daddybland

No problems at all, I like the pletscher alot.

Acorn bag is AWESOME!!!!! Very little sway if you get the straps good and tight. Probably not the greatest to move around bike to bike but not a huge pain in the ass either. I am ordering a Rando bag from them next month.

I switched bikes with a friend the other night on a laid back MUP ride so he could try out my ride and the PBSF was perfectly visable. I am riding again tonight and will try it with the bag empty which might cause enough sag in the bag to effect the light. With a full or mostly full bag it works fine.

Fenders are on and a VO Pass Hunter front rack that I installed last night. I will post pics tonight or tomorrow.

Maddox

DaddyBland, any thoughts on the VO headset? I'm looking at a couple options for a project I'm working on, and VO's sealed unit is on the list. I'd be interested to hear how you feel it stacks up against some of the other options out there.

desconhecido 

Have you looked at the Tange Levin chromed steel headset? It's like $21 and is, in my opinion, a bargain at that price. Of course, it is chromed steel and not Al alloy. Low stack height, too -- about 32 to 33 mm.

Got mine from Tree Fort. It's actually nicer than the picture shows.

ilikebikes

Dude, its just my opinion, everybody has one. Anyways I'm sure he's not crying while ripping the lights off his bike. I gave my impression of the bike, and that included not liking the lights cable routing, but again its just my opinion, shouldn't matter to anyone but the OP, and he's not complaining, I'm sure thats because all else on his bike looks great.

Mike Mills

Mellow out! Don't forget what a great bike we are talking about - relaxed frame, internally geared hub, it even has latex sidewall balloon tires. I am so jealous of the bike.

Yeah, hey, that bike stinks. You'd better send it to me. I'll get rid of it for you so you don't hurt yourself. ;-)

USAZorro

Would the cable fit one of the shift cable rollers that were ubiquitous on Raleigh 3-speeds? Not sure what the clearance will be once fenders are on, but could possibly move the battery pack several inches lower (and possibly turn it so it's behind the seat tube), and run the cable around one or two of those roller guides.

oh - almost forgot. Very classy looking set-up. You can spec out a city bike for me any day.

daddybland

Here are some new pics. New fenders, front rack, bottles and light wire wrap. What do ya think?!?
(used a different upload, click to embigen)

southpawboston

daddybland, your polyvalent build is beautiful. so much so, that it is making me want to buy one to build up. what size frame is yours?

daddybland

Thanks alot!! Frame size is 57cm

Maddox

This is such a beautiful ride, and thought it's not old I have absolutely no problem that it's here in C&V.

Well done, sir.

Do you like the VO headset?

norskagent

The cable housing color isn't compatible with the tire tread pattern.
j/k haha - looks great! I will def know whose bike that is if I see it out and about!

daddybland

HA! Yeah, it's ruined now, better scrap the whole thing and start over.

The VO headset is nice. It looks really good and works great. There is a fairly large gap(1.5mm or so) between the threaded race and the cup. Doesn't effect the look really but takes some getting used to. I don't think it will effect performance at all. Overall I would recomend it.

Grand Bois

Funny, my VO Grand Bois headset doesn't have a large space like that. I hope you don't have the cartridge bearing in upside down.

southpawboston

can you see the balls through the gap? are the balls exposed? (sorry, had to chuckle on that one).

josh_eb

Hey-
Bike looks great. Trying to complete one of these same VO build kits now. Got a little jammed on the crankgear, what I bought (a single speed Shun) hits the chainstays.
What size front gear do you have?
And how long is you BB/spindle?
Thanks for any wisdom.

RosyRambler

Nice bike daddyb !! Don't worry, no light/cable talk here......

I've been considering getting that frame for a while now, but I've never ridden 650B sized wheels. I know you said the bike rides great, but I was wondering if this was the first time you've ever ridden 650's? And how do they compare to 700c or 26" wheels on a road bike, in your opinion?

I'd prefer a road bike with either 650B wheels or 26" wheels (Rivendell Atlantis), but hate to shell out the money without test riding either wheel size.

Also, have you had any interference with the Paul canti's and the front rack you put on?

Thanks in advance for any answers!

Mike Mills

RosyRambler, pardon me for butting in but one word comes to mind - plush!

The slightly smaller wheel size is irrelevent, as the tire is taller and the OD is only marginally different. They also roll very well. However, the bump absorbing properties of the bigger tire are what it's all about. You'll wonder where all the bumps went. "Plush!"

daddybland

Mike is spot on Rosy, its a very plush ride. I had not ridden a 650B previous to getting this one but had the strong recomendation of two good friends. I'm a 650B convert now. After a few weeks I got on my road bike for a group ride and thought I was riding a 2x4. I have my eye on the A. Homer Hilson myself.
As for the rack, PAUL makes hardware for their brakes to mount these racks but its not very well thought out. The hardware tilts the rack up fairly significantly so I used a recessed brake bolt and about 20mm of spacers at the fork crown to level it out. PAUL cold definately do a better job with the hardware, esp at 25$ a pair.
Thanks for all the kind words.

RosyRambler

Thanks Mike and daddyb for the 650B info! It makes my decision a lot easier now.

I definitely can relate to the feeling of riding a "2x4".......I do a lot of mountain biking with suspension, and when I'd get on my 700c road bike I always described it as riding a bike built with 2x4s.

Another question, if you don't mind daddyb,.....would you consider the Polyvalent's geometry, and weight, as that of strictly a slower 'urban' utility bike, or is it decent enough for moderate rides of say 12 to 16 mph,.....with a front rack and handlebar type pack, as you've set up yours?

I'm not into fast, training type of group rides but want something that's not too heavy or sluggish, especially for the uphills.

Thanks again.

daddybland

Rosy, Its deffinately more relaxed geometry than my road bike but its plenty fast. It takes me right at 1 hour to do my 14 mile commute give or take 10 minutes for weather, traffic etc. Thats with racks fenders and a full saddlebag and a 5 speed internal hub.(not light) So I would say its fine for pretty much anything other than group road rides and if you set it up with drops and an 8 or 9 speed group it would most likely be fine for a not to agro group ride (18mph pace+-?) Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other ???'s

RosyRambler

daddyb.....hope you don't mind me calling you that......Thank You so much for the time you've taken to answer my questions, they've been a big help.....I just may call on you sometime in the future for some of your generous knowledge! And please share "Homer H." with us should he become a member of your family.

Oh, yeah....I took a look at your 'Adult Only' piercings and can only hope they don't belong to any long distance cyclists! (I would insert a winking smilely here but can't find them)

Be safe commuting at night.

daddybland

No problem Rosy, anytime. I really like this bike!!!! Posting some new pics with the Acorn Rando bag installed. It just came in today...YAY!!!!! Going camping on it this weekend, i'll prob post some pics of the trip too.

RosyRambler

I'd really like to see photos of your camping trip on the Polyvalent, and get your opinion of it's handling with camping gear, etc. ......Have fun!

cs1

I'm a big fan of relaxed geometry. Has anyone else rode one? I'd love to hear about their experiences.

canyoneagle

Gorgeous bike!

I'm considering those cranks with the S3X for a new project. Have you observed any "runout" in the drivetrain (varying tension on the chain due to out of roundness/bb alignment)?