a direct hanger has advantages over a regular one for Shimano rear derailleurs on top of being lighter.

Yes, exactly. Slightly better shifting, and lighter.
Plus longer term i wonder what if Velobuild didn’t stock them or whatever. Having another source to get parts is always helpful.

I know this was asked like a year ago, but thought I would follow up. Has anyone tried and found a direct mount derailleur hanger that works for the vbr168?
Stumbled on these on Ali and was tempted, but not sure about if any would work.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004545854616.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.3.5a3b571ahIjVub&algo_pvid=a151bde9-9936-474b-8420-aaf6402c1a0b&algo_exp_id=a151bde9-9936-474b-8420-aaf6402c1a0b-1&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22sku_id%22%3A%2212000029559594136%22%7D&pdp_npi=3%40dis%21CAD%2118.46%216.19%21%21%21%21%21%40211bd8be16764112249635138d0763%2112000029559594136%21sea%21CA%210&curPageLogUid=VkTffr2goehC

It's done

Velobuild VB-R-168
SRAM Force AXS Disc 12v
Cassete 10-33
Crankset 46/33 - 165mm
Elitewheels Drive 50D
Pedals - Favero Assioma Duo
Tires Continental GP5000 Cream 25c
Tubolitos
Bartape Lizardskins 1.8mm
Garmin Edge 830
Garmin Varia RTL515

Weight: 7.6kg
(With pedals, garmin mount and bottle cages)

Looks great!

My 168 raked more than 9000km outdoor and indoor now. No issues other than creaking headset.

And recently, I've tried to change its attitude. And it worked! Here it is.

Conti Terra Speed 650x35B on Hunt Adventure Sport wheels.

This looks great! 650b and 35mm gravel tires is a great idea!
How does it feel on the gravel?

Anyone else had problems like this here in the forum?

Yeah I had this issue, was impossible to get the calipers to align properly as they were kinda twisted at an angle. I could get it so close, but never right. This week I took it in and got the mounts faced (cost $70 cad) and completely fixed it. Then I had the calipers set up and aligned in minutes.
At first I was a touch annoyed at Velobuild for not doing it at the factory. But since I have talked to a bunch of bike mechanics and they basically all said it’s just part of building up a brand new frame - regardless of price.
I think sometimes maybe we assume things aren’t done cause it’s a cheap frame from china. When in reality a lot of  these things and little issues are just industry wide. But when buying a complete bike, someone has already dealt with a resolved them. Obviously that’s just my opinion haha

Just returned from my VB-168 maiden voyage. Hooray seatpost clamp finally arrived. Did a quick 45km jaunt and here are my initial thoughts. Naturally my opinion will probably change over time...

1. As a "complete" build, I consider the 168 an "everyday" aero bike. It doesn't punish you by being too harsh, and neither is it flexy.

2. No creeks, rattles, or headset play. This is a combination of using a quality threaded BB, cable sound insulation, and the FSA headset working as intended. I also used light thread-locker on both derailleur hanger bolts.

3. No brake rub issues. I purchased brand new Shimano Ultegra rotors and aligning the calipers to them was super easy. Shimano is known to sell rotors that still need to be slightly "trued" upon arrival, but in this case I suppose I won truing lottery. I haven't been so lucky in the past...

4. I am still an advocate that quality wheels are more important than a frame. But I will also include having a proper bike fit and really paying attention to the decision of components at the contact points (saddle and handlebars). A frameset is only one aspect of the complete ride experience, albeit a critical one. As a complete bike with my current components, and assuming everything continues to work as intended, the 168 is a solid value if budget is really tight and if you can only have "one" bike. It doesn't have the same feeling of "urgency" as my Winspace T1500 or Allez Sprint which want you to go fast all the time, and that's okay. Those frames cost 3-4x more and wheels/tire/tube selection also play a huge role. The 168 frame wont be the reason your performance suffers I can assure you...

Regarding the topic of facing the caliper mounts (and subsequently the bottom bracket and headset opening) I spoke to a professional bike mechanic earlier today, who mostly deals with high-end bikes for competitive racing of all disciplines. He says it's very common for new frames from major brands to arrive needing to be faced. Do what you want with this information LoL

Of course my personal experiences and industry conversations are purely anecdotal. I've been fortunate not have any brake rub issues on any of builds due to caliper facing issues. And this is regardless of whether or not a brand actually faced the mounts from the factory. I was concerned my 168 would have facing issues, but the brand new set of trued rotors immediately solved that issue.

I'll follow up in a couple of weeks. Probably.

Thanks for the great review! Appreciate your thoughts. And looking forward to your YouTube videos as well.
I agree on the facing. I have been asking a few friends in the industry and have been told the identical feedback as you. I got a quote from my local shop and they said $70 to do mine. That seems fair to
me.

My caliper mounts are not faced either.... Nightmare!

There is NOT ONE single shop in Sweden that carries these tools required. 2 shops have the Park tool DT 5.2 but they are missing the crucial part, the diamond cutter accessory, meaning they can only face alloy and steel frames and NOT carbon.

I mean sure it is expensive, but for a shop buying at much lower prices and not a single shop carrying these precious items... Real bummer! Will have to use a file and do it manually.

That’s super annoying! I called almost every bike shop in my city to find one that had the tool. But thankfully I did.
Seems like a tool most bike shops should have, considering the instructions on most even high end  frames say to face the brakes on a new build. My buddy ordered a new Factor frame only online and it says to face the brakes on first build.

...just waiting for my saddle clamp to arrive 
The seat post is being propped up by cardboard inside the frame for photo purposes LoL

Looks awesome! Nice build