With complete bikes being very hard to get, we have been focusing more attention on custom builds from the frame up. I gotta say, we are pretty stoked on these builds and wanted to show you a bit about them.

First up is a Velo Orange Polyvalent we did for Dev. This Polyvalent is one of the last of the v4s, but we do have a v5 “low kicker” in stock. The Polyvalent, meaning many forms, is a bit of a favorite among the folks here at KBC. Nick rode his v3 Poly the 1200km for the 2019 Paris Brest Paris ride. Woody has used her v4 as a randonneuse, a knobby tire gravel guzzler, and most recently a klunker bar ‘d and basket’d commuter bike.

Dev pulled out all of the stops for this build, opting for a front basket, full fenders and a dynamo lighting system with custom built wheels. Click through the pictures below to take a look!

This bike feels so great to ride! It has that all-road, basket randonneur vibe going for it. Being Velo Orange frame, we went heavy with VO parts and accessories. This includes bars, stem, headset, rack, fenders, rear hub and cranks. The cranks are designed after some classic French touring/randonneur cranks, and they offer very sensible gearing (46/30). Paired that with a SRAM 11 speed 11-32 cassette in the rear and you have a nice wide range of gears with nice small steps in between.

This Polyvalent is built around 650b x 48 Rene Herse Switchback Hill tires. A wide tire with a smooth tread and supple casing is truly a wonderful thing. It excels both on and off road, and is much faster than you’d think.

We’ve got a nice batch of custom builds in the queue right now so stay tuned for more!