nlerner

I've had extremely positive experiences with a whole host of V-O items that have been named: leather bar tape, bottle cages, handlebars, bottom bracket, bells and bell mounts, fenders (all sorts of sizes and finishes), fender parts (it's terrific to be able to buy stays and hardware separately), alloy chainguard (as long as I use a 45t or bigger ring), toe-clip leathers, and likely something I'm forgetting. The few parts I've been less-than satisfied with are the old chromed-steel constructeur front rack (that tang to the brake bolt had a flimsy-looking weld and it was impossible to get the rack low over the front fender), the decaleurs never quite fit perfectly to the part that goes on the bag and the stem mount takes a lot of stack height, I found the Champagne bag to be too flimsy (even with added stiffeners), and a front wheel w/ PBP 700c rim and Novatech dynohub was the biggest disappointment. The hub's cones were overtightened, the cable supplied didn't fit the hubs connector particularly well (and customer service wasn't very helpful about that problem), and after just a couple of winter rides, the rim's braking surface is pitted. I'm actually running that wheel on one of my bikes, but I guess you get what you pay for on that one.

Neal

ColonelJLloyd 

The Novatech dynamo hub I bought felt like it had overtightened cones, but I wasn't sure if it was the cones or something attributable to the generation of power. This was a hub only, not a wheel. I gave it to an elf, who passed it along to Santa, who gave it to a BF member.

The rim is pitted? Eeee.

gerv 

I have the Novatech hub and have been using it on my regular commuter for the last 6 months (admittedly not that much in Dec and Jan...have another bike for that). But I did nothing with the hub and it probably has 1500 miles on it and it works great. I did find the cable attachment a little iffy when I first installed it, but it has never come off.

tztag

I installed their French headset on one of my Peugeots. Overall a nice product!

Pros: almost a dead ringer for the Stronglight A9, perfect stack height, smooth once broken in, nice finish, the fact that they even make a nice French headset is fantastic.
Cons: plastic dust seals don't fit very well, top race's interference fit was incredibly tight (could have the been the frame just as easily as the race, not sure), wish the top nut didn't have the black rubber seal- if it was a smooth rounded top nut like the A9 it would be perfect.

Would buy it again

trueno92

sounds great! did some measuring and it seems the fenders won't fit between my chainstays....

how do others get around this? trim with tin-snips? grind wheel?

-holiday76

i've got a semi cheap shimano dyno hub that is still in the box, waiting to go on a bike, and it's way overtightended. I have the same hub on my lotus and I think it might be the same way. I've got to look into getting those adjusted correctly.

I'm sorry to hear about the no so great experiences with the wheels-sets. I've been thinking about pulling the trigger on a 650b set sometime soon.

southpawboston

Regarding dynamo hubs, could it be that some people might mistake magnetic resistance for overtightened cones? When the stator and armature magnets pass each other, it should create an indexing type of feel in the axle-- even without a load. The better dynamo hubs have less of this effect, and the cheaper ones have more.

nlerner

I think I detected a difference between standard Dyno resistance and a complete inability for the wheel to turn on its axle!

Neal

southpawboston

Yikes, I guess that must have been pretty bad! Anthony at Greenleaf told me that the cheap Sanyo dynamo hubs he sells have so much resistance that he needs to clamp the QR skewer tight in the truing stand when he builds wheels around them.

nlerner

I definitely need to add that I rode that wheel all fall on one of my commuters, and the hub worked great (once I had adjusted the cones). I didn't detect noticeable resistance once I was riding, and the connecting cable only came off once, too!

Neal

Fenway

VO Model 8 Saddle: 2 years, close to 2k miles, thinner leather than Brooks but no worries yet, occasional squeak from the springs if not oiled, copper finish wore off rivets instantly, chrome rails still pristine, most comfortable saddle ever.

VO Deep Half Clips: 2 years, still pristine stainless finish, nearly bulletproof, work wonderfully

VO Montmartre Handlebars: Beautifully polished and lovely insignias, no squeaking, very comfortable geometry.

VO Model 5 Saddle: Still new and not broken in yet. Thicker leather than the Model 8, didn't come with copper rivets. Color of the leather isn't quite as nice as Brooks.

VO Brass Bell: Ding! Little bit on joy in your hands. No different than Crane bells.

VO Wheel stabilizer: The pinch cover is too short, but other than that it works great.

VO Constructeur Rear Rack: Beautiful and strong. Love the leather washers. Pain in the ass to install, had to drill the tangs for a third hole to fit my frame geometry. Other than the installation, love it. Only gripe is one weld is slightly aesthetically displeasing.

VO Stainless Steel Fenders 45mm: Love them, holding up great after a year, nice hardware.

VO Oiled Leather Mudflap: Very nice, holding up well thusfar. Good leather quality, very thick and larger than expected.

VO Constructeur Front Rack: Really strong, very pretty. Absolute ***** to install, takes a lot of effort, but worth it. Stainless is bomb proof.

VO Retro Bottle Cage: Nice design, can tell it's hand made. Finish is nice but for some reason not quite as shiny as their other stainless steel stuff.

VO SS Brake & Derailleur Cables: Fits Simplex =), nice quality cables, ONE MAJOR GRIPE IS THE LACK OF INCLUDED CRIMP ENDS!

VO Adjustable Brake Shoes: Makes MAFAC Racers just as good if not better than modern brakes with the added adjustment capability. Nice refillable shoes.

VO No Squeal Brake Pads: They can squeal under some freak circumstances. Stopping power seems to be the same as KoolStop Salmons. Not sure how quickly they are wearing out compared to KoolStops.

Grand Compe Brake Levers: Every bit as nice as the good quality classic non-aero brake levers. Good quality and comfortable gum hoods.

Nitto Randonneur Bars: Very light, beautiful engraving, comfortable, no squeaks, strong with no perceptible flex.

tru

grand cru brakes are unsafe and should be recalled (see: pinch bolt)
grand cru crankset has serious run-out.
pbp 700c rims built up very poorly.

you get what you pay for, I suppose (and what VO's asian manufacturers pay their workers). if you just want the look and want to save money, VO is your one-stop-shop.

jan nikolajsen 

would be nice if you can substantiate those criticisms a bit

nlerner

Pardon my ignorance, but what's "run out"?

Neal

Grand Bois

It's runout.

vettefrc2000

Please elaborate.

Pinch bolt?

Runout?

......?

ColonelJLloyd 

What is "it"? I've no idea to what tru was referring.

vettefrc2000

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geometr...nd_tolerancing

triplebutted

Its when you run out of road, and you hit the brakes, and nothing happens.

Honestly, I've never heard of it either.

Fenway

Runout means the chain wheels aren't perfectly round and cause the chain to be either too tight or loose in rotation. Given that VO put so much effort into getting their own cranksets made, I have a hard time believing that they'd allow such an issue to occur.

VO brakes, and a lot of other things they sell, are rebranded Dia Compe with a few spec changes from the factory. VO orders enough to get products tweaked to their liking, so it's a bit more than slapping on a sticker or etching a logo. Dia Compe doesn't generally make junk. So again, I have a hard time believing serious quality issues.

The wheels on the other hand have been known to get laced together out of true by whomever builds their wheels. So that I can believe.

FrenchFit 

I have their Sugino Alpina Crankset. It is gorgeous, practical, legit, however there seems to be slight defect in the taper bore on the chainring side; I have to play with reseating it to eliminate a little osiilation [sic]. . At $175, not so cheap.

I also have the Hondo Fluted Fenders, 43mm. Gorgeous, practical. Tight fit with 27" tires, and they do disform under the crown and rear cross stay. At $135, not so cheap.

shorthanded

hm. well-- they're the local boys around here-- sorta, anyhow.

my main ride's got a lotta VO stuff on it, and they've been stars in super speedy service.

here's the bike anyhow--



Gran Cru crank- well.. even with the mythical 'runout', she runs pretty well.. had to go through 3 bottom brackets to get my length right, but that wasn't VO's fault.. it was modern framebuilding and it's gigantor q fascination..

Uno seatpost- god.. breath of fresh air. mine was one of the ones assembled backwards-- but the PSA to fix it got me straight. still functioned admirably, even with the innards backwards... but i surely appreciated teh update. great looking to boot.

VO headset- again-- admirable function.. not a hitch.

VO 45mm fenders- these have been a bit on the crabby side. when i got them-- i didn't realize the texture was 'pressed'-- but i got over it. everything about them has worked fine, but i've had enduring problems getting rid of daruma/front fender rattle. again.. probably not anything to do with VO-- and i've found workarounds. but i suspect many of my issues are dealing with a modern frame. i'm gonna buy another set-- and i'm sure they'll be VO's. hardware's solid-- and i actually like the heftier stays BETTER than honjo hardware..

VO 17 degree stem- pretty, functional, and nary a hitch. i did need shims to work with my noodles-- and they look a little unfinished.. but it's not VO's fault. i'dve probably designed it with a solid face panel-- but that's just me.

knurled spacers- smart looking. dig it.

VO stainless cages- these are probably the only thing i'm not super fond of. i think they weren't either.. that's why they went on sale. kinda wimpy metal, so they flex a lot. eh.. they hold bottles, and not buying nittos could buy me a set of rims...

VO campagne bag- pretty good. not a berthoud.. but not nearly as expensive either. it's a solid bag-- it's a little floppy, and looks much better with internal bracing that's not the plastic that's supplied. i just built a white interior out of signboard, and it's MUCH better, and sags much less that way. big enough, and fairly smart. given the opportunity, i'd probably've grabbed the ostrich-- but it was out of stock. my granola bars and arm warmers don't seem to suffer though... and i'll use it til it's demolished, which i believe will be quite a while.

the croissant bag is a pretty smart match for it, although i don't use it very much yet!

VO decaleur- works just fine. would LOVE it if the support bar were drilled 4 times instead of 2-- but i CAN do that myself, and would love to see the ring that mounts on spacers be a little smaller so it's less visible.. but SUCH a minor quibble, and it'd probably be weaker for the minor look difference.

OTHER STUFF I"VE HAD IN HAND:

the bottom brackets- solid as any, and a little lighter. i wish the 127's weren't out when i got my crank. the silver alloy spindle looks super nice.. but i got a black shimano.. weh. but even having installed 2 VO's now, solid as any, and much more attractive. really like the alloy 'cups'... sure beats plastic.

the gran cru 110 bcd- NICE crank. i thought long and hard about installing that-- and having the triple option was SUPER attractive. a coworker has one-- and it's smart looking and solid as hell.

'herse type' canti cable carriers- nice touch. i like 'em, but don't use 'em- the aforementioned coworker does though.. smart lookin'!

i have a set of the DC 610's on my bike, and an ENE front rack as well, which i like a LOT too-- but those are available elsewhere, far as i know.

by and large-- very good luck with the VO's!

ColonelJLloyd 

Just so everyone is clear, the "hammered" fenders offered by Honjo and VO aren't hand hammered. They're rolled through a machine just like the others. If anyone was foolish enough to offer a truly hammered fender, the cost to the consumer would be astronomical. Think of the labor involved. Were the Lefol fenders that inspired these even hand hammered?

Grand Bois

You mean aluminum alloy spindles? Really? I've never heard of such a thing! It doesn't seem possible.

JunkYardBike

Why would he mean aluminum alloy? He wrote silver alloy. Steel is an alloy.