Velobuild VB-R-168 Frame

[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 

[Eddy_Twerckx]

How recessed is the top recessed bearing? Can anybody measure? I attached a picture of what I mean. Basically, how far below the edge of the frame does the bearing rest?

[TCal]

I’d say mine looks about the same as that. I don’t have a vernier caliper but to my eye mine looks about .5mm. 

[ZacItaly15]

This is my ride, 7,5kg in size 54

[Serge_K]

AFAIK, these bearings can be found on AliX in 2 heights. P16 & P16-8. From memory, 1 is 1mm taller than the other. TBH, having built quite a few of these now, i think either works, the slack can be adjusted with the headset cap, spacers, removing materials and so on. shims are easier to add than it is to remove material, obviously.

[wolfiwolf]

Hello,

i've recently received my 168-frameset including the integrated handlebar. As already mentioned earlier in this thread, the alloy milled top cap does not really fit nicely to the integrated stem. My only current solution is to run the cockpit with a conventional top cap, which is not the nicest solution. Does anybody have an idea how to optimize this? Is there a 3D-printable model for a better fitting top cap somewhere?
Thanks!

[ZacItaly15]

I used a 2,5mm traditional fork spacer...

Nasty but...it works!

[Sikter89]

Sorry if asked before, but does the zero offset seatpost of vbr 268 fit on 168?