Home > Bike Types > Road Bike

The Vanilla Classic custom road bike is a new take on Vanilla with just 11 bikes per flavor

19 Comments
Support us! Bikerumor may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More

When Sacha White started building bicycles in 1999, it was his fanatical attention to detail and dedication to the craft that quickly established a cult-like following. In many cases, Vanilla Bicycles were elevated to a status symbol leading to a wait list for bicycles that was years-long. That led to the introduction of Speedvagen in 2007, where Sacha added a staff that was equally talented in various fields to create the Vanilla Workshop. Now, it appears that Vanilla Bicycles is back, but with an approach more similar to the bikes from Speedvagen.

Calling it a collaborative effort that includes all nine of their current staff, the new Vanilla Classic is every bit a Vanilla, and it’s almost just as rare…

Vanilla Classic custom road bike down tube Vanilla Classic custom road bike chainstay Vanilla Classic custom road bike top tube

Like all Vanillas and Speedvagens, the Vanilla Classic is hand built in Portland, Oregon. The frames are custom fillet brazed using Speedvagen custom steel tubing. For the classic, there will be just four color options, Race Red, Curtes Silver, Alpers Blue, and Classic Vanilla Cream – all from the original Vanilla DNA. Each one of these colors will be offered in just 11 bicycles, which was announced today on 11/11. Fitting, right?

Vanilla Classic custom road bike rim brake

Notably, the Classic will only be offered in rim brake, but that’s why it’s called the Classic. But these aren’t just any Dura Ace rim brake. They’re hand polished with a custom Speedvagen logo by CycloRetro.

Vanilla Classic custom road bike brake hood Vanilla Classic custom road bike rear derailleur polished Vanilla Classic custom road bike polished crank

That custom hand polished treatment extends to the entire Dura Ace group and it really ties the room together.

Vanilla Classic custom road bike custom stem Vanilla Classic custom road bike chris king hub Vanilla Classic custom road bike chris king hub

Of course, with their Portland roots there is a full complement from Chris King with painted to match hubs as standard. These incredible hubs are laced to hand polished HED Belgium rims to match the polished group. Tire include Vittoria Corsa Control in a 700c x 28mm size.

Vanilla Classic custom road bike colors

They also make it very clear that these bikes are meant to be ridden. If you plan on getting this thing dirty instead of hanging it on the wall, then you are the intended customer. The intended customer also must be willing to pay for a bike that’s “inline with their custom offerings.” No price is given, but if you have to ask…

We’re told that about 33% of the build spots are already reserved, which means there are about 29 bikes left out of the total 44 from all four colors. If you’re lusting after a Vanilla Classic, hit up the link below and drop a $1,000 non-refundable deposit to get started!

Build List:
  • Full custom fillet brazed Vanilla Classic frame, featuring Speedvagen Custom tubing. Rim Brake Mechanical Only. #savetherimbrake!

  • Four iconic color options: Race Red, Curtes Silver, Alpers Blue, and Classic Vanilla Cream.

  • Fork: Enve Road

  • Wheels: Hand Polished HED Belgium’s laced to Painted to Match Chris King Hubs comes standard.

  • Tires: Vittoria Corsa Control 700x28mm

  • Saddle: Fabric Scoop Ti rails

  • Stem: Enve or Upgrade to out Built In House Integrated CK dust cap

  • Seat post head: Enve 0º

  • Headset: Chris King

  • Bottom Bracket: Chris King

  • Group set: Hand Polished Dura Ace by CycloRetro

  • Plus, all of the features of our standard Speedvagen frames.

  • Each Color is limited to 11 total frames and about 33% of the build spots are reserved.

  • Plenty of next level upgrades.

speedvagen.com

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

19 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
K-Pop is dangerous to your health
K-Pop is dangerous to your health
3 years ago

Some of those early Vanilla bikes landed at a friend’s shop with crooked rear triangles. One so bad it was unrideable, and took Mr. White a year or maybe even longer to make up for it. More known for his aesthetic than building prowess, back then at least. Hopefully these are straight. [shoulder shrug]

Josh
Josh
3 years ago

For the longest time I thought crooked bottle bosses were an intentional design choice. Lots of creativity in those frames, but the execution always fell just a little short…

Dockboy
Dockboy
3 years ago

Dura-Ace hasn’t looked so good in a long time!

adamrice
adamrice
3 years ago

You should put an NSFW warning in the title. This is pure bike porn.

Whatthahuck
Whatthahuck
3 years ago

Trying too hard? As nice as it all is it doesn’t really hang together imho. Not next to an all-steel Italian bike in great nick with some NOS Campy. Or a Richard Sachs – now there’s some classic lines for those with deep pockets and patience.

Bryin
Bryin
3 years ago
Reply to  Whatthahuck

I don’t think Sachs is taking any new orders… so patience is not going to help… I do agree his bikes looked better than this…

Craig
Craig
3 years ago

Stunning. I wonder what the cost is? At least $20,000 surely. Maybe $25,000?

Tim
Tim
3 years ago

I’ll admit that it does look amazing. But really it’s just a steel frame whose parts have been polished and engraved. “Limited edition” is just an enticing way to say “artificial scarcity”, and there’s nothing special happening here on a functional level. Well, to each their own.

Bryin
Bryin
3 years ago
Reply to  Tim

Take a Ritchey Logic frameset… add an Ultegra groupset… add some HED Ardennes w/ Specialized Tubro Cottons on latex tubes and BOOM! You got yourself the same bike, functionally… it might even ride better with the Turbos… AND you have $13k to buy a car or have a kid or save for a rainy day.

Tom
Tom
3 years ago

I won’t be as crude about this as I would like to be, but no way…

Chris
Chris
3 years ago

So the inside of a large Dura Ace front chainring is a plastic/carbon composite. How did they polish this to a silver finish?

Weiwen
3 years ago
Reply to  Chris

As far as I know, all the chainrings are forged aluminum. However, this comment definitely applies to the lever blades and possibly the pulley cage. DA has carbon lever blades, and I think a carbon pulley cage. Ultegra has carbon fiber reinforced plastic lever blades and I know its an aluminum cage because I’m looking at the one on my bike.

To get the polished cage, I’d assume they just bought spare Ultegra cages and polished those. They’re not that hard to swap. If those lever blades are aluminum, I have no idea which groupset those are from, and I don’t think it could be easy to just change out the lever blades anyway. If those are the original carbon, then I do wonder how they pantographed the DA and Speedvagen logos onto them, plus how they got them shiny silver!

As to the whole bike, it definitely looks impressive.

Antoine
Antoine
3 years ago

Here goes your warranty on Dura Ace groupset…. vanish

Tim
Tim
3 years ago
Reply to  Antoine

This comment should be pinned at the top.

Bryin
Bryin
3 years ago
Reply to  Antoine

People that pay $16k (reputed price) for a bike like this are not worried about the warranty.

Drx
Drx
3 years ago

Nothing says classic design like a shitty seat post topper!

Bill
Bill
3 years ago

$16k to start.

Bryin
Bryin
3 years ago

Pretty bike… I have to wonder who is going to shell out $16k for this and then actually get it dirty and ding it up??? I respect the work that goes into these but just can’t believe that ANY bicycle is worth $16k. I mean, you could go get a custom De Salvo or Strong or Waterford, get the color you want and still buy a really fast motorcycle. I guess bike makers are just trying to figure how much they can actually charge for a bike…

Tom
Tom
3 years ago

I would happily build someone the same bike for less than a quarter of the cost.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.