Cycling News & Blog Articles

   by Connor

        About two months ago, my fiancée and I took a road trip down from DC to Seneca Rocks to camp for a weekend. West Virginia, for those of you who haven't been, is absolutely gorgeous, and is undoubtedly one of the most (if not the most) beautiful states on the east coast. I think it all comes down to how undeveloped and untouched most of the state is- no sprawling cityscapes, no mile wide highways, and no McDonald's every 2 miles. Quite honestly, the state is so covered in rolling hills and mountain ranges, it may never be able to be developed nearly as much as it's more suburbanized East-coast neighbors like Virginia and Maryland. 

        On this trip, we ended up taking a detour from Seneca Rocks to hike off the summit of Spruce Knob, the highest point in West Virginia, and the tallest mountain for hundreds of miles around. Upon our return to the lot, I noticed a son and his father absolutely suffering on their road bikes up the last stretch of the climb to the peak, and I thought to myself "that looks like no fun, I'm not sure I'd ever come down here to do that."

...cut to this weekend.

by Connor     

    When Igor asked me to start writing posts for the blog, I began to wonder what kinds of things I could write about that readers might enjoy beyond basic technical knowledge. As a bike mechanic of just over 9 years coming over to the manufacturer's side of the industry, my brain still looks at a bike from the technical side of things:

"Is this the right stem length for that bike? How will this drivetrain pairing work? Is this tire going to work well with the internal width of that rim? Those wheels aren't tubeless compatible? Ugh..."

All day.

    And I'm sure that perspective is unlikely to change, but technical jargon doesn't make for good writing, and in turn, doesn't make for good reading. I can attest that riding bikes is certainly more fun than wrenching on them, so I'm going to talk a little bit about this new, crazy, never-before-seen sect of cycling: commuting.

by Igor

Sensah Components has been in the drivetrain game for a number of years producing shifters, derailleurs, cranksets, and cassettes for just about every type of drivetrain and bike. More recently, they've gotten into 1x (1by) drivetrains for mixed-terrain and off-road touring bikes (read: gravel). And so, we are pleased to now be offering SRX and CRX components for 1x drivetrains!

1x drivetrains are here to stay. They're easy to maintain, quick to set up, and are simple enough for anyone to hop onto. And as such, they are great for commuting, touring, and all-around adventuring. I've personally converted several of my bikes from double drivetrains and I really like the simplicity, minimal aesthetic, and clutch'd derailleur offerings for off-road use.

In testing out their components, I outfitted my Polyvalent Low Kicker with a suite of SRX drop bar shift/brake levers, rear derailleur, and 11-46 cassette. I've taken the bike on all sorts of rides and terrain from gravel to single track to pavé and I'm happy to report performance has been absolutely flawless. Let's go through each component and discuss their features!

SRX 11 speed Rear Derailleur

The SRX Rear Derailleur features aluminum alloy and steel construction for durability and has a max cassette range of up to 52t. 

by Igor

Forager Cycles makes these super fun little ends for your cables dubbed Cable Cherries - and we have them back in stock! They're made in the USA, easy to install, and come in a variety of fun colors. I put some gold ones on my Low Kicker to match the warm tones of my brown handlebar tape and saddle.

Hubs Nuts are too often overlooked I say! So we were very excited to hear that Runwell was working on some premium Hub Nuts for bolt-on track hubs and after many weeks of waiting, they're here! These have magnificent construction and are a pleasure to install and use. They're currently available in M9 (front) and M10 (rear) in black finish. Silver is coming next week with the next Runwell restock.

We also just received a nice re-stock of Runwell Tools including these 4-Way Wrenches with a simple and elegant VO logo on the head. They're a really convenient addition to your tool kit. Instead of fumbling with a super compact multi-tool or multiple wrenches, the most-used hex wrench sizes (3, 4, 5, and 6mm) are quickly and easily accessible on this 4-way wrench for adjustments on the go.

by Igor

The Polyvalent has always been the workhorse of the VO lineup. It's happy to be loaded up with a week's worth of groceries, sloshed through mud on a bikepacking trip, or boxy-bag-front-loaded in a traditional randonneur style. The platform of the Polyvalent is dependable, simple, capable, and flexible. And today we're releasing the Diamond frame variant of the gen 5 Polyvalent.

by Adrian

The day is here. Container Day. Get ready for a fresh restock of a plethora of items - get them while they're hot! Included are:

This list is not exhaustive, you'll see a scattering of replenished products across our webstore. Not everything is back in stock quite yet, so if you're holding out for an item you don't see in this restock, rest assured there's more coming. We're expecting another container at the end of this month, and a big one likely at the end of July. Then several more throughout the remainder of the year. The best way to keep track of items coming into stock is to sign up for email stock notifications on the product pages. 

Thanks for being so patient as we work our way back up to regular stock levels. Like most industries, pandemic-induced manufacturing delays and ridiculously long shipping timelines (this container was delayed two months for example) have consistently pushed back our ETAs. We're expecting to continue to catch up over the next few months, and should have normal stock levels from then on out. 

Happy riding!

by Adrian

If you haven't heard about the cicadas invading the East Coast, have you been living underground for the past 17 years?

Here's what all the hubbub this season has been about. The Brood X Cicada is an endemic insect to Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Delaware, Ohio, and some other parts around these areas (though in fewer concentrations). If you're not familiar with the iconic image of the cicada - it's a hefty bug that has wide-set red eyes, large wings, and makes a loud song via "the rapid buckling and unbuckling of drumlike tymbals." Really this sounds like buzzing up-close on an individual level, but when you get billions (yes, with a "B") together the buzzing combines to make an eerie background noise reminiscent of 1950's flying saucers. They're also not the sharpest bug in the shed, and can often be found flying directly into your face, doing donuts on the sidewalks, and casually walking into predators mouths. 

Cicadas lie dormant underground for 2 to 17 years depending on the species, emerging in the late spring only when the ground gets to around 64℉. They shed their nymph shells, fill up their wings with fluid, find a mate, lay eggs, and then die or get eaten by pretty much everything. This includes a good deal of people who have been in a frenzy to make the best cicada recipes. Some say they taste like shrimp, some say asparagus, and others just dunk them in chocolate, because why not?  

And so to commemorate this once in a 17 year cycle (yes, we're a bike brand, we went there) we had some super fun t-shirts and stickers designed by Baltimore-based artist Kate Haberer.

by Igor

We just got a re-stock of our hubs! So if you've been waiting patiently for the following, hop onto the website now.

by Igor

Greg wanted to have us build up a Neutrino Mini-Velo for commuting, travel, and a bit of fun on gravel roads. 

He opted for Tourist Bars to keep the position upright and comfortable. At 570cm in width, the Tourist is narrow by todays standards, but the sweep, rise, and grip length makes for a magnificent cockpit position. It's a personal favorite of ours.

Wheels are our Disc Hubs laced to Velocity Cliffhanger Rims in 32h drilling. And the rubber is Maxxis Grifter in 20"x2.3" (406 bsd). 

Drivetrain is Sram with a Rival 1 rear derailleur, Apex 1 crankset, 11-32 cassette, and Apex 11 shifter.

by Scott

Kevin and I were speaking this morning about the merits and differences between physical and e-books. One thing that we both agreed on was that books with lots of photos or maps were ones that both of us felt we could only buy as a physical book. E-books are fine for a novel or some non fiction reading, but if you want to read poetry or see large format photos or paintings, then a physical book is simply the best. Introducing The Vintage Bicycle by Steel Vintage Bikes. 

The fabulous folks at Steel Vintage Bikes in Berlin have produced a book showing a collection of steel bikes they have restored over the years. With bikes ranging from 1927 to 1989, there will be bikes you've never seen along with technical elements sure to excite.

The majority of the bikes are racing bikes, but there are some randonneur and touring bikes mixed in as well. 48 bikes are showcased over 110 pages. You get one drive train side shot of each bike as well as a description of the bike and the builder and some more detailed shots.

This is a great book for someone who loves older steel bikes or perhaps someone looking for inspiration from the past. Hardcover, and printed in English.

by Igor

We have a lot of customers who are do-it-yourselfers, so finding quality tools and shop accessories is paramount. We've all used cheap tools and sometimes they can be fine, but you'll curse yourself the first time you're about to round out a bolt head or cut something askew. Buy once, buy right.

Holy Mountain USA Shop Aprons

We recently picked up these absolutely gorgeous Shop Aprons from Holy Mountain USA. They're sewn locally in Baltimore and are extremely high quality. When I'm not using it in the shop, I use it outside grilling, or inside in front of the stove. I've used a lot of aprons over the years and this one, by far, is the best bang for your buck.

There are three main pockets at your waist, and a couple smaller pockets by your chest for your pen, notebook, and any other little odds and ends that you might want quick access to.

We've done a lot of duty-specific builds over the years: Piolet for the CDT, a Campeur for Eroica, and even a wireless shifting Neutrino for traveling. But this is the first time we've put together a bike for a specific food recipe. Move aside #CoffeeOutside, introducing a Neutrino for #GuacOutside.

By Scott

I've always been drawn to the written stories about cycling. I've written about how cycling books were an early inspiration to me here. I love reading the stories and trying to imagine the area they are riding, from the high Atlas mountains of Morocco to winter in arctic Norway. I see bikes as a great tool to get out and experience the world at a slower pace.

In that vein, we're proud to announce that we have the Rough Stuff Fellowship Archive book back in stock now. We've been working with the publishers in the UK to get more of these books back into stock, and they are here at last. These are the same soft cover, 2nd edition ones that we have had for a while. With this restock, we are now also able to offer pricing for shops to sell the books as well.

In other RSF news, they have now announced a Volume 2 that is due later this year. It's more photos and more stories about the RSF. The Kickstarter link is here and we'll be getting Volume 2 into stock when it gets published this fall.

by Igor

A quality handlebar tape can make or break a bike's comfort. Even if your fit is spot on, if your handlebar tape is too thin or hits your hand in the wrong way, your ride isn't going to be fun, at least not for long. This is even more true on an all-road bike where terrain can vary with every mile, and even little impacts or road chatter can exacerbate existing comfort or fit issues. 

Foamy Handlebar Tape

Would I consider it a "Gravel" tape? Sure, why not? But it is so much more than just a hyped tape du jour. We designed this tape for riders that go over varied surfaces during tours and mixed terrain brevets: fire roads, double track, washboard roads, crushed limestone, and yes....gravel. 

It's plush. It's 3.5mm thick. It has a very nice hand feel, wraps easily, and is long (200 cm!) - which is nice for today's wide bars.

How do you make the versatile Flat Pack Rack even better? Give it a black finish to match the rest of your glossy Noir VO bits. Prefer silver? Those are back up on the online store, as well. The rack headlines a fresh shipment of parts and accessories to replenish the VO shelves. 

Bottle Cage Restock

Add a little vintage flair to your bike with one of our Retro Bottle Cages, back in stock with and without tab to accommodate your favorite water bottle. For more carrying capacity, we have also received more of the oversized Mojave Cages. The handy Bottle Cage Clamps are also back. 

Cranksets

Handlebars

...and more

This latest parts and accessories restock also includes:

Coming Soon

Eight years ago, we released the first glimpses of the Crazy Bars. Immediately, they made huge waves in the touring and bikepacking communities with their 3-piece design, generous sweep, functionality with touring bags, and unique appearance. Since then, they have been a mainstay of our lineup, receiving tweaks with materials, tubing, stem clamps, and finishes. We even had a spin-off called the Seine Bar that was the Crazy Bar, minus the forward horns. We've used our experience with on-bike testing, manufacturing, community (thank you!) suggestions, and testing protocols and have designed a new iteration of the bars - and we're finally ready to release details about The Next Generation Crazy Bars!

Starting off, the bars have been widened to 780mm and the sweep has been reduced to a comfortable 35 degrees. This combo creates the perfect balance of leverage for out of the saddle climbs and natural wrist positioning for regular riding. Additionally, there is more room on the grip area for varied grip lengths and brake/shifter compatibility.

Accordingly, the horns have also been shortened to 110mm, but still retain the ability to mount bar end shifters. This allows significantly easier access to all of the positions without having to reach to the extremes of the bars.

We also introduced a bit of rise to the bars, 40mm. They're touring bars, so you deserve some rise.

They're MTB tested and will be available in bead-blasted silver and Noir finishes.