More After Hours

You might have seen this over at Bike Jerks a few days ago; and now-and-again we share a little of our after hours activities. But we couldn't help but repost it here. Enjoy.

Inside Velocity USA

As you may or may not know, the Velocity guys are my homies and some of the best folks in the bike industry.

They do it all so right, they sponsor tons of events and riders, make great product (with the A23 being my current favorite), and the customer service is always amazing. Whenever my hard earned dollars are spent on rims, I look to Velocity first because I know I'm not likely to have an issue, and if I do, they'll fix the hell out of it without any hassle.

Matt sent over these photos of Ryan (dude who manages the wheel building) shredding on the ramps that they keep setup in their warehouse for after hours sessions.







Indoor skatepark.

So jealous.

Introducing... Bob and his Cannondale

A few months back as we saw one of our family head out East, we welcomed a new member to the Velocity family, Bob. Bob has been with us before, a few years back during his college years for an internship and has returned to now take over all the shipping duties. As we all have, Bob has paid his dues in the wheel department - learning what sets our wheel builds apart.

With the itch for all things cycling - Bob is one of the original members of GR Bike Polo, has taken part in the Edmond Fitzgerald ride and had is part in helping shape the Grand Rapids Bike Park, to name a few. It's a privilege to have Bob part of the team and what better way to introduce him to you than to have him show off one of his rigs. So... Bob, world - world, Bob... Enjoy:

This is my 1987 Cannondale SR600. It was given to me by a friend who was unable to keep it. I am eternally grateful for it.

As the finest steed in my stable, it is a pleasure to ride. The aluminum frame is stiff, light, and fast. I enjoy taking it for rides to the beach, for a refreshing swim, or to a distant micro-brewery for a cold beverage.

Back in it's day, it came stocked with Shimano components as listed in this vintage catalog.

It still has friction downtube shifters, which are old school for a reason, but they are carbon which I don't see a lot of so I've kept them around. The drivetrain is still a 2x6, with no shift ramps on the rings. I had to replace the brakes with stock levers and modern Campy Veloce calipers since the quick release was broken on the previous Modolos. The paint shows its years, but is still pretty nice as I get compliments on the color and condition.

Other parts-
Tires: Conti GatorSkin 23c
Wheels: black Velocity Aeros front and rear laced up to Campy Record hubs with double butted DT spokes,
Cranks and Rings: Sugino Mighty Competition
Front Derailleur: braze on Campagnolo Nuovo Record
Rear Derailleur: Suntour Cyclone
Shifter Levers: downtube Modolo carbon
Seat: black Turbo
Cages: Velocity Bottle Traps of course!

Cannondale

Ever since JBolt took off to to east to discover the ways of the world via his bike, Alex has stepped in to head the shipping department. The transition as gone great as Alex is a speeding freight train of shipping mastery, getting Velocity goodness out to you in no time!

So in the spirit of touring and the shipping department, for today's edition of Our Rides, I'll give you Alex's write up on his Cannondale touring bike, enjoy:

This is my 'built in the barn' 1983 Cannondale SR500, recently upgraded with modern Tiagra components [leaving only the headset, seatpost, stem, and downtube shifters as original], and Velocity Dyad rims laced with DT double butted spokes to Velocity standard road hubs. The frame was given to me by a friend who was moving away and had no room to bring it. Luckily it fits me great!

I also have a rear Axiom rack to hold the killer matching Cannondale panniers I acquired after seeing them hanging in Matt's garage. I really feel like those tie it all together.

This has been my main bike for a little while now, and it rides fantastically. Originally had the original Rando/Touring drop bars on it that it came stock with, but had to make it a little less conventional since I dislike riding drop bars in the city so much, and went as cheap as possible with putting a riser setup on it.

What you see is where it is now, and I love it. If you see it locked up outside of a bar in Grand Rapids Michigan, feel free to come on in and buy me a beer. Maybe we can talk about bikes!

Evolution... because we ride.

I've never denied that I have a problem when it comes to by bikes. It's not that I'm not happy with all of them, it's just that there is some thing in the 'tweeking' process or fine tuning on things on a bicycle that gets me.

For todays 'because we ride', I'll highlight the only bike that I've ever owned that I have given a name to. Red. Red originally got its name from the red bar tape from the flip and chop handlebar I rocked on it but since I had started to go a bit overboard on finding just about any red anodized part I could for it. From crank bolts to headset, to nipples to the chain, I had issues.

Actually I still might have issues. Here are a few photos of Red's 'evolution'... the first is from the summer of 2008.

Summer of 2009...
To Spring of 2010...

Which brings us to today. I had recently decided to give Red another facelift. The first powder-coating job that I had done wasn't holding up well and last fall I had decided to repaint thanks to a little help from Uncle Sam via my taxes. I also decided to get a new fork, which I know some traditionalists might question going from a steel fork to carbon but let's just say it together... this bike is far from being traditional.

Last week, I got the frame back from the powder-coater and I had decided to go from the off-white to a silver paint. With that and the black carbon fork seems to have really toned down all the red ano. I also am transitioning to single speed from it being fixed, thus the front and rear brake set-up you'll see in the video below. Unfortunately, I found out after finishing the build that the Flip camera battery ran out before I finished, thus the photos at the end of the final [for now...] product so you don't get to see the whole process.

Before we jump to the video of the REbuilding of Red, here is the spec:

Frame: Orbit steel road frame

Headset: Chris King 2Nut

Fork: 1" Winwood Carbon

Stem/Handlebar: Salsa S.U.L. Quill/Titec Hellbent bar

Brake Levers/Grips: Fly Bike levers/Ergon GX1 modified with PDX Speed Metal grips

Brakes: Brick Lane Bikes CNC'd track brakes

Crank/Pedals: Sugino Messenger Crank with 46T ring/All-City Cecil Pro Pedals w/ the Clayton mountain double clips and Standard Double Straps

Saddle/Seatpost: Brooks B17/Salsa Shaft Seatpost

Wheels: Velocity Deep V's 32h laced 2x with DT Swiss Competition spokes and alloy nipples [one white spoke with single purple nipple] to our Solid Axle, Cutout Flange Track hubs.

Because we truly ride.

Today, we truly have our first '...because we ride' post. Should make sense once Jacobi tells the story, enjoy:

On September 25th, 2010, I have became father of my first, Curtis Russell. This means my time is spent changing diapers, feeding and waiting around to do it all over again. So my chances of grabbing the bike and going for a two hour ride is a thing of the past. Well, not anymore!

One day while building wheels and annoying [I mean entertaining] Paul, I had brought up the question of where I could get a trailer to haul my little one around in. Paul responded with 'I have one that I'm not using anymore.'

That was when the light bulb went off in my head. Paul promptly brought in the trailer and I fell in love. It was the right price and it had spoked hubs [very important]. It started with stock 20" wheels and skinny tires. And after a full day of dreaming of what to do with this thing, through talking with the rest of the guys, I decided to go with 26" P35's with some Kenda tires. Of course, making sure this thing super smooth so the little one doesn't fell a thing, was the most important.

After highly modifying the mounting points, building the wheels and making the mounting system for his child seat there was only one response - this thing rocks!

He is so secure that you could flip this thing upside down and shake him like a salt shaker [Alo note: Jacobi did not conduct said test nor condones such testing] and he wouldn't feel a thing! He is more secure than Dale Jr. in a stock car at Daytona. But, he won't be flipping over any time soon.

Here's the break down:

Wheels - 26" P35's 28 hole [yes, 28 hole we make them, if you're an All

Mountain rider interested lowering the weight,

these things are right up your alley]

Tires - Kenda Keniptions 26x2.3 *A nod to Kenda for sponsoring the Founders Brewery Race Team. Thanks!

The Build - 28 hole wheels with only 14 spokes in each wheel. The less spokes make for a more compliant ride and well... look cool. They will support the little guy just fine.

Oh, if you're wondering. They are set-up tubeless. Why not? I'm a nerd AND I can!

A Polo Bike Experiment.

If you haven't noticed, we've kind of got the itch for bike polo of late. Everyone has played and about half of us play on a regular basis. For today, I figured show off my latest experiment for my polo bike. My former polo bike was much more traditional, much like Matt's former polo rig and Alex's, this one I'm playing around with a few new ideas[which I acknowledge are most likely just new to me]:

- the extremely set back seatpost [for wheelie turns]

- double pull brakes

- ladies frame

This could either be brillant or has the potential for epic failure. We'll see how it plays out.

Here's the spec on the new/old rig:

Frame: Schwinn Frontier

Crank: Raceface 180mm crank - 34T Surly Chain Ring

Stem/Handlebar - Cannondale C4 Stem shimmed down to work on 1" fork with a handlebar from an old Bridgestone handlebar - lots of sweep [also shimmed]

Seatpost: Black Ops set-back

Front wheel: 26" Velocity Aeroheat 32H - Robins Egg Blue [VIP] w/ gold nips and hub, 3X

Rear wheel: 26" Velocity Cliffhanger laced to a custom spaced SS hub w/ a 5-speed FW [chain kept on 26T]

Brakes: mix and match, from the double pull lever to the Red Tektro front from Jacobi to the old-new stock from Alger.

_

A tip of the hat goes to two shops, Alger Cycle - for having all the oddball parts instock and Europa Cycle - for having this old frame floating around that started the whole process.

2.

Around a year ago we discovered a rather alarming fact... that Ryan and JBolt are distant cousins. With that reality, it only seems appropriate to have our first 2 for 1 'because we ride' posts. So today we will be showcasing Jbolt and Ryan's BMX bikes.


First I give you JBolt's write up:

I've ridden bmx for about 13 years. This is the first bmx bike that I've bought new as a frame and built up complete. As a 13 year old with no source of income (other than trying to get money out of mom or dad) I always bought, traded for, or got handed down used parts from the other
riders who were a few years older and had jobs and money. Around 4 years ago I was feeling a little loose with the money I had around Christmas time and decided to upgrade from my mid 90's S&M Holmes to something new. I took a trip down to Albe's on the east side of the state and spent like $550 on a frame, cranks, and headset I built this FBM with all new parts (so that I can eventually restore the piece of modern bmx history that is the S&M Holmes). It's by far the best feeling bmx bike I've had, even though with a 21.125 in. top tube its still too small.

* Frame: FBM - Deployer 21.125” t.t.
* Fork: Odyssey - Dirt Fork
* Stem: Odyssey - Elementary
* Headset: Kink
* Bars: FBM - Big Apes
* Cranks: Profile with gun drilled hollow spindle
* Sprocket: Fly 25t
* Pedals: 1 Odyssey pc and 1 Eastern pc
* Saddle: Fly with Haro post (cut to about an inch long) and Fit clamp
* Brake / Lever: Odyssey
* Tires: Fly and Maxxis
* And a couple of pegs.

Tied all together with Velocity P-35’s laced with DT Swiss spokes to the Velocity BMX hubs.

Bolt also wanted to make sure that his favorite BMX video was posted with this...

FBM Albert St. from FBM BMX on Vimeo.

Now for Ryan's...

Yah, I'm getting older and even though the little crashes hurt more than they did in my younger days I continue to ride BMX. Why? Because it's FUN!! I'll be at the skate park tonight getting schooled by kids that weren't even born when I graduated from high school. Being the old guy at a skate park has its advantages though. I can take it easy, flow around the park, and watch the incredible progression of kids that ride.

There are definitely shredders in every town but it's the social aspect of the parks and trails that teach today's youth to be good people. They learn respect, encouragement, dedication, and how to take some ribbing from their peers. There are also obvious physical benefits from getting your ass off the couch and heading to the trails for a day of digging and riding. So what I'm saying is BMX is awesome and young or old, all you have to do is ride. Here's a look at my bike.


*Frame. Fly Luna (20.6 TT)
*Cranks. Profile Race
*Tiers. Odyssey PLYTE Rear and Maxxis Holy Roller Front.
*Stem. Primo Pro
*Chain Ring. Odyssey 30T
*Bars. FBM
*HS. Verde Integrated
*Saddle. Odyssey
*Brakes. Primo
*wheels. Velocity P-35s Tubeless. Yes I said tubeless. We rolled the P-35 in 20" for testing and it's working out rather well. They are wide, light, and since they were designed as a tubeless mountain rim I thought I'd give it a try. I used the same application on my 20" that we use for the mountain wheels and presto, tubeless BMX.

_

That's right, you heard right 20-inch P35's - tubeless.

Mind = Blown.

We've got a few of them instock also, offered in just a rim or complete as a wheelset.

Specs on the wheelset:

Front Wheel:
Rim - 20" P35
Hub - Velocity BMX front hub
Spokes/Nipples - DT Swiss Champion 3x, DT Swiss Brass Nipples
Weight - 830 grams or 1 pound 13.27 oz.

Rear Wheel:
Rim - 20" P35
Hub - Velocity BMX rear hub
Spokes/Nipples - DT Swiss Champion 3x, DT Swiss Brass Nipples
Weight - 1022 grams or 2 pounds 4.04 oz

P35 20" Rim Spec:
Colors available - black and white
Drillings available - 36 hole
Weight - 390 grams or 13.75 oz.

Contact your local bike shop for pricing.

NOMMIN?!?!?!?!?!?

The newest edition to the Velocity family goes by the name Alex, or Ax-man. He's been serving as a utility man around here for a few months and doing a damn fine job. And of course, he rides. He is also part of the growing bike polo community here in GR. For your Wednesday, we give you Alex's polo bike and write up:

This is my 1973 Botecchia Deluxe given to me by my friend Fish as a frame and fork a few years back. In my hands, it originally spent some time as some sort of single speed winter beater slash all-around junker before realizing it would make a pretty killer polo whip when the big polo boom of Grand Rapids came around in the spring of 2009.

This bike, like many other polo bikes around this great land called America, is outfitted almost fully of found, free, or otherwise completely random parts bin parts, with exception to a black 32h Velocity Chukker on the rear and a 32h Velocity Fusion on the front.....which could probably use a hell of a tune-up.

I once read that fixed gear polo is a thing of the past, and I am a recent believer. My gearing is 30x16 with a freewheel which may be just about perfect. An old SR Apex touring crank with a weirdo 86 BCD for the little chainring to keep it STEEZY. nom?

ARE YOU NOMMIN?!?!?!?!?!??!

Ride from Down Under

Everyone remembers Adam Pelzer, right? Or at least the Life Size Action Cutout in his likeness? Well, if that doesn't ring any bells, he's one of the crew down in Australia.

He recently sent us some photos of his new mountain bike he got built up and I might add, it's a looker.

A 2011 Redline Flight Monocog, fitted with his carbon fork, Hayes hydraulic brakes and a few other bits and pieces. OH I might add, he's rocking the Lumberjack Plaid P35's on it and from the picture below you can see he likes playing in the mud with them.

Enjoy the weekend and get out and ride!

Alo's Voyage....ur....

This past weekend, I was able to finish my latest bike. Hardly able to contain my excitement for it, I posted the bike over on my personal blog and figured it fits our '...because we ride' blog post series. So for today, my 'new' 1987 Schwinn Voyageur, enjoy:

Life's a Voyage-ur

That's right, life is a voyage. We're all going some where, we talk to people, make new friends and keep up with old ones. The story of my newest bike is some thing like that. 3 years ago, as many of you know, life brought me to the high five of Michigan after the time came for much needed change. One of the many people I have kept up with since moving is the one and only Guitar Ted. We've exchanged emails, gone for rides when I've made my way back to the homeland, and the such.

Recently, Mark [ask G-Ted] posted on his Twitter that a Xtracycle could be in the future for him. Being in the middle of a move and evaluating what I have, what I need and didn't need. In seeing that, I sent him a little what's up and said that I had a Xtracycle kit that had spent the last year in pieces since taking off the K-Monkey to finally get a mountain bike going. Since I was moving from a house to a studio, space was the issue and with 6 other bikes floating around having the Xtracycle wasn't the best idea.

I told Mark, I was looking for a touring bike and a few other odds and ends. And what do you know, Mark just so happened to have a 1987 Schwinn Voyageur gathering dust in his basement. A trade began to work itself out and through some middlemen the bike made its way here and the Xtracycle kit his way...

Here is what the Voyageur looked like when I got it:

The bike came with Campy barend shifters, Shimano 105 brake levers, Shimano Deore front deraileur, Shimano 6 speed rear, Suntour cranks, Blackburn front and rear racks. To be perfectly honest, I was so excited about getting the bike that I didn't really pay a whole lot of attention while I was taking it down to it's frame for paint. Yes, that's right, paint. I decided that I couldn't deny my desire to update the look of the bike and started on the 'winter' project right way.

I asked around to the guys in the wheel department at Velocity what a classic or pseudo-classic color for the bike might be and in the end I landed on a baby blue. As luck may have it, parts began to compile. As I stumbled onto the actual decal set from Alger Cyclery along with a few year old, yet still in the box 105 crank and 105 rear deraileur. I had the WTB Mountain Drop Bar floating around from my Trans Iowa set-up a few years back and decided that it would be a good way to go for touring. The canti brakes, front deraileur, Campy bar end shifters and 105 brake levers all cleaned up great with a little elbow grease. I couldn't help myself when I had the chance to bring the baby blue down onto the racks. I topped off the touring rig with a Shimano Dymo hub in the front, laced to Velocity Reflective Dyads [32 hole 3x front, 36 hole 4x rear], bronze Bottle Traps and a brown Chris King 1" headset.

So without much ado, the after:


I'm excited to get this thing out on the road, I could easily see this become my main commuter. Either way, there are 3 rides begging for this bike to be used: the November 13th/14th 200 mile Cadillac and Back installment: honoring the 29 men lost with the Edmond Fitzgerald, RAGBRAI, and my personal goal of riding around Lake Michigan. We'll see what become of it.

Rach's Sweet Seven

It's been a busy week here at Velocity. Lots of orders to fill topped with Interbike on the horizon, blog posts have been put to side. I was able to get one of our professional wheel builders Rachel to do a quick write up on her custom Seven.

Get out and ride this weekend! Enjoy:

This here is my speed machine. It can go from 0 to 25 in a matter of seconds. It's a smooth ride, which is everything I'd expect when riding my Seven.

Making the ride smoother yet, a set of eggplant (a nice deep purple) Velocity Aeroheads with Sapim spokes (to cut through the wind... and save a little more weight). Nothing but love with these wheels. Super light weight and strong as a bull. Yet another human powered machine I love. It takes me distances I never knew I could do.

Rock on!

Hell of the MIDwest.

In what might rival JBolt's write up last week, Matt has our next installment, with links and videos and all, for our '...because we ride' series. Enjoy.

Sometimes you have to ride fast. Really fast…really really really fast. That’s what this bike is for.

My fast bike is a Schwinn Circuit - built in Greenville, Mississippi in December of 1989. This is the one that got me hooked. This is the one that got me going 40+ mph. It was on this bike, that I first cried while cycling. Not because I was sad, not because I was elated, but because I was going so damn fast that the wind pierced my eyeballs until they welled up with tears. I’ll never forget that feeling. I’ve had more saddle time on this bike than any other in my stable, by far. By FAR. We’ve been through a lot together.

Epic 150 mile beer runs.

Bleeding lung mash fests with the Founders guys.

Leisurely strolls around Reeds Lake.

Alleycats, with gears, for the win.

Here’s how it’s put together:

Headset: Shimano 105 1” Threaded

Brakes: Shimano R600 with Kool Stop pads

Stem: Profile H20

Bars: Deda 215 wrapped with Cinelli Volee tape

Shifters: Ultegra ST-6510, nine speed

Derailleurs: Shimano Ultegra 6500 front, 6600 rear

Cassette: Shimano Ultegra 11-23

Crank: SRAM Red 53/39

BB: SRAM Red Ceramic

Chain: Shimano Dura Ace 7701

Pedals: Crank Brothers Quattro SL

Seatpost: Thompson Elite

Saddle: Selle Italia Turbo re-release

Electronics: Shimano Flight Deck (awesome)

Hydration: Velocity OG Velocage, bright silver

Wheels: Velocity A23 Prototype 24/32. Radial front, radial non drive rear, two cross drive rear.

These are the finest road wheels I’ve ever had the pleasure of “rocking”. They replaced a set of 60mm carbon tubulars and I don’t miss them. They roll just as smooth and they’re almost as good at cutting wind. I’m using Hutchinson Fusion 2, 23c tires filled to 90 psi front, 85 psi rear. I’m in love with this setup. I can’t properly express in words how amazing they feel. They make me want to ride more. They’ve made me a better rider. I’ve never been more emotional about a set of wheels and I’m not ashamed to tell you about it. Get yourself a pair and your life will get better.


All totaled this rig is a hair over 22 lbs. Twenty two pounds of cycling bliss. Twenty two pounds of freedom.

2 for 1

There are moments, moments where the stars align and greatness shines through. Often through adversity and hard work, sometimes through a chain of 'random' events. This neither of those: the JBolt '...because we ride' photo shoot.

A simple equation: 1977 Ford E-250 van + a Milwaukee track frame X (eerily similar paint scheme + Thin Lizzy playing the background) = greatness.

Sure, first and foremost we love bikes. We ride bikes. But a van with this vintage, with this much character and a recliner in the back we couldn't help but highlight both. Today I give you, JBolt's write up on them both:

I got this bike a little over a year ago on a trade deal between Velocity and the fine folks at Milwaukee/Ben’s. I wanted a light, American made, fast, cool looking bike to zip around town on. Also, they made it in the Blatz brown and gold colorway which was the biggest selling point as Blatz is the finest American beer of all time (and hard to find in Grand Rapids). The picture of the bike is in front of my 1977 Ford E-250. They are pretty much the same paint job and both are total badass modes of transport.

Milwaukee Orange One frame/fork 62cm
Sugino Crank/Ring/B.B.
Brooks saddle
Easton Post
No name stem, bars, and pedals from the Freewheeler junkyard.
Continental Tires

The wheels on this are my favorite part. They are a classic example of “having cool stuff at your disposal and a bit of time after hours”. The front is a one of a kind black and mirror flake Deep-V modified crow’s foot laced to the Velocity Hollow Axle track hub. The rear is a Bronze Deep-V snowflake laced to a one off proto-type track hub made right here in Michigan by our good buds over at Aerospoke. That hub is by far my favorite part of the bike.

Adam also asked that I give a small write up of the van as-well. It’s a ’77 E-250 ¾ ton. I got this little lady for $900 off of Craigslist not too long ago. It came with the green faux leather recliner and foot stool, custom carpet from floor to ceiling (including the inside door panels), built in cabinets, and up to date stereo system housed inside the coffee table. It also came with a tee shirt with a picture of the van on it…. I’ve never been one to get all chubbed out by cars, but I love a good van. I love this van.

Weight Weenies Anonymous

Confessions of a Weight Weenie:

Hi everyone, my name is Jeff and I have a problem.

Hi Jeff.

Well, my problem all started when I met a father and son both named Neil. Yeah, that's right both Neil. Well, Neil and his son are both highly respected racers and some of the nicest folks you'll ever meet. They both have my problem. We all have anorexia of the mind. We think our bikes need to be lighter.

So I have taken this to some extreme cases. You see my 29er needed to be lighter so I started with getting rid of things like valve caps, then front gears because I love riding SS and only need 9 speed in the rear. Then went everything stock on the bike! [Alo note: The 2008 Fisher Superfly stock weight came in a shade over 23 lbs.]

I mean everything that I could afford to make this thing lighter. Trust me, it can be lighter but my budget only allows so much. So guess what? I got a drill press for a present one year ago and just started drilling. That's right, just like what you see on old road bikes: Drillium.

Now, trust me things have bitten me in the ass before and I now realize you can not win without finishing the race. So I do take that into consideration. But when I get a couple of hundred bucks to spend on my bike, guess what? I have to upgrade some thing or buy some thing to make my bike lighter. I have a real problem. I hope this support group will help me find a light at the end of the tunnel.

Parts List:

Stock:
- Fisher Superfly frame
- Bontrager Race Lite Handlebar
- Avid Juicy Ultimate Brake levers/calipers - Ti Hardware
- SRAM X0 Trigger shifter
- Race Light Saddle and clamp [drilled]

Not Stock:
- Woodman Carbon Seatpost [cut down]
- X0 Rear Deraileur [back plate drilled]
- XTR 960 Crank [cut to be made SS]
- White Brothers Carbon Fork [shortened all the way]
- Rohloff SS Guild [drilled with nylon bushings]
- Crank Brothers 3 Ti Eggbeater pedals [shortened spindles]
- Shimano Durace Cassette [12/27, because it's titanium]
- Shimano Durace Chain [as short as it goes]
- Rotors: Front: Scrub 160mm, Rear: Avid G3 14omm with 4 Ti bolts in each [because 4 is more than 3 and all the adapters are drilled]
- Foam grips
- Bottle Trap [drilled]
- Plastic Bell [not drilled.... YET]

Now for the best parts... the wheels.
Front: Velocity A23 28H custom painted black, Sapim spokes, Alloy nips, Radial non-disc side, 2 cross disc side, Bontrager X Lite hub with tubeless Specialized Fast Trak tire
Rear: Velocity Aerohead 32H custom painted, Double butted spokes, Alloy nips, 2 cross both drive and non-drive sides, Velocity ATB Lightweight Disc hub with tubless Schwalbe Furious Fred tire.

Total Weight:

17.15 lbs

Hey Hon, can you get me a fixie?

There are some things that are necessary and many things that are not.

A bicycle? Yes.

A folding bicycle? Arguable.

A fixie? No

A folding fixe? Absolutely.

That's right. I'm not the first to pull off such a feat nor will I be the last. For the last year, I have joked with friends that I wanted to build up a folding fixie to have when I traveled and to simply to keep in my car to always have a bike with me. Sure, I could have kept it kosher and rocked it single, 3, or 7 speed like many that come stock but there was simply some allure to making it fixed.

This was the second folding bike that I got my hands on but the first that I made into a fixie. The first was a 20" wheel Dahon Speed D7, that I ended up trading my former co-worker, Brent, for my Karate Monkey frame. I got this 16" wheel folding bike, a Hon, precursor to Dahon from another former co-worker at my old shop for a pair of Oakleys. Check out an old post on the No Drive website to see what this started out like.

I did do a few modifications to the bike to be able to make it work. Since I am all legs and arms at a little over 6 foot. In order to get proper leg extension and reach to the handlebars, the first thing was to cut off the attached flat bar that was on the steering column. Without putting much thought as to what I would do after removing it, I soon discovered that the it was extremely close to an 1 1/8" steer tube. Grabbing a stem, it confirmed it. I then, added a pair of mustache bars that had been floating around on a couple of bikes but had never found a good home.

The bike then sat for a good month or so. I built up the wheels once I found the Maxxis Hookworms, then I knew I wanted to change the color of the bike. Originally, I was going to black out the bike but ended up changing my mind after taking it completely apart. Raw seemed to be the better way to go. The bike sat in pieces for 2 months as I explored how I was going to extend the seatpost.

Enter, a good friend of mine, Bob Hammond [who happened to do all the photos in our current catalog], who is a bit of a machinist and took up the challenge of making a post that would not only be long enough for my leg but also strong. What he ended up using was steel, machining it down to size for a seat clamp and the notched properly to keep the seatpost in line; even going a step further to drill completely through the middle to lighten it up a bit.

The last week I've spent clear coating the bike after having it sandblasted, cleaning/polishing all the parts and attempting to remember how it all went together. In the end, the bike came together great and I even discovered that one of the old Velocages worked remarkably well on the old reflector mount on the steer tube. I topped the bike off with a rear rack that was made specifically for the Hon, the Pedro's Trixie [carefully placed I might add; see picture below, right side] and some hipster cysts for good measure. There a few things I'll be adding but for the most part, it's all done.

Here's a few of the specs on the bike:

Frame: 19?? Hon 16" Folding Bike
Wheels: Velocity [349] Aeroheat 32H, Radial Front, 2x Rear on Velocity Solid Axle/Cutout Flange Track Hubs
Tires: Maxxis Hookworm 16 x 1.95
Gearing: 46 x 13 [roughly 59.7 gear inches]

Dirt and Polo

Busy day here at Velocity but never too busy not to show off one of our rigs... Today, we have another one of Paul's, with a short write up:

After many years of mountain bike racing and many different mountain bikes, my IRO has put the fun back in mountain biking.

IRO 29er stats:

- IRO single speed frame and fork
- Velocity Blunt wheelset
- Avid mechanical disc brakes
- FSA crank
- Ritchey handle bar
- Ritchey seatpost
- Race Face stem
- Time ATAC pedals

From racing to pulling my kids around in the trailer, my IRO makes every ride a great ride!

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Staying with the mountain theme. We recently posted over on our Facebook page a video from an early run by Ryan on the new pump track at the GR Bike Park. Lots of hard work by a group of devoted volunteers has both the pump track and the first single track loop taking shape in time for the Mayor's ride and park clean up date on May 15th.

Finally, for all of our friends across the pond. No not Wisconsin, we mean the big pond... over in Amsterdam. We've hinted at our love for bike polo here and there's a little throw down right at the finish of the Giro d'Italia this Saturday. Check out their website for more details. You'll have a chance to win some of our Deep V rims and a few of our Bottle Traps.

Veloce means Fast.

I'm told veloce means fast. Which puts us at mildly interesting position given that today we are highlighting MD's 1999 Bianchi Veloce. We love MD here and he's a lot of things. Is fast really the best adjective to use in describing him? Well, he's one hell of a sales manager and is fast at a bunch of things like: the quick punch line, the smart ass comment and I'm fairly certain he can run faster than I can.

But... is MD fast on a bike? Well, let's call him pretty fast.

Enjoy his write up on his steed:

OK, so I get this job building bicycle wheels and I didn’t even have a bike.This was obviously just a short term job until I find something in my field. I mean who can make a living building bicycle wheels? Ummm….yeah, that was four years ago, and now I have a career, and a couple bikes.

I didn’t get the appreciation for bicycling until I recognized what a skilled art wheel building is. It’s precise, detail oriented, patience testing, hands on, work, and I got hooked. I’d spend so much time on each wheel, making sure it was a perfect as I could get it. I started to take a lot of pride in my work, and you just cant build these beautiful wheels all day and not get the urge to ride them.

After a little over a year, I left the truing stand for a desk. Before Betsy Hilgendorf left Velocity to pursue her career at QBP, she had purchased a Bianchi Veloce frame on Ebay. Betsy quickly determined that the bike was the wrong size for her. “It doesn’t fit me but do you know who it would fit perfectly?” So I bought it. My first bike as an adult, and I love it. It feels like driving a vintage Ferrari or something. She’s faster than I am. And…of course, I’m rolling the Helios wheelset, that helps!

P.S. I don’t want to hear any sh!t about the saddle! It’s comfy. It’s my bike and my urethra, so lay off Bolt Man!


A few of the 1999 Bianchi Veloce features:

- Chromoly Frame with Carbon fiber composite fork
- Campagnolo Veloce 9 Speed Groupo
- Crank 53/39
- 9 speed 12-23
- Helios Wheelset

na...na... 'Na-ga.... Colnago!

This past winter, as we were dreaming of morning spring rides and warm summers, the head of our wheel department began to piece together a bit of a masterpiece. Slowly but surely, gathering the frame and parts of what became a beautiful complete bike.

That bike now graces us for today's '...because we ride.' Ryan's 'Nago, [some call the Lamborghini a Lambo' and being a work of Italian craftsmanship that it is, why not shorten it?]. Ok, fine... Colnago. Here's Ryan's write up:

I have needed a new road bike for some time now and this past winter it happened. The stars aligned and the deal of a lifetime fell into my lap. It came in the form of a Colnago Dream B Stay with a Flash carbon fork and Campy headset. A SRAM Force group makes the thing go and stop with the prototype A-23 wheelset makes it feel like a Colnago should. I owe a great deal of gratitude to all that helped make this bike a reality. You know who you are.

On a side note… How many people do you know with an Italian BB chaser in their tool box? Well, Paul Van Wesep has one and I’m glad he does.

Rach's Green Steed

Today, we have a new contributor for our 'because we ride' series, Rachel. She is by no means new here at Velocity and is our resident nurse/stellar wheelbuilder when she's not off working her full time job saving lives at the hospital. Enjoy:


The bikes we ride... I have a few of them... maybe more than a few, but of the few I have, this bike is, by far, my favorite. I like to call it my green steed. Velo City Cycles would term the bike Sofa King. Really it's the most superb and comfortable riding steel road/fixie bike I own and was built by the awesome dudes and dudets at Waterford Precision Cycles in Wisconsin.

Not only do I like rollin' with steel, but I also like rolling with the Velocity wheels. Wheels, in my opinion, can make or break your riding experience! I've had nothing but Velocity Wheel's on this bike. Started out with a pair of gold Aeroheads with bladed spokes. It was love at the first ride. A wheel that was straight as an arrow, sturdy as a beast, and proved to be the strongest wheel I have ever ridden.Upon finding this love for Velocity wheels and having access to so many different color options, I decided I would like to be more visible since the Sofa King has become my main form of transportation. Therefore, I switched to the ELVS Deep V, the first reflective rim at Velocity Wheels. Whenever a car shines it's lights on my ride and me, it reflects the intense love I have for cycling making cars aware of my presence. With success of such a great rim, we at Velocity wheels have made massive improvements in our reflective rims, and now carry the Halo, which is available in many different style of rims. I already have plans on building up a new wheelset for my steed!

So there you have it... just one of my steeds cruising down the road with the nothing but the best... Velocity Wheels that is!

b is for Box... or 650B.

Another day. Another bike. Matt's bike this time:

This little gem is a Scott Reflex 40 that I picked up on a trade with Brad Bacon @ Alger Cyclery. I swapped a pair of custom coated blue argyle Cliff Hanger rims (currently residing on B-Rad's beach cruiser) as an even trade for this 26" bike. As traded it came with a rear cassette wheel and derailleur that I promptly removed and tossed in the parts bin. The current drivetrain consists of an FSA V-Drive 180mm crankset to a Shimano single cog in the rear, made possible by the fantastic Surly Singulator. I built the Blunt Pro wheels before the era of the Velocity Single Speed ATB Disc hub, so what you see here is the equally drool-worthy Lightweight ATB disc hub, spaced out for single speed use.

Since the frame is on the small side for me, I decided to cram 650b wheels into the drops. I was a bit concerned about tire clearance, or lack thereof, but after a half dozen rides, these hand built beauties are still straight as an arrow. This is especially impressive considering that I am a self proclaimed amateur ATBer and I've been slamming into sh!t left and right! The increased wheel size just barely clears the frame and fork using Pacenti Neomoto and Quasimoto tires in the front and rear respectively. The fork and front end is mainly stock, but the non conventional wheel size forced my hand into XT hydraulic discs (aww shucks). The brakes were installed, routed and bled by Dan Koert, then of Ada Bike Shop. The seat post is a Ritchey and the saddle is a Fi'zi:k Gobi XM that fit the aesthetic way to well to not try out. I'm glad I did...Wing Flex + Tail Flex = seriously easy on the cheeks. The only thing I plan on upgrading is the headset, which I continually find out of adjustment after long climbs. Gripit & Ripit!