Volae Reports Anyone?

Looking for new reports on the Volae, good or bad. Haven't seen anything
new for several months and was looking at purchasing one this winter
(Club LX or Team). Now that some of the owners have had several months
of riding in, what's your opinion of the bike?

Looking for comments (for everyone) on :
- What other bike(s) are you comparing it to.
- Average speed improvement?
- Hill climbing improvement, or not, or in general.
- Your component setup, and suggested upgrades.
- Problems or concerns.

And if you still have time, I would be interested in comments regarding
the following “hypothetical person” which could soon be purchasing a
Volae. (No, this is not me, really…. really):

Age: fast approaching 50 (in 6 months). Height/weight: 5’6”, 10-15
pounds more than it should be. Typical yearly distance: 1500-2000 miles
(would be more but wife/kids/house/yard/etc. come into play). 10-20
miles weekdays, 3 days per week and 30-60 miles per day on weekends,
time/weather permitting. Terrain: hilly back roads, ¼ to ¾ mile hills,
sometimes steep, kettle moraine area.

This “hypothetical person” is looking for comments regarding:
- Experience switching from a TE (present bike) to a Volae.
- Suggested gearing.
- Suggested crank arm length for this “not so tall” person
(inseam 31”).
- Any other comments you may have for this “hypothetical person”.
- Front tire selection issues. (seen eariler posts regarding
problems fitting different tires into fork)

Thanks in advance for any comments. Sorry for the length of this post,
much longer than I first thought it would be.



--
--------------------------
Posted via cyclingforums.com
http://www.cyclingforums.com

bentup wrote in message ...
Looking for new reports on the Volae, good or bad. Haven't seen anything
new for several months and was looking at purchasing one this winter
(Club LX or Team). Now that some of the owners have had several months
of riding in, what's your opinion of the bike?

Looking for comments (for everyone) on :
- What other bike(s) are you comparing it to.
- Average speed improvement?
- Hill climbing improvement, or not, or in general.
- Your component setup, and suggested upgrades.
- Problems or concerns.

And if you still have time, I would be interested in comments regarding
the following ?hypothetical person? which could soon be purchasing a
Volae. (No, this is not me, really?. really):

Age: fast approaching 50 (in 6 months). Height/weight: 5?6?, 10-15
pounds more than it should be. Typical yearly distance: 1500-2000 miles
(would be more but wife/kids/house/yard/etc. come into play). 10-20
miles weekdays, 3 days per week and 30-60 miles per day on weekends,
time/weather permitting. Terrain: hilly back roads, ¼ to ¾ mile hills,
sometimes steep, kettle moraine area.

This ?hypothetical person? is looking for comments regarding:
- Experience switching from a TE (present bike) to a Volae.
- Suggested gearing.
- Suggested crank arm length for this ?not so tall? person
(inseam 31?).
- Any other comments you may have for this ?hypothetical person?.
- Front tire selection issues. (seen eariler posts regarding
problems fitting different tires into fork)

Thanks in advance for any comments. Sorry for the length of this post,
much longer than I first thought it would be.

I thought about getting a volae but ended up buying a Bacchetta.here
are a few things to think about.
If Visions [ATP makes the Volae frames]future is in question I would
be think twice about buying the Volae.
Since Volae is a Hostelshoppe only bike you won't have the dealer base
that Bacchetta does.
I like the oval frame tube better than the round tube that The Volae
has.
I sure others will add to my 2cents.

Vision no longer makes the frames. Hostel Shoppe's owner told me he is in
the process of moving frame production to a high-quality frame manufacturing
facility in the Midwest, nearer to Hostel Shoppe. The manufacturing
facility was part of the original Schwinn company and is run by a Schwinn
heir.

Also, Volae uses higher quality components than Bachetta or Vision at the
same price points.

Finally, you can order a Volae from Hostel Shoppe, ride it for two weeks
then return it and you total cost is a 5% restocking fee plus shipping both
ways (and any setup costs you may have paid your LBS).

Personally speaking, I think that is a very fair deal. A LOT of recumbents
are sitting unused in garages because their owners discovered after a couple
of weeks of riding that their new bikes were not quite "right" for them.

Gatorized Bob Siegel in Gainesville FL
"Bill B" wrote in message
om...
bentup wrote in message
...
Looking for new reports on the Volae, good or bad. Haven't seen anything
new for several months and was looking at purchasing one this winter
(Club LX or Team). Now that some of the owners have had several months
of riding in, what's your opinion of the bike?

Looking for comments (for everyone) on :
- What other bike(s) are you comparing it to.
- Average speed improvement?
- Hill climbing improvement, or not, or in general.
- Your component setup, and suggested upgrades.
- Problems or concerns.

And if you still have time, I would be interested in comments regarding
the following ?hypothetical person? which could soon be purchasing a
Volae. (No, this is not me, really?. really):

Age: fast approaching 50 (in 6 months). Height/weight: 5?6?, 10-15
pounds more than it should be. Typical yearly distance: 1500-2000 miles
(would be more but wife/kids/house/yard/etc. come into play). 10-20
miles weekdays, 3 days per week and 30-60 miles per day on weekends,
time/weather permitting. Terrain: hilly back roads, ¼ to ¾ mile hills,
sometimes steep, kettle moraine area.

This ?hypothetical person? is looking for comments regarding:
- Experience switching from a TE (present bike) to a Volae.
- Suggested gearing.
- Suggested crank arm length for this ?not so tall? person
(inseam 31?).
- Any other comments you may have for this ?hypothetical person?.
- Front tire selection issues. (seen eariler posts regarding
problems fitting different tires into fork)

Thanks in advance for any comments. Sorry for the length of this post,
much longer than I first thought it would be.

I thought about getting a volae but ended up buying a Bacchetta.here
are a few things to think about.
If Visions [ATP makes the Volae frames]future is in question I would
be think twice about buying the Volae.
Since Volae is a Hostelshoppe only bike you won't have the dealer base
that Bacchetta does.
I like the oval frame tube better than the round tube that The Volae
has.
I sure others will add to my 2cents.

In article
, Robert
Siegel wrote:

[...]
Finally, you can order a Volae from Hostel Shoppe, ride it for two weeks
then return it and you total cost is a 5% restocking fee plus shipping both
ways (and any setup costs you may have paid your LBS).

Personally speaking, I think that is a very fair deal. A LOT of recumbents
are sitting unused in garages because their owners discovered after a couple
of weeks of riding that their new bikes were not quite "right" for them.
[...]
hostel shoppe ships also to italy? ;-)
matteo

You need to ask Hostel Shoppe.

--
Gatorized Bob Siegel in Gainesville FL
"tzenobite" wrote in message
...
In article
, Robert
Siegel wrote:

[...]
Finally, you can order a Volae from Hostel Shoppe, ride it for two weeks
then return it and you total cost is a 5% restocking fee plus shipping
both
ways (and any setup costs you may have paid your LBS).

Personally speaking, I think that is a very fair deal. A LOT of
recumbents
are sitting unused in garages because their owners discovered after a
couple
of weeks of riding that their new bikes were not quite "right" for them.
[...]
hostel shoppe ships also to italy? ;-)
matteo

tzenobite wrote in message .. .
In article
, Robert
Siegel wrote:

[...]
Finally, you can order a Volae from Hostel Shoppe, ride it for two weeks
then return it and you total cost is a 5% restocking fee plus shipping both
ways (and any setup costs you may have paid your LBS).

Personally speaking, I think that is a very fair deal. A LOT of recumbents
are sitting unused in garages because their owners discovered after a couple
of weeks of riding that their new bikes were not quite "right" for them.
[...]
hostel shoppe ships also to italy? ;-)
matteo

I bought my Volae team in July, over 1500 miles ago. I also have a
optima lynx (33 lbs.) I love my Team average speed is up about 2mph.
At 5'8 I ordered 165mm cranks , my knees are doing better with the
shorter cranks. The supersonic tires that came with the bike are not
very good road tires,3 flats the first 100 miles. I put on some
vredestein fortezza tires, much better I run about 120 psi in them.
Hills are faster now although I did replace the stock 12/27 cassette
with a XT 11/32.Hostle shoppe was great to work with hope their new
frame builder works out. John

I visited HS yesterday...Was told Waterford Precision Cycles in Waterford,
WI is the new frame builder. No changes planned in geometry, but look for a
new wider tire/fender capable dual 26 next season. Also, Rolf is designing a
new seat to offer as an option to the hardshell type, for those so
inclined...
That's all I was able to learn...

Doc Musekamp

"Robert Siegel" wrote in message
...
Vision no longer makes the frames. Hostel Shoppe's owner told me he is in
the process of moving frame production to a high-quality frame
manufacturing
facility in the Midwest, nearer to Hostel Shoppe. The manufacturing
facility was part of the original Schwinn company and is run by a Schwinn
heir.

Also, Volae uses higher quality components than Bachetta or Vision at the
same price points.

Finally, you can order a Volae from Hostel Shoppe, ride it for two weeks
then return it and you total cost is a 5% restocking fee plus shipping
both
ways (and any setup costs you may have paid your LBS).

Personally speaking, I think that is a very fair deal. A LOT of
recumbents
are sitting unused in garages because their owners discovered after a
couple
of weeks of riding that their new bikes were not quite "right" for them.

Gatorized Bob Siegel in Gainesville FL
"Bill B" wrote in message
om...
bentup wrote in message
...
Looking for new reports on the Volae, good or bad. Haven't seen
anything
new for several months and was looking at purchasing one this winter
(Club LX or Team). Now that some of the owners have had several months
of riding in, what's your opinion of the bike?

Looking for comments (for everyone) on :
- What other bike(s) are you comparing it to.
- Average speed improvement?
- Hill climbing improvement, or not, or in general.
- Your component setup, and suggested upgrades.
- Problems or concerns.

And if you still have time, I would be interested in comments
regarding
the following ?hypothetical person? which could soon be purchasing a
Volae. (No, this is not me, really?. really):

Age: fast approaching 50 (in 6 months). Height/weight: 5?6?, 10-15
pounds more than it should be. Typical yearly distance: 1500-2000
miles
(would be more but wife/kids/house/yard/etc. come into play). 10-20
miles weekdays, 3 days per week and 30-60 miles per day on weekends,
time/weather permitting. Terrain: hilly back roads, ¼ to ¾ mile hills,
sometimes steep, kettle moraine area.

This ?hypothetical person? is looking for comments regarding:
- Experience switching from a TE (present bike) to a Volae.
- Suggested gearing.
- Suggested crank arm length for this ?not so tall? person
(inseam 31?).
- Any other comments you may have for this ?hypothetical
person?.
- Front tire selection issues. (seen eariler posts regarding
problems fitting different tires into fork)

Thanks in advance for any comments. Sorry for the length of this post,
much longer than I first thought it would be.

I thought about getting a volae but ended up buying a Bacchetta.here
are a few things to think about.
If Visions [ATP makes the Volae frames]future is in question I would
be think twice about buying the Volae.
Since Volae is a Hostelshoppe only bike you won't have the dealer base
that Bacchetta does.
I like the oval frame tube better than the round tube that The Volae
has.
I sure others will add to my 2cents.

"Robert Siegel" wrote in message ...
Vision no longer makes the frames. Hostel Shoppe's owner told me he is in
the process of moving frame production to a high-quality frame manufacturing
facility in the Midwest, nearer to Hostel Shoppe. The manufacturing
facility was part of the original Schwinn company and is run by a Schwinn
heir.

Waterford's gonna be making 'bents? Oh happy day!

I wonder if Richard Schwinn remembers anything about the "Schwinn"
full-faired trike that was raced in the early-'80's IHPVA events. I
think Chris Jordan owns the frame now... I dunno where the body shell
went.

Jeff

I bought a Volae Club LX in late September. Only previous recumbent
experience was a few hundred miles 10 years ago with a Counterpoint
Presto, which I didn't like. I'm 50, 5'9", 150 pounds, and live in NH
on the VT border, lots of hills. I'm running Conti Ultra Gatorskins
and have 265 miles on the bike with no problems. I swapped the
Truvativ crankset for an Ultegra 170mm and set that up 52-39-24 for a
lower gear, using a DA BB. Using a 12-27 cassette and run out of top
gear on a downhill. I bought an 11T whihc i may put on the cassette to
see if I should switch.

It is clear that riding this bike uses some different muscles than my
upright. My upright is very non-aero (31 yr old custom Bob Jackson
with MTB bars to ease neck troubles) and it is clear that I was
slightly faster on the Volae than the BJ right off the bat. The Volae
climbs much better than the Presto and is much faster. I expect that I
will ultimately be noticeably faster on the Volae than the BJ.

Steering is a bit twitchy but I'm getting better every ride. Build
quality seems fine. I find the carbon M5 seat very comfortable, HS
has been experimenting with two layers of different density foam. I
rode 60 miles (my longest ride on the Volae - wanting to "break-in" my
new muscles without injury) with a short stop in the middle and it was
very easy on my body. I actually bonked close to home because I had
forgotten to stop and have something to eat!

I have fooled with seat angle a lot and am a bit more upright now than
before, because it feels better climbing and my low speed balance is
better.

I had to choose which bike to buy from a distance without test riding.
I considered both the bacchetta and the volae and without real data
chose the Club LX because I liked the seat attachment and idler
designs better than the Bacchetta, and because the Club LX price point
seemed better than a comparable Bacchetta. Although I have heard a
lot on the Bacchetta list about the non-round tubing and its
superiority, I don't think I'm strong enough to care - it certainly
doesn't feel soft when I pedal hard. Interestingly enough, the
flagship bacchetta, the Aero, is made from round tubing.

I feel very well treated by the HS folks and appreciated their "you
can return it" policy.

It's already too darn cold here for me to enjoy riding so I'm mostly
waiting for next season. I'm trying to figure out if I should get a
trainer for the winter to continue to build my "bent legs."

Marc Rosenbaum
Meriden, NH


bentup wrote in message ...
Looking for new reports on the Volae, good or bad. Haven't seen anything
new for several months and was looking at purchasing one this winter
(Club LX or Team). Now that some of the owners have had several months
of riding in, what's your opinion of the bike?

Looking for comments (for everyone) on :
- What other bike(s) are you comparing it to.
- Average speed improvement?
- Hill climbing improvement, or not, or in general.
- Your component setup, and suggested upgrades.
- Problems or concerns.

And if you still have time, I would be interested in comments regarding
the following ?hypothetical person? which could soon be purchasing a
Volae. (No, this is not me, really?. really):

Age: fast approaching 50 (in 6 months). Height/weight: 5?6?, 10-15
pounds more than it should be. Typical yearly distance: 1500-2000 miles
(would be more but wife/kids/house/yard/etc. come into play). 10-20
miles weekdays, 3 days per week and 30-60 miles per day on weekends,
time/weather permitting. Terrain: hilly back roads, ¼ to ¾ mile hills,
sometimes steep, kettle moraine area.

This ?hypothetical person? is looking for comments regarding:
- Experience switching from a TE (present bike) to a Volae.
- Suggested gearing.
- Suggested crank arm length for this ?not so tall? person
(inseam 31?).
- Any other comments you may have for this ?hypothetical person?.
- Front tire selection issues. (seen eariler posts regarding
problems fitting different tires into fork)

Thanks in advance for any comments. Sorry for the length of this post,
much longer than I first thought it would be.

"Robert Siegel" wrote in message
...
Vision no longer makes the frames. Hostel Shoppe's owner told me he is in
the process of moving frame production to a high-quality frame
manufacturing
facility in the Midwest, nearer to Hostel Shoppe. The manufacturing
facility was part of the original Schwinn company and is run by a Schwinn
heir.

Could it be Waterford? That's very close to Hostel Shoppe, and was part of
the Schwinn company (they made the Paramount frames).

Anybody wanna make a bet with me?

Also, Volae uses higher quality components than Bachetta or Vision at the
same price points.

They cut out the middle man to get better margins.

Finally, you can order a Volae from Hostel Shoppe, ride it for two weeks
then return it and you total cost is a 5% restocking fee plus shipping
both
ways (and any setup costs you may have paid your LBS).

What have they got to lose? Great idea, IMO. It would be very hard to pack
up your new Volae and send it back.

Personally speaking, I think that is a very fair deal. A LOT of
recumbents
are sitting unused in garages because their owners discovered after a
couple
of weeks of riding that their new bikes were not quite "right" for them.

Gotta agree with ya. Sounds like Hostel Shoppe has it all figured out.

-Barry