Velobuild VB-R-177

[Drarak]

Hi, very nice bike.
I've put another 80 miles into mine and I think it's great. No problems whatsoever.
Where do you get the silicone seat post ring from?
Thanks

I got mine from Amazon, named "IKAAR Silicone Cover Bike Seat Post Ring Waterproof Dust Seatpost Protective Case Universal Mountain MTB Road Bike Accessories Pack of 4".

It's cheap but works great.

I think you can buy the ones from Fizik too, but couldn't find a black one.

[Drarak]

Nice build! Was wondering if they've got some very long chainstays, but then I realized that it's fitted with a set of 650b. What made you choose the 650b wheels?

If I may know, what's your height? I was considering this frame before I've decided to get the size XS of R-168 primarily due to the geometry -- the XS of 177 about a size up of the XS 168. After rode hundreds of km on my 168, I now believe that could afford one size up (or a longer stem).

Thanks.

I've tried other road bikes and it's not doable for my foot to reach the floor because of the height of the top tube. The 650b helps in that regards because the bike sits lower to the ground. It also means the pedals are close to the ground, so I can't take a sharp turn while pedaling, but that's OK.

And, I'm about 155cm. The size of the bike fits me well.

[Jnewman]

Hi Ivor,

Bike looks amazing! Just waiting to build up my velobuild that I'll post about on here once done. I've seen you ordered wheels from Elitewheels. How long did they take to arrive once dispatched, I've seen they've posted mine via XDB so not sure on timescales. Velobuild frame turned up in less than 10 days, very impressed

Jake

[ivorhooper]

Hi Ivor,

Bike looks amazing! Just waiting to build up my velobuild that I'll post about on here once done. I've seen you ordered wheels from Elitewheels. How long did they take to arrive once dispatched, I've seen they've posted mine via XDB so not sure on timescales. Velobuild frame turned up in less than 10 days, very impressed

Jake

Hi Jake,
I think the shipping was quick once the wheels were made. Probably less than two weeks. It took around 4 weeks for the wheels to be made however, so in total around 6 weeks.
I ordered the frame from velobuild and the wheels from elite on the same day and had the wheels delivered about 10 weeks before the frame!
I love the wheels - I upgraded to lighter spokes for an extra $50. They are roughly 1500g for the pair. Now set up as tubeless.

[Velovelo]

Been out for a ride - the bike is great!
Very fast and comfy. The brakes are excellent, but bear in mind I've never used any sort of disc brakes before.
I'm sure hydraulic brakes would be better but I'm impressed with the juin tech.
First time I've used deep wheels too so I definitely noticed the wind a couple of times.

Looks really great! Congratulations!
How is it holding up so far?
I am considering to get this frame.
How is the seatpost? Does it slide down out of position when riding?
Also how is the stiffness of the button bracket area?
Thanks for any response you can give.

[ivorhooper]

Looks really great! Congratulations!
How is it holding up so far?
I am considering to get this frame.
How is the seatpost? Does it slide down out of position when riding?
Also how is the stiffness of the button bracket area?
Thanks for any response you can give.

The bike has been great so far!
Haven't done many rides...maybe 10 x 40 miles, but it's very comfy (28mm tubeless tyres help with that).
The seatpost hasn't slipped at all. The good thing is that it's a standard round seatpost, so can be replaced if you wanted to. You could save a little bit of weight.
As far as the bottom bracket stiffness goes - I'm not really qualified to say! I've only been riding since Covid and the only other bike I've ridden is a 2012 Giant Defy, so I haven't got much to compare to. Plus I wouldn't say that i am the most powerful rider and i've never tried sprinting or trying to dance on the pedals going up hill.
I love it, and it always gets questions from other riders when out and about so it looks great too.

[Liter]

The bike has been great so far!
Haven't done many rides...maybe 10 x 40 miles, but it's very comfy (28mm tubeless tyres help with that).
The seatpost hasn't slipped at all. The good thing is that it's a standard round seatpost, so can be replaced if you wanted to. You could save a little bit of weight.
As far as the bottom bracket stiffness goes - I'm not really qualified to say! I've only been riding since Covid and the only other bike I've ridden is a 2012 Giant Defy, so I haven't got much to compare to. Plus I wouldn't say that i am the most powerful rider and i've never tried sprinting or trying to dance on the pedals going up hill.
I love it, and it always gets questions from other riders when out and about so it looks great too.

Ivor I just received mine and with the new stem/handlebar combo, the top cap is made out of carbon and does not really secure anywhere, just the bolt seems to hold it in place. Did you have a hard time with that? There is a little dent underneath that is very small and seems to align with an opening in the stem but there is no contact to secure.

[ivorhooper]

Ivor I just received mine and with the new stem/handlebar combo, the top cap is made out of carbon and does not really secure anywhere, just the bolt seems to hold it in place. Did you have a hard time with that? There is a little dent underneath that is very small and seems to align with an opening in the stem but there is no contact to secure.

Hi there, my top cap is thin metal. It screws down into the expander plug.
The handlebar and stem on the velobuild website photos is different to the one piece handlebar/stem that i got.
Here's a couple of photos (bit blurry).

[Liter]

Mine is the version where the stem and handlebar are separated, also having a hard time getting the cables neutral, they keep forcing the steerer left, tried to run the cable twice so far.

http://www.velobuildmall.com/products/2021-new-carbon-handlebar-with-separate-stem

[patliean1]

Currently building up this week. Chameleon purple and blue.

[Velovelo]

Currently building up this week. Chameleon purple and blue.

Beautiful!
What is the size of your frame?
Did you get to weigh the frame, fork and seat post separately?
Thanks!

[patliean1]

Beautiful!
What is the size of your frame?
Did you get to weigh the frame, fork and seat post separately?
Thanks!

My first impressions video on the 177 will be uploaded to YouTube later this week.

I ordered a size M.
Weight including both derailleur hangers, plastic grommets, and seatpost clamp is 1044 grams.
When you remove the hardware and paint then yup the weight is sub 1000 grams. Makes sense for T1000 carbon fiber.

[patliean1]

Alrighty...so my 177 is basically finished. Just have to wrap the bars.

Some quick tidbits for anyone considering the separate stem/bar combo:

1. The stem I ordered is a 120mm, but it actually measures closer to 125mm if you measure it like a traditional stem. VeloBuild measures the stem from the center of the compression bolt to the actual center point (half-way point) of the top section of the bars...rather than where the faceplate intersects. Dengfu does the same thing too and I suspect other Chinese brands do the same.

2. Speaking of handlebars...there are no handlebar specs on the website, but I measured the reach of the handlebars to be around 90mm. Handlebar drop is about 125mm

Just wanted others to be aware for comparing bike fits. Pics coming later today. its 20 degrees F here in chicago 

[Liter]

Just finished building mine too, the only problem is one of fork rivets for the brake caliper was not straight/parallel. Had to send to a mechanic to get a workaround, he filled some washers to make the caliper straight and as parallel as possible, still rubs when pedaling out of the saddle, trying to get a new fork from Velobuild. Lets see how it goes.


Overall the bike is beautiful, really like the new handlebar, just think the topcap made of carbon should fit better than stem, there are too many round edges.

Alrighty...so my 177 is basically finished. Just have to wrap the bars.

Some quick tidbits for anyone considering the separate stem/bar combo:

1. The stem I ordered is a 120mm, but it actually measures closer to 125mm if you measure it like a traditional stem. VeloBuild measures the stem from the center of the compression bolt to the actual center point (half-way point) of the top section of the bars...rather than where the faceplate intersects. Dengfu does the same thing too and I suspect other Chinese brands do the same.

2. Speaking of handlebars...there are no handlebar specs on the website, but I measured the reach of the handlebars to be around 90mm. Handlebar drop is about 125mm

Just wanted others to be aware for comparing bike fits. Pics coming later today. its 20 degrees F here in chicago 

[patliean1]

Just finished building mine too, the only problem is one of fork rivets for the brake caliper was not straight/parallel. Had to send to a mechanic to get a workaround, he filled some washers to make the caliper straight and as parallel as possible, still rubs when pedaling out of the saddle, trying to get a new fork from Velobuild. Lets see how it goes.


Overall the bike is beautiful, really like the new handlebar, just think the topcap made of carbon should fit better than stem, there are too many round edges.

I noticed that myself too last night went installing the front caliper to the fork. Even with using a metal rotor centering tool I still had to manually hold the caliper in place when tightening, in order to prevent brake rub.