Phoenix 6.0

Anyone on here have a Vanmoof bike? A silver 3.2 with disc brakes and a SA 2 speed is for sale locally. I like the idea of it but can't find much in the way of reviews or discussions about them.

My commute is just under 4 miles. Just carry a messenger bag worth of stuff. I do social rides so I also want a commuter that can manage those also. My current ride is a Cannondale CAAD 10

NormanF

Its a mini-velo commuter bike.



Just perfect for short rides like yours. And you can take it up with you into your home or apartment. And with 20" wheels, it will ride quite fast.

Phoenix 6.0

The one I'm talking about is a 26" tire model

NormanF

If you mean this one, its cool:



Won a lot of awards for its cool looks and redefined commuter bike design.

mconlonx

If the price was right, I'd get it just because. They are not a high volume bike, so reviews will be few and far between and mainly deal with the styling/design aspects. As long as your 4mi commute doesn't have any huge hills, I'd assume it's a fine bike for you. As long as it fits.

Phoenix 6.0

Any of y'all used the SA 2 speed?

noglider 

HUB Cycles, which recently closed, was a block from my home, and it sold these bikes. I see some locked up outside. They look pretty durable, and the style is, well, interesting.

Phoenix 6.0

And it's listed for $615 obo. Certainly not paying that, but might offer $550 after a test ride

Insidious C. 

Fred Flintstone rode a similar frame back in the day. Is there storage inside the top tube?

CrankyOne

Front & rear lights are in the ends of the top tube. Well protected. We've purchased a few hundred model 6's for bikeshare programs and have been quite happy with them. They're a good company.

mconlonx

Yes. I built up a vintage Raleigh R20 with one, now sold on, and my current lockup commuter on the work end of a bus trip has the S2C rear hub. I like them. It's a very shallow learning curve, figuring out where the shift point is without engaging the coaster brake -- couple of rides and you'll catch on. Or there's the freewheeling S2 hub, no coaster brake, if you are running rim brakes. The difference in gear ratio is not huge, but definitely makes a difference.

Phoenix 6.0

How bright are the lights? I know Phillips has a great rep for dyno lights

dynaryder

I test rode one of those Torkers with the S2C a couple years ago. Hated it. It didn't have a front brake,so every time you braked,you shifted gears. Sucked in traffic. A front brake would alleviate this,but the whole point of a coaster is a brake for general speed control that you don't have to work on.

AlmostTrick

If they have an option for a top tube rocket launcher, I'm in.

That's actually preferable to two wide spaced gears to me.

Nice Raleigh, by the way. For some silly reason I've been itching to build a kickback 2 also.

CrankyOne

Sounds like a new market for Estes. Or Pyrotech.

Short Cut

I'm a new owner of a Vanmoof S3. It was compared, at a local shop, to their earlier generation M2 3.7. The 3.7 is silver the S3 is grey. The strongest point for the 3.7 was the $600 price tag, whereas the S3 was nearly double at $1048. The biggest difference when riding them was the brakes. The older version used hub roller brakes while the newer S3 has discs. Obviously the discs stop much better, but the rollers were fully serviceable imo for a town bike. After getting the two side by side I noticed that the S3 also had an updated frame most noticeable in the chainstay and down tube.

I'm really pleased with the bike so far. As you can see I outfitted it with Vanmoof's rear rack and sexy waitress front basket. It's primary use will be riding 2.5 miles to work, grocery shopping and around town errands. I don't plan to change much, except for the seat at this point and maybe the bars/stem down the road.

rmfnla

I read that the QE2 has 70,000 gallons of storage in its keel for beer...

Short Cut

Hauling the mail.

noglider 

@Short Cut, I like it! Who would have thought bikes are so useful?!

Where are you? You can put your location in your profile.

scroca

Looks like a pretty handy commuter.

ret3

Every time I read about this bike, I can't help but think of the dogcow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogcow

Short Cut

Yeah the Vanmoof bikes do look different. That's part of the attraction. In a world where most brands would be difficult to recognize without a logo, they have a distinctive look and you don't see too many around. I've been away from bicycling for 25 years and that is, I think, a reason why I like the style of the Vanmoof. I think if one is consistently into any product they are routinely seeing, year in and year out, this is what a bicycle looks like, and the steps are incremental. With my hiatus most bicycles looked different and my view of them was fresh and less encumbered by expectations.

So yeah, I like the way it looks, but more importantly, I like the way it rides and it's purposefulness. The enclosed chainguard means I can where slacks or khakis to work without clipping them up or getting grease on them same with the OE fenders. The internal Alfine 8 speed hub is virtually maintenance free, it comes standard with front an rear lights nested in the top tube and run by a dynamo in the front hub. The disc brakes are very effective and for a town bike require very little upkeep or pad replacement. And the front basket mounts directly to the frame, so the weight of a load isn't carried on the forks thereby affecting the steering.

RidingMatthew

how can you see over the box while riding?

Short Cut

It wasn't a problem. Another 6" in box height and would have had to figure another way. It actually rode just fine the only concern was getting the box far enough forward so that I could turn the bars a little. I have discovered a couple of downsides to the rear rack. There aren't any good places to hook a bungee at the bottom the rack near the hub and there isn't anything to keep packages from sliding forward like most racks have. It is however hell for stout.

CptnObvious

Hey @Short Cut , I'm really interested in the Vanmoof S3, but I'm having a difficult time finding any info regarding specs etc.


Are you enjoying the bike so far? Has it been reliable?


Do you have to remove the chain guard, fender, or rack to remove the rear tire?


Is there anything on the bike that you think could be a service issue in the USA for the non-mechanically inclined? I noticed the seatpost clamp looks proprietary.


Thanks a lot!