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Re: Velobuild VB-R-168 Frame
Can you guys tell whether the seatpost or the mounting hardware is twisted? just spend some minutes to check where its coming from. First thing I noticed is, that the seat post itself is already slightly twisted in the seat tube. There is quite a lot play when it's not clamped and in my case, clamping results in a big gap on the left side whereas no gap on the right side. This matches the rotating direction of the my saddle and the one which could be seen some posts above. It's only some tenths of a millimeter for the small length of the seat post but will have bigger impact for the distance from mid of seat post to notch of the saddle which we are looking at. Not sure if this is the root cause or only a contributor to the overall misalignment. I will try to put some thin metal foil between seat post and frame (like some others already did to prevent slipping) in order to get a even gap on both sides in clamped condition and will report about the outcome. I can't tell now if the misalignment causes seating problems since only did some 150km on test-drives so far but it definitely is something I would immediately realign with a round seat post  i will do some posts and pictures about my build as soon its fully done since there have been a couple small issues (also regarding the headset play) which needed to be fixed and aren't mentioned in this or the related threads so far... April 09, 2023, 03:50:08 PM |
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Re: Velobuild VB-R-168 Frame
...blablabla... Finally found some minutes to elaborate on this topic! in Short: my saddle looked the same as for Siejak, - I was able to fix it by inserting three small sheets of a soda can metal foil at the right side between Seatpost and Frame. By doing so, the Saddle was perfectly aligned. To those who are affected, - just loosen your seatpost clamp and try to rotate the saddle to the left and right. I was able to rotate it by approx. ± 5 degree. As soon as the clamping device is tensioned, the notch of the saddle rotates to the right and the gap between seatpost and frame looks like described in the prior post. If someone is motivated to dig deeper: Maybe the root cause for the misalignment is not the huge clearance between seatpost and frame but the contact angle of clamping inlet to seatpost. (=clamping device forces the seatpost to rotate). If thats the case, modifying the clamping device would also solve the problem. For the time being, i will continue with my fix since it simply worked. The dust cap covers the shims perfectly, - they are invisible now and the saddle is perfectly aligned when clamped with 5-6Nm. kind regards April 11, 2023, 05:18:36 PM |
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Re: "The One" Aero Carbon Handlebar Experience
Good tip on the Fire Spider equivalent! i just bought the "RTB07" from Tupai Dongguan Sports on Alibaba (not ali express). Buying process was probably the best experience on the chinese market ever! Outstanding even though i made it a bit trickier than usual After chatting a bit with the companys representative, he confirmed to me that his company is the OEM of the One Pro handlebar and and the RTB07 is the identical unbranded version. I fully trust him! Price is barely 100USD and they shipped within one day. I will get mine next week and report as soon as i could test it. https://m.alibaba.com/product/1600457733782/T1000-Carbon-Bike-Handlebar-Fully-Internal.html?__sceneInfo=%7B%22cacheTime%22%3A%221800000%22%2C%22type%22%3A%22appDetailShare%22%7D&from=Android April 14, 2023, 03:27:04 PM |
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Re: your thought on the velobuild handle bad with separate stem
The advantage with the separated version is, that you are way more flexible regarding the Stem length / bar width options. It comes with split spacers which is quite nice and the internal routing was O.K for me (note: I run it with a DI2, so I only had to deal with the routing of two cables). I routed fully internal, so stem and bar. One of the cons is, that the whole system including the spacers (aluminum) is quite heavy. My separated Stem/Bar set in 100/420mm including the C-clip, cap and spacers weighted in at 570grams in total. Riding feel is good, even with my 84 kilos and sprints well above 1200watts seated as well as out of the saddle felt good, there is flex in the bars but not too much. April 18, 2023, 08:56:16 AM |
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Re: Velobuild VB-R-168 Frame
I have had some increasing issues with my headset recently. Lots of creaking no matter what I did. Fully agree, the stock C-ring is just horrible. In my case, it was two main issues and i guess many others suffer from that too (maybe without knowing the root cause). Wanted to post this in the headset play issue thread but since its corrupted and you mentioned this topic here I also want to put in my two cents. The C Ring is way too stiff since its just massive. Due to that, the headset needs to be compressed with a lot higher force than its made for in order to cause the elastic deformation of the C clip which is needed to close the gap between inner bearing ring and fork tube (which is what it is all about in order to avoid headset play). I guess this is why many people complain about headset play even though they tightened everything. Also the stated problems with de-formed top caps might be a result of the high compression forces. I could solve it the following way: I found there is a noticeable play between C-ring and Fork tube (if you just put the C-ring on the fork tube). Like stated above, excessive tightening of the headset is needed in order to cause this bulky monster of a C-ring to deform elastically that much that any play is gone. Therefore i pre-compressed the C ring with a vice (carefully, gradually) to cause a plastic deformation so that in the end it sits really tight on the fork tube (almost had to stretch it in order to get it on the fork tube). This brought the headset compression / tightening torque to a regular level and the system was without play. Furthermore i needed a shim in order to maintain a small gap between top steerer tube und first spacer / dust cap device, - even though i definitely received the most recent version of the c-Ring which should already have solved that problem. That fix worked pretty well, no further isues noticed even though i tested it in rough road conditions. In the end i equipped the bike with a one pro handlebar (which i can only recommend, - purchased unbranded directly from the manufacturer through alibaba for 95 dollar, looks really good and in total saves almost 200 grams). It comes with Spacers and a way better C-ring. With this C-ring, the needed elastic deformation can be caused with the small finger which is how it should be. Unfortuately that one was too thick, causing a huge gap between steerer tube top and first spacer. I fortunately have access to a lathe and with a little creativity the part could be clamped and machined there. All in all a much better and lighter system and i can't imagine that the use of such a c-ring would cause any problems in the cost planning of vb. May 05, 2023, 03:55:41 PM |
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Re: Velobuild VB-R-168 Frame
I am about to buy this frame but the spacers and c ring problem with the headset people have like Zdrenka89 and berndson is a bummer. Seems like a hit or miss with this frame. hi there, - together with the 168 frame i bought a 177 for a friend which we've just built last week. Bearings, c-ring, headset, everything in that area is identical between both mentioned frames. Anyway, that really simple fix with the vice worked for me and workes for my friend, so don't see this as a blocker! Despite that the only further "fix" was a small 0.25mm shim between C-Clip and dust cap since without it the gap seemed a little too narrow for me so i just used it. You will get such a shim in almost every local bike shop which does repairs. Altough i wrote about several "issues" with the frames, i would buy it again! I wanted to point out some weaknesses and fixes to help others, not to complain. For me its still a great deal, its just fact that most people will need to do some small adjustments and fixes in order to build a bike without any functional drawbacks which makes them happy. May 07, 2023, 04:25:15 PM |
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Re: Expensive world tour bike snaps into two
For some reason bike marketers generally use the UCI badge as a form of signaling the level of quality of a frame. That's what I am trying to say. I wouldn`t give a sh** about such "tests". In my opinion, this tells absolutely nothing about the quality and functional stability of a frame. The challenge is to design a frame (or rather its carbon layout) so that it meets the requirements of cycling, but not that you can run over it with your car or that it withstands smashing it against a curb (-> he wouldn`t have done that with one of the main tube agains an edge since they are a lot thinner.) Of course i would also prefer a sturdy frame for crit racing, but i dont believe the way to find it is watching out for one that withstands such completely unrelated abuse. Of course a Frame shouldnt snap in a minor accident but this is what you get with a regular frame which doesn`t try to save the last 150 grams. May 14, 2023, 12:53:14 PM |
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Re: Velobuild VB-R-168 Frame
Hi there , finished my build already some time ago and now found the time to wrap it up in a Summary after approx. 4000k and 60000m of elevation gain on my vbr-168. I have remained loyal to my old Stevens road bike for many years and now wanted to build a technically up-to-date and decent looking but reasonably priced bike which accompanies me (climber by heart, sprinter by Body Mass Index) on my tours through the austrian alps. Ordering Process was quite smooth, the Chrisses have been patient with me when i changed the paint mockup several times. After painting, it took two more weeks until they had everything together since they have been short on accessory parts back then. Shipping to Austria took 12 days, shipped with XDB-DPD since austrian custom regulations are a nightmare and need to be avoided at all cost. Frame in size 58 came in at surprinsingly low 1054 grams (including screws, without seatpost clamp, hangers and through axles) I ordered the Frameset with seperate bar and stem (with two different stems for bike fitting options). Unfortunately they sent both stems in the same size. Since i didn`t like the bulky and heavy stem and spacers, i only built it far enough for a proper bike fit and then changed it to a fully integrated cockpit purchased on alibaba. This saved more than 100grams and greatly improved the look in my opinion. Paint of frame and fork was exactly like defined and quality satisfying for me. Final Configuration:
I never built a bike before but would describe myself as quite passable in terms of craftsmanship. Since i already knew about the Headset issues from reading here, i paid some attention to it and found a way which worked for me (even with the old C-ring and VB parts) Details to be seen here: http://chinertown.com/index.php/topic,3147.msg45858.html#msg45858 Some weeks later, VB announced the new C-ring design which most likely will solve the main problem but i still find it to be poorly designed. Furthermore, i´ve been affected by the issue that the saddle had been somehow twisted. Other members experienced this issue too and we found out its caused by too much play between seat post and seat tube and a clamping mechanism that forces the seat post to twist to one side, - more to be seen here: http://chinertown.com/index.php/topic,3147.msg45220.html#msg45220 The only additional thing i would like to highlight is that prior to the assembly it is a good idea to check all the contact surfaces for Headset bearings and especially those for the alumnium inlets /wheel mounting parts at the fork and rear wheel area. Found some excessice resin or coat there which i had to grind down in order to maintain a smooth and even contact. Conclusion: I´ve been prepared to deal with some minor issues but the one with the seatpost was a surprise. Finally all problems could be solved with reasonable effort (also thanks to the hints in this Thread!) so i am O.K with it. Generally i am satisfied with the project and would buy the frame again. Meanwhile i purchased and built some more frames (one VBR177, two gf002) which i will post somewhen later in the respective threads. I don´t ride any crits but occassionally gran fondos / marathons and hillclimbs. So I wasn`t looking for an ultimately stiff crit racer, but it should feel reasonably stiff and safe, -no matter whether i throw in my 80 kg for a >1500W Sprint or if a fast descent on a rough pass road is on the agenda. So far the bike meets this requirement perfectly in my opinion, I can not report anything negative in this regard. ride on, Bernd October 12, 2023, 02:56:50 PM |
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Re: Velobuild VB-R-168 Frame
Beautiful build and paint scheme. Congrats. Small question , what is happening with the seatpost dustcover? Seems to overhang to the back? Not being picky, just trying to figure out what to expect on my own build. Thanks. thanks, yes, as mentioned by joegal, this is how the VB-one looks. It´s awful so i immediately ordered a specialized part at my local bike shop but somehow didn`t find the time to pick it up. Thanks for the reminder! October 13, 2023, 02:13:03 AM |
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Re: VeloBuild VB-R-268 frame
I ordered the 268 and received something else yesterday. It looks like I got the fork and seat post for the 268 but the frame is something completely different. Anyone have any experience with this? It’s also painted which I didn’t order. Congratulation, you received my (or better said my girlfriends) frame! Yesterday i received my parcel and it contains the correct Fork and assembly parts, but instead of the GF002 in XS with this paint sheme i´ve got an unpainted vbr 268 in size M. Just thought lets check the vbr-268 thread if anyone posted about that and there we go .Sooo... your Frame is in Austria now, where is mine? I already reached out to VB and they responded, basically saying they f***** up because they have been very busy prior to their holidays. They already asked if i could ship the frame elswhere (most likely to your adress^^) and that they will cover the cost. I replied that i am of course willing to do so, if possible they shall send me a prepaid sticker which i can print out and I`ll drop it off. The other way round, it will be more complicated if you are outside EU since the frame was delivered to me using a special method to avoid our wicked fees&taxes. It needs to be done the same way now, otherwise i would have a lot of struggles with the customs and need to pay a fortune. Lets see what VB responds, - send me a pm if you want to align. kind regards, Bernd February 14, 2024, 03:03:38 PM |
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