Velobuild VB-R-218

[Spidermonkey]

You mean the threads in the one piece Handlebar for the grub screws, right? I had no issues with these. But there was one other forum member posting here who stripped the threads there after using Loctite. I think it’s safe to say that everything that is threaded on this frame should be met with a lot of caution. The material is not particularly durable and the threads are not particularly clean.

Yes, I finally got a picture of them. They now thread in securely without any issue. Have to be SUPER CAREFUL with threads into composite. Definitely going to use lubricant instead of Loctite.
I did also start cable routing the handle bars. That was pretty tough.

[Sebastian]

Yes, I was referring to the inner limit screw (thanks for adding in the outer limit description, which helps)

My inner screw is buried so deep that even back it out all the way & turning it does not move the FD until you really crank it several turns & that is why I think its damaged

I will double check everything per your posts, so I can get the shifting to where I would like it

It's hard to diagnose your FD without ever having seen it.
Maybe have a look here:
It's an 11sp FD but the principle is identical.

If your FD doesn't move at all upon turning the inner limit screw, I'm afraid it might just be terminally damaged.

[madmax]

Did you post a link ? It's not showing up

I contacted the Campagnolo US office & they were very nice & agreed to replace the inner & outer limit screws on the FD at no charge sometime in Feb & that will resolve that

1. Looks like I will have to pull the cranks & turn bike upside down & figure out what is causing all the creaking & rubbing noise
It might be the bolt, though the noise should have happened sooner or maybe the cable foam housing is hitting the spindle somewhere, when theres load on the pedals (aka uphill)

2. Front fork has a weird squeak, when riding on the hoods & going slightly uphill & sound like a bearing or race.

No lateral play in either case above, so probably a case of regrease & correct torque on cranks & compression plug on steerer

Overall, still very pleased with the way the build turned out & its a nice enjoyable ride.
I did take the time today to focus on the shifting and feel and when to use the trim and I must say the groupset is remarkably smooth and feels really nice


Edit #1
I did look at the same YouTube video you posted above & that helped me align & finalize the FD set up

Crank squeak is caused by the wavy ring on the non-drive side arm.
Per another YouTube, this is due to minor play on one side  in the Ultra Torque cup design when the spindle is inserted  with wavy ring & this is by design and the only solution is to remove arm on one side & grease, reattach & insert bolt & torque  up  40-60nm

My issue is probably caused by setting torque to 42nm, as I did not have the strength to go any higher & will probably get someone to  hold frame when I set it to 50nm & that should resolve the  issue

Handlebar.  I will probably remove this & re-grease the bearing & make sure the race is sitting correctly & everything is torqued correctly.

[hurburt]

Heyo guys,
long time no see.

I have been riding my vb-218 since last september pretty much exclusively.
I just got home from a ride yesterday and today I wanted to hop on and take it for a spin, but I observed the following: see the pic.

there is a small crack in the carbon near the lower seatpost screw. I have not changed my saddleheight in quite a while and tightened it with 3-4nm only. So im guessing the frame is gone then?

I rode in around 0 degrees c in winter and my bike made some weird noises in those very cold temps. But i thaught that was the saddle rails or something like that.

How did you repair yours sebastian? And would you mind giving me a crashcourse in your trades ? Also you think this is a warranty claim worthy case?

[abedfo]

Heyo guys,
long time no see.

I have been riding my vb-218 since last september pretty much exclusively.
I just got home from a ride yesterday and today I wanted to hop on and take it for a spin, but I observed the following: see the pic.

there is a small crack in the carbon near the lower seatpost screw. I have not changed my saddleheight in quite a while and tightened it with 3-4nm only. So im guessing the frame is gone then?

I rode in around 0 degrees c in winter and my bike made some weird noises in those very cold temps. But i thaught that was the saddle rails or something like that.

How did you repair yours sebastian? And would you mind giving me a crashcourse in your trades ? Also you think this is a warranty claim worthy case?

I was wondering if that is just a crack in the clear coat? if all warranty options etc fail you may as well sand that little area and see if the carbon is compromised. If it isn't just cover the sanded area in nail varnish to seal.

[Sebastian]

Heyo guys,
long time no see.

I have been riding my vb-218 since last september pretty much exclusively.
I just got home from a ride yesterday and today I wanted to hop on and take it for a spin, but I observed the following: see the pic.

there is a small crack in the carbon near the lower seatpost screw. I have not changed my saddleheight in quite a while and tightened it with 3-4nm only. So im guessing the frame is gone then?

I rode in around 0 degrees c in winter and my bike made some weird noises in those very cold temps. But i thaught that was the saddle rails or something like that.

How did you repair yours sebastian? And would you mind giving me a crashcourse in your trades ? Also you think this is a warranty claim worthy case?

Un-Tighten an Re-Tighten the seat clamp screws slowly and see if you can make out any movement in the crack.
It's a bit of a weird spot because it appears to be below where the seatpost wedge actually expands. Also, examine the inside for cracks.

If you're sure that it's actually a structural crack, definitely make a warranty claim with VB.
Mine was replaced under warranty. Chris asked me to sand away the paint to expose the crack. But that shouldn't be necessary with yours.

[madmax]

Creaking is bad despite best attempts to lube the crank (non-ds) & skewers

AT this point I will have to start dismantling the bike & re-lube & re-torque everything as I think the bike shop really messed it up despite me printing out the specs for the Dogma F12 & leaving it with them & giving them original Pinarello compression plugs & screws etc etc

I did find these 2 links that were useful and may help someone else.

https://bicycleuniverse.com/why-is-my-bike-is-making-a-creaking-noise-when-pedaling/

https://bicycleuniverse.com/creak-bike-10-things-worth-checking/


Last option would be the Elite-Drive wheels, but since the creak only happens when I pedal & there is zero play in the crank, I'm thinking they messed up the drive side crank or UT cups & I had better remove & lube those & tighten them back & check handlebar/pedals & cassette lockring

[Sebastian]

Creaking is bad despite best attempts to lube the crank (non-ds) & skewers

AT this point I will have to start dismantling the bike & re-lube & re-torque everything as I think the bike shop really messed it up despite me printing out the specs for the Dogma F12 & leaving it with them & giving them original Pinarello compression plugs & screws etc etc

I did find these 2 links that were useful and may help someone else.

https://bicycleuniverse.com/why-is-my-bike-is-making-a-creaking-noise-when-pedaling/

https://bicycleuniverse.com/creak-bike-10-things-worth-checking/


Last option would be the Elite-Drive wheels, but since the creak only happens when I pedal & there is zero play in the crank, I'm thinking they messed up the drive side crank or UT cups & I had better remove & lube those & tighten them back & check handlebar/pedals & cassette lockring

Try swapping you wheels with different ones for a test and see if that makes a difference.
There's not much you can mess up when assembling an UT crankset. Drive side just goes straight in. NDS goes in together with a wavy washer.
Maybe make a video so we can hear what it sounds like?
Also: Is the retaining clip inserted correctly on the drive side BB cup?
And you could also try and pop the seals out of the BB cups. I always take those out since they do nothing but add drag. But I doubt that they would cause a creak like that.

[madmax]

Removed the non drive side crank & then tried to remove the UT cup
To my surprise the whole aluminum BB insert/shell started moving & now I'm fairly certain that was the cause of the creak

Is this frame even safe to use anymore ?

See image.  The video is too large to post

[Yunglord]

that looks like it is completely separated from the frame.
Warranty request and hopefully Velobuild helps you out.

[Spidermonkey]

Thanks everyone for their help so far!
I am doing cable routing now and have a question about this plastic insert for the rear mech. How did you get internally routed cables around/through this?
The hole is too small to feed the cable housing through. Does the cable housing terminate internally there and then a smaller section goes from this plastic insert to the mech interface?

[madmax]

Thanks everyone for their help so far!
I am doing cable routing now and have a question about this plastic insert for the rear mech. How did you get internally routed cables around/through this?
The hole is too small to feed the cable housing through. Does the cable housing terminate internally there and then a smaller section goes from this plastic insert to the mech interface?

Remove plastic insert at rear and run cable through
Use a small drill bit on insert after its remove and enlarge the hole a bit
Put insert back on cable and into hole

[madmax]

that looks like it is completely separated from the frame.
Warranty request and hopefully Velobuild helps you out.

I emailed Velo and Chris said to epoxy/resin it and will follow up with an email next week
The problem is I can’t remove the cups now nor do I have the tools to remove the inserts to glue them back

I may also reach out to bb infinite an get their threaded inserts and use those as they are much higher quality

The campagnolo cups were threaded in with antiseize and torqued at 35nm per spec
The cranks were installed and the bolt greased and set to 50nm per spec

If the insert was correctly bonded to the carbon frame it should not have separated out

I put the crank back in for now and it runs smoothly but will creak when I pedal, so I won’t use the bike for now

So now its either a replacement frame or get someone to get the inserts out and use adhesive to bond it back after checking frame for cracks and let that cure for a days before reinstalling cups and cranks

[carbonazza]

I emailed Velo and Chris said to epoxy/resin it and will follow up with an email next week...

What a service. Don't let them go with this.
Ask for a warranty replacement, nothing else.

It happened once to a kid's bike I've built from Peter.
He replaced it immediately, no question asked.

[coffeebreak]

Thanks everyone for their help so far!
I am doing cable routing now and have a question about this plastic insert for the rear mech. How did you get internally routed cables around/through this?
The hole is too small to feed the cable housing through. Does the cable housing terminate internally there and then a smaller section goes from this plastic insert to the mech interface?

You don't actually need that hard plastic insert in that place. You only need a small rubber gasket to plug the area around cable outer once it has exited from the hole. If you pull it out it will come off.

 I'm kinda surprised that piece is attached to RD cable exit. On my frame it came in a pouch with other bits and pieces while a tiny rubber grommet was inserted into that hole. Since it's rubber, it expands and fits snuggly once cable housing has come out. I'll send you a picture in a bit. If you don't have it, it's fairly easy thing to get from hardware store.