Velobuild GF-002

[coffeebreak]

To further make matters worse, I like GF-002's geometry over 707. I guess you can't have everything.

Just an update to this. Placed an order for GF-002. I liked the fact that you can have separate bar/stem and still hide cables neatly (or nearly). Besides the geometry of GF-002 is more my cup of tea.

Now the wait begins!

[NoGrip61]

The GF-003 is out, it seems!

Yes!  I have been frame shopping and modelled up a quick comparison between the 3 I'm looking at.  The GF-003 seems more mountain-bike-like with a shorter chain stay, higher stack, and a slacker front/HA.  It also has a threaded BB, which is nice.

Their IG post today: https://www.instagram.com/p/CkbuzBByXTl/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

(PS: first time poster, long time lurker)

[carbonazza]

Yes!  I have been frame shopping and modeled up a quick comparison between the 3 I'm looking at...

Nice ! What software did you use to draw them ?

[NoGrip61]

Does anyone have a good ride review to share on the GF-002?  I have been reading some feedback on YouTube on VB's road bikes that they feel "sluggish" and am wondering if they are similar.

Nice ! What software did you use to draw them ?

NX, with the sketch tool

That is super helpful! From your drawing, the difference in stack appears very small, but it's actually an 18mm difference (608vs590). But on the wheelbase (what VB calls "G") difference is 611vs626, 15mm, but on your drawing it looks bigger? Are you sure your drawing is accurate, are my eyes lying to me?

Yes, they're correct to the website.  G is the Front-Center, or BB to front axle.  They may be lol; the frames are aligned to the BB, so it shows off their differences more.  It'd be easier to see the WB if I aligned them from the rear axle.

It's hard to see, but the 003's rear axle is similar to the Carbonda.  I also mis-stated the head angle: it's actually 0.5 steeper than the 002... but that's negligible really.

(effective) Wheelbase measurements for size Large (within 1-2mm):
002: 1037.12mm
003: 1044.39mm
707: 1053.42mm

[coffeebreak]

On GF002's fork, what is this crown (first pic below) supposed to do and can I make do without it? I'm seeing that it doesn't actually sit flush with the fork base whereas the bearing is a perfect fit. Can't I just omit this crown and insert fork into head tube?

[hazzer19]

And the owner of the DNR SHREDD paint job on this forum, i think, is also v happy with his.

Yes I can confirm, still very happy with the GF-002. It's a bit more relaxed than my GF-001, but for gravel that's not a bad thing. I just mounted fenders for the first time on this frame as it's that time of year here, and having the additional fork eyelets is really nice as I had a bit of a hack job on the GF-001. Definitely intrigued by the GF-003 and CX-002 as well, although the lack of fender mounts on the CX-002 may be a dealbreaker for me.

[hazzer19]

What's your take on the geometry difference / best use cases for the GF002 vs GF003?

I see you also have a 168. Given the 2x you have on the gravel, how do you think the bike would feel as a substitude for a road bike if you put road wheels on it? I'm thinking of buying a GF2 or 3 instead of a 177, but most of my riding is still going to be on the road so i'd like something capable.

What wheelset are you running? It looks quite deep, and pretty awesome. Most gravel wheelsets are pretty shallow.

Here's a breakdown of all three VB gravel frames from my pov.


I would say the GF-001 is for someone that wants to go faster either on gravel or on slicks for commuting. I've run 28's on it and it felt pretty zippy. I've also seen someone with a really nice light build they used for competitive CX racing: shorturl.at/glY59


The GF-002 would probably be better for more chunky gravel and technical stuff if you're into single track. It has way more mounts (under the down tube, fork, front and rear fender eyelets) so great for bike packing/touring. It also uses a standard 27.2 seatpost which is important for some.


As to geometry differences between the GF-002 and GF-003 (because it has a lot of the features the GF-003 has), here is a comparison tool I loaded with the dimensions for a medium listed on VB's site: shorturl.at/jlxNZ Use the Swap Bikes button to go between the two.


Wheels on my GF-002 are 40mm CSC tubeless. Not too many gravel builds with deeper wheels, but it's fun haha

[coffeebreak]

True. ICAN has a specific model in their Aero line-up that's wide and deep (45mm I think) for gravel. All other Aeros are thin, for road.

[coffeebreak]

BB and crankset installation day and a bit confused what is the ideal way. Those who have front derailleur installed, how have you routed the cable - under the BB or over the BB (pic 1 vs 2)?

Also, these two grommets/narrow mouthed hoses in third picture that came with the frame (noticing just now) where they are supposed to go? The longer one looks like cable stop but not sure.

[coffeebreak]

Confirmed that the two small parts are cable stops/guides for front derailleur. But I wasn't able to utilize them and received this answer "You can use either one" from Chris for my detailed questions and back and forth over the email. None of those nozzles fit tightly into the hole for cable.
Decided not to use those and hack something else to fit. From the local hardware store I bought 3 parts.

1. A rubber grommet.
2. A small flanged spacer
3. A slightly bigger flanged spacer than above.

The spacers are sized such that the smaller one inserts into bigger one and since both of them are flanged, my idea was to sandwich frame material between the two.
It worked perfectly.

Basically the larger spacer went into the hole from inside the frame with little circus and then I inserted the smaller one along with the rubber grommer into the bigger one which was now sticking out from the frame.

This created a nice tight guide for the cable and also closed any gap around the spacers.

[hazzer19]

Nice work on finding a solution! Part of the process...

[coffeebreak]

Definitely. And frankly I am okay with it. The build is coming off nicely, just waiting for brakes and other misc bits and pieces. Wish I had planned for parts in a better manner.
Weather in Seattle is incredible for despite being mid November and I’m missing out on outdoor rides. Oh well.

Also an update on C ring and dust cap fitting about 1.7mm above the top of head tube - from a machinist friend I got my dust cap/base sanded off by a 0.6-0.7mm on the inside (outer part is untouched but the part that rests on C ring is now deeper by 0.7mm) this has solved the problem of unnecessarily large gap.

The dust cap now sits just about 1mm above head tube. There is no headset play after tightening the top cap.

Anyone having same issue - this something that I won’t recommend doing at home with Dremel (like I originally thought and quickly abandoned ship).

Edit: update on cable routing too - the whole BB shell area is massive on GF002 frame with relaxed angles. The cable for FD can be routed ABOVE the bottom bracket without crazy angles. In fact I tried both options (above and below BB) and routing above BB is less angular than from below.

[coffeebreak]

Are there any torque specifications for all the screws on this frame? Or should I just refer to my other bikes? My Roubaix has torque specs everywhere.

[coffeebreak]

My GF-002 build is complete.

Some observations:

1. The painting of the frame took 2 weeks like Chris said. After it was painted, though, the shipping was fast. From China to my doorstep in Seattle it took exact 5 days.

2. Paint quality itself is satisfactory. The paint matches 90-95% with what I had in mind and has no obvious flaws that I could notice. All the screw/bolt holes were devoid of any paint and didn't have to clean anything.

3. Bottom bracket was not included in the box. Chris sent it after about a week. I decided not to use it anyway and got Token Ninja thread together model off of Amazon for $50.

4. I went with separate stem and handlebar combo thinking that it would be easier to route cables - big mistake. The internal cable routing was a nightmare. It was my first bike build so experience was lacking too but in the hindsight I should have just bought integrated handlebar. I am sure it couldn't be any more difficult than what I went through. On top, the frame came without any cable guides. Anyway, lesson learnt.
Also the compression-less SRAM brake cables caused more friction once I routed the cables than the cheapo cables that I got from LBS in the end. After multiple attempts at making SRAM cables work I gave up. So much time wasted and no returns, not to mention extremely hard to route. All the cables currently are moving freely without much friction and I am happy.

5. Apart from missing BB, rest of my order was complete with nothing missing. I got extra headset spacers, RD hangar, bottle cages.

6. The headset dust cap needed to be filed a little on the inside (previous few comments in this thread, for more detail) before it fit flush.

7. For my 183cm height, the seat tube is almost too tall. I have set it to lowest marking (10) and it is still a tad bit tall. My frame is size L.

8. The rear triangle of the frame does not accommodate post mount TRP HY/RD brakes with flat mount adapters. I learnt that the hard way. I don't think it is a problem on VB' side though. The TRPs are massive. They came off of my donor bike and I was disappointed that they did not fit. This caused me to order Onirii BR-05 set that took almost 20 days to deliver! Word of caution, if you are planning on using PM brakes with FM adapter, those either might not fit or will be too close to upper arm of the triangle for comfort.

9. The FD cable routing is confusing and the parts supplied by VB aren't a good fit. I used rubber grommets from a local h/w store to route FD cable to my liking.

10. No torque markings on any screws. I referred to my other CF bike for all the screws and used a torque wrench bought from Amazon.

11. Didn't want to risk anything and used carbon paste on seat post, handlebar/stem.

12. Token Ninja BB is a god sent gift. The fit is excellent and installation was a breeze.


Took almost a month but that's a blame on my part for not ordering right parts from get go, with those damn brakes taking frustratingly long time. Unlike most builds here, it is a mechanical build with parts that came off of a donor bike. Parts that did not come from donor were bought from Craigslist, OfferUp etc while brakes, misc. bits and pieces came from AliExpress.

And now the pictures from maiden ride today. It rides amazingly well. For my novice hands, the way it came together in the end, makes me proud.

[gandalf]

Nice one! What frame size is this one?

My GF-002 build is complete.

Some observations:

1. The painting of the frame took 2 weeks like Chris said. After it was painted, though, the shipping was fast. From China to my doorstep in Seattle it took exact 5 days.

2. Paint quality itself is satisfactory. The paint matches 90-95% with what I had in mind and has no obvious flaws that I could notice. All the screw/bolt holes were devoid of any paint and didn't have to clean anything.

3. Bottom bracket was not included in the box. Chris sent it after about a week. I decided not to use it anyway and got Token Ninja thread together model off of Amazon for $50.

4. I went with separate stem and handlebar combo thinking that it would be easier to route cables - big mistake. The internal cable routing was a nightmare. It was my first bike build so experience was lacking too but in the hindsight I should have just bought integrated handlebar. I am sure it couldn't be any more difficult than what I went through. On top, the frame came without any cable guides. Anyway, lesson learnt.
Also the compression-less SRAM brake cables caused more friction once I routed the cables than the cheapo cables that I got from LBS in the end. After multiple attempts at making SRAM cables work I gave up. So much time wasted and no returns, not to mention extremely hard to route. All the cables currently are moving freely without much friction and I am happy.

5. Apart from missing BB, rest of my order was complete with nothing missing. I got extra headset spacers, RD hangar, bottle cages.

6. The headset dust cap needed to be filed a little on the inside (previous few comments in this thread, for more detail) before it fit flush.

7. For my 183cm height, the seat tube is almost too tall. I have set it to lowest marking (10) and it is still a tad bit tall. My frame is size L.

8. The rear triangle of the frame does not accommodate post mount TRP HY/RD brakes with flat mount adapters. I learnt that the hard way. I don't think it is a problem on VB' side though. The TRPs are massive. They came off of my donor bike and I was disappointed that they did not fit. This caused me to order Onirii BR-05 set that took almost 20 days to deliver! Word of caution, if you are planning on using PM brakes with FM adapter, those either might not fit or will be too close to upper arm of the triangle for comfort.

9. The FD cable routing is confusing and the parts supplied by VB aren't a good fit. I used rubber grommets from a local h/w store to route FD cable to my liking.

10. No torque markings on any screws. I referred to my other CF bike for all the screws and used a torque wrench bought from Amazon.

11. Didn't want to risk anything and used carbon paste on seat post, handlebar/stem.

12. Token Ninja BB is a god sent gift. The fit is excellent and installation was a breeze.


Took almost a month but that's a blame on my part for not ordering right parts from get go, with those damn brakes taking frustratingly long time. Unlike most builds here, it is a mechanical build with parts that came off of a donor bike. Parts that did not come from donor were bought from Craigslist, OfferUp etc while brakes, misc. bits and pieces came from AliExpress.

And now the pictures from maiden ride today. It rides amazingly well. For my novice hands, the way it came together in the end, makes me proud.