Velobuild VB-R-218

[Queen of Skulls]

Ok I finished my paint scheme.... what does every one think? the inside of the stays and fork will be pink too. I need to make the mask for the purple paint transition. But getting chris to tell me the file type needed is like pulling teeth. I hope they can do it. otherwise I will have to and it will be a pain.

I need to get some stickers made to say Skull-ma... and Bonerello... haha

[madmax]

Paint scheme looks awesome

“Donatello” for a more Italian name + skull with turtle shell and bandanna should look …..

[Queen of Skulls]

Paint scheme looks awesome



“Donatello” for a more Italian name + skull with turtle shell and bandanna should look …..

How about we say we did but don't actually... I am the queen of skulls and I have to ride a skull pun bike

[madmax]

How about we say we did but don't actually... I am the queen of skulls and I have to ride a skull pun bike

Post some when done. It will be great to see some artwork

How did you get the decals done ?
Are they painted on or vinyl and clearcoat ?

[Queen of Skulls]

Post some when done. It will be great to see some artwork

How did you get the decals done ?
Are they painted on or vinyl and clearcoat ?

For the lettering  I am probably going to do vinyl lettering just so I can take them off if I get board with it. I am going to have velo build do the paint. And if they dont clear coat it. I may do a logo on the head tube and clear coat it.

[Sebastian]

Here's the pix of all the parts that fell into & out of the box as soon as it was opened

I think I am missing the Garmin mount that I paid for & probably the top cap cover

#9 is the top headset bearing dust cover. Contrary to the spacers, this one is mandatory because it seamlessly integrates between the handlebar and the frame

#10 and 12 is the two piece wedge that goes into the little pocket behind the seatpost.

#11 is the wedge that goes inbetween the handlebar and the steerer tube.

#13 is the Di2 adapter. You won't need that for your build.

Be careful with #5 - I found it to have sharp edges and sanded them smooth to protect the carbon steerer tube. But the aluminium is super thin in places and it can easily bend and break if you're not careful. I've bent mine back in shape but ordered a replacement just to be safe.

[hurburt]

Hi People,
Just wanted to give a long term update.

So I am overall happy with the bike. Have been riding for the last 4 weeks with a pause of 7 days in between. My Garmin says I rode around 700kms.

The bike handles great, with the right tyre pressure it isnt unforgiving or anything like that. I am okay with the weight ca. 7,5kg and the china ee brakes hold up fine. I have my problems with getting the sensah team shifting go alright with the 105 groupset. Scored a good deal on some dura ace shifters. I will probably put them on after the winter. That should sort out any weird shifting issues.

2 things that really grind my gears (next to the shifting issues - huehuehue) are the following: After just 3 rides one of the bottle cages I bought from velo build broke. It was the one on the seat tube. So I am guessing it is a construction error and the weight of the bottle caused this mishap. The piece on the bottom broke of. Have told chris about it, he said its under warranty and he will send new ones. Haven't heard from him since...
The other thing happenend today. I rode over some rough terrain, namely cobblestones and my garmin mount snapped of with a loud bang. It was wobbly from the start and honestly I was waiting for it to happen...
Lets see how chris handles this.

What this does though, is leave a sour taste in my mouth. What if my frame or my steerer just snap like that? Havent had any weird noises when riding, but it makes me anxious somewhat.

How is it with all you guys? any similar probs?

[Sebastian]

I rode over some rough terrain, namely cobblestones and my garmin mount snapped of with a loud bang. It was wobbly from the start and honestly I was waiting for it to happen...
Lets see how chris handles this.

What this does though, is leave a sour taste in my mouth. What if my frame or my steerer just snap like that? Havent had any weird noises when riding, but it makes me anxious somewhat.

Where exactly did the Garmin mount break? I bought one from Chris as well. Mine's a pretty hefty piece of aluminium and I doubt it will ever break. Also, the threaded inserts in the handlebar where this thing attaches don't give me the impression that they would break or become loose easily. They seem to be bonded in well. How and where exactly did yours wobble?

About carbon bottle cages: Yeah, I bought a few from Ali and basically all of them either broke on me or were so flexy that I'd be losing my bottles all the time. I since decided that bottle cages aren't something I want to save weight on. There's not much in it anyway between a good nylon plastic cage and a carbon one.

[hurburt]

It broke off right at the screw holes. Havent tightened the screws too hard... Mine was made from carbon and it was wobbly from the start. Just really flexi. How would you proceed with this? Does anybody have a good mount they would recommend? I thinking of buying a original most mount, so that won't happen again.

[jannmayer]

Ok I finished my paint scheme.... what does every one think? the inside of the stays and fork will be pink too. I need to make the mask for the purple paint transition. But getting chris to tell me the file type needed is like pulling teeth. I hope they can do it. otherwise I will have to and it will be a pain.

I need to get some stickers made to say Skull-ma... and Bonerello... haha

I love it!


If you haven't already, you might want to pick out the Pantone / RAL color codes unless you trust Velobuild to match them. It can be a bit difficult to match digital color samples to reality. (This is coming from a guy whose dark blue bike is actually purple...)

[madmax]

It broke off right at the screw holes. Havent tightened the screws too hard... Mine was made from carbon and it was wobbly from the start. Just really flexi. How would you proceed with this? Does anybody have a good mount they would recommend? I thinking of buying a original most mount, so that won't happen again.

Get these from Amazon. I've bought these multiple times for different bikes & never had any issues
My wife can find a way to stuff the most oversized bottle in these & they have held up

ThinkTop 2 Pack Ultra-Light Full Carbon Fiber Bicycle Bike Drink Water Bottle Cage

https://www.amazon.com/ThinkTop-Bike-Water-Bottle-Cage/dp/B07D6NCQCP/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=ThinkTop+2+Pack+Ultra-Light+Full+Carbon+Fiber+Bicycle+Bike+Drink+Water+Bottle+Cage+Holder+Brackets+for+Road+Bike+MTB+Cycling&qid=1669826476&sr=8-1

[madmax]

#9 is the top headset bearing dust cover. Contrary to the spacers, this one is mandatory because it seamlessly integrates between the handlebar and the frame

#10 and 12 is the two piece wedge that goes into the little pocket behind the seatpost.

#11 is the wedge that goes inbetween the handlebar and the steerer tube.

#13 is the Di2 adapter. You won't need that for your build.

Be careful with #5 - I found it to have sharp edges and sanded them smooth to protect the carbon steerer tube. But the aluminium is super thin in places and it can easily bend and break if you're not careful. I've bent mine back in shape but ordered a replacement just to be safe.

Thanks, that clarified things a lot.

For the freehub, do you guys put any lubricant on the hub before adding cassette or just add cassette & then anti-seize lube to threads on lockring ?

[coffeebreak]

Shimano green colored grease on the hub before putting in cassette.

[madmax]

Shimano green colored grease on the hub before putting in cassette.

Thanks. I'm looking this up and seeing different responses online

My freehub/pawl is a Campagnolo

1. Do not use grease on the pawl/hub spline when adding a cassette

2. Use a very thin coating of Triflow teflon so the cassette won't seize later on (the locking threads use anti-seize)

3. Use shimano/sram paste per above.

Wheels are Elite-Drive 50V, which I think have ceramic bearings. I added conti tubes + extenders last night & Vittoria Corsa tires which went on with some effort & inflated to 90 psi & left
them in the garage overnight.
There was some "popping" sound as the tube was being seated during inflation & it sounded like the carbon spokes, but everything checked out fine

I might deflate the tires & add in the Rhinidillos blue liner, as I do for all my other wheels & then set the psi to 110

I used this tool to get the tire on & it was worth every penny & it did not scratch the carbon at all
I've pretty much scratched my Bontrager & Reynolds carbon wheels using regular conti or park tool levers. This tool is much easier to use

BIKEHAND Bike Bicycle Tire Lever Cycling Repair Tool Spoon - Install Difficult Wire Bead and Stubborn Tires - Tire Bead Jack Changing Mounting Seating Tool
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CW912J0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[hurburt]

Get these from Amazon. I've bought these multiple times for different bikes & never had any issues
My wife can find a way to stuff the most oversized bottle in these & they have held up

ThinkTop 2 Pack Ultra-Light Full Carbon Fiber Bicycle Bike Drink Water Bottle Cage

https://www.amazon.com/ThinkTop-Bike-Water-Bottle-Cage/dp/B07D6NCQCP/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=ThinkTop+2+Pack+Ultra-Light+Full+Carbon+Fiber+Bicycle+Bike+Drink+Water+Bottle+Cage+Holder+Brackets+for+Road+Bike+MTB+Cycling&qid=1669826476&sr=8-1

Nice thanks! Do you have a recommendation for the garmin mount as well? Chris said he wants to send a new mount and bottle cages. Lets see if they are any better.