Vivente World Randonneur - the best bang for your buck

[LateStarter]

Yes, great to see them back in production post covid disruptions and especially onshore, will we see Devonport become a global hub for touring bike manufacture (at least assembly). Given the completeness and quality of the spec, racks, dynamo hub, lights, belt drive Rohloff and all, it is amazing Noel can sell them still for a keen price. Mine has been neglected, must give it an outing to celebrate its 10th birthday shortly and the arrival of its new sister / brother bikes.

[brumby33]

Yes, great to see them back in production post covid disruptions and especially onshore, will we see Devonport become a global hub for touring bike manufacture (at least assembly). Given the completeness and quality of the spec, racks, dynamo hub, lights, belt drive Rohloff and all, it is amazing Noel can sell them still for a keen price. Mine has been neglected, must give it an outing to celebrate its 10th birthday shortly and the arrival of its new sister / brother bikes.

I'm toying with going for a very early ride tomorrow (Sunday) Morning, I'll probably be home before the mrs even thinks of getting out of bed lol.
I've now been living in Albury for 3 Months and have only ridden my Vivente once. So it's gonna be a hot day tomorrow, they're talking 37C but the mornings are a nice 13C so I want to hit a few bike paths around Thurgoona I've seen whilst driving my Bus.
I'm awfully unfit right now so I won't be breaking any speed records but it'll be great to get out on the Vivente Patagonia once again.

What model have you got? you said 10 years old so that's a 2013 with mechanical disc on the front and a V-break at the back. It's the same as my first one which had the trekking bars on it like the Anatolia.

Cheers

brumby33

[LateStarter]

What model have you got? you said 10 years old so that's a 2013 with mechanical disc on the front and a V-break at the back. It's the same as my first one which had the trekking bars on it like the Anatolia.
brumby33

yes that's it, 2013 with "Drop Bar STI Levers", the terkking bar version was the only other option, they didn't have the names then. Just back from the garage, Vivente has not been out for 12 months, I did enough to get it ready for a ride tomorrow too, rode around the carpark driveway and it feels good, hope I haven't forgotten something? You take it easy, don't want to injury yourself due to lack of practice , have a good ride.

70 members of the Victorian section of my club are descending on Wodonga tomorrow (All rides finish at the Wodonga Bowls Club no later than 08:00 Sun morning, https://audax.org.au/ride/event-registe ... t_id=10045) after 15 team rides between 180 and almost 400kms in the previous 24 hours.

[brumby33]

What model have you got? you said 10 years old so that's a 2013 with mechanical disc on the front and a V-break at the back. It's the same as my first one which had the trekking bars on it like the Anatolia.
brumby33

yes that's it, 2013 with "Drop Bar STI Levers", the terkking bar version was the only other option, they didn't have the names then. Just back from the garage, Vivente has not been out for 12 months, I did enough to get it ready for a ride tomorrow too, rode around the carpark driveway and it feels good, hope I haven't forgotten something? You take it easy, don't want to injury yourself due to lack of practice , have a good ride.

70 members of the Victorian section of my club are descending on Wodonga tomorrow (All rides finish at the Wodonga Bowls Club no later than 08:00 Sun morning, https://audax.org.au/ride/event-registe ... t_id=10045) after 15 team rides between 180 and almost 400kms in the previous 24 hours.

Man, you're a machine which team are you in? there's a team there called Wobbly Cranks....I reckon that'd be my team

[LateStarter]

Man, you're a machine which team are you in? there's a team there called Wobbly Cranks....I reckon that'd be my team

They are a serious bunch in Victoria and I am not even good enough currently to get into one of the 180km teams so I remain firmly on the saddle in NSW, but one day maybe if I keep training? A few weeks after Vivente's 10th birthday is also 10 years since my first 200km Audax ride, the Festum Prophetae, (wherein I can claim the "Randonneur" title), was on the Vivente too, we must have been fitter then, not sure we are up to it now.

[brumby33]

Man, you're a machine which team are you in? there's a team there called Wobbly Cranks....I reckon that'd be my team

They are a serious bunch in Victoria and I am not even good enough currently to get into one of the 180km teams so I remain firmly on the saddle in NSW, but one day maybe if I keep training? A few weeks after Vivente's 10th birthday is also 10 years since my first 200km Audax ride, the Festum Prophetae, (wherein I can claim the "Randonneur" title), was on the Vivente too, we must have been fitter then, not sure we are up to it now.

Maybe in my next life if theres still bicycles around......but it's really good to see that there has been a major resurgence of Touring/Adventure and trekking bikes on the scene today, more than ever before. There's some good gear out there and that's why Noel has made his Vivente brand to be one of the best equipped on the market as theres lots of comptetition these days from the likes of Surley, Kona and Bombtrack and that's only in our Country, lots of Brands in US and Europe we haven't got here. I wish some of this gear was around when I was 40 years younger.
Noel had to stop using the derailleur models of Vivente due to part supplies and it's possible he didn't think the newer 2 chainwheel and larger cluster was suitable for his bikes so he decided to go 100% Rollhoff gearing. Even with my Patagonia, he killed that model off 3 years ago due to Shimano doing away with the Dura-ace bar end shifters that have been the bench mark for touring bikes for decades.
All the Viventes now are retailing around the $6,600 mark now which counts me out for an upgrade.

Oh, and my early ride for today was cancelled due to sleeping in and just not feeling up to it....I have a solid week of work coming up from tomorrow so I'm just being a couch potato today.

[LateStarter]

All the Viventes now are retailing around the $6,600 mark now which counts me out for an upgrade.

At $6,600 compares very well in the value stakes compared with this at $6,500 https://www.garmin.com/en-AU/p/734868 which has no racks, no lights, no wheels and does not go anywhere ever but requires extra monthly "subscriptions" to Tacx, Zwift and others so you can pretend to go somewhere?

[brumby33]

All the Viventes now are retailing around the $6,600 mark now which counts me out for an upgrade.

At $6,600 compares very well in the value stakes compared with this at $6,500 https://www.garmin.com/en-AU/p/734868 which has no racks, no lights, no wheels and does not go anywhere ever but requires extra monthly "subscriptions" to Tacx, Zwift and others so you can pretend to go somewhere?

Yeah if you put it that way LS, tell em they're dreamin' !! I know top end bikes are getting up there in price, if you buy a Co-Motion touring bike with either Rollhoff or PInion drive with gates belt and add in S&S couplers, then you're edging closer to US $10K. But they are handbuilt frames built to personal measurements from the word go so you're getting a tailer made bike for the money....so Vivente are very well equipped and designed for the money....just my pockets won't match