Velobuild VB-R-218

[Sebastian]

Yep. That's mine.

First off thanks to all the regular posters on this forum for all the knowledge they share!

I was considering a 177 back in April, but when they introduced the 218, I decided to give that a shot instead.

I ordered the XL frame on 4-18-22, they shipped on 5/6 and I got the frame on 5/12. I was pretty pleased with that speed.
I went with matte black, which maybe helped getting it a little quicker.

Wheels are elite SLT 50mm deep 29mm wide and the groupset is Sensa Empire.
No issues with the frame, other than the challenges of getting the cables through the integrated bars.  Being my first build, I didn't think it was too bad.

I've only had time to get about 30 miles in so far, but no problem to report yet. I did put a little tape on my seat post, so I can check to make sure it's not slipping over time, as that's been an issue on other velobuild frames.

My other bike is an aluminum endurance frame, so this should be a lot lighter and quicker. The bathroom scale has the 218at just under 19.5 lbs, my endurance bike is 25 lbs.

Thanks for posting this!
I should receive mine any day now.
Just a few questions: Did you check the weight for accuracy? The XL frame's weight was quoted to me by Chris at 1200g.
Shifting housings just run all the way through the frame? Or are there any cable stops inbetween?
How do you find the handlebars? Are they overly flexy?

I'll get mine with custom paint on frame and seatpost. I'm a bit afraid that the paint might introduce slipping issues with the seatpost but we shall see.

[jth15656]

Sorry I didn't weigh anything prior to assembling.
The cable housings run all the way through, no stops. I used foam liners over mine to keep them quiet.

I hope you get yours soon - can't wait to see it!

[patliean1]

Is the 218 an actual "open mold" of the Dogma F12 design?

[michkus]

Is the 218 an actual "open mold" of the Dogma F12 design?

I would say of the new Dogma F. The F12 has different seat stays.


@jth15656 is there a hole at the end of the handlebars for di2 barend junction box?

[jth15656]

No, there wasn't a hole near the bar end.
Just the two on the underside for cable routing.

[michkus]

No, there wasn't a hole near the bar end.
Just the two on the underside for cable routing.

does the computer mount you have come with the frame/handlebar or do you have to buy it separately?

[jth15656]

No, the mount didn't come with. I found it on aliexpress:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3256803631474734.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.0.0.550218022MkFKA&gatewayAdapt=4itemAdapt

It fits well on the bars. I'm just hoping it holds up well with the weight of my Karoo2 and headlight on it.

[Sebastian]

does the computer mount you have come with the frame/handlebar or do you have to buy it separately?

It’s not included. But I did ask Chris and Velobuild added a Garmin mount to my order for 15 USD.

[Sebastian]

Hi everyone!

I promised to update everyone as soon as I received my frame. Well, it took longer than expected because there was a bit of a mishap.
Velobuild shipped my frameset after 10 days, exactly as promised. It took another three weeks for it to get to Germany. That's longer than usual but still perfectly OK.

However, upon unpacking I realized that I received a disc brake frameset when I had actually ordered the rim brake version. I sorted it out with Chris and I will now get my actual frameset. The disc brake frame will now be shipped on to another customer.

However, since I had it lying around for a week or so, I made some pics and weighed everything for y'all. So here it is. Frame Size is an XXL. Handlebar is 120/40.

Overall quality seems perfectly OK for the price. Some minor imperfections in the carbon finishing here and there, maybe the caliper seats are not perfectly faced, BB threads are OK, bearing seats in frame and fork as well.

I have never seen a Dogma F in real life but from what I can see on the internet, it's a carbon copy. It even has the asymmetrical rear seat and chain stays as you can see in the pics.

More pics and details to follow. I also shot a few pics from inside the headtube seattube and downtube.

Cheers
Sebastian


I ordered it with custom paint, which will add some weight, I guess.

[RDY]

Hi everyone!

I promised to update everyone as soon as I received my frame. Well, it took longer than expected because there was a bit of a mishap.
Velobuild shipped my frameset after 10 days, exactly as promised. It took another three weeks for it to get to Germany. That's longer than usual but still perfectly OK.

However, upon unpacking I realized that I received a disc brake frameset when I had actually ordered the rim brake version. I sorted it out with Chris and I will now get my actual frameset. The disc brake frame will now be shipped on to another customer.

However, since I had it lying around for a week or so, I made some pics and weighed everything for y'all. So here it is. Frame Size is an XXL. Handlebar is 120/40.

Overall quality seems perfectly OK for the price. Some minor imperfections in the carbon finishing here and there, maybe the caliper seats are not perfectly faced, BB threads are OK, bearing seats in frame and fork as well.

I have never seen a Dogma F in real life but from what I can see on the internet, it's a carbon copy. It even has the asymmetrical rear seat and chain stays as you can see in the pics.

More pics and details to follow. I also shot a few pics from inside the headtube seattube and downtube.

Cheers
Sebastian


I ordered it with custom paint, which will add some weight, I guess.

If you have some a spare wheel and 30 or 32mm tire laying around, check to see if it fits.  They're claiming 32mm clearance.  Front is probably ok ... but rear ... hmm?

[Sebastian]

If you have some a spare wheel and 30 or 32mm tire laying around, check to see if it fits.  They're claiming 32mm clearance.  Front is probably ok ... but rear ... hmm?

I measured the geometry and it is exactly the same as a 57.5 Pinarello Dogma F. Velobuild’s geo sheet is actually wrong as it states that the seat tube is 57 tall. It is actually 54cm just like on the real Dogma F.

I’m currently travelling and won’t be able to check the tire clearance before next weekend. Dunno what Pinarello recommends for a Dogma F in the disc version? But I guess that would be a good indicator. Also, I think Ineos used 30mm tires on stage 5 of this year’s TdF when they rode the cobbles. So that works apparently.

[RDY]

I measured the geometry and it is exactly the same as a 57.5 Pinarello Dogma F. Velobuild’s geo sheet is actually wrong as it states that the seat tube is 57 tall. It is actually 54cm just like on the real Dogma F.

I’m currently travelling and won’t be able to check the tire clearance before next weekend. Dunno what Pinarello recommends for a Dogma F in the disc version? But I guess that would be a good indicator. Also, I think Ineos used 30mm tires on stage 5 of this year’s TdF when they rode the cobbles. So that works apparently.

Officially 28mm.  Very tight 30mm for the real Dogma F.

[michkus]

I ordered it with custom paint, which will add some weight, I guess.

Looks very nice.
I also ordered a frame in size M but in Matte carbon, so should be a bit lighter. Pretty excited and curious about how much it weights.

Also found this seatpost with 0 Setback on Aliexpress. https://de.aliexpress.com/item/1005004374653385.html?spm=a2g0s.8937460.0.0.138d2e0ehY5rQz&gatewayAdapt=glo2deu
Do you thinks it fits the frame?

[Sebastian]

Looks very nice.
I also ordered a frame in size M but in Matte carbon, so should be a bit lighter. Pretty excited and curious about how much it weights.

Also found this seatpost with 0 Setback on Aliexpress. https://de.aliexpress.com/item/1005004374653385.html?spm=a2g0s.8937460.0.0.138d2e0ehY5rQz&gatewayAdapt=glo2deu
Do you thinks it fits the frame?

I've seen that one, too. I see no reason why it shouldn't work. But you best compare the dimensions with the one that is included with the frame before you buy.

[Sebastian]

Here are a few more details.
I've made some shots from the inside of the frame. Everything looks fairly normal judging from my experience with other frames.
The headtube area has some wrinkles. Some of it might be resin pooling. Some of it might be wrinkles in carbon sheets. Make of it what you will. I've seen similar things in other frames. I think it should be fine as this is not a lightweight frame and the headtube area seems fairly overbuilt. But obviously there's no way to know for sure unless you have someone scan and/or x-ray it.