Vivente World Randonneur - the best bang for your buck

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RonK
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Re: Vivente World Randonneur - the best bang for your buck

Postby RonK » Tue May 28, 2013 1:41 pm

GregLR wrote:
Mike Ayling wrote:I just read the [Vivente World Randonneur'] 2013 spec sheet and notice that there is not a bar end shifter option available. Does no one use these any more?
A friend of mine just bought a Salsa 'Vaya' with bar end shifters. Also, the Surly site shows that the LHT and CrossCheck are still fitted with bar end shifters. The Trek '520' touring bike also comes with them but this doesn't seem to be available in Australia anymore.
All good bikes, but in exchange for bar-ends you forgo the bang-for-your-buck items - dynamo hub and lighting, rear rack, mudguards, bidon cages and low gearing.
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Sprocket
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Re: Vivente World Randonneur - the best bang for your buck

Postby Sprocket » Tue May 28, 2013 3:12 pm

As I understand the VWR website - the bar-end model is still available. It's just that they haven't made any changes to it for 2013. I'm sure a quick email to Noel would clarify that.

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Re: Vivente World Randonneur - the best bang for your buck

Postby rog on a bike » Thu Jul 04, 2013 11:20 am

Hi All
I've been off line for a while :oops: Just a quick word in support of the VWR. I rode mine from Newcastle to Port Fairy last November in 31 days. Fairly relaxed pace and very enjoyable. Route was Newcastle ( Lass O Gowrie hotel) to the Stump, (Caladonian hotel) Port Fairy.
Lasso, Rathmines, Umina, Palm beach (via ferry) Manley, circular quay, central, Waterfall via train, Coaldale, Kiama, Nowra, Nerriga, Braidwood, Top of the Badger, Cooma, Nimititbell, Bombala , Cann River, Orbost, Bruthen, Bairnsdale, via rail trail, Sale, Yarram, FishCreek, Wanthaggie,Cowes, Blairgowrie, via ferry, Barwon Heads, via ferry, Apollo Bay, Port Campbell, Warrnambool, the Stump Port Fairy. :shock:
Bike and trailer weighed 54kg. The gearing worked perfectly See previous thread, and on the whole the bike performed flawlessly, in terms of equipment I felt I made the right choice, In terms off after sales service and general technical support (via phone and email)I know I did :D :D :D Rating the later I would give Noel MacFarlen 10 out of 10.
A great trip made easy by really well thought out gear. Thanks Noel :D
Cheers ROG

PS. One of the aims of this exercise was to pick up as many rail trails as possible, a task the VWR handled perfectly.
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Re: Vivente World Randonneur - the best bang for your buck

Postby VeloGiro » Wed Jul 10, 2013 7:34 am

Bummer last night on my commute home...Not exactly sure what happened but riding along i was getting an unusual clicky noise coming from the rear derailleur - I had it on the way in as well and thought that i might have to adjust the chain alignment a bit...it looked OK but i thought it might be sitting between the cogs a bit - Anyhow i was riding along in the middle chainring in the middle of the of the cassette, stood up on the pedals to go up a little rise and the chain slipped a bit and somehow a few seconds later the entire rear derailleur was wrapping itself around the spokes skidding the rear wheel and bringing me to a rapid halt.

Damage - one mangled rear derailleur - one snapped chain - one very bucked rear wheel (maybe unrepairable?) - a tooth missing on the rear cassette and some scratching to the RHS rear stays...Like i said bummer!

I really cant work it out - If i were changing up to the largest cog you might explain this by suggesting the the derailleur arm overshot the mark but I was in the middle of the cassette and not even changing gears at the time...Me thinks that perhaps the pins that allow the derailleur to swivel gave way...The chain was a little worn but well within the 25.5mm mark for 10 links...Curious.

Not sure what to do 'bout this - Its well out of warranty - Could be an exie ride home.

I was looking at doing what Tim has done and going 24 front small with a 11 - 34 combo on the back - I am going to have to replace the rear cassette and derailleur now - This may hasten this project...

Just out of interest would there be any reason why Shimano CS-HG61 12-36 Deore Cassette wouldn't work with a shadow rear derailleur on the VWR
Lots of website mention that they are for use on 29" wheels (only). Might save me haaving to get a smaller front ring?
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Tim
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Re: Vivente World Randonneur - the best bang for your buck

Postby Tim » Wed Jul 10, 2013 5:37 pm

Sorry to hear about the damage. It hurts when things break, bike or body.
Bike parts represent remarkably good value for money these days. A new chain, cassette, spokes and RD. At a rough guess, buying mid-range gear (Shimano LX or equivalent) I wouldn't expect to be paying more than a couple of hundred dollars to fix up the mess if you do most of the work yourself. If you only damaged spokes the wheel should be OK.
I nearly bought a 12-36t cassette for my bike but at the last moment decided against it. I'm not completely certain, but I think a standard long rear derailleur will only fit 34t maximum. As you are having to buy a new RD anyway I would be interested to know if the Shimano Mega range (I think that's what they are called) will work on our bikes.
I have found that the 11-34 cassette and a 24t chainring provides me with low enough gearing for loaded hill climbing. However, one extra low gear wouldn't go astray on the really big climbs.

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Re: Vivente World Randonneur - the best bang for your buck

Postby Baalzamon » Wed Jul 10, 2013 5:48 pm

Sorry to hear about that. Chances are your rear derailleur hangar has been bent as well and I can't see if it is a replaceable one or if you will need to get it straightened.
If your bike has been lying on it's drive train side, or if it's fallen over that way, chances are your hangar got bent leading to this problem
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Tim
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Re: Vivente World Randonneur - the best bang for your buck

Postby Tim » Wed Jul 10, 2013 6:32 pm

I didn't think of the derailleur hanger.
On the VWR it is steel and not replaceable.
You may need to visit a bike shop to check the RD alignment once the new one is fitted.
Things are starting to look a little bit more expensive.

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VeloGiro
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Re: Vivente World Randonneur - the best bang for your buck

Postby VeloGiro » Wed Jul 10, 2013 9:07 pm

Thanks Tim and Baalzamon...I did have a prang last weekend... the front wheel going sideways job... but i fell to the LHS (took most of the blow on my trusty helmet - cracked it in the process!) - Not really sure if this contributed to the derailleur going south..but it could have - the chain was certainly dislodged in the process... it was likely a fair old jolt to the bike. I didn't ride the VWR again until yesterday and immediately picked up that weird clicky sound from the rear drive.

Had a quick look tonight at the hanger - looks pretty straight up and down, but i'm not sure how to properly assess this...I would imagine if is bent that it would be relatively easy to spot???

Thanks agian folks...
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Re: Vivente World Randonneur - the best bang for your buck

Postby Baalzamon » Wed Jul 10, 2013 9:17 pm

Where abouts are you? I've got a derailleur hangar alignment tool but I'm in Perth. My masi speciale cx fell over one day on drive side and bent the hangar. I ordered that tool after that to realign it.
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Tim
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Re: Vivente World Randonneur - the best bang for your buck

Postby Tim » Wed Jul 10, 2013 9:29 pm

Beat me to it Baalzamon.
VeloGiro wrote:Had a quick look tonight at the hanger - looks pretty straight up and down, but i'm not sure how to properly assess this...I would imagine if is bent that it would be relatively easy to spot???
Not always easy to spot. The proper method requires the tool Baalzamon mentioned. I don't imagine too many people own one of these. You might need a bike shop to check derailleur alignment if you can't take up his offer. Then again if a new and correctly tuned derailleur works properly there is no need to bother.
My Cannondale road bike never shifted gears really crisply from day I bought it. It changed gears but just felt sluggish. I mentioned this to the LBS a year or so after I purchased it. He checked the RD alignment, found it was out of whack, bent it into place and all is apples now. It was just another example of Cannondale's poor engineering. I have come to expect these types of problems from Cannondale.

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Re: Vivente World Randonneur - the best bang for your buck

Postby VeloGiro » Thu Jul 11, 2013 6:26 pm

Baalzamon wrote:Where abouts are you? I've got a derailleur hangar alignment tool but I'm in Perth. My masi speciale cx fell over one day on drive side and bent the hangar. I ordered that tool after that to realign it.
Thanks again Baalzomon (and Tim)

B.... for my sins i live in Melbourne's SE Burbs so thanks so much for the offer to help out...but looks like the local bike shop is going to get a bit of work here...although i do like to do most of my mechanical stuff truing the very bucked backwheel (touching on either sides of the framstays)! and checking derailleur hanger is going to need some specialist gear and skills me thinks.

Thanks again Baalazomon for the kind offer!
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Re: Vivente World Randonneur - the best bang for your buck

Postby Mike Ayling » Sat Jul 13, 2013 5:05 pm

VeloGiro wrote:
Baalzamon wrote:Where abouts are you? I've got a derailleur hangar alignment tool but I'm in Perth. My masi speciale cx fell over one day on drive side and bent the hangar. I ordered that tool after that to realign it.
Thanks again Baalzomon (and Tim)

B.... for my sins i live in Melbourne's SE Burbs so thanks so much for the offer to help out...but looks like the local bike shop is going to get a bit of work here...although i do like to do most of my mechanical stuff truing the very bucked backwheel (touching on either sides of the framstays)! and checking derailleur hanger is going to need some specialist gear and skills me thinks.

Thanks again Baalazomon for the kind offer!
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Re: Vivente World Randonneur - the best bang for your buck

Postby elStado » Wed Jul 17, 2013 2:26 pm

Since last night I've noticed that my front disc brake is making a dull metal on metal sound and isn't braking very well, especially if it's a bit damp. I've cycled maybe 6000km in all kinds of weather conditions and I still have all the original components in running order, including the chain, rear brake pads and front brake pads. I've not owned a mechanical disc brake before, but I was always under the impression that they lasted a lot longer than normal cantilever brakes. My VWR is currently my everyday commuter, so obviously I want it to be safe and effective to use. At the moment both brakes aren't as strong and responsive as they should be.

Has anyone here had to replace their VWR's front brake pads before? I check the rotor and that looks in good condition still, so I am assuming the pads are worn and need to be replaced. I'll probably also replace the rear pads as well as they are worn pretty low as well (having the wheel slightly out of true doesn't help much either). What type/model pad do I need to order? I had a look on the VWR website but they don't state the model numbers.

I should probably replace the chain too while I am at it. I am pretty good with keeping it clean by cleaning it with solvent and re-applying fresh oil every 2-3 weeks, as well as wiping it clean/dry if I have been riding in wet weather, which is probably why it's still OK. I'll eventually replace the derailer with an IGH setup in the future as adjusting and keeping clean the derailer is a PITA..
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Re: Vivente World Randonneur - the best bang for your buck

Postby maxknott » Wed Jul 17, 2013 7:33 pm

i was not happy with the front mechanical discs on my vwr,even after many adjustments from my lbs, i upgraded to hydraulic discs, very happy now.
also i've had to change the rear pads after 3000 odd k's, really depends on usage so i'm told

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clackers
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Re: Vivente World Randonneur - the best bang for your buck

Postby clackers » Wed Jul 17, 2013 8:29 pm

elStado wrote:Since last night I've noticed that my front disc brake is making a dull metal on metal sound and isn't braking very well, especially if it's a bit damp. I've cycled maybe 6000km in all kinds of weather conditions and I still have all the original components in running order, including the chain, rear brake pads and front brake pads. I've not owned a mechanical disc brake before,
ElStado, they're like rim brakes. You have to adjust the clearances as the pads wear down.

Hydros do this automatically.

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il padrone
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Re: Vivente World Randonneur - the best bang for your buck

Postby il padrone » Wed Jul 17, 2013 8:43 pm

maxknott wrote:i was not happy with the front mechanical discs on my vwr,even after many adjustments from my lbs, i upgraded to hydraulic discs, very happy now.
also i've had to change the rear pads after 3000 odd k's, really depends on usage so i'm told
Wow!! I'd never kept much of a record of the kms for my Hayes pads on the MTB, but I'm pretty sure I got a good deal more than this before replacement (and that's in lots of steep, knarly trails). The Thorn has the Swisstop blue pads for V-brakes and these are still original - currently about 17,000kms with a good bit of life still in them.

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elStado
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Re: Vivente World Randonneur - the best bang for your buck

Postby elStado » Sat Jul 20, 2013 10:39 pm

clackers wrote:
elStado wrote:Since last night I've noticed that my front disc brake is making a dull metal on metal sound and isn't braking very well, especially if it's a bit damp. I've cycled maybe 6000km in all kinds of weather conditions and I still have all the original components in running order, including the chain, rear brake pads and front brake pads. I've not owned a mechanical disc brake before,
ElStado, they're like rim brakes. You have to adjust the clearances as the pads wear down.

Hydros do this automatically.
If they're only low, not completely worn, is it normal for it to be making noise though? I'm going to pull the pads out tomorrow and check them out. Apparently when they are down to .5mm they need to be replaced. I've got the pads now, so I may as well use them. Btw the 2012 model uses Shimano BR-R505 disc brakes and is compatible with most standard Shimano disc brake pads, e.g. for XTR BR-565/6 etc that look like this.
il padrone wrote:Wow!! I'd never kept much of a record of the kms for my Hayes pads on the MTB, but I'm pretty sure I got a good deal more than this before replacement (and that's in lots of steep, knarly trails). The Thorn has the Swisstop blue pads for V-brakes and these are still original - currently about 17,000kms with a good bit of life still in them.
I expected a bit more too, especially as the bike came with sintered weather-resistant pads with it, I was hoping for a solid 2 years of daily use (10,000km) before replacing the pads hence why I was caught out.

Strangely enough the rear pads still have maybe 30% of wear left in them, and I know they wear down a lot as there's brake muck all over my rim every time I use the bike in wet weather.

Might have to adjust both as clackers suggested, the rear brake is really sloppy too as it's worn down over the past 9 months since I adjusted them last.
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Re: Vivente World Randonneur - the best bang for your buck

Postby elStado » Mon Jul 22, 2013 11:33 am

Serviced the VWR yesterday morning, while I was at it I removed the front wheel, flipped the bike upside down and had a look at the disc brake pads. Turns out there's still plenty of wear left (~2mm on each pad) in the brake pads. Just needed to be adjusted. Works perfectly now! Probably should have checked that before assuming the worst and rushing out to buy new replacement pads. :wink:
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Re: Vivente World Randonneur - clicky clacky vibration/sound

Postby ChristopherD » Wed Aug 07, 2013 7:51 am

but riding along i was getting an unusual clicky noise coming from the rear derailleur - I had it on the way in as well and thought that i might have to adjust the chain alignment a bit...it looked OK
AND
I didn't ride the VWR again until yesterday and immediately picked up that weird clicky sound from the rear drive.
I experience the same issue with my VWR. It only happens on the middle ring and middle gear. I have adjusted the tension but the clicky vibrations return. Given that two others experienced the same problem, I'm wondering what my problem is exactly?

Thanks
Christopher.

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Re: Vivente World Randonneur - clicky clacky vibration/sound

Postby VeloGiro » Wed Aug 07, 2013 8:45 pm

ChristopherD wrote:
but riding along i was getting an unusual clicky noise coming from the rear derailleur - I had it on the way in as well and thought that i might have to adjust the chain alignment a bit...it looked OK
AND
I didn't ride the VWR again until yesterday and immediately picked up that weird clicky sound from the rear drive.
I experience the same issue with my VWR. It only happens on the middle ring and middle gear. I have adjusted the tension but the clicky vibrations return. Given that two others experienced the same problem, I'm wondering what my problem is exactly?

Thanks
Christopher.
Hi Christopher - Based on my recent experience, and as Baalzamon pointed to... perhaps it could be related to the alignment of the rear derailleur hanger. After the mishap a couple of weeks back i did as Tim suggested and got the new deore XT replacement derailleur and new chain...installed em but I was finding it almost impossible to tune it...just couldn't get the mech to change sweetly up and down across the cassette...and that clicky sound was there ~ middle cog - middle chainring...

Took the bike to the LBS and after a quick tweek of the hanger it's now changing crisply and running sweet and silent...

Could be the hanger???
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Re: Vivente World Randonneur - the best bang for your buck

Postby ChristopherD » Thu Aug 08, 2013 7:26 am

Thanks Velo,

Based on discussion here I suspect it is the hanger so I'll get my LBS to check that.

I'll also contact Noel as it is three bikes now from the same year that have had the same problem, so there must be something wrong with the assembly.

Cheers
Christopher.

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Re: Vivente World Randonneur - the best bang for your buck

Postby Sprocket » Thu Aug 08, 2013 1:33 pm

My LBS whom I ordered my 2012 VWR through checked the rear derailleur hanger as a last minute thing when I went to pick up the new bike. (I was impatient and had turned up a little early) So I was able to see myself that the hanger was out of line..... Don't know if this is the same year as the other bikes?

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Re: Vivente World Randonneur - the best bang for your buck

Postby ChristopherD » Thu Aug 08, 2013 4:50 pm

Hi, my VWR is also a 2012 model.

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Re: Vivente World Randonneur - the best bang for your buck

Postby VeloGiro » Thu Aug 08, 2013 8:59 pm

ChristopherD wrote:Hi, my VWR is also a 2012 model.
ditto...
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Re: Vivente World Randonneur - the best bang for your buck

Postby iacl » Sat Dec 28, 2013 10:43 am

Just noticed that the 2013 Vivente's are on sale, with $400 off this years models.

I wander what will be new for 2014?

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