Does anyone know what these fasteners are called in stem portion that clamp to the fork, and where I can get a new set, other than VB?  Mine are stripped out, and would like something of higher quality.  TIA

You're welcome!

Updates: CX is here!  Overall, still really happy with the bike. 

Issue: I'm not sure if it's headset related, but I have an issue where the stem loosens up over the course of a 2 hour ride, especially if it's a bumpy washboard gravel ride or a single-track ride.  From reading other forums about this topic, I think it may actually be the integrated handlebar stem clamp that may be the issue.  I'll keep playing around with it.  I upgraded the compression plug to a 90mm unit which seems to help, but overall, the system doesn't want to stay tight; the standard compression plug keep creeping up the steerer tube about 3mm.  I also managed to strip out the stem hardward, so I'll have to get a better set.   

Tires: I also upgraded to some 40mm Pirelli Cinturato Gravel-M tires since the PP38's were just not gripping enough for me off road, likely since I'm used to 2.4/60mm MTB tires..  These definitely solve that issue.  BRR says they roll slightly slower than the PP38's, but I think it's negligible, and the cornering speed is only a little slower than my xc bike! 

I also did a CX race with it.  I took off the 48T chain ring for extra clearance, so I was left with a 1x: 31 x 11-34, which was plenty for me at my current fitness level.  I'm still getting used to bunny hopping on drop bars, but overall, the frame is nice and sturdy!  The headset and stem were a little rattly at the end tho, so I'll keep fiddling with it.   

Cool build and great job on the paint!  That marble effect is wild!

Quick update: If you're running VB's supplied headset and c-clip, then be advised that if you ordered before June 2023, you may have an older style C-Clip.  As documented on other VB bikes in this forum, there was a headset play issue that is largely resolved with the newer notched style c-clip.  I say this to be cautious, though it really is not there on my build at least.
https://chinertown.com/index.php/topic,4183.0.html

Quote from: NoGrip61 on June 10, 2023, 07:45:03 PMThere is a slight creak when I stand on it and mash the pedals, but I think I just need to retighten the headset bolt (things may have settled) and put some carbon paste on the steerer tube.  I'll report back if this fixes the minor issue.

t
After several rides and tightening things down more, it seems that's all it was: my stem/bars were not torqued properly.  I also added some carbon paste to help there.  The only thing that rattles now are the GRX levers, which is a common problem lol.  So, I think this notched C-clip helps with the headset play issue - I am not experiencing any right out of the box on my new build.

Quote from: jonathanf2 on July 10, 2023, 10:56:47 AM
I've tried this with another carbon wheelset and unfortunately the decals imprinted onto the carbon, leaving a faint trace of the logo. No amount of goof-off could get it off. Did you have this issue when you removed the logos on the Elite wheelset?

No, they surprisingly came off without a trace. The heat gun did a lot of the heavy lifting.  There are 2 goof-off's, regular and Professional.  The pro one was what helped get the remaining residue, but definitely wear a mask or respirator when using it.

And ya, I should have requested no decals, oh well.

I removed Elite Wheels painted on logo's with a heat gun (and scraping with a paper towel) and goof-off pro...  It was a real chore.  Stickers can be done with hair dryer.

Quote from: s3si1u on July 03, 2023, 02:00:28 PM
Stick a camera in the frame and see what's up. You can get them fairly cheap online.

x2 ^^, or a metal coat hanger, or old shift cable wire?

My CX-002 had a very small opening for the rear shift cable, such that I couldn't push the foam cable housing insulation further than about half way down the chain stay.  I think the cavity got smaller to only allow a cable housing.  I pushed the rear shift housing from the rear of the bike to the front, so that that made it a little easier, so maybe the LBS can do that?

Quote from: gofasterstripes on June 26, 2023, 03:23:52 AM
velobuild quote the max tyre size as 42mm is this realistic?

I would say so.  Here are a few of mine with 25mm road tires and 38mm pathfinder pro knobby gravel tires.  Lots of clearance left.

If you're using 105, why not use shimano hydro calipers?  Maybe a used set or a local new-take-off set?

Cable disc calipers are OK, but if you have the option, go hydro.  Ltwoo also just released a hydro groupset, so you may be able to get the calipers by themselves.  Initial reviews appear to be pretty good and take shimano pads.

Initial Ride impressions:
Disclaimer: I come from a mountain biking background, and I am getting more into road biking, so, my opinion of the CX-002 may be less refined than others about road bike differences.  Also, a road bike is a road bike to me since they're all way more efficient than a mtn bike.  I have an XC hard tail with 2.35/60mm tires, so I didn't want to build a bike that would overstep its intended use; the XC bike can do gravel, but not as quickly.

Road manners:
I took it out for a road ride to put it through its paces at the local riding "spot" and it handled itself wonderfully!  The Modern CX geo is really a nice hybrid between a road bike and a gravel bike. 
Compared to my 2013 Trek Madone which has "compact geometry" (which I feel is too extreme for me, but it is a rocket ship on road), this bike feels a little more "lazy" in steering and agility, but this was expected.  The CX's BB height is only 2mm taller which isn't really noticeable, but I'm still getting used to the bike, so higher speed tighter turns will take some getting used to.
The WB is 40mm longer, which makes it more stable.  This is especially noticeable on high speed downhill sweepers. The CX is also about 2lbs heavier, so that was noticeable (esp with the added gear), but for my riding style and what I want out of this bike, I am OK with that.

Gravel manners:
This thing really is at home off road.  Like Pat said, it is really comfortable on rough roads, dirt roads, and on double track.  I have about 30 miles of off-pavement experience on these 38mm Pathfinder Pro's, and they seem to be a good match for this bike.  The bike soaked up all the small bumps very well and was a nice place to be.  It was really stable on the dirt road downhill turns and I felt confident maintaining a decent amount of speed.  I feel it could do more once I learn the tires a little better.  I did slip the front end once on a loose over pavement turn-in, but I was able to catch it and keep going thanks to the Longer WB (compared to the road bike).

Again, overall, I'm really happy with the frame selection and what I'm getting out of it.  Is this a crit racer? no.  Is this a long adventure bike, not really.  Is it a gravel race bike?  Maybe, tho the BB offset could be lower.   Is its a nice quiver killer for a road/gravel/cx bike?  I think so.  I was inspired by the YT'er "outdoorbros" and his reviews of the Specialized Crux as a dual purpose gravel & road bike and "quiver-killer".  I think with CX bikes (as a subset) modern geo's, this is more possible than in years past when BB drops of 60-65, causing them to be pretty twitchy.

Over time I may upgrade the groupset and other components, but honestly the mech/hydro GRX810 2x11 setup is pretty nice.  The 48/31 chainring gearing is great for solo rides.  I'll have to an end of season review after a CX race or 2.

Quote from: coffeebreak on June 11, 2023, 02:41:51 PM
Beautiful retro modern paint job! Love this. I'm right now going back and forth between two VB frames since I don't have a clear goal in mind but want something fast with 32c tire support. So this one and 177 are in contention. I'll be keen to know how it rides on the road and what tires are you using for road.

Thanks!  My wheel and tire specs are above ^^

I was looking at the 168 before the CX-002 came out and it also states a 32mm tire clearance; however, a few members on here were showing that knobby 32mm gravel tires would come too close the frame and fork.  Therefore, I think it'll be really tire dependent.  The Pathfinder Pro's (they come in 32's) can and will stretch out over time, so if they are rubbing at nominal when new, then with any frame flex or dimensional stack up differences, they would easily eat into the frame; also need to consider mud/dirt clearance.  My wife has 38mm Pathfinder Sports that I measured at 40mm, so I am expecting my 38's to do the same over time.  I would think a less knobby tire like the GK SS' or an endurance tire would do better and fit in the 168/177 frame.  I wanted to run the pathfinder pro's for added confidence while turning at speed on dirt roads and single track, so it was too risky for me to get a 168 even with the 32 PP's.  If VB made a 35mm clearance road/endurance bike like the Canyon's, then I probably would have chosen that, but honestly, I think this CX-002 IS that bike... it's kind of an aero CX bike... which CX bikes aren't usually aero.

168 tire clearance shots and discussion:
https://chinertown.com/index.php/topic,3147.msg41295.html#msg41295

Ok the bike is finally finished! 

Goal:
What started as a want for a road bike in 2021, and wanting to build a bike from the frame up, led to a livery design in search of a frame... then buying a used road bike... and then determining that I would be better on something dirt-road capable of riding longer distances safely.  So the goal was to get a reasonably fast dual-purpose road+gravel bike that could also withstand 1-2 CX races if I felt like it; IE: surviving bunny hops. Ideally, something like the Airwolf 066 (Rinescalte Granite) would have been more ideal, but I was not a fan of how it looks (subjective!).

DIY Spray-paint job:
The Livery (paint job) is a throw-back to late 70's - mid 80's race cars and sport bikes.  I did all of the striping by hand with 1/16" tape and spray paint.  I think I'll document my paint process for anyone who wants to read how it can be done – lots of lessons learned from over the years applied here that I want to write down for DIY'ing a spray paint job.  That may require it's own post if anyone's interested.  I initially asked if VB could paint it, but they didn't want to do the rounded corners of the stripes, which was critical to the design, so that's why they sent it in primer.  It's no fault of theirs since this was a complicated paint job.
1.  To start, the inside of the (exterior) frame was sanded down to the carbon and sprayed in Spraymax 2K Matte clear (posted above). 
2.  Then taped for the outer parts.  The white is Honda/Acura's Platinum White Pearl (NH-883P), which has a red and blue flake in it. I wanted a metallic white that wasn't too creamy/pearly in color.  I applied a light coat of Spraymax 2K clear. 
3.  After letting that cure, I sanded it very lightly with 1000 grit just to give the paint something to stick to.  Then I did the hand striping ... which took a while to get straight and then symmetric.  The blue's are from Montana Gold, then finished with 2K spraymax.  Unfortunately, the Montana Gold is a bit dusty, so some paint dust got in the final clear coat .. But it's only noticeable at 3 feet away. 
4.  After that stage cured, I applied an Invisiframe's Generic CX/Gravel kit to protect the sensitive area's.  I think the sizing matched the frame pretty well, with some clever ingenuity needed at the top of the seat stay and the back of the seat tube for the wheel indent.  Maybe an SL7 kit may fit better?

Assembly:
This is the first road bike I've assembled, and the integrated bars with the full hydro/mech drivetrain was a bit of a chore, but after a lot of wrestling, I figured it out.

Bike Specs:
- VB-CX-002, Size 56, with top tube mounts.  Final weights without pedals or accessories:
-- Gravel: 8.655kg/19.08lbs
-- Road: 8.475kg/18.68lbs
-- Weight with accessories and pedals: ~22lbs
- Integrated bars, 110x440, 10mm spacer
- Rider: 6'1", 185cm, 34" inseam - perfect fit and standover.  Kind of like an older style frame with a nearly horizontal top tube.
- (Used) GRX-810 2x drivetrain.  48/31 Chainrings, 11-34T, 11S, 172.5 crank arms
- Token Ninja Bottom Bracket - thread together style
- Elite ENT Wheels 50 deep x 27ow 17iw, upgraded spokes, 25mm GP5K TLS, tubeless
- Elite ENT Wheels 30deep x 28ow x 18iw, Pathfinder Pro 38mm, tubeless
- 160mm SRAM rotors
- Jagwire LEX-SL cable housing (min bend radius: 25mm)
- Lyne Components bottle cages and Holy Rail tool bag kit
- Fiziks 3.0 Bondcore cush tape

Road and Gravel ride impressions coming mid-week, but so far I am really happy with it

Update: I dremelled a similar slot to the new design from VB on my "gen 2" C-Ring and I believe it worked!  I just built up a CX-002 with the full internal handlebars and after road ride and a 40 mile gravel/rough-road/dirt-road ride, I think it's safe to say there is no headset play or rattles.  There is a slight creak when I stand on it and mash the pedals, but I think I just need to retighten the headset bolt (things may have settled) and put some carbon paste on the steerer tube.  I'll report back if this fixes the minor issue.

Additional notes:
I DIY spray painted my bike and did not mask off the headset bearing area, so there's a little build up of paint there, which takes up some of the gap around the bearing.  I think some loctite 638 retaining compound may help if your frame is not painted there and has gaps.  Or tape, per Pat's suggestion.

I think I have the 2nd generation... If that's the only change (appears to be the case), then I may try to cut a slit/groove in mine to see if it helps since I'm building the bike this weekend.