Vivente World Randonneur - the best bang for your buck

[RonK]

OK, so somebody took it upon themselves to have the Vivente Randonneur thread moved. This was ill-advised, since people come here looking for advice about which touring bike to buy. That is after all the reason why we have a touring bike sub-forum. Now it's assumed information seekers will already know that Vivente make a touring bike called the World Randonneur and that it's listed in some other forum under the Vivente brand.

So if you are looking for information about touring bikes, then I can share with you that the Vivente World Randonneur (VWR) is one of the best bang-for-your-buck tourers that you can possibly buy, with an impressive component specification and multitude of features, and is produced by a local company which provides good support for their product. It's my view the VWR is a better bike than the Surly Long Haul Trucker, which is its most obvious competitor.

You will find the original discussion here. It's interesting, informative and well worth your reading if you're in the market for a touring bike. And you can see the detailed specification on the Vivente website.

[maxknott]

well said ron, very happy VWR owner here, support for this bike is amazing,features for the price also amazing. i would urge anyone thinking of buying a touring bike to take a VWR for a spin.

[rifraf]

OK, so somebody took it upon themselves to have the Vivente Randonneur thread moved. This was ill-advised, since people come here looking for advice about which touring bike to buy. That is after all the reason why we have a touring bike sub-forum. .

I concur.
but think your supplying the links to both the thread and Vivente to be a well thought out compromise RonK

[Konatourer]

I notice that the inner chainwheel is now 24 tooth so the low gear is around 20.2 gear inches.

[elStado]

Yup - another happy owner here!

[rifraf]

I notice that the inner chainwheel is now 24 tooth so the low gear is around 20.2 gear inches.

I find that surprisingly high for a tourer and would have expected to see a 22T at the front and 13-34T(or even 36T)
at the rear. Still thats just my preference and doesnt mean I think it should be yours or anyone elses.

[RonK]

I notice that the inner chainwheel is now 24 tooth so the low gear is around 20.2 gear inches.

I find that surprisingly high for a tourer and would have expected to see a 22T at the front and 13-34T(or even 36T)
at the rear. Still thats just my preference and doesnt mean I think it should be yours or anyone elses.

Nope - 26t or even 30t is the common size for off-the-shelf touring bikes.

A 22t chainring is great for people with rickety knees who like myself, insist on riding over mountain passes. But this size is rarely supplied as OEM equipment. 24t is a good compromise.

BTW, I think the 24t specification on the VWR largely came about as a result of feedback from members of this forum.

[Tim]

Yep, I fitted a 24t chainring and 11-34 cassette to my 2012 VWR.
I recently carried up to 25Kg's of stuff through some fairly hilly country down near Wilsons Promontory and Sth. Gippsland in Victoria.
Found myself spinning comfortably (and gasping for breath) up all but the steepest of climbs.
I think this gear combo is fine for most sealed-surface hill climbing but on steep, loose dirt roads one or two lower gears would be nice.

[Konatourer]

The standard set up on the Vivente has difference of 22 teeth on the chainwheels and 21 teeth on the cassette making a total of 43. Assuming the arm on the rear derallieur is an SGS that means a 34 could be fitted to the rear or if possible a 22 ring to the chainset. This would take the difference up to the 45 tooth max of the SGS arm. 24/34 gives 19 gear inches. 22/32 gives 18.5 inches. On my Kona Sutra I have changed the chainset to a 42/32/22 with an 11-32 cassette but with that chainset I could go to 34 or 36 on the large rear cog and be within the capacity of my rear derallieur. Lower gears on the Vivente may also mean reducing the size of the outer chainwheel from 48 to something lower.

[VRE]

I'm a Vivente World Randonneur owner, too - I bought one 4.5 years ago and have done 59,000km on it. What an excellent all-rounder . I even did the Alpine Classic on it, although I'll probably use the road bike for the next one, to spare my ageing legs . It's a perfect commuting bike, too.

[jemo27]

I have this bike, went touring in Southwest WA. Has any else had there seat slipping down because mine keeps on slipping down no matter how tight I tighten the seat post to the bike frame?

Also my light that is powered by the front wheel, suddenly stopped the other night when I was cycling to the Airport.
Anyone had any issues. Like this?

[Tim]

Clean the seatpost and inside of the seat tube with a solvent to remove any grease. Metho, turps, petrol, anything that dissolves grease. Simple.
For the light, check the terminals down at the dynamo connection. Check for breaks or cuts in the wiring. Poke around a bit, it shouldn't be anything too difficult. Has it been wet?
I've not heard of any common problems with the lighting on the VWR. The B and M lights are good quality, but you might have a dud.

[elStado]

I have this bike, went touring in Southwest WA. Has any else had there seat slipping down because mine keeps on slipping down no matter how tight I tighten the seat post to the bike frame?[/quote'

A common issue caused by excess oil on the seat post. Pull it out and clean both the post AND the seat tube with a rag and some meth/turps etc to remove all the grease. Be thorough or it will continue to slip slightly.

Also my light that is powered by the front wheel, suddenly stopped the other night when I was cycling to the Airport.
Anyone had any issues. Like this?

Check the cables are intact and connected properly, especially where the cables connect to the front light unit.

I haven't had any issues with my front light, but I have had the cable going from the front light unit to the rear light break on me twice now right where is connects (just fixed it again tonight!). I used a heavy duty connector and put some duct tape over the connection to try and prevent the cable from breaking again as it wasn't fun riding home with only my emergency LED rear blinky light this evening.

I've got a review of the VWR here, I really should update it to mention these small common issues and how to fix them (as they are all easy fixes):
http://www.velophile.com.au/2012/04/24/ ... s-version/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[jemo27]

Thanks fixed light easily was just the connection that comes off when you remove wheel, made sure wires were not touching and light is working now. On the vivente website there is a diagram of what to do if light stops, I followed it and light is working.

[baghwan]

I have this bike, went touring in Southwest WA. Has any else had there seat slipping down because mine keeps on slipping down no matter how tight I tighten the seat post to the bike frame?

Mine had been doing the same, I ended up stripping the bolt the other day on tour in Italy, luckily the bike mechanic who didn't speak a lick of English got the gist of the problem, we managed to get it undone and he charged me 2 euro for a new bolt. It still dropped down today however, although all I did was wipe the seat post with a cloth, will give it a better clean tomorrow.

Someone suggested toothpaste will this help?

[RonK]

Someone suggested toothpaste will this help?

Yes, it contains an abrasive that will improve the grip - not unlike carbon assembly compound, which is rather like valve grinding paste.

However, seat posts are assembled with grease to prevent them from freezing together due to corrosion. So with no grease to inhibit electrolysis you should remove and clean the post and tube regularly.

[VeloGiro]

Has any else had there seat slipping down because mine keeps on slipping down no matter how tight I tighten the seat post to the bike frame?

I had the same thing happen to me - I removed the grease and that helped a bit...but my seatpost slippage issue was exacerbated by the seatpost being too short for optimum saddle height (for me). I found that the seatpost was a couple of centimeters(ish) beyond the max line at optimum saddle height and there wasn't enough post remaining in the frame to afford really good traction/grip...I subsequently changed over the stock seatpost with a longer one (that i had in the shed)...problem solved!

For info, i am 175cm tall and wouldn't consider that i had overly lanky legs - I purchased a medium frame size...I am a bit anal about getting the saddle height just right...I reckon the medium frame size is perfect...just needed a longer seatpost as standard specs...

[Mike Ayling]

I just read the 2013 spec sheet and notice that there is not a bar end shifter option available. Does no one use these any more?

Mike

[Mulger bill]

I just read the 2013 spec sheet and notice that there is not a bar end shifter option available. Does no one use these any more?

Mike

Jamis Aurora has it covered Mike.

Shaun

[elStado]

Has any else had there seat slipping down because mine keeps on slipping down no matter how tight I tighten the seat post to the bike frame?

I had the same thing happen to me - I removed the grease and that helped a bit...but my seatpost slippage issue was exacerbated by the seatpost being too short for optimum saddle height (for me). I found that the seatpost was a couple of centimeters(ish) beyond the max line at optimum saddle height and there wasn't enough post remaining in the frame to afford really good traction/grip...I subsequently changed over the stock seatpost with a longer one (that i had in the shed)...problem solved!

For info, i am 175cm tall and wouldn't consider that i had overly lanky legs - I purchased a medium frame size...I am a bit anal about getting the saddle height just right...I reckon the medium frame size is perfect...just needed a longer seatpost as standard specs...

Seatpost length was a small issue on the 2012 models, especially the medium size frame. Mine was originally only 250mm long which meant that the post was ~10mm above the min insert mark after I got as fit done. I contacted Noel (AT) VWR and explained the issue. He replied back that as the 250mm post was lighter and suitable for most people on a medium frame, but that he had received a few emails regarding the length and was going to put a 300mm post in the newer medium sized models. He also express posted a brand new 300mm seat post to me to use which was the perfect length. Great customer service!

[Mike Ayling]

I just read the 2013 spec sheet and notice that there is not a bar end shifter option available. Does no one use these any more?

Mike

Jamis Aurora has it covered Mike.

Shaun

So does Surly Long Haul Trucker.

I bought a Trucker in 2007. The bloke at St Kilda Cycles showed me the Vivente but that year it only came with brifters and AFAICR it was running a road crankset and finally I was not then a fan of disc brakes nor have I changed my mind since. However it was a far better value for money proposition than the Surly then as it is now.

Mike

[GregLR]

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 http://salsacycles.com/bikes/vaya_3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Also, the Surly site shows that the LHT and CrossCheck are still fitted with bar end shifters (http://surlybikes.com/bikes/long_haul_trucker" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; & http://surlybikes.com/bikes/cross_check" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ) The Trek '520' touring bike also comes with them but this doesn't seem to be available in Australia anymore (http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/ro ... g/520/520/#" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)

Greg

[x8pg2qr]

I just assumed that they were clearing out the 2012 bar-end versions instead of discontinuing bar-end versions all together.

[Uncle Just]

Or maybe they've sorted all the componentry and touring specific gearing to work seamlessly with STI? They impress as a company that continually refines their product after listening to rider feedback and their own experience about what works in the field. Enough people complain about bar ends so maybe STI is preferred as offering better control. Personally I like bar ends but I'm not their market. Whatever works.

[RonK]

I suspect many VWR purchasers are first time tourists. That I think is what attracts them to this package - it has pretty well everything except a front rack as original equipment.
Many of these buyers are likely not biased against STI, and others will opt for a touring bar model.
Two years ago when I researched a VWR for my brother he chose the touring bar model for its lower gearing, however as Uncle Just mentioned, even the STI model has low gearing now, so there is likely little demand for bar end shifters.