The Philly Bike Expo is a mosaic of small builders and large producers coming together to show off their more unique products. Naturally, this was the perfect place for Velo Orange to give a sneak peek of their Small Wheeler and some in-person shots of their bag lineup.
The Small Wheeler is pretty much just that. A petit city runner that can be easily packed down to travel on planes and trains. While also maintaining a high level of utility for urban dwellers by offering rack and fender mounts in the front and back. The 20″ wheels keep its overall length short making it easy to navigate office and apartment halls. This is a prototype and you won’t find it for sale just yet, but the frameset is ballparked to be $725.
Available details from their blog include:
- 4130 double butted chromoly frame and fork that accepts fenders and rack
- Unicrown fork with accommodations for fenders, Randonneur Rack, and even a Mojave Cage or a bikepacking-style cage
- Seattube, downtube, and under-downtube bottle cage mounts. We considered doing more, but that would have been ridiculous.
- 406 Bead Seat Diameter wheel size. That’s BMX, so high-quality rims and tires are cheap, plentiful, and strong.
- Clearance for 2.3″ tires WITH fenders. Holy cow!
- Sliding, 135mm QR dropouts for geared, single speed, or internally geared hubs
- Disc brake mounts (POST rear, IS front). We suggest 160mm rotors.
- Full length, external cable routing
- 1 1/8″ threadless steerer
- 27.2mm seatpost. We may go to 31.6, but that is still to be determined after lots of testing.
- Paint is TBD. I’m leaning towards something fairly neutral with a ton of NJS sparkle.
Bags for packing out
Setup on their Polyvalent touring bike is the Randonneur Handlebar Bag. As reported earlier, the Randonneur has a Cordura outer shell and a waterproof bright truck tarp liner that makes it easy to search in the evening. Also, its top window is perfect for framing a map. The $185 bag stores 11.5L and is available in 4 colors.
Paired with the Randonneur is their Snapper Sack (left) and Cell Phone Pocket (right). The Snapper Sack is designed for photographers by making it easier to access a lens or camera. The $45 bag has a drawstring top that seals the opening, a dust flap to keep small contaminants out, and 4 color options.
The Cell Phone Pocket fits most modern cellphones including the Note and plus-sized iPhones. A simple pull strap latches the top flap over any device or even snacks you choose to bring on your ride. The $30 pouch comes in 4 colors and straps to both the Randonneur bag and Wald basket.
We also saw their Transporteur bag that works in tandem with their Porteur rack or Wald 1372 basket. This large bag stores 29L and offers waterproof protection thanks to its roll top. Like the other bags seen here, it also has a Cordura exterior. Its interior, however, gets a waterproof liner with sealed seams. The $125 bag comes with a carrying strap and is available in 4 colors
Last seen at their booth was the Day Tripper Saddle Bag. It gets a rip-stop construction and is fixed to the saddle with buckle and Velcro straps. Just like the Cell Phone Pocket, the Day Tripper is closed with a simple cord and hook. The $95 bag features an external pump pocket and is available in 4 colors that match.
