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Old 03-02-11 | 09:28 AM
  #6  
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southpawboston
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Joined: Aug 2008
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From: Somerville, MA and Catskill Mtns
Ah, great idea for a thread, since so many C&Vers look to VO for parts and accessories.

Below are things I've personally bought and used by VO, categorized by yay or nay:

Yay:
  • 37mm polished aluminum fenders: great finish and quality, all the necessary hardware, great price
  • 54mm zeppelin fenders: great finish and quality, all the necessary hardware, great price
  • Bottle cages: classic, retro, moderniste: I've used them all, and I like them all: lightweight, great finish, decent price
  • Toe clips: every bit as nice as MKS, at less cost
  • Toe clip straps: their leather ones are very nice at a reasonable price
  • Porteur rack: excellent design, pretty, and well built and sturdy. Difficult to install, but that's to be expected. Good overall finish. Price is reasonable when you consider what custom-made would cost.
  • Passhunter rack: copy of the Nitto M12, well built and sturdy. Finish is not as nice as Nitto's, with thick globular brazed junctions. However, for the price, it's acceptable.
  • Headset bell mount: nice little bracket to mount a bell without using an ugly clamp. Excellent stainless finish.
  • Porteur bars: excellent copy of the classic French porteur bars, and inexpensive. Seem sturdy for non-hardened aluminum, and the finish is good.

Nay:
  • Porteur double kickstand: it's heavy, it wobbles, and mine fell apart after just a couple of months. It wasn't expensive, but still a waste of money.
  • Fork-mounted decaleur receiver: incompatible with many threaded steerer tubes, as it requires an extra spacer otherwise it interferes with the brake hanger. If you don't have a lot of stack height, you're out of luck.
  • Headlight bracket: it wobbles if you have a heavy headlight, such as my Cateye HL-EL540 which takes four AA batteries.
  • Front wheel stabilizer: if your fender comes right up to the within a couple of mm of the fork crown, the mounting bracket will hit the fender.

Last edited by southpawboston; 03-02-11 at 09:43 AM.
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