Velo Orange Campeur

Velo Orange is now offering a complete bike assembled right in Annapolis, Maryland.  The Campeur is a camping bike made to carry heavy loads and be reliable when you are off the beaten path.

The frame is a Velo Orange design and has a level top tube, lugged fork crown, canti-brake mounts, pump peg, three water bottle mounts and room for 38mm tires with fenders.  The complete bike looks the VO part with a leather saddle, leather bar tape, 9x3 Shimano Deore drivetrain and a bunch of  quality parts.   The Campeur has some hard-to-find features:

• Level top tube, classic fork bend
• Quill stem
• Kickstand plate
• Dia-Compe friction bar-end shifters

For all of you kickstand lovers who are every-so-gently mounting your double-legged kickstand on your Surly Long Haul Trucker with rubber and clamps, this is your bike.   Seriously, the ride of the Campeur is supposed to be great, I can't wait to hit the road on one of these.    

Read more about the Campeur here and here.  The current price of the complete bike is $1600 (plus shipping).  Don't forget to add the new Campeur Racks to complete the build.

Campeur Complete Bike Build List:

Campeur Frame & Fork:	Sizes: 51, 53, 55, 57, 59, 61 (Please specify size in the comment box.) More info here.
Rear Wheel:	Grand Cru 135mm Touring Hub, Diagonale Rim 36 hole
Front Wheel:	Grand Cru High Flange Hub, Diagonale Rim 36 hole
Tires:	700x35 Panaracer Tourguard
Shifters:	Dia-Compe Bar-Ends, Friction
Crankset:	Grand Cru Triple 48x34x24, 165mm (sizes 51 & 53), 170mm (sizes 55 & 57), 175mm (sizes 59 & 61)
Bottom Bracket:	Grand Cru 124mm, English thread
Cassette:	SRAM 9 Speed 11-32T
Rear Derailleur:	Deore 9 speed
Front Derailleur:	Sora Triple
Chain:	KMC X-9
Headset:	VO Roller Bearing
Stem:	VO Quill 90mm (sizes 51-55), 100mm (sizes 57-59), 110mm (size 61)
Handlebar:	Grand Cru Course Handlebar, 44cm (sizes 51-57), 46cm sizes (59 & 61)
Brakes:	Tektro CR720 Cantilevers
Brake Levers:	Tektro RL340
Seatpost:	Grand Cru 27.2
Saddle:	VO Model 3 Touring, Brown
Handlebar Tape:	Tressostar Cotton, Brown (not installed)
Pedals:	not included

Nashbar Steel Commuter Bike

Courtesy Nashbar.

The Nashbar Steel Commuter Bike is on liquidation sale at Nashbar and Amazon.com for $350.

I love the name of this bike because it matches the beautiful simplicity of the bike itself.   It's a clean, logo-free, all-chromoly bike with wide tires and an 8-speed Shimano nexus internal hub. It comes with a rear rack and fenders, although I would swap out the fenders for some that provide full coverage. 

Specs:

FRAME:	Chromoly, lugged
FORK:	Chromoly, 1" steerer, 14mm taper, 60mm offset
HEADSET:	1" threaded
REAR SHOCK:	N/A
CRANKSET:	38T chainring, 170mm length
BOTTOM BRACKET:	Square taper
SHIFTERS:	Nexus Revo SL-8S20
LEVERS:	Tektro RX1.0
HANDLEBAR:	525mm, 38° backsweep, 64mm rise, 25.4mm clamp
STEM:	22.2mm quill, 80mm extension, Length: 150mm (52cm frame), 180mm (56/60mm frame)
FRONT DERAILLEUR:	N/A
REAR DERAILLEUR:	N/A
CASSETTE:	Shimano KSMGEAR16S 16T
BRAKES:	Tektro R559 Dual Pivot
WHEELSET:	36H, 700c 36h anodized silver rims with CNC-machined sidewalls, Alloy front hub, 8-Speed Nexus internally geared rear hub
TIRES:	Kenda K-193 700x38
PEDALS:	Alloy
SEATPOST:	250x26.6mm (Medium), 250x27.2mm (Large)
SADDLE:	Velo
CHAIN:	KMC Z-410RB
GRIPS/TAPE:	Velo

Pashley Princess Sovereign

A Pashley Princess Sovereign comes with a wicker basket.  Courtesy: Pashley Cycles UK.

The Pashley Princess Sovereign retails for about 545 British pounds, which is roughly $867. In the U.S., however, expect the cost of this import to be over $1,000.  There are a growing number U.S. Pashley dealers, including Bicycle Space in Washington, D.C. 

A reader named Mary recently contacted us to ask about this bike because she saw one in her size on ebay.  In ebay parlance, that's a "find."  The Princess Sovereign is a lugged steel 5-speed (the Princess Classic is a 3-speed) that is basically the Rolls-Royce of bicycles.  Among other luxuries, it comes with a wicker basket, Brooks B66 sprung saddle, dynamo headlamp, chaincase and fenders, a rear rack, and prop stand.

Although we've discussed Pashley on Bikes For The Rest of Us, we've never discussed the Princess.  This bike, however, has been a hot topic on other blogs.  Here are a few to check out:

Lovely Bicycle!

Let's Go Ride A Bike

Bicycle! Bicycle!

Here are the specs per Pashley Cycles:

Frame sizes	17.5", 20" or 22.5"
Colour	Buckingham Black or Regency Green
Frame	Traditionally lugged and brazed
Fork	Tubular crown hand brazed
Gears	Sturmey Archer 5 speed hub gears
Wheels	26 inch with polished rims
Handlebar	Chrome plated raised bar
Brakes	Sturmey Archer hub brakes
Pedals	Alloy non-slip
Saddle	Antique brown Brooks B66s
Tyres	Schwalbe puncture resistant Marathon Plus with reflective sidewall.
Features	The Princess Sovereign features a traditional lugged frame and five speed hub gears with full chaincase, gold-lined mudguards, ding dong bell, hub driven dynamo headlamp, LED rear light, tubular alloy rear carrier, propstand, frame fit lock, skirt guards, leather sprung saddle and a wicker basket
Inside leg	17.5" frame suits 27.5" - 31.5" inside leg. 20" frame suits 30" - 34" inside leg. 22.5" frame suits 32.5" - 36.5" inside leg
Options	Leather accessory range
Terms and Conditions	Specifications and quoted prices may change without prior notice. Pashley Cycles terms of supply apply to all orders.

A Princess in Regency Green.  Courtesy Pashley Cycles UK.

Papillionaire Bicycles

Papillionaire Classic.  All photos are courtesy of Papillionaire Bicycles.

Papillionaire Bicycles was founded in Australia, but is now offering its chromoloy Dutch-style bikes in the United States and has opened a retail shop in Red Hook, Brooklyn. 

Papillionaire's Classic and Sommer models feature internal 3-speed Shimano hubs, fenders, chainguards (they describe them as "half chaincases") and leather saddles. Both bikes sell online starting at $549, currently with free shipping to celebrate their USA launch.

Specifications: Classic

Frame and Fork: Lugged chromoly (CRMO) steel

Frame size: 52cm (20.5″)

Gears: Nexus Shimano 3 speed internal hub.

Brakes: Tektro dual-pivot front and rear caliper brakes

Tyres: Kenda Kwest 700 x 35c (cream or gumwall)

Protectors: Mudguards and half chaincase

Finish: Crafted, durable leather saddles, grips, toe clips and other accessories

Papillionaire Sommer

Specifications: Sommer

Frame and Fork: Lugged chromoly (CRMO) steel

Frame size: 43cm (16.9″)

Gears: Nexus Shimano 3 speed internal hub.

Brakes: Tektro dual-pivot front and rear caliper brakes

Tyres: Kenda Kwest 700 x 35c (cream or gumwall)

Protectors: Mudguards and half chaincase

Finish: Crafted, durable leather saddles, grips & other accessories

The new Papillionaire shop in Brooklyn.

Who Lights Up Your Life, er... Bike?

Lezyne's mini-drive is small, but puts out up to 100 lumens.  Credit: Lezyne.

Is it true that Debby Boone was singing about her bicycle?

It's hard to keep up with the latest bicycle light technology these days (see my updated, yet already outdated, Bright Lights post), so I'm not even going to try.  Instead, why don't you tell us, in the comments, how you're lighting up your bike these days.

UPDATE: Last January, Mountain Bike Reviews did a great job reviewing and rating bike lights. If you're shopping for lights, it's a great place to start your research.