Ahhhhh. Bike riding is back on us.
We’ve been quiet over the past few months – skiing and work were getting in the way. But, we’re back and ready to pedal.
The bare bones of a super bike.
One of the cool things we were working on over the winter is this new Velo Orange Polyvalent.
There have been a bunch of incredible builds built up by VO and a number of other shops and people around the country. But, once Garabed started building Freewheel Cycles’ Polyvalent, in his classic style, he started to see all kinds of possibilities for total customization. You’d expect any bike Garabed builds to be totally tricked out with details you haven’t even thought of yet. So, when it came to this sweet ride, it’s safe to say he saw some possibilities to tweak this. This is 100% Garabed Freewheel styling.
The impressive customizations make this the ultimate touring bike – and cross-functional, and comfortable enough to be used as the ideal commuter. Yeah, this thing has a full set of custom Bush&Muller head lights and tail lights dynamo powered by the spinning wheels. Each has a small capacitor, keeping the lights lit even when you’re stuck at a stop sign or waiting in traffic. It’s got the total Velo Orange rack and bag kit. It’s got the Kleen Kanteen water bottle, terra cotta walled tires, leather wrapped spring seat, Velo Orange Dia Comp components.
While all of these superficial details make the bike look complete and fully detailed, the supremely impressive work is in the custom cable routings for the lights and the most spectacular customization: an Alfine 8 speed internal hub laced to VO rim. After looking around at all the other builds, Garabed wasn’t seeing the one thing that he thought would make the Polyvalent an easier to ride, more ideal bike for commuters and tourers. The internal hub makes the ride smooth, and simple, without the hassle of a rear cass
Velo Orange Drive Train
ette and deraileur. The entire drive train is simple and smooth to ensure the ride is seamless.
Take a look at the pictures and the spec chart, and let us know what you think.
Complete 8Speed Velo Orange Polyvalent
Garabed’s Dream Machine – 8S
FRAME / FORK polyvalent
HEADSET grand cru mirror finish
STEM vo threadless +/- 6
H/S ADPT vo threadless stem adpt
HANDLE BAR vo Milan handlebar
GRIPS vo cork grips
BRK LEVERS vo city brake levers
BRAKES grand cru canti
CRANKSET MK1 grand cru single / 44 RING
BB vo bottom bracket
SEAT POST vo grand cru
SADDLE vo model 5
FRT BRK HANGER vo clamp on
REAR BRK HANGER nitto cable hanger
FRT WHEEL grand cru 650 wheel
REAR WHEEL Alfine 8 spd laced to vo rim
CHAIN GUARD vo alloy chaingaurd
FRT RACK vo constructeur
R RACK vo constructeur
TYRES / PAIR soma xpress terra cotta
DYNMO bush & muller dymotec 6
FRT LIGHT bush & muller lumotec lyt
R LIGHT bush & muller 4d lite plus
DYNOMO BRACKET DYNOMO BRACKET
FENDERS vo zeppelin 52mm
WATER CAGE/ PAIR vo retro cage
SHIFTER FOR HUB shimano 8 spd shft
D/T COVERS problem solver
BELL brass stricker
CENTER STAND vo copenhagen dual leg
R MUD FLAP rivendell sackville
SEAT BAG rivendell sackville xsmall saddle bag
KLEAN KANTEEN klean kanteen reflect