Velo Orange Campeur (Touring) Frames - Another option...

[Aushiker]

The Campeur, as the name suggests, is a touring bike for paved, or unpaved, roads. It can carry a substantial load for long unsupported trips, yet handles beautifully even with no load. In fact, it makes a nice gravel racer.

A little more detail at the Velo Orange blog.

Andrew

 

[rich p]

I don't fancy downtube shifters on a fully loaded tourer myself but it looks like a decent frame.

 

[BalkanExpress]

I used to have bar mounted bottle cages. They were cheap ones and the edges of the clamps had not been rounded off: if I look hard enough I can still see the marks where they took chunks out of my thumbs

Also the frame take "fenders" so why not fit them on the display model?

 

[Bodhbh]

I used to have bar mounted bottle cages. They were cheap ones and the edges of the clamps had not been rounded off: if I look hard enough I can still see the marks where they took chunks out of my thumbs

Also the frame take "fenders" so why not fit them on the display model?

It does strike me of someones idea of what a touring bike should be, rather than a working one. Suppose it is a disply model so probably being captain obvious.

 

[Yellow7]

My first opinion before reading the other comments were pretty much the same.
1. No rack fitted
2. No mud-guards (essential on short or long tours where rain & dust/gravel cover everything without).
3. Retro mounted gear-changers
4. & drop-bars?

If I was at a bicye exhibition looking for a new tourer it wouldn’t even register with me for a closer inspection as it's a road-bike with slick/knobblies. IMO as far from a touring bike as you could possibly get - scores 1 out of 10 from me, that point being for the frame bag.

 

[barnesy]

Nothing wrong with down tube shifters for long expeditions. Less to go wrong with them than trigger or integrated shifters

 

[samid]

I agree that the display model shown here is not set up exactly as a long distance tourer. But looking a little bit beyond that, it does seem to be appropriate for touring:
- fat tyres and still enough clearance to mount fenders (or even mud-guards );
- eyelets and brazeons for mounting those and racks too;
- plate for the stand if you're into that kind of thing;
- even though I use barends on my touring bike, nothing wrong with downtube shifters - and better than brifters I think;
- what's wrong with drop bars?
(I would lower the saddle quite a bit though, for a less "sporty" - more practical/"toury" look.)

Edit: another plus is the extended headtube, so actually getting the bars at/above seat level should be easy.

 

[Blue Hills]

mm - some thoughts.

isn't that saddle rather high for that bar? - are they in two minds about the bike and what it's supposed to be?

more seriously - oh my gawd - is this part of a marketing campaign to infect even cycle campers with the dreaded racer plague - using french words for bits with perfectly decent english names. If so, there's going to be some really poncy conversations around the campfire/Trangia.

 

[Blue Hills]

Nothing wrong with down tube shifters for long expeditions. Less to go wrong with them than trigger or integrated shifters

I know you hear this a lot, but does it really add up? The flat bar basic indexed shifters on my hybrid have been there for 15 years with pretty much no maintenance. When they got a bit sticky I took the covering cap off and squirted some GT85 in and all is well. If the worse comes to the worst, how hard would it be to just buy another basic shifter? I appreciate that if you are going to do extreme tours across deserts etc etc this argument may stand up, but the vast vast majority of folk tour in places with shops of some sort surely? It's just a gear changer, it doesn't have to be the latest model. NB: I have no drop bar bikes and appreciate that some of their systems can be more complex. Another argument in favour of flat-bar tourers maybe.

 

[rich p]

I'd never reach those brakes, or break my back doing so, but I guess they could be moved! The brake cables might be handy for hanging your washing on overnight I suppose.

 

[samid]

The VeloOrange owner likes French-style bikes AFAIK, hence I think the French sounding name.

You guys seem to get too distracted by the way the specific display bike is set up. VO does not sell this as a complete bike, at least not at the moment - only as a frameset. So most of the comments in this thread miss the point. For a more appropriate touring setup check out the last photo on the VO product page.

 

[Blue Hills]

Thanks for the link.

Interesting - a threaded headset or threadless wil have to use an adapter I like it.

 

[Yellow7]

An adjustable handle-bar stem as opposed to the fitted one would make allowance for the rider to set the bars just right.
Drop-bars on a tourer seem strange, surely a position you’d only need when sprinting / racing to improve aerodynamics, where the passing scenery is irrelevant to what you’d be doing - racing. Touring for any length of time like that give me neck ache, dual position brakes levers would surely prove better, as on my 28 year old Kalkoff, this makes regular braking in big towns & cities more comfortable, obviously not an issue when on the open road. I have euro bars on my bike & prove excellent.

Sure I’d noticed the frame does have rack braze-ons but for an exhibition display model not to have them fitted missed out on such a valuable marketing position? Maybe I’ve simply assumed its been displayed as a specific touring bike, I will check out the previous link, & maybe up my initial measly 1 out of 10 grading!!

1. Nothing wrong with down tube shifters for long expeditions. Less to go wrong with them than trigger or integrated shifters

My faithfu ol' 26” Raleigh MTB has indexed bar-shifters, ~ 10 years old & cycling ~ 70 miles / week & never gone wrong – As Blue Hills says, just a spray of GT85 or (WD40) works wonders, prevention being better than cure.

 

[HovR]

Drop-bars on a tourer seem strange, surely a position you’d only need when sprinting / racing to improve aerodynamics, where the passing scenery is irrelevant to what you’d be doing - racing. Touring for any length of time like that give me neck ache, dual position brakes levers would surely prove better

Loads of tourers use drop bars. Just look at the very popular Surly LHT for example, and for good reason. I find 3 comfortable hand positions on the tops alone without having to venture on to the drops.

I agree that cross-top levers would be nice, though.

 

[rich p]

I'm sure we've done this before but I like drops for a couple of reasons. I like the look - which is superfluous but kind of important to me! I also like the position of the hands that riding on the hoods gives. It's what I'm used to on other bikes too and although, like HovR, I use the other possible positions, I don't like what feels like a slightly unnatural straight bar position for long periods. Each to his own however!
Having said that, the actual drops are pretty much pointless!