Volagi: Now in Steel

Remember those Silicon Valley bicycle upstarts who got sued by Specialized in San Jose? They have “the will to go” and you can test ride their bikes at the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey this weekend.


Volagi - the Will To Go

You’ve already read about their LongBow Flex Suspension on their carbon fiber Liscio road bike. The “seat stays” don’t actually connect to the seat tube, but are instead an extension of the top tube that wrap around back to the rear triangle.


Volagi seat tube detail

This bike’s aggressive geometry and short wheelbase means I’m able to whip around the tight corners on Laguna Seca’s steep roads while hitting potholes, sand traps, roadkill and small children at full speed with no discomfort to me at all.

The bigger news at Sea Otter from Volagi: they just got a steel prototype of their LongBow bike in for the show. They’re calling it the “Viaje”, and they categorize it as a “steel adventure road bike,” suitable for cyclocross and off-road adventuring. Here’s Barley Forsman with his prototype Viaje.


IMG_0039

Barley lives up in Sonoma County, where dwindling road budgets means those long country roads favored by long distance roadies like him have become crumbling rock gardens. Steel has flexibility built in already, and Volagi’s LongBow adds to the vertical flex.


Volagi Viaje

Volagi’s Viaje is just a prototype now so you won’t be able to test ride it, but it looks pretty. The carbon fiber is available for anyone to try at Sea Otter. Be sure to bring pedals and shoes. Most of the vendors also require a helmet and a waiver.

Be sure to bring sunscreen and water, too. It’s hot and sunny up in the hills this weekend!

4 Comments

  1. That’s beautiful, but any off-road adventure bike should have a rack mount or two. Then again, I’m glad it doesn’t , or I’d have to really want one.

  2. Ron, I was surprised to see fender mounts (front and back) on the carbon Volagis, and there are braze-ons on the rear triangle of that steel prototype.  I don’t know if they’ll hold up to rack use too but I’ll ask the designer about it.  Fender mounts on the front fork are hidden on the inside surface.

  3. It looks like dead weight and dubious structural integrity (ie. those seat stays are going to rip through the top tube like a big can opener) just to gain a fraction of the compliance of some slightly bigger tires.  At least the paint looks nice.

  4. Maybe. A function of the seat stays is also an attachment for rim brakes. But since the brakes are near the hub, the stresses on the stays won’t be nearly as much, right?

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