Velobuild VB-R-068 aero road bike build overview and full costing: was it worth it?
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- Опубліковано 18 вер 2024
- Early review of my Velobuild VB-R-068 aero road bike frame I recently bought, with an overview on the build issues, ride quality and full costing.
In this video I’m wearing an M2 Bavaria long sleeve jersey courtesy of Siroko: if you wish to shop for Siroko cycling gear you can use my direct link to their website for an extra 10% discount automatically added to the prices, even on top of the existing discounts. This will also help me a little, thank you!
Siroko 10% extra discount website link: srko.co/fede1275
Thank you again for watching,
Federico
#cycling #siroko #sirokotech #velobuild
![Ep.30 [ENG] - Building of VeloBuild VB-R-218. Houston, We have problems.](/img/n.gif)
Great to see a multi millionaire still using proper brakes. Good experience putting this build together.
What can you do... 😂
Dear Federico, from all the build your own bike videos with cheap carbon frame, yours are the most transparent and honest. Your content quality, its exceptional. Thank you for sharing and keep going. Love how the build end up!
Thank you so much!!
Can’t beat building your own! I built my own sports plane took me 6 years enjoyed every rivet. Keep up the great videos mate.
Wow, congratulations!
Yes, I agree. I prefer the building more than the riding. Built some carbon wheels from light bicycle and used some excellent Shimano 36 spoke hubs (but only used 18 spokes front, 27 spokes in the rear with a 2:1 ratio as a bit of an experiment to see if could copy campy/fulcrum with rear wheel spoking style to have more even spoke tension). They ride great!
Great job Federico. I think, this is answer for many normal riders with normal budget. Thank you and keep going!
Thank you!!
I still think it looks amazing with that paint job, great job on going down that route !
👍 👍
It worth it yes. That bike by specialized don’t go down the 6000, for sure. The frame I got so far have no issues, is semi build at the moment, the only thing is that my handlebar is a bit flex for my taste, I am also 92kg, so that make influence.
Your bike looks killer!!! Those little issues are part of the money saved in the frame.
Probably I do a video review of mine.
Good luck amici!!!
Thank you and good luck with your build!!
love it . i bought a trek emonda , changed the tires perfect lol , at 54 newbie ,i can roll allmost with them all ,cheers
It looks glorious! The decals make it👌. I can see it being your segment specific or fast bunch ride bike.
In the end, the learning process tends to be the most valuable thing. Well done.
Yes, it's perfect for that use 👍
Good video. It reinforces my outlook that is not always about the bike, is about what you bring into it. I think the bike industry has run amok with pricing, pricing out a large piece of the market, that can only be serviced by companies like velo build. Thanks again for your honest perspective.
Absolutely!
Pretty awesome fact for those who want to build a hydraulic disc brake version and do it even cheaper than you spent on your build, L-TWOO just released a hydraulic groupset for $190 US. Can you believe it? This should help force Shimano and SRAM lower prices. Seems those brands don't listen to our complaints about cost and it takes another Brand to manufacture a group set to do it. I would like to see a lot more people building their own bikes because this will help bring down costs all around. Thank goodness for the Chinese people. They seem to be the saviors of cycling.
Yes, it seems that a wave of more affordable products is changing the industry and it's happening not only in cycling. Interesting times
As a self proclaimed eBay bike expert, your build would make sense... Had you chosen discs. For a rim bike, people are better off buying something second hand, especially in the UK, where you can buy crazy specs for such little money now.
That said, I'm probably going to buy a VB168 disc, just to experiment, because I'm a hopeless nerd. So, power to you for your experimenting mindset!
Great, let me know when you get it!
Have one (168) myself, no regrets
I have built a velobuild light weight, endurance frame. Sofar very happy with the bike frame assembly went well, everything fit as it should. I haven't had it out for any long rides yet. I'm waiting for spring. I was riding a old aluminium areo Cervelo bike before. When I got out of the saddle and pushed up a hill, the rear rim would rub the brake pad. So I would have to adjust the pads, so they would have more gap. I don't think I will have this problem with the new bike. At least I hope not.
Great, I hope it will work well for you!
Great to see your channel growing!!! Keep dropping videos, they’re really informative 👏🏿
Thank you, really appreciate!
We love your build Federico! Very unique colorway and design!
It is beautiful, just a couple of headaches to sort out, but I'm happy overall 😅
Sensible vid! 👍
You could have also considered buying a second hand Venge bike or frame rimbrake. Would have been about the same costs because people don’t buy these anymore afraid of dying from using rimbrakes. You can buy a complete dura ace s-works rb for about €3000,00 over here.
Yes, I know. The Venge Vias had the strange aero brakes I did not want and they still go for a high price. This way I also added the personalised paint.
Agree, not as a first bike, but a nice project if one has more than one bike. Looks great!
Exactly!
Fantastico Fede very happy for you it’s definitely a velo win even if you had to fork out that £300 to have the bike setup correctly. I can see you absolutely getting a few KOM’s with that bike next summer. 👍🏽
Thank you Richie! If no KOMs are coming I'll return it as defective!
Pretty cool you can get custom paint for very little extra cost and make it just how you want it, stickers not included 😂 Very nice build, I'm sure its the topic of conversation at the local coffee stop. Aloha 🤙
Very true! Definitely gets a lot of attention!
Interesting paint selection
I have the exact same frame and I love it. I did have some small issues but I was able to remedy them pretty quickly. For the seat post if you use some carbon paste that should fix the problem. I also found the expander plug for the headset kept slipping so I purchased a new one which fixed the issue. Lastly I had a problem with the seat clamp and I purchased a venge vias seat clamp which also fixed the problem. Fortunately I haven’t had any issues with tire clearance at the back and have not experienced any tire rub on the frame.
Thanks for the info and tips! This frame looks amazing and I’m so pleased with how great the bike looks and how fast it rides. My seatpost has not slipped since the last adjustment. I added a strip of grippy tape at the back of the post, but more importantly I added some Loctite thread locker to the clamp bolt. I found out that the bolt was getting loose from the vibrations and causing the seatpost to slip. The expander plug has been fine so far, when I ordered the frame Velobuild mentioned they updated the headset, when did you get yours? I also tried to buy a Venge clamp, but it did not fit, maybe I got the wrong year model and I returned it. The frame tyre rub is quite minimal, sometimes I have to make sure that the wheel is correctly positioned in the drop outs, but overall I am enjoying the bike a lot. I can’t believe how modern it still looks!!
Your bike is totally worth it, looks AMAZING! Those wheels are maybe a bad choice. They are well known for flexing under hard acceleration, and I believe the external width is 27.5mm. A wheel set with 25mm external width might be a better choice and you then would probably be able to run 25mm tires. I would suggest though, 23mm front and 25mm rear. I'm sure that seat post problem can be solved if you can find the right person to help you with it. Someone creative.👍
Thanks for sharing your journey! Enjoy and I hope you can get the last bits sorted, let us know. 🍷🍷
Yes, you are right, I might do some changes in the future and I'm sure I'll iron out these issues. Thank you!
Hi Federico, I had the same tire rub issue with my 07 Litespeed Vortex Ti. I went to 23mm that cured the rub problem but found the bike was twitchier. My local mechanic suggested to go 25 mm on the front only and that cured the twitchy problem. I also have a 07 S-Works Venge with rim brakes. I put on modern Di2 group set and new Mavic Cosmic's . She is superfast!!
Hope my suggestion helps.
Thank you, will keep it in mind. Your Venge should be amazing!
Saw you by Robin Hood Gate the other day and shouted 'hey!'. Was doing efforts and don't think you would have heard 'I watch your youtube videos and particularly liked the one about latex tubes', but I hope that came across.
Yes, I waved back, maybe with a bit of delay, I had my earphones
Looks great and not being your only bike makes sense to me. The only down side is our weather and road conditions personally I would use 23mm tyres to stop the tyre rub and try and choose better roads when using the new bike. Unfortunately the roads are never going to get better they have let them get so bad I cannot see them ever getting for cycling. I got a old Tarmac and choose my route otherwise it's a gravel bike nowadays as I'm so old I like a bit of comfort. I'm very happy for you. Your videos are brilliant.
Thank you!! Agree with the state of the roads, really a bumpy ride most of the time!
@@fede1275 I used to have tire rub on my old cannondale rim brake. It usually comes down to the that the wheel is not secured properly or that there is some play on the bearing( if the hub has cup and cone bearing)
@@bodhievandijk1633 yes, good suggestion. On mine the wheel was slightly out of dish and I am also checking a very minor alignment on the quick release that might cause the wheel to tilt slightly
If it puts a smile on your face then it’s worth it
Smile and frown, then smile, then frown...😂
My Z.E.D 50mm carbon wheels, "hand-built built in the UK" are great in the rain, the same stopping power as the DT SWISS aluminium rim brakes I use to use.
Yes, you are right. I was also considering Light Bicycle with the carved brake track, but these Prime are such a good value
Nice review. I assume you're using fibre paste on your seatpost to prevent slippage. Personally, the bike wouldn't work for me since these days I prefer wider tires using 28mm+ depending upon terrain.
Yes, but with that clearance the carbon paste is not enough. I'm working on some tape to close the gap.
If this is not an experiment, I would prefer getting a second hand Merida reacto 8000 probably that has a very good quality and reliable. Just my opinion. Thanks for the vid
Nice bike as well, not sure if I could get it with the same budget
Great serious of videos for your project. Good job! BTW, love all the stickers! nice touch!
😊😊
Nice Mclaren paint Federico. It's good to see another Italian doing cycling videos in English ;)
Great, will check you out!
23mm tyres and rim brakes.. travelling back in time !
The good old days 😄
Good to see you have the same sponsorship as British cycling 😂
They copied me!
I saw some post of recommendations on the 68. Many said instead of the 068 go for the 086 as its newer and can fit the 28mm tire. His also rime break...
The bike looks good in those colours for sure
Yes, makes sense. To me the 086 was too close to my Ultimate, I really wanted a more aero bike for a change.
I luckily got my hands on a third hand Alpecin training bike for a little less. My pride and beauty is a 2018 Aeroad with Ultegra di2 and rim brakes + some exotic components (I have still no idea where the carbon rims come from and how did it get dura-ace brake-shift leavers). There seem to be quite a few nice aeroish bikes on the secondhand market in this price range. Of course you never really know what you get…
But hey, just the whole experience (being shared with us 🤪) to go through the build process worth the money in itself. The bike looks perfect? And it works pretty well? It’s really the cherry on the cake! Congrats and respect! I love it and hope it’s the first item of your special collection. Can’t wait to see the upcoming episodes on it! :)
@@gaborruda the Aeroad rim is another dream bike for me, the ones I saw were all quite expensive. Yours should be amazing!
Great decals!👍👍
I built a Santa Cruz Stigmata from a new frame. It cost me more than a new fully factory professionally assembled bike because of all the mistakes I made learning how to do it. It’s probably better to buy a fully built bike from a good bike shop 😊
I know, but eventually I want to be able to build a bike myself, might be try again and keep learning!
@@fede1275 you definitely learn a lot from building a bike. My main problems were installing a BB adapter to allow a threaded BB to be fitted (almost wrecked the frame), but worst of all is running internal cables - a nightmare! Building a road bike with external cables and rim brakes would be fairly simple. Bike manufacturers probably get a 50% discount on groupsets etc, so it’s not going to be cheaper to build your own bike if you use Shimano or Sram because you’ll be paying retail prices and all the bits soon add up to a big investment. ☺️
Hey Fedo mate,looks a great bike, well done mate,nothing like a new bike to get some pb’s on strava 🤣👍
Looks fantastic indeed!
Good review
Cool paintjob!
Great review, shame about the frame rub. Have you tried helicopter tape to cover the vulnerable area? Overall I think it was a great buy
Yes, I agree!! Will put some tape, I believe it will be okay
Haha Federico I like how you don’t take yourself to serious. It made me laugh about the wife being out of ear shot 😂😂😂
@@rheadonabike that's survival mode 😂
Colour scheme of new bike is so much better then Canyon . I think the frame choice was a bit unfortunate. For a bit more you could get your dream F rim brake version or Bianchi Xr4 rim .from same Taiwan factory as genuine bikes.
Yes, the colour really stands out. What would be the same factory as the genuine F and XR4?
@@fede1275 i can not send you a link here not sure what is the best link to do so. I have a guy number and website from Taiwan.
@@rowerazzzzzeee feel free to message me on Instagram @fede1275
I think it is an excellent choice if you want a winter bike i can see myself doing something like this 👍
Within its imperfections it's a very good bike!
Have you tried carbon fibre grip paste on the seat post? That worked for me when I had post slippage. I ride rim brakes, but switch to aluminium rims when it's raining and for winter rides.
Yes, I guess the aero shape doesnt help as put the pressure just on the back of the blade. Aluminium wheels are a sensible choice, but I am not sure I could see them on the aero bike, I got so used to the look of deep wheels. I am off on the disc Merida today as it's raining 😫
Very useful review. How are you satisfied with Ride now tubes ?
So far they have been great, I will fit them on the Canyon as well!
Great update. Next question , do you think you will keep it ?
Yes, I guess so. As long as my seatpost doesn't slip again!
Tributo Senna❤
Great video, Federico. I wonder what you did with the other Ultimate frame?
I'm going to keep it as a spare for now!
Hi Fede, do not just replace the ridenow inner tubes, if you puncture, as they are really easy to fix with their patch kit
I also bought the patch kit, but they can't ship the glue! I have to buy it separately
@@fede1275 But I don't believe the glue is anything special, right? Just your ordinary vulcanizing contact glue that you use for repairing butyl tubes or shoes outsoles.
@@The_One-Eyed_Undertaker I hope so, I did ask what glue I need, they said liquid glue...
@@fede1275 🤔 weird I have ordered the patch kit in August and got a smal tube of glue included. It's Hopson rubber cement
@@alenkovacic7913 thank you, they mentioned some stricter UK regulations about liquids.
I bet your wife is glad you’ve finished this project!😮💨
On the whole its been a success, but as you pointed out the tyre rub is a concern. I agree with some of the previous comments regarding 23mm tyre width and also helicopter tape in the effected area after some touch paint.
Was there any mention of max tyre width in the frame spec?🤔
You are right! This frame is max 25c, but there is rub under hard efforts.
@@fede1275 I have to use 23mm on my winter bike so that the Crud guards have enough clearance. About 10 years ago 23mm was probably the norm but things change. In fact when I started riding road bikes it was 19mm!
@@malz3836 yes, I would not have a problem in riding 23c, it's just that I already bought the 25c. Will need to burn them out 😄
Nice video...did you add in the front transparent protection stickers to protect cables rubbing on frame?
The workshop at bicycle Richmond did! Very neat.
After riding this bike do you feel that if you were to buy one bike only you would now choose an aero bike? Or would you go again for an all rounder bike like the ultimate?
It's not easy to answer, every time I ride one of them I love its unique characteristics. I guess it's really down to how and where you love to ride. Maybe a video on the subject coming soon!
What do you say about Velobuilds bottlecages? I like them a lot, they grip the bottles just perfect and I'm using them on both my Aeroad as on my cross.
Not sure, the one I have on it is a Bontrager replica from Aliexpress
@@fede1275 Ok, I looked at yours and quickly looked at the Aeroad and they looked the same for me at that moment.
It's friday so I guess the world should be a little blurry😀🙁
@@MegaMoneygod the other ones on my Ultimate are the Elite Leggero
Ok, I plan to buy the Leggero. Do you recommend it?
@@MegaMoneygod yes, so far has been working well, got a strong hold
Did you Paint the frame close to you? Or did the frame Came painted like this?
I chose a custom colour scheme of my choice, it came like this and it costed an extra 60 USD.
Have got the link to them inner tubes please ? Cheers
Search on Aliexpress for Ridenow tubes, there are a lot of independent sellers and will need to search for the best price combination. I got the 65mm Presta valves.
ciao federico, non mastico bene l'inglese, ma poi alla fine che difetti hai riscontrato sul telaio, oltre se non ho capito male del reggisella non fissato bene, che mi sembra sovente nei telai velobuild?
Ciao, si il problema è che la ruota sfiora il telaio sotto carico quando mi alzo sui pedali e inclino la bici. Poi il reggisella scorre e devo trovare qualcosa per fermarlo bene. Per il resto va molto forte!
@@fede1275 grazie, mi sembra abbastanza grave il disallineamento della ruota. costa poco, controllo qualità praticamente assente, va insomma a culo.
avevo fatto un pensierino sul fake pinarello, ma mi sa che lo depenno.
bella la colorazione migliorata con quei 4 adesivi, mi fa tornare indietro col tempo, ai duelli senna prost. che anni e che legnate si davano.
@@cicci72 Si, in realta' l'ho portata in negozio e hanno visto che il telaio e' dritto, ma con veramente poco spazio. La ruota era leggermente fuori asse e per questo all'inizio non girava proprio. Adesso che e' stata ricentrata gira bene, ma sotto carico si flette. I telai costano proprio poco, purtroppo bisogna lavorarci un po'. Pero' non pesa troppo e va molto forte.
You could probably have picked up a used Venge with similar groupset or better for that price surely?
The ones I saw were all more expensive. With this one I could use almost all the components I already had
Knurl the pressure plate on the seat post
I'm looking into that as well, thank you
Is this frame a replica of the venge ?
I believe so, seems to have copied the Venge Vias shape
I think for the spec you would be hard pressed to find a better/ faster aero bike
Absolutely!! If I had used a better groupset it would probably ended up below 8Kg
what rear light is this?
It's a Cateye Rapid X
You know you want disc brakes, Federico. First steep descent in the rain you’ll wonder why you waited.
In reality if I were not commuting and only training in the weekend I could consider a performance bike with discs for when you have to go out with the bad weather. For now I cycle enough to choose a dryish day for rim brake use.
An italian building and riding a McLaren styled bike. I wonder what "il Commendatore" would think if he were still alive... 😆
He would not tolerate for sure 😅
Making sure that my wife is not around 🤣
😅
I wouldn’t want this kind of stress for a minimal money saving. You shouldn’t have these problems with any bike even if it’s cheaper.
Yes, I understand your point, I just need to add that the saving is not minimal, as in this case I could get hold of a type of bike that others don't make anymore and also is personalised. I agree issues are not fun, but in context maybe become more bearable.
That tyre clearance issue with the rubbing is pretty bad if it can't atleast take 25mm. Very poor design.
Yes, it seems however an issue consistent with the age of the design, I have two friends with BMC bikes from 2015 or so that both rub slightly with 25mm. 23mm was the normal size just a few years ago
It would be better to order frame and parts directly from China
their is something wrong if a bike shop charges 300 british pounds to do a bike rim brake build. london rich tax LOL
Answer: No it wasn't. Should have bought a Seka.
Maybe you are right!
@@fede1275 that Velo frame had too many problems. I guess it'll make an ok indoor trainer bike.
Don't understand why people refuse to go tubeless. I did it 6 years ago and have never looked back. No stopping to fix punctures ever since. No problems at all. It's a no brainer