Velo Orange Pass Hunter Review - Ultra-Versatile Steel Shred Wagon

Our man Jack Luke is a gravel grinding, instagramming hipster with a serious rubber fetish. His longterm test bike has been through a number of different configurations, and here's how that went.

[@StephanieHughesDesign]

Love this bike. I am looking to purchase the Velo Orange Pass Hunter disc. Can you please share with us the parts and accessories you used for this build? Can you buy them as a complete kit. Especially Versatile, Rando light and also a gravel racer and Randonneuring.

[@FriendlyFarmMachineryToolCpBel]

Weighing in on Velo Orange. First, they started out making all sorts of French parts for us Franco bike holdovers from yesteryear! My PX-10 has Velo Orange's great bottom bracket (sealed bearings), crankset, hubs, and headset. They get s shop in Taiwan to source these parts to their specifications. I also use on different bikes their cantilever brakes, and they make a dual pivot brake with long reach that will work on ones retro frame! Their framesets are also sourced from Taiwan, and 4130 double butted chromoly steel is as it gets. Their steel fork is a love it or hate it kinda of device. Rugged, yep, practical, yep, pretty, nope! For refurbishing ones old road bike, especially French ones, Velo Orange is the ticket. I still time trail on my old PX-10, just to rub it in the carbon bikers faces!

[@fredricknietzsche7316]

folks need to start considering "the area under the curve". aka the bike that does the most, most well.

[@geemail369]

0:14 - Check out the new stem from "regartnoB"! 😂 😂 😂

[@frakafrocka]

TRP mechanical disks work as great. Comparable to some hydros.

[@vinnychoff]

nice review, thanks

[@chekistnkvd]

What is the maximum width of tires that can be installed in this frame? 700c and 650b

[@hermittranslator]

Why are the shifters lacking nameplates? Also, as someone who rides a steel gravel bike with mechanical disc brakes (the Spyre) I can sorta agree on the part where they suck, even with the right pads the modulation is basically at zero although they're extremely powerful - I'm almost certain about going hydro on it in 2019, probably buying some older Ultegra levers cause I like them more than those long 105/Tiagra ones

[@ZOB4]

It's very handsome. What's going on with that stem though?

[@bonsmariz909]

Sweet set up without the fenders also!

[@alejdagostino]

I have had this frameset for a year now, and the only thing I dont like is NOT having a thru axle in the front wheel. I am sorta heavy (90 kilos) and I constantly get disc rubbing with the pads (I have tried several different pairs of pads and even disc rotors). I managed to get the rubbing to a lesser degree by switching to a Shimano hub (and ditching a Novatec hub).... Please, THRU AXLES

[@alejdagostino]

Rick Harker interesting... i am definetely gonna try it out... THANKS :)

[@CristianValenzuela2155]

alejdagostino how's your orange Velo Orange doing? lol

[@Ey_up]

Sram hydraulics, reportedly have much tighter tolerances than other brands between pads and rotors. Any help? 🤓

[@skankingiant]

Worth the extra over a Kaffenback? Want to upgrade my Kaff....

[@BenLubin]

sick bike!

[@Candesce]

I cannot stand quick release skewers. It's probably mostly my own fault but I find that unless i flip the bike upside down and I'm on level ground the wheel always ends up just the tiniest bit crooked. Just enough that the brakes rub in the most infuriating way. I blame the open ended "fork" design of skewer dropouts. I'll never let my through axles go! Plus it's way easier to mount and remove tyres when your bike is hanging off a rack or stand with a through axle.

[@SmevMev]

Putting some weight on the fork or rear triangle, when tightening up the skewer, usually helps to seat the wheel in the dropouts properly

[@Candesce]

SmevMev yeah, im not saying it's impossible, I'm just saying it's about 10x more annoying than just popping a through axle in!

[@alejdagostino]

definetely trying these advice as well :)

[@hiro111]

IMO, no disc braked bike should come with quick releases.

[@brankododig1585]

It works okay, but extra care is needed, fitting the wheel precisely to avoid rubbing, and you need to properly tighten the QR when using discs else it's a safety risk. It's just a bit of an extra hassle, I wouldn't spec my dream bike with a QR but it's not a dealbreaker for me either.

[@jimnyfuchs]

Do you have a Velo Orange dealer over there in GB?

[@hypojames]

Compass Tyres are the best

[@oreocarlton3343]

shouldnt euro-touring bikes with front rack have more trail insted of less to stabilise more front mass?

[@rapierlynx]

Oreo Carlton extra weight on the front end makes the steering heavy. Low trail counteracts that. I have the older canti version, and it's a bit nicer to ride with a small bar bag than a saddle bag, but it's not twitchy without the extra kilo or so up front. The P.H. isn't really a low trail frame. Most bikes have >60 mm of trail. A low trail bike would have ~45mm. This bike is more in the middle with 56mm.

[@virob9561]

Nice

[@smurfendrek4791]

Please review the specialized allez sprint

[@CristianValenzuela2155]

Rim brakes suck? Here we go...

[@josephfarrugia2350]

Rim brakes on gravel

[@xscott902x]

mary-land hahaha its pronounced mare-eh-lend.

[@oreocarlton3343]

also, ditch that rediculous oversized red anorak (as all anoraks are) and get yourself a proper full zipped non-parachute jacket. thank me later.

[@FecklessFool]

why did your voice get all weird when you said 'girlfriend'? relationship problems?

[@jackluke9243]

Yeah, she makes fun of me for riding weird steel bikes.

[@LeoInterHyenaem]

Another ugly retro bike. The fork is particularly ugly. And so is the boringly upright top tube. What made the Kona Sutra one of the most appealing adventure / touring bikes for many years (until recently, for now there's a lot of competition that the Sutra barely matches in design, including adventure / touring -ready beautiful carbon rigs with rack and fender mounts), were the modern straight fork and the sloping top tube.

[@ronwhite8503]

Being an old git I love the retro look but I am with you on the Konas. Sloping top tube, straight forks and steel (for me, anyway) I'd the way to go. Still using, and loving, my steel Cinder Cone and Lava Dome...... they are keepers.

[@hansshaffer3788]

I agree with you about the functionality of the Sutra LTD (it is on my short list for my next bike), but this Pass Hunter (to me) totally spanks the Sutra in the looks department.

[@DanielSvids]

Pretty good looking. I am also making bike videos. If you guys want check it out. Cheers