annoyingly enough, the wedges that I had initially not tightened enough got stuck in the upward position leaving me pretty uncomfortable for the rest of my 30~ mile ride. The drivetrain shifted nicely and was quite in the stand but was noisy once I got it onto the road but that's not all that uncommon- just need to finish dialing in the indexing and maybe the front mech to get it perfect. About 20 miles into that ride, I realized the saddle must've slipped way down because I felt like I was on a clown bike- from from I've read, this is a super common issue on the open mold bikes that have aero seat-posts. I ended up riding out of the saddle for a lot of those 10 miles (silver lining, I set 20s, 30s and 60s power PRs because of that lol). I get home and remove the saddle and get a flat-head screwdriver and a soft mallet to knock the wedges out of the seat-post and tightened it a little tighter (12nm instead of 8.5nm). I got a piece of plastic from those bags that linen comes in- for some reason that's the shim of choice for these seat-posts- and I rubbed some carbon paste on a piece and wedged it in the back of the seat-post and tightened to 4nm. I also changed the bar tape- I had originally bought some pink Supacaz knock-off tape and it was AWFUL- without a doubt the worst tape I've ever used. The Marque tape I'd ordered two nights before had come so I used that instead. Oh, and this was a first, I noticed that whenever I turned the bars sharply to the left, the front brake would tighten a little bit, so I had to redo the tape holding the cable- I even cut a new length of housing but it wasn't needed. I went on a longer 50 mile ride yesterday and it was considerably better- I put on a different saddle just to try it out on this bike and it wasn't nearly as comfortable as I recalled- but aside from that it was a fun and dope ride. Two things to note: the front shifting on the 9100/8000 shifter/FD combo is absolutely phenomenal- like, all I have to do is barely even touch the lever and it'll shift from small to big with the utmost of ease- it's honestly so amazing. Gotta say that I'm still getting used to the trim function on the front shifter- having been using SRAM for the past 2000+ miles and having used 1x for a while before that, sometimes I'll downshift when I mean to trim. The other noteworthy thing is the brakes- I was super hesitant to buy Ultegra brakes that were actually a good bit HEAVIER than my Apex brakes but I kept reading about how good they were and since they were on sale, I pulled the trigger and got them. I'm glad I did, I thought I'd felt good to decent braking before but the Ultegra brakes are something else entirely- the modulation, the precision- I'll gladly take a weight penalty to run brakes like this. I tried indexing the RD a little bit before the ride but it was still a bit noisy- I ended up getting the rear shifting dialed in nicely last night once I got home but it's still being a bit loud for my taste- I'm thinking running a 6800 crank with the SROAD cassette and a current gen Dura-Ace chain might just make for a noisier than usual drivetrain. I'm installing a 36 tooth chainring today so I'll make sure there's no undue noise from the FD/crank area. Here's a few pics- I can always post more if anyone would like. August 30, 2021, 10:49:27 AM |
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Re: Ztto Mechanical Hydraulic disc caliper
I've ordered them, delivered very quickly. Just waiting for my wheels to turn up to try them out on my new velobuild frame.
September 09, 2021, 04:06:24 AM |
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Re: Ztto Mechanical Hydraulic disc caliper
Cool let us know how well it works. What cable housing are you going to run with it. Had my bike built up by a lbs the other day and he was very impressed with the build quality of them. Just waiting for my wheels to arrive and then i'll let you know if they make you stop or not 
September 14, 2021, 10:13:05 AM |
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Re: VeloBuild VB-R-068 Build thread
Hello Glad to hear you like your bike. I've built one this year as well. And I had no previous experience. Watched a lot of velobuild's videos on youtube that inspired me to build one. Some things came easy and some took a bit of research. When tightening the headset nothing would turn. Had to buy shims to put under the bottom cap. Didn't know there were supposed to be something there, and none came with the frame/headset. Also massive problems with seat post. Ended up with some electrical tape around the seat post and making it as tight a fit as possible. @jcr: The cable housings stop at the entry point. I was thinking of drilling a bigger hole in the inserts and just run the housing thru, but opted for open wires inside the frame. October 09, 2021, 07:10:39 PM |
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Re: L-TWOO RX 2x12 road groupset
Coming straight from the horse's mouth! CONFIRMED: carbon brifters for SRX Pro OSPW for SRX Pro, ARX and XRX hydraulic braking (油刹) electronic shifting (电变) 
March 25, 2022, 04:20:15 PM |
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Re: L-TWOO RX 2x12 road groupset
The first to road hydraulic braking isn’t Sensah or Wheel Top but L-TWOO! SRAM hood shape, Campy style shifting and Shimano model name…but only compatible with RXT 2x13 derailleurs and has an unorthodox way of mounting callipers Hopefully they'll also make 2x11 and 2x12 versions for R9/Shimano and RX compatibility  
June 17, 2022, 04:49:51 AM |
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Re: L-TWOO RX 2x12 road groupset
I have got my hands on this groupset including a nice looking L-TWOO branded crankset, everything seems really decent quality. Unfortunately there is a small cut on one of the shifter hoods that I suspect was caused by the shift cable abrading it in transit. Update: Seller (318Bike Store) is sending me a replacement hood for the one that was damaged in transit. August 21, 2022, 12:29:17 PM |
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Re: L-TWOO RX 2x12 road groupset
That looks like a zrace Rx crank. Do you know if the shifters still click once it reaches the end of the index or does it stop? They stop clicking, you can still depress the shift mechanism slightly but it seems pretty obvious that it is the end. August 21, 2022, 05:07:42 PM |
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Re: Velobuild VB-R-218
My build is done. I did a shakedown ride of around 45k. No issues like seatpost slippage or headset play. Everything works fine. Shifting is also smooth despite the full internal routing. The frame is surprisingly comfy. The bars are really nice as well. The shape works very well for me. Fit is not dialed in yet 100%. Saddle position not yet right. But it's great. Final build as pictured with pedals, cages and garmin mount weighs 7.65kg. I'm pretty happy with that. More pics and a full review once I got a few more Ks with this bike. August 22, 2022, 03:27:55 PM |
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VB-177 vs VB-168: My Guide To Choosing A Frame
Step One: Frequently Asked Questions 1 - Is the 177 lighter than the 168? YES. 2 - Is the 168 more aero than the 177? YES. 3 - Does the 177 have more flex than the 168? Probably, since it’s lighter… 4 - Is the 168 more stiff than the 177? Probably, since it’s heavier… 5 - Does this mean the 177 is a “flexy” frame overall? NO. 6 - Is the 168 one the stiffest frames you’ve tested? NO. 7 - Are both frames stable at high speeds? Road stability is not exclusive to the frame. Bottom Line: The differences between the two frame are marginal at best. Especially for a $500 frame. There are more important aspects to your overall bike build to consider. 168 does in fact support 32c tires. The 177 (at least mine) does not. Maybe 30c max. This alone might be a deal breaker for the 177. The 177 uses is a standard seatpost which will be wildly easier to find on the open market for replacements. Step Two: Geometry VB 177 Geometry (Size 56/L) Stack: 556 Reach: 395 VB 168 Geometry (Size 56/L) Stack: 556 Reach: 398 VB 177 Geometry (Size 54/M) Stack: 536 Reach: 392 VB 168 Geometry (Size 54/M) Stack: 535 Reach: 388 Bottom Line: You should probably seek a professional bike fit if you’re uncertain. Geometry is similar for both frames, plus/minus a couple of millimeters in reach. I personally am not a fan of zero-degree setback seatposts. Neither frames are intended to fit all body types. I’m also not a fan of integrated handlebars either, since they limit adjustability later. Step Three: Aerodynamics Your wheel choice is one of the most critical areas where aerodynamics can be either saved or loss. The 177 paired with deep sectioned aero wheels will be faster on the flats than the 168 with shallow wheels. And the aerodynamic design of the 168 will inherently trump the lightweight of the 177 on the flats when paired with identical wheels. Bottom Line: DO NOT SKIMP on your wheelset. Step Four: Total System Weight There is not enough emphasis put on total system weight (bike + rider + gear). Nothing wrong with having weight weenie tendencies, but 50-200 gram weight savings isn’t going to make the difference for anything below a World Pro Tour Race. See example below: Bike: 7900g Rider: 74000g 2 Water Bottles: 1400g Helmet/Gear/Ect: 1000g Total System Weight: 84300 grams (84.3kg) Bottom Line: Striving to save even 100-200 grams (regardless of cost) is literally only like 0.25 percent of the total weight. 0.25 PERCENT. One-fourth of one percent. Also when it comes to wheels and frames...you WILL eventually be penalized on stiffness once the weight dips to a certain threshold. Step Five: Road Stability Your stem length and wheel choice play a pivotal role in stability at higher speeds. These aspects should be considered before asking the question of stability in general. Yes both frames are stable...but I run a 130mm stem paired with aero wheels at a depth (60-65mm) that is suitable for my weight (74kg). Final thoughts - For the pursuit of speed (and even climbing) your wheel choice, position on the bike, tire/innertube/tubeless choice, and drivetrain efficiency all matter significantly more than simply comparing weight. The 177 is probably the better choice if bike fit is a concern, you absolutely need a climbing bike, and you don’t need clearance for wider tires. Some people may also prefer the "look" of the 177 which is totally understandable. For everyone else…168 is mostly likely the more reasonable choice. And this actually makes sense, since the Tarmac SL7 is supposed to be the one bike to rule them all. Okay this guide took way longer than I anticipated. Time to suit up my party clothes, get some drinks in me, and hit the clubs. Have a great weekend. August 26, 2022, 07:43:40 PM |
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