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| The Velo Orange "Chessie" (Image courtesy of Velo Orange) |
Recently I was contacted by Velo Orange, (who apparently read this blog - at least occasionally) for my opinion on their newest adventure/gravel/all-arounder, the Chessie. I first noted the bike in a post from almost a year ago in coverage of the MADE Show.
The offering raised interest with me since the bike was to have a claimed 50mm tire clearance, several mounting points for accessories, and a single speed option. While the material for the Chessie was aluminum, this doesn't mean it will ride like a hay rack. Now days materials technology affords those using aluminum to tune ride quality and those "zingers" we used to feel while riding an aluminum frame from the past are potentially gone now.
This seemed like a good option for anyone building up a bike in a specific way to suit their needs. I love the single speed option, being a single speed guy, but also for the potential to be self-sufficient in case of any issues with a rear derailleur. Having the single speed option might allow you to make it back to the start, or the destination, without calling in someone to rescue you.
Geometry is important to me, and I'm not about to add a bicycle to my situation, which has far too many bicycles as it is, unless I can replace one I have with something "better". In other words, to make the cut here, the bike better well be spot-on, or I'm going to pass. Dialed geometry for my desires may not be a concern, or even relevant in any way for you, so please understand what I am about to share is really from my perspective. You should consider your own needs and choose wisely.
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| Geometry for the Chessie (Image courtesy of Velo Orange) |
Usually when I see a bicycle I am interested in there is one area the geometry disappoints me in. The Chessie is no different in this regard,. But before I get to what I specifically did not like about this bike, I want to share what I want to see in a bike's geometry chart.
- Head Tube Angle: I need to see slacker than 72° and maybe I'd go as slack as 69° here. (Depends upon fork offset, bottom bracket drop, and Stack numbers)
- Bottom Bracket Drop: I'll never get a bike with anything less than a 72mm bottom bracket drop which has tire clearances for 50mm or less tires. I've ridden a few bikes, and I own one, which have high bottom brackets and they are not a lot of fun on loose, crushed rock descents and just in general, on any loose rock infested road. Nope! Been there - done that. I prefer to see something like a 75mm drop, which I believe to be "perfect for me". More than this gets a little sketchy with the pedals potentially striking, but now with shorter crank sets being all the rage, maybe I could make a low, 75+mm bottom bracket drop work.
- Seat Tube Angle: Nothing too steep. I'm not super picky here, but an upright, steep seat tube is not what I like to see on a bike I am considering.
- Chainstay Length: I like something between 430mm and 440mm. This can change depending upon the seat tube angle. and bottom bracket drop. (See my Honeman Flyer as an example of this)
So, how does the Chessie stack up and where doesn't it? This design is really pretty good from my view, but for the bottom bracket drop. In fact, looking across the sizes, the bottom bracket drop seems pretty crazy. I cannot recall seeing this before where every size has a pretty big difference in the bottom bracket drop. I could maybe make sense of it all but for the size Medium frame which is the only size I'd be happy with all-around. Unfortunately I need to be on a size Large, and a 68mm drop is a definite no-go for myself.
The Chessie got a couple rave reviews from a couple of online cycling sites. That is encouraging, but I cannot compromise on any of my points, so this bike would not be something I'd bring in for myself. I was hoping it might be a T-6 Standard Rando replacement, as the T-6 has limited tire clearances, but I'll have to keep looking.....
5 comments:
Agree 100% on your sentiments about BB drop. 68mm of drop leads to a pretty high BB. And you already know how I feel about the seat tube angle. It's good for my short femurs...
I'd want to ride one before coming to any conclusions. It's not terrible, and very few bikes outside of the custom realm are going to hit every desired number exactly.
Appreciate the honesty and context here. The only review I’ve seen about this bike was from a former VO employee (which was disclosed) and that website rarely says anything outside of “great for long days in the saddle” or “ticks boxes for me” (empty calories of writing).
Some will like this bike, some won’t. Glad to read some context beside “yep or nope”
@MG - Appreciate you, Brother! Thanks for the insights you have.
@Stevenator - Thanks for checking out the review and for taking the time to comment. Being fair is a hard balance in a review. Of course, everyone has bias, and I try to make sure folks understand this when they read my opinions. I'd rather take the harder road in my writing then the easier "black and white" kind of takes seen most often, as you point out.
You'll see another review Saturday where this balance I speak of was even tougher to achieve, if I even did.
Interesting to see a bit of a resurgence in aluminum (aluminium ;) ) as a frame material. I agree that the days of harshness are gone if the design is done right. Salsa's Stormchaser is one bike that comes to mind that is comfortable and aluminum.
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