Velobuild VB-R-168

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LanceLegstrong
Posts: 1145
Joined: Fri Sep 13, 2019 1:35 pm

by LanceLegstrong

Wanted to build up a new bike, one, because it's fun, but mainly I wanted a cheap bike that I could race in local crits. Looked at alloy frames which were running anywhere from $800 for a State Undefeated (whole bike) to the $1700 Allez Sprint (overpriced in my book). I looked at the CAAD13 which had mixed reviews, and almost pulled the trigger on a PinkBike offering with Rival AXS. But still on the pricey side. In the end, I decided to go open mold Chinese, mainly for price ($732 custom painted and shipped). Settled on the Velobuild VB-R-168. Similar geo and look to a Tarmac SL7.

Brand: Velobuild VB-R-168

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The original inspiration:
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Which turned to this:
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Both of which reminded me of cotton candy, hence the downtube and headtube logos.

Then I saw this:
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My only change was the turquoise to light blue. Wanted that same light pink but it came out darker than I was hoping for. Still happy with the final look. Decided to keep the "Candy" logo as a nickname for the bike (even if it does sound like a stripper).

Frame Weight: 1155g
Fork Weight: 400g (uncut)
Seatpost Weight: 234g

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Cockpit: The One Pro integrated bar/stem, 40cm width/120mm stem: 368g

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The Plan:
Frame: VB-R-168
Hanger: Cube direct mount (waiting on shipment)
Headset: included
Seatpost: included. Heavy and specific to the frame. I plan on replacing the mounting hardware for some lighter stuff. The hardware alone is 64g and all steel from what I can tell. Bought some carbon plates and ti bolts.
Seat: either a Power Arc Expert 143 (249g) I have laying around or might try a Ali Express 3D printed that is a little narrower.
Stem/Bar: The One Pro (listed above) 40/120
Bartape: Supacaz Super Sticky Kush (best bar tape in the world IMO)
Bottle cages and hardware: ZTTO (TACX copies) in pink 29g each
Brakes: Undecided (read note on groupset below)
Front derailleur: 1x
Rear derailleur: Undecided (read note on groupset below)
Crankset: Shimano 105, 172.5mm. Spare part in my collection
Bottom Bracket: Shimano Dura-Ace press fit BB86
Chainrings: 50t AbsoluteBlack 1x chainring
Chain: Dura-Ace 11-sp
Shifters: Undecided (read note on groupset below)
Wheels: Zipp 404 FC or LightBicycle AR45 depending on wind. Will likely use the Zipp more as this bike will only be used for flat crits
Pedals: Favero Assioma DUO

Still deciding on a groupset. I have a mix of Ultegra/105 hydro disc currently on my alloy gravel bike that gets ridden maybe 5 times a year. So I can just pull everything from that and be good to go. The other option, more out of curiosity, is to pick up a cheap Sensah or LTWOO group to keep with the Chinese theme. I also could pick up a Rival AXS group for around $700 using a club discount. Totally unneccesary but would be nice. Would have to swap out the cassette and freehub though as all my other bikes run Shimano. So:
Cheapest: Ultegra/105 mix hydro disc (free)
Sensah (mech disc) ~$200 or LTWOO (hydro disc) ~$400
Most expensive: Rival AXS 12sp $700

Couple 3D printed parts I made to cover the FD port and hanger mount. 15.8g->1.9g for the FD hanger. 3.6g->0.5g for the cable port.
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The Good:
Price was great. $732 out the door including fully custom paint (also part of The Bad noted below) and shipping. Ordering was easy, the agent or agents I spoke to (seems to be a single person "Chris" that answers every single email from every customer ever) were quick to reply and answer questions, go over paint designs and such. Shipping took about 2 weeks to the US. Frameset overall feels good. As expected, there are some little things of finish quality as seen below. Paint in some spots could have been better but overall really stoked with how the paint job came out and it's truly a unique bike.

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The seatpost has what feels like carbon grip paste already glued on, which is nice. Will probably still use a little more but a nice little detail to help prevent slip.

The Bad:
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Some damage in transit and a less than perfect finish. But luckily in spots that aren't seen apart from the small chip on the headtube. The stem was missing and I'm still working to find a resolution. I asked for a partial refund since I don't plan on using it.

The So-So:
The pink is slightly darker than I requested. Not sure if the clearcoat did this but I was going for a much lighter pink. But still happy with the look. The weight is pretty good for an open mold, about 200g heavier than my 10R Tarmac SL7 (943g). Probably the white paint adding a lot of the difference. Seatpost is heavy and can't be swapped out (as far as I know). Will try to ditch some weight with new mounting hardware.
Last edited by LanceLegstrong on Mon Apr 17, 2023 12:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Specialized Tarmac SL7
Specialized Crux
Velobuild 168
Trek Checkpoint ALR

LanceLegstrong
Posts: 1145
Joined: Fri Sep 13, 2019 1:35 pm

by LanceLegstrong

Some more weights.
20.8g off the fork, bringing it down to 380g.
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FD port cover. The white plastic is a little lighter than the prototype I tested. Came in at 1.9g compared to 15g for the FD hanger and screws.
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FD cable port cover: 0.5g
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ZTTO bottle cages: 29g each
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Bearing preload wedge(?), top cap, 15mm of spacers (plastic), stem transition piece: 34.5g - (compared to 67g for the stock metal set)
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Current seatpost mounting hardware: 64.2g.
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Last edited by LanceLegstrong on Mon Apr 17, 2023 12:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Specialized Tarmac SL7
Specialized Crux
Velobuild 168
Trek Checkpoint ALR

by Weenie


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tarmackev
Posts: 899
Joined: Sat Jan 15, 2011 9:59 pm

by tarmackev

Interested to see the finished bike

Hazzer19
Posts: 48
Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2021 7:03 pm

by Hazzer19

Great colour. Thought about that Factor for next build paint job inspo as well.

LanceLegstrong
Posts: 1145
Joined: Fri Sep 13, 2019 1:35 pm

by LanceLegstrong

Hazzer19 wrote:
Thu Mar 09, 2023 12:34 am
Great colour. Thought about that Factor for next build paint job inspo as well.
Yea, that Factor is just beautiful all around.
Specialized Tarmac SL7
Specialized Crux
Velobuild 168
Trek Checkpoint ALR

LanceLegstrong
Posts: 1145
Joined: Fri Sep 13, 2019 1:35 pm

by LanceLegstrong

Bought a direct mount hanger but it doesn't fit. It's a Cube but I guess I got the wrong one. Will have to look for another.

Stock
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Cube Hanger
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Last edited by LanceLegstrong on Mon Apr 17, 2023 12:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Specialized Tarmac SL7
Specialized Crux
Velobuild 168
Trek Checkpoint ALR

LanceLegstrong
Posts: 1145
Joined: Fri Sep 13, 2019 1:35 pm

by LanceLegstrong

*Warning, lots of pictures. If you guys want I can delete them all and link an imgur folder*

Had some "fun" today trying some things out in the name of science. I was curious whether you could use a Tarmac stem using the Allez conversion top cap. So I swung by my local shop and picked up a Tarmac/Allez compression ring for $25. Fired up the 3D printer and printed the top cap, which came out pretty nice.

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This is where I started to run into problems. The top headset bearing included with the frame is ID 40mm, which is ever so slightly smaller than the Tarmac bearing, which is ID 40.5mm. You'd think that 0.5mm wouldn't make a difference, but it did. The main body of the compression ring woud snap into place, but the inner shim wouldn't fit because the compression ring was compressed.

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As you can see, the slot was pinching, and the shim didn't have room to slot in. Almost just gave up, but I had a spare bearing, so I experimented...with the sander. Used a dremel and sanded the inner surface of the bearing to widen the ID. Got it to around 40.3mm before I ran out of sandpaper drums. But the good news was that it was just enough to get the compression ring and shim to fit. Woohoo!

On to the next problem. The Tarmac compression ring sits lower in the bearing, and I was running into the same issue as a lot of people here. The top cap was hitting the frame and couldn't preload the bearing.

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Ended up not being a huge issue. I considered buying a thicker bearing (8mm probably would have worked), but I just made a quick change to the top cap design and reprinted. 5 hours later I had a new top cap the worked.

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Routed the cables.
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And mounted the stem.
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And....new problems. As you can probably see, the spacers cause a tight bend in the white shift cable, enough so that I couldn't pass the cable. And after taking it off, you can see it kinked.

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New plan. The Tarmac can use mechanical shifting, so I knew there was a way. In the end, I just drilled a hole for the shift cable.

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Didn't look too bad, and a little better with the bat.
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But the bat caused another kink in the shift cable so I left it off. A little piece of shrink wrap kept things tidy.
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So, what did I learn? The Tarmac stem is possible and looks pretty good in my opinion. The Allez top cap will not work without either getting a thicker bearing or changing the design (I can post the STL of both if people want). The compression ring and bearing will have to be modified a little to get a bigger ID. Mechanical shifting will work but won't look as good as electronic.
Specialized Tarmac SL7
Specialized Crux
Velobuild 168
Trek Checkpoint ALR

LanceLegstrong
Posts: 1145
Joined: Fri Sep 13, 2019 1:35 pm

by LanceLegstrong

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Specialized Tarmac SL7
Specialized Crux
Velobuild 168
Trek Checkpoint ALR

LanceLegstrong
Posts: 1145
Joined: Fri Sep 13, 2019 1:35 pm

by LanceLegstrong

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Almost finished. Still deciding on bar tape. I have some black Supacaz and some blue Lizard Skins. The blue isn't the exact shade as the frame, and I'm not sure it would be too much blue.
Specialized Tarmac SL7
Specialized Crux
Velobuild 168
Trek Checkpoint ALR

seventyseven
Posts: 50
Joined: Thu Sep 22, 2022 11:49 pm

by seventyseven

What saddle is that?

kode54
Posts: 3748
Joined: Tue May 23, 2006 9:39 pm

by kode54

Looks like a Bjorn 3D saddle or a Chinese clone.

Edit: Aliexpress saddle

https://m.aliexpress.us/item/3256804370 ... b20231db2f
Last edited by kode54 on Tue Apr 04, 2023 11:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
- Factor Ostro VAM Disc
- Factor LS Disc
- Specialized Aethos Disc
- Sturdy Ti Allroad Disc
- Guru Praemio R Disc

flying
Posts: 2861
Joined: Mon Dec 19, 2005 9:16 am

by flying

Wow that was a bit of work but you did well :beerchug:

What is the final weight?

LanceLegstrong
Posts: 1145
Joined: Fri Sep 13, 2019 1:35 pm

by LanceLegstrong

seventyseven wrote:
Mon Apr 03, 2023 4:55 am
What saddle is that?
It's an Ali Express 3D printed saddle. The brand is West Biking. Pleasantly surprised with it. I paid just under $100 using a coupon and the anniversary sale. The 3D padding feels very similar to my Power Mirror, perhaps slightly firmer, but that may be because my Power Mirror is a few years old now. I've been using it on the trainer for a couple weeks now and I'm more than happy with it for what I paid. It didn't have the "mind blown" effect I got with the Power Mirror saddle, but going from that saddle to this has been a similar feeling. And I'd probably buy another one of these over another Mirror but it's mostly because of price. For around $100 for this compared to $400 for a Mirror, I'd pick this.

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https://www.aliexpress.us/item/32568049 ... _shipto=US
Specialized Tarmac SL7
Specialized Crux
Velobuild 168
Trek Checkpoint ALR

LanceLegstrong
Posts: 1145
Joined: Fri Sep 13, 2019 1:35 pm

by LanceLegstrong

Some more weights and pictures. Will get a final build weight on here this afternoon.

Steerer expander plug: 12g compared to 37.6g for the stock plug.
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Kocevlo bar/stem in 40/120. Had The One Pro but returned it (probably prematurely). Wanted to save some money and the stem length was a little longer than I wanted (120 measued closer to 130), so returned the One Pro. Plan was to use the Tarmac stem and some no name bars I had laying around, but I just wasn't happy with the routing of the Tarmac stem (pictures above). I wanted a cleaner look. So back to AliE and I found these Kocevlo bars. They look to be a copy of The One Pro with a different steerer clamp design. Picked them up for around $85. A little heavier than The One Pro, but otherwise the same bar at a lower price. One outdoor ride with some big sprints and they feel good, plenty stiff. Slightly irritated with all the work I did with printing the Allez top cap and routing the cables, but I'm much more satisfied with the final look of these bars and completely hidden cables.
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Shimano 105 cranks in 172.5mm. AbsoluteBlack oval 50t chainring.
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Direct mount hanger. After some searching, I found the right hanger with the bigger outer piece.
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And this is the post on the Hongfu thread with the final build:
Ready to race! Got the bars wrapped and brakes bled. Took it out for a shakedown ride and everything feels great. I think I'd be hard pressed to tell much of a difference between this and the SL7, apart from weight making the SL7 slightly more snappy. I went 1x because this will be a crit bike and I didn't feel like dealing with routing another cable and a front mech. If I upgrade to electronic in the future I'd probably throw on a front mech but this was a budget build so I'm happy with the mech group I had laying around. Considering buying some decals for the wheels. I don;t like the new Zipp logo, think I'd go with the old logo in white. I love the look of white logos on wheels. Didn't weigh it yet but probably around 8kg.

Velobuild 168 Frameset, size 58
Zipp 404 Firecrest wheels, Challenge Criterium RS tires 27mm, Muc Off valve stems, 160/140 discs
Shimano 105 mech grupo, 50t AbsoluteBlack chainring, 11-30t cassette
Kocevlo 1 piece bar/stem, 40cm/120mm, LizardSkins tape, Supacaz bar ends and stem cap
West Biking 3D printed saddle
ZTTO bottle cages
Look Pedals
Rapilock thru axles
Garmin 530, Garmin Varia
GoPro 8 on a custom 3D printed mount

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Also wanted to give a cost breakdown of what I paid. The idea was a budget build using parts I already had. So this is just what I paid for the new stuff.

Velobuild 168 Frameset: $732 - $45 (they forget to send a stem) = $687 (includes custom paint and shipping)
Kocevlo cockpit: $81 (with coupon and anniversary sale)
West Biking 3D printed saddle: $102 (with coupon and anniversary sale)
Steerer plug: $7.31
Direct mount hanger: $17.31 (wrong one) + 16.89 (right one) = $34.20
Ti bolts & carbon seatpost hardware: $7.88 + 9.88 = $17.76
Pink Garmin bumper: $6.55

Total: $935.82

Zipp wheels were $1,134 through a club discount. But I bought them well before this build idea so I didn't consider them part of this new build cost. The Shimano 105 group was on my old alloy gravel bike that I was riding maybe 3-4 times a year so it was an easy steal. Bottom bracket is a Dura-Ace pressfit that was supposed to go on the gravel bike but I never got around to changing it. For races, I'm going to throw on my Assioma pedals. Bartape was going to be for my Crux build but I didn't like the blue for that build. So overall, not too shabby for the build cost. I wanted a cheap build to race crits and under $1,000 fits that for me.
Specialized Tarmac SL7
Specialized Crux
Velobuild 168
Trek Checkpoint ALR

Lenfaki
Posts: 22
Joined: Sun Feb 07, 2021 5:26 pm

by Lenfaki

This is so much better than a 10k off the shelf bike, love it!

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

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