Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - van dessel country road bob 2003 or 2004?

ok I just got a 2003 van dessel country road bob on ebay for a reasonable price and I am very excited about it. most people seem to think the 2003 model is ugly because of the color and the curved tubing. In 2004 they made the frame boring so it looks like every other bike out there.

here is the 2004 model.


i like the 03 a lot better but thats just me.

I agreee. The '03 is much more stylish.

The good news: if it was a low seller it might pop NOS on eBay.

This past weekend I came across the 03 and Van Dessel for the first time. The 03 looks pretty cool. I hope you got a great deal!

i called van dessel because I work at a shop and i wanted to see if I could get a "employee purchase price" and they said they sold out of country road bobs half way threw last year and that they will not have the 2004 production bikes until april or so. they also are only making the complete bike now no frame set. the first time i saw one was at velo swap here in colorado and it was so sexy i wanted to punch myself in the face. after that it was over I HAD to have one. the frame i just got for less that what a prodeal price on it was and its brand new so i am happy

thats a sweet frame/fork. I had one a couple years ago, its a great bike. not having ridden the '04 redesign its hard to compare the 2 but my impression of the 03 and earlier frame is that the curvature of the frame made it waaay smoother than most aluminum frames. felt like a couch compared to redline conquest I had at the time. nice look too. the only reason Id prefer the 04 is that youll apparently be able to hang a derailer off of it should you so choose, like the surly crosscheck.

I've had mine for nearly 2 years, and it sees more miles than any other bike I own. Very reliable, and strong - I ride it offroad quite often.

I hate when all modern design starts looking similar.

It's like cars, you can hardly tell an American form a Japanese from a Euro any more with out looking at the emblem.

thats awesome. I have not talked to anyone who has owned one yet but its good to know that they ride well. i plan on setting mine up as a flat bar fixie with V brakes and cross tires for riding in bad weather.


do you guys think campy record 172.5 cranks would be too long to run on that bike as a fixie?? I see most people seem to run 175s on it but as a single speed free not fixed. i have no idea how hight the BB sits thats why i am asking.

thats awesome. I have not talked to anyone who has owned one yet but its good to know that they ride well. i plan on setting mine up as a flat bar fixie with V brakes and cross tires for riding in bad weather.


do you guys think campy record 172.5 cranks would be too long to run on that bike as a fixie?? I see most people seem to run 175s on it but as a single speed free not fixed. i have no idea how hight the BB sits thats why i am asking.

Mine came with 170mm cranks - I used them for 1.5 years (even during a double century) with no problems - but the stock BB is a POS. I then used the old style 105 BB, but for some reason I cracked bearings 2 times, so I went back to sealed. I put in a UN72 and LX 175mm cranks - and had no clearence issues. The bike seems to cruise a bit slower with the longer crank arms, but the climbing is much better. There's a bunch of hill around here. However, if I did another 100+ mile (next spring) ride on it I'd switch back to 170mm.

hmm. i think I will be ok with the 172.5s then. I have always ran 170s or 165s on my fixies but this thing is not going to be flying around corners or ever see the track so i think I will be fine. thanks for the info man

i finished my country road bob. here is a picture. its not the best but you get the idea. flat bar fixie with avid V-brakes. salsa delgado cross rims with VD hubs. truvativ stylo 170 cranks, xtr seatpost. WTB rocket stealth V ti. saddle.
44-16 gearing

another one

Nice. How does that frame feel?

it feels great. very stable and smooth. it stiff so it feels really fast and nimble but the carbon fork smooths out the ride nicely. its fast becomming my fav. bike. i built it to be bad weather bike since everything else I own is steel and brakeless. so far nothing but good things to say. i just wish it had a better headset set up. i am not a fan of integrated headsets in general.

Interesting. I had a crush on it when I saw it in a shop here in Chicago. I was surprised it was a SS/Fixed too. It's that frame shape and colour though, very nice. Glad to hear it's stiff, and also didn't know it had a carbon fork. I was curious how the shape of that frame would feel or affect compared to regular frames.

Shame they changed it up for 04.