Vivente Randonneur

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outnabike
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Re: Vivente Randonneur

Postby outnabike » Sun Feb 24, 2013 7:09 am

Just as an aside ,
There is a whole list of different bikes in the "Board Index" under "Cycling Brands" and it does not include the VWE. I wonder why, as it has 8 pages and must be of interest?
It would make it easier to find for the enthusiasts of the model.
Vivente World Randonneur complete with panniers

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RonK
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Re: Vivente Randonneur

Postby RonK » Sun Feb 24, 2013 9:32 pm

outnabike wrote:Just as an aside ,
There is a whole list of different bikes in the "Board Index" under "Cycling Brands" and it does not include the VWE. I wonder why, as it has 8 pages and must be of interest?
It would make it easier to find for the enthusiasts of the model.
There are many bikes not included. It's up to somebody (anybody) to nominate a brand to the admin for inclusion.
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elStado
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Re: Vivente Randonneur

Postby elStado » Tue Feb 26, 2013 1:43 am

Sprocket wrote:I can't keep up with the lads on their race bikes on it, but if the weather turns bad I'd much rather be on the VWR.
I can keep up with most of the average speed riders.. I think if I put a bit of effort in I average around 25-28km/h which is pretty good for a 15kg steel frame bike with wider tyres. Plus when the weather turns bad, like last year when there was water and seaweed all over the Kwinana PSP, I get to keep rolling through while the guys on fancy roadies had to get off and push through some boggy sections.. 8)
If you are thinking of also doing some touring on it then I would consider getting the 2013 - Noel has adjusted the gearing on the 2013 model so you'll be better able to tackle hills loaded up with panniers.
I think it is worth getting the 2013 version unless you can get the 2012 version for a really good price. The changes are small but worthwhile in the new model.
Re the light - yes it's not that bright and I think I will be supplementing it with an additional front light over the coming winter.
Actually I am quite happy with the light, it's all I used when I was over in Europe with my VWR for 9 weeks (including many hours riding on French district highways). However I do use my Ay Ups (I already owned before I bought my VWR) during low light conditions when riding through the city area for additional visibility... I've had a SMIDSY prang before and it's no fun. Don't want to give them ANY excuses for not seeing me. :shock:
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pentlandexile
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Re: Vivente Randonneur

Postby pentlandexile » Sun Mar 03, 2013 9:56 am

I am thinking about getting one if these as a commuter/tourer/adventure bike.

The only thing holding me back is wondering how they handle on dirt.

I want to be able to ride unsurfaced dirt roads in the bush and have the option to occasionally tackle 4wd tracks as well if they're not too technical. But mainly graded, unsurfaced roads.

Has anyone had much experence of taking a WR on dirt?

M other option is to get a frame like a Surly Troll or something and do it up as a dirt tourer but I'm conscious that if I do that I'll be sacrificing comfort and efficiency on the road.
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Tim
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Re: Vivente Randonneur

Postby Tim » Sun Mar 03, 2013 11:29 am

I'd refer to this link on the VWR site regarding road/trail conditions and tyres;

http://www.viventebikes.com/main/page_t ... sions.html

This summer I rode my VWR on two separate tours on a variety of surfaces. About 200km's was ridden on unsealed, hard-packed clay rail trails where the VWR handled nearly as well as on sealed bitumen. The bike is fitted with 35mm tyres and handled the fairly smooth but at times rutted and washed-out trails with very few problems. I just slowed down for the rougher stuff. On one long straight down-hill I was moving at close to 50 KPH and the bike felt rock solid.
On dirt roads the bike was fine on firm surfaces but the 35mm tyres are not ideal for sandy or loose sections. Taken at a slow speed I was able to negotiate most corrugated, pot-holed and sandy roads relatively easily. Obviously a mountain bike/trekking bike setup would handle these roads more comfortably with wider tyres and appropriate frame geometry and design. The 2013 VWR frame is apparently able to accommodate a wider tyre (42mm) than the 2012 model. Tyre clearance has been increased by 5mm.
The worst problem I encountered was riding on firm dirt roads where large 40-60mm gravel had been spread to fill washed out and muddy sections of road. The relatively narrow tyres don't run over large rock very well at all and the ride became quite unpleasant.
I think the VWR is primarily designed for sealed bitumen riding but can handle side trips onto the dirt. It all depends on how rough the dirt surfaces are and what proportion of the time spent touring will be on the dirt as opposed to bitumen or well maintained unsealed roads, which the VWR handles with ease.

Can't think of many bikes would get you over this type of obstacle, but you can just see the track which was fine on the VWR.

Image

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Re: Vivente Randonneur

Postby pentlandexile » Sun Mar 03, 2013 6:27 pm

Thanks Tim, great picture, good link. I'm 99% sure this is the way I'm going to go. I'm selling off two roadies and keeping my hardtail MTB, so the Randonneur is the obvious choice over getting another, slightly different, mountain bike. Plus I need it fr daily commuting so the mudguards and lights are a big drawcard.

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rifraf
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Re: Vivente Randonneur

Postby rifraf » Sun Mar 03, 2013 6:38 pm

pentlandexile wrote: M other option is to get a frame like a Surly Troll or something and do it up as a dirt tourer but I'm conscious that if I do that I'll be sacrificing comfort and efficiency on the road.
I dont follow this part of the rational - please elaborate :D
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pentlandexile
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Re: Vivente Randonneur

Postby pentlandexile » Sun Mar 03, 2013 7:20 pm

Well, I want to get a bike which will be good for commuting as well as touring on surfaced and unsurfaced roads... the Vivente is best on bitumen, the Troll would be better on rough dirt. Both could carry a load. Realistically 90% of my riding will be on tarmac but I wanted to keep the MTB option in the back of my head because 1. I like mountain bikes and 2. it gives me something to compare and contrast with during the decision process.

And stuff.
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Sprocket
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Re: Vivente Randonneur

Postby Sprocket » Sun Mar 03, 2013 10:25 pm

I've taken my VWR on old railway tracks and the odd fire break trail. I ride 35mm Supremes on it so not exactly the best tyres for off road - but it handles these conditions fairly well. Just have to treat the odd deeper gravel drift with a bit of respect. I commute daily on it - 35km round trip on PSP and road - and love the mudguards, lights, pannier rack for the commute.

The VWR is my most versatile bike. Obviously my MTB would handle the trails better, and my road bike would get me to work more quickly but 90% of the time I ride my VWR because I know it will take me just about anywhere I want to go.

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Re: Vivente Randonneur

Postby outnabike » Sun Mar 03, 2013 11:28 pm

Hi Tim ,
I may be wrong but I reckon you have hit the derailier arm. Looks like it got bent upwards. :D
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rifraf
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Re: Vivente Randonneur

Postby rifraf » Mon Mar 04, 2013 1:22 am

pentlandexile wrote: I'll be sacrificing comfort and efficiency on the road.
Sorry, this is what I'd like to hear clarified, if you've time and/or inclination. :D
As someone whose leaned in the opposite direction of frame/bike choice for similar style of riding surface I'm keen to hear your opinion.
Not to knock or judge mind you, but merely to see if within your reasoning (for you) theres something I missed or didnt consider (for me). :D
I've a Surly Ogre frame on its way to me so hence my interest. :)
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Tim
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Re: Vivente Randonneur

Postby Tim » Mon Mar 04, 2013 8:25 am

outnabike wrote:Hi Tim ,
I may be wrong but I reckon you have hit the derailier arm. Looks like it got bent upwards. :D
Nah, looks as though its bent but actually its at just about the full capacity of its chain wrap. There is lots of chain slack to take up when using the smallest chainring and smaller cogs. I modified (lowered) the gearing and the bike should really be fitted with a longer RD arm. I can't use the small chainring-smallest rear cog combination until I eventually (if ever) get around to buying a new RD.

I need really low gears for riding over fallen trees like that one :D. My technique; drop down to lowest gear, pop a mono, ride over obstacle on rear wheel, then carry on down the track, easy (well, it is on a trials motorbike). :D

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Re: Vivente Randonneur

Postby outnabike » Mon Mar 04, 2013 8:51 am

Thanks Tim,
Mine seems to hang a lot lower and is factory standard, so I actually thought it was the angle of the pic. But I am on roads and paths so hanging down hasn't been a problem for me.
Well done on getting yourself into that nice country. :D
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Tim
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Re: Vivente Randonneur

Postby Tim » Mon Mar 04, 2013 8:59 am

What I really needed was one of these;

Image

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pentlandexile
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Re: Vivente Randonneur

Postby pentlandexile » Mon Mar 04, 2013 4:46 pm

rifraf wrote:
pentlandexile wrote: I'll be sacrificing comfort and efficiency on the road.
Sorry, this is what I'd like to hear clarified, if you've time and/or inclination. :D
As someone whose leaned in the opposite direction of frame/bike choice for similar style of riding surface I'm keen to hear your opinion.
Not to knock or judge mind you, but merely to see if within your reasoning (for you) theres something I missed or didnt consider (for me). :D
I've a Surly Ogre frame on its way to me so hence my interest. :)
It's just that I'd assume the geometry of the WR would be better suited for carrying loads on the road - longer chainstays, lower BB making it more stable - while the Troll or the Ogre will have a higher BB, suspension-corrected geometry, shorter chainstays, making it more at home being chucked around on the rough stuff. I know where you're coming from though,I rode an MTB on the road for years and did a short tour round western Scotland on a clunky old Shogun in the 90s, I commuted on my singlespeed today, but I think I want something that's really designed mainly for the road.

Happy to be dissuaded though.
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Re: Vivente Randonneur

Postby rifraf » Mon Mar 04, 2013 6:00 pm

pentlandexile wrote:
rifraf wrote:
pentlandexile wrote: I'll be sacrificing comfort and efficiency on the road.
Sorry, this is what I'd like to hear clarified, if you've time and/or inclination. :D
As someone whose leaned in the opposite direction of frame/bike choice for similar style of riding surface I'm keen to hear your opinion.
Not to knock or judge mind you, but merely to see if within your reasoning (for you) theres something I missed or didnt consider (for me). :D
I've a Surly Ogre frame on its way to me so hence my interest. :)
It's just that I'd assume the geometry of the WR would be better suited for carrying loads on the road - longer chainstays, lower BB making it more stable - while the Troll or the Ogre will have a higher BB, suspension-corrected geometry, shorter chainstays, making it more at home being chucked around on the rough stuff. I know where you're coming from though,I rode an MTB on the road for years and did a short tour round western Scotland on a clunky old Shogun in the 90s, I commuted on my singlespeed today, but I think I want something that's really designed mainly for the road.

Happy to be dissuaded though.
No dissuasion from me. It was the comfort factor that caught my eye. I've just personally favored fat tyres with regards comfort (certainly not efficiency).
Your logic all seems sound to me as finding the balance between skinny tyred roadie and fat tyred MTB is something I've thought about for quite a while.
I'd love to keep a few bikes for different purposes but unfortunately the timing isnt right accommodation wise. :D
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il padrone
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Re: Vivente Randonneur

Postby il padrone » Mon Mar 04, 2013 9:00 pm

rifraf wrote:Your logic all seems sound to me as finding the balance between skinny tyred roadie and fat tyred MTB is something I've thought about for quite a while.
I'd love to keep a few bikes for different purposes but unfortunately the timing isnt right accommodation wise. :D
This is where I've been very happy with my Thorn Nomad. It is a frame with a road-orientation, with a lower BB, sharp steering, but long 47cm chainstays that allow your rear panniers to sit closer in to the wheelbase. At the same time it quite happily will run 26x2.3" tyres. As well as being Rohloff-specific it is designed to run either V-brakes or disc-brakes, using either a suspension fork or a rigid fork (suspension-corrected).
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Re: Vivente Randonneur

Postby rifraf » Thu Mar 07, 2013 1:50 am

Heads up: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Vivente-Worl ... 1196505604" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: Vivente Randonneur

Postby elStado » Thu Mar 07, 2013 10:00 pm

pentlandexile wrote:I am thinking about getting one if these as a commuter/tourer/adventure bike.

The only thing holding me back is wondering how they handle on dirt.

I want to be able to ride unsurfaced dirt roads in the bush and have the option to occasionally tackle 4wd tracks as well if they're not too technical. But mainly graded, unsurfaced roads.

Has anyone had much experence of taking a WR on dirt?

M other option is to get a frame like a Surly Troll or something and do it up as a dirt tourer but I'm conscious that if I do that I'll be sacrificing comfort and efficiency on the road.
Hey mate

I took my VWR on some rather narrow, wet and bumpy trails while I was in Germany (Eifel National Park - amazing place!) just to see how it would go. It handled pretty well actually - better than I expected! I just had my handlebar bag attached with my personal items and some lunch, no mudguards (although I regretted it and had to DIY one out of a plastic bag) and no front rack. Had a blast riding on the same trails that I walked along the day before in the other direction. Just drop the tyre pressure down a little bit, I had mine at around 50PSI instead of the usual 80PSI and it worked well.

I only stacked it once, and that was as I was on a very narrow trail (15cm wide), going around a corner and hit a tree root that I didn't see which resulted in me being thrown off into the bushes. It was a low speed stack so nothing was hurt other than my ego haha. 8)

Check it:
Image

Image

I actually think that if you stripped this bike down off all the extras and accessories, it would make a passable cyclocross bike.. at least for a bit of fun with mates (too heavy to use in racing).
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Re: Vivente Randonneur

Postby HappyHumber » Thu Mar 07, 2013 11:00 pm

rifraf wrote:Heads up: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Vivente-Worl ... 1196505604" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Jeezus.. what a noisy description. Rather than spieling about each item, he shoulda just list them :roll: Ebay sellers go from one extreme to the other.
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Re: Vivente Randonneur

Postby elStado » Fri Mar 08, 2013 1:43 am

HappyHumber wrote:
rifraf wrote:Heads up: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Vivente-Worl ... 1196505604" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Jeezus.. what a noisy description. Rather than spieling about each item, he shoulda just list them :roll: Ebay sellers go from one extreme to the other.
I agree. He would have made SO much more money buy splitting that and selling the items separately (apart from the core components).

Obviously a bike geek. I know the feeling. :wink:
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Tim
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Re: Vivente Randonneur

Postby Tim » Fri Mar 08, 2013 8:48 am

elStado, I really like the look of your water bottles. Are they stainless or aluminium?
Where did they come from? I wouldn't mind a pair for myself.
Last edited by Tim on Fri Mar 08, 2013 2:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Vivente Randonneur

Postby outnabike » Fri Mar 08, 2013 12:41 pm

Image[/quote]

Hi Tim, that front bag looks good.
I needed a small utility thing just for getting to shops etc , so I bought a cooler bag from Bunnings, ($9.99) A bit floppy so I have a lightweight sheet metal rear support on it at the connection to its bracket.
It wouldn't do for big trips as it's a fair bit smaller than yours. :D
I integrated it with a camera bracket to view just over the top. Works well.

Image
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Tim
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Re: Vivente Randonneur

Postby Tim » Fri Mar 08, 2013 2:52 pm

I've been thinking of buying a cooler bag to stick inside the Ortleib Roller bags for a while now.
The Rollers are great and seal really well but in summer fresh food sweats and cooks inside the hot and airtight pannier bags.
I figure a cooler bag might keep fresh food for a bit longer.

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Re: Vivente Randonneur

Postby elStado » Sat Mar 09, 2013 2:51 am

Tim wrote:elStado, I really like the look of your water bottles. Are they stainless or aluminium?
Where did they come from? I wouldn't mind a pair for myself.
Only the finest: 304 Stainless Steel made by the good folk at ECOtanka! Aluminium needs to have an inner lining which can leach toxins into your water.

I've had these bottles for around 4 years now. I use them many times a day, every single day. They are bomb proof. Mine are the 800ml "sports" version. I like them as they hold extra water but still fit nicely in my water bottle cage.

Very good customer service too. One of my sippy lid things broke last year, so I emailed them and told them what's up.. they send me a couple of new ones free of charge, no more questions asked except where I was going on my cycle tour and wished me luck and to sent them some pictures! Actually, I never got around to doing that.
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