Velo Orange Adds Disc Brake Grand Cru Touring Hubs, Plus Nalgene Compatible Mojave Cage

No idea why you’d come up with a NEW 10spd hub? If you’re building a NEW BIKE, this rules out middle of the line components like Shimano 105, SRAM RIVAL22 and more lower end stuff that will be 11speed in a year or two. It would have taken very little to give a bit more space on a rear 135mm hub. Of course, you can always get one of the dished cassettes but they cost as much or more than this hub. Who wants that when an 11spd 105 cassette goes for $60.
I wouldn’t care so much if this were a $50 hub for a $250 wheelset but its not

You can run your 9spd cassette on an 11spd hub. You can also get more than 3000km out of a quality 11spd chain…I typically get close to 4500km out of one. The issue is that this hub is limiting. Also, I rode 11spd stuff in Milwaukee all winter…its not a big deal

VERY SOON…only the lowest end of components will be available for 9spd. Its already getting there.

That body can be filed down for an 11sp cassette. There is plenty of space without changing spoke angles. I’ve done this with MANY hubs for friends and myself…hubs with less real estate than your hub. Milling that down would open up the options for customers. And no…the derailleur will not hit the spokes if you do this…unless said person were to run an 11spd 11-23 cassette and even that may still have ample clearance. Filing some hub away would blow someones warranty but they’d only be doing what you could have done from the beginning. You’re already ruling out plenty of people that would run this for cyclocross and yes…TOURING with the SUPER HIGH END and UNAFFORDABLE 11 speed 105 and RIVAL Groups that are COMMON SPEC now for some bikes and probably nearly all touring bikes in two years

And yes, 9spd will be around for a very long time. Of course, you’ll be running SORA cassettes with your old 9spd Dura-Ace shifters once all the good stuff is gone.”

anonymous…GREAT POINT that I overlooked. Maybe I’m wrong, but maybe they just bought the body off the shelf from a different manufacturer to keep costs down and the 10spd stuff is cheaper than 11 for some stupid reason.

Seems like a complete cop-out to me.

@Veganpotter – Wheel strength and convenience (I don’t have to find the correct cassette shim) are good reasons for a 9-speed specific hub. You also can’t simply file away the hub, you need also to consider derailleur clearance when the wheel flexes.

I don’t understand your hate-on for <11 speeds. If you want to keep derailleur cables (battery powered shifting on an touring bike is a bad idea!) 9-speed is less sensitive to conditions, hence why I prefer it. I have tried higher speeds and they have not been as reliable.

VO's MO from day one has been mechanically simple bikes focused on reliability durability over peak performance.

Finally, never in my life have I have I ever gotten 4500 km out of a chain (or seen anyone else get an honest 4500 km). For 11 speed you should be changing at 0.5% stretch.

You CAN simply file the hub away, unless the biggest cog on your 11spd cassette is 25 or smaller. I guarantee it will clear with this flange…it would have VERY GOOD clearance too…far better than many of the wheels I’ve converted.

I don’t hate 9 speed. I would hate having to use crappy 9 speed replacement parts. Would you want to run 7 speed? If you could get high end 7spd stuff, then great but it doesn’t exist anymore(unless you buy high end NOS that’s more pricey than new 10 and 11spd gear). You can only buy junk. The same can be said for 8 speed and soon…the same will be said for 9 speed. If Shimano would indefinitely make 105 or Ultegra quality 9 speed gear, this would be a non-argument but they don’t and won’t.

Nothing would have been lost by making this an 11spd hub…there is already space for an 11spd freehub body on this hub

***I weight over 85kg and rarely get less than 4000km out of an 11spd chain and typically get 3-4 chains per 11spd cassette. I ride a lot…roughly 25,000km per year. Internally, an 11spd chain is the same as a 10spd chain, only the plates are thinner and the EXTERNAL width of the pins.

Not sure waht this all faffing is about… Don’t like it, don’t buy it Veganpotter…

If this is dead-end product lack of buisness will verify idea quite quickly.

Not your problem mate, not your money invested, stop making such a fuzz about it, because it is ridiculous 🙂

Cheers!
I.

Ivan, this is a comments section. In your words, complements would make no sense either when people can just buy the hubs rather that complement them.

Its not a dead and product. I just think its VERY SHORTSIGHTED to make a 10spd hub in 2015. Its not that different than someone making a 126mm spaced hub. If this were meant to be retro then fine, but its not. Its expensive and “seemingly modern”.

8speed is dead…most shops only stock chains and hybrid spaced cassettes now. 9spd isn’t dead but it is dying and your options are small at most bike shops…mountain range, or one road range cassette, have your pick. 10spd is nowhere near dead but will soon be the minority component. Everyone knows Shimano 105 is the industry driver. When 105 changes, companies that make after market gear should listen. Its really only basic common sense since the old stuff WILL FIT on new hubs. Now, when 12 speed comes along, I’m probably gonna be pissed because the hubs will likely be completely different and will very likely not fit in present frames(road or mountain).

Is anybody read the description? Especially those complaining about the 10 spd freehub.

-135mm

ONETHIRTYFIVE!

It’s not a road bike hub. This hub is made for mtb transmission. Sure you can mount 10spd 105 on those but it’s a touring hub.

@Veganpotter – In all your pro-11 diatribe you continually avoid the issue that 9-speed cable actuated shifting is less sensitive to foul components. Having to go to electric shifting to avoid this problem is champagne solution.

I think also you overlook the counter movement emerging against newer standards. It has always existed in cycling, but I think the momentum is getting stronger. A lot more of us are annoyed at the recent raft of standard changes that obsolesces all our gear for what are becoming *minor* performance gains. If you are in the pro-peloton then these differences matter, but for most of us it does not.

VO and many others are riding that wave.

I think all you retrogrouches are missing the point that there is absolutely no reason for these to be 10 speed instead of backwards compatible 11 speed. You’re just trying to shrug it off by saying you don’t care. Well there’s lots of people that don’t care. They’re just not buying $180 disc hubs.

I really dig the Nalgene bottle cage! Not for drinking while riding, but great for cycling to practices and stuff.

Also there should be a rule about commenting on the same post more than once. (And maybe a limit on the number of words written in all caps?) State your opinion once, and don’t feel the need to defend yourself. Sheesh.

Sorry guys, I secretly own majority shares in Shimano and SRAM and want there to be no reason for people to hold back on buying 11spd gear

A more salient point: remember when Shimano first released Dura Ace 10sp and it had a proprietary cassette body? And then when it began to trickle down to Ultegra and 105, much less to the mountain groups, how the same 8/9sp cassette body miraculously fit 10 cogs? And how Dura Ace quietly went through a revision so that all freehub bodies were 8/9/10sp compatible? I think there’s a very real chance we’ll see that again. Less tooling = more money after all. I think it’ll likely come to pass that hubs will again be 8/9/10 and now 11sp compatible. There may be a growing pain and a little wiggle on the part of aftermarket hub manufacturers to gain the clearance, Clarence, but history shows that it ain’t exactly impossible.

“Most touring bikes use ROAD SHIFTERS AND ROAD CASSETTES. ”

Said by someone who clearly doesn’t know touring bikes but thinks they know all. . .

Try XT/XTR rear mechs, 11-36 cassettes, 224-36-48 front. That is a touring set-up. Barcons. . . .9-speed. . .. yep. .

I own a set of the non disc grand cru hubs, I spoke to VO a few month back about them, they said that the expect an 11 speed version in the near future. Not sure if this will just be a replacement free hub/end caps or whole new hub

I’ve always found Velo Orange to be a poor man’s Nitto. Often copied, never equaled.

@vegan

How do you comment so much while riding so far?

Is this hub being available in 11spd really that important?

Hmmm…I feel sorry for the guy I sold a custom SEVEN to a couple years ago. He went “touring” across the country with a triple and an 11-28. He’d probably feel like a complete failure if he found out that his trip was a waste. I also sold a new Specialized “touring” bike to a guy that rode across Alaska. His bike had a compact road double and an 11-32…feel bad for him too. And yes…plenty of people that are really touring have nice hubs(Cris King, Phil Wood, White Industries). I’ve sold plenty of Surleys and Salsas with hubs worth nearly as much as the frame…typically built with 105, Ultegra for durability/cost. If I were touring, I’d want a durable frame(can be heavier), durable hubs with high engagement and a stiff, strong rear mech that’s not gonna be hard to replace at an LBS. That probably means a long cage 10spd or 11spd 105, Ultegra or anything SRAM since it doesn’t matter so much for them

***Old 520s were great for their time. Their present spec is out of date with cheap wheels and brakes. The older bikes were far better than the newer ones. They really are set up like a $600 hybrid

You mean those 520s that had the wrong gearing, the wrong shifters AND the wrong geometry? Just what you need for self-supported touring…long and low. The new 520s are a dream compared to the old ones. So the wheels need an upgrade…The only thing wrong with SOME higher end hubs on touring bikes is when parts are required in an emergency. Most shops can get you rolling again with Shimano…some of the other stuff is gonna require an extended stay to wait on parts delivery. And while a job can be completed with almost any tool, the proper tool makes the experience so much better..touring bikes included.