Comments on: Review: VO Model 8 Saddle from Velo Orange http://austinontwowheels.org/2009/03/19/review-vo-model-8-saddle-from-velo-orange/ The Online Magazine of Austin Cycling Culture Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:04:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Robert http://austinontwowheels.org/2009/03/19/review-vo-model-8-saddle-from-velo-orange/comment-page-1/#comment-9852 Robert Fri, 19 Nov 2010 21:38:23 +0000 http://austinontwowheels.org/?p=4699#comment-9852 First of all, thanks Elliott for the fine review and all commenters for your feedback. I will try to keep this fairly short but I would like to give you a little insight into Velo Orange and address a few issues: 1. Issues with past production runs of Velo Orange saddles and what has been done about it 2. Velo Orange return policies 3. The size of Velo Orange and our customer service department I will acknowledge that we had a moderate number of saddles returned due to breakage at the rail attachment. This issue only affected the Model 6, and the actual failure rate was quite low given the large number we have shipped. This joint has been strengthened and all saddles shipping for the past few months feature this stronger rail attachment. As for failure of other models such as the Model 8 with the broken rail, these have been very rare though no product is ever prefect with a zero failure rate. Which brings me to my second point: our return policy. We aim to please as much as we can, but unfortunately not everyone will end up happy. We must work within the policies set by the company owner and spelled out in the Frequently Asked Questions on our website. We will exchange defective items up to one year from purchase. This is a fairly typical warranty shared with many consumer products and we feel it is a reasonable time frame to discover product defects. We are aware that some large corporations will take basically any product back for a nearly unlimited time period, but we simply aren't large enough to offer that kind of guarantee. Many people seem to think that Velo Orange is a much larger company than it really is. Perhaps this is because of our rapid growth or the large number of products we are able to offer. Either way, Velo Orange is still a small business and we make the best effort we can. I have seen speculation in online forums making unfair comparisons between the level of our customer service department and that of Zappos.com. For a sense of scale, if you increased our staff by 50%, and then increased that size two orders of magnitude, Velo Orange would be almost as large as Zappos. Being so small makes filling all of the needed rolls in our organization a challenge but we are constantly working on it. We are making changes to our customer service process, but keep in mind that we are still a small business. We appreciate your patronage and enthusiasm so if you have an issue that needs our attention, please contact us using the “Contact Us” link on our website. As directed on that page, email is the best method as it is monitored by several people though if your issue is more urgent you are welcome to call. Thank you for your time and attention, Robert George Velo Orange First of all, thanks Elliott for the fine review and all commenters for your feedback. I will try to keep this fairly short but I would like to give you a little insight into Velo Orange and address a few issues:

1. Issues with past production runs of Velo Orange saddles and what has been done about it

2. Velo Orange return policies

3. The size of Velo Orange and our customer service department

I will acknowledge that we had a moderate number of saddles returned due to breakage at the rail attachment. This issue only affected the Model 6, and the actual failure rate was quite low given the large number we have shipped. This joint has been strengthened and all saddles shipping for the past few months feature this stronger rail attachment.

As for failure of other models such as the Model 8 with the broken rail, these have been very rare though no product is ever prefect with a zero failure rate. Which brings me to my second point: our return policy.

We aim to please as much as we can, but unfortunately not everyone will end up happy. We must work within the policies set by the company owner and spelled out in the Frequently Asked Questions on our website. We will exchange defective items up to one year from purchase. This is a fairly typical warranty shared with many consumer products and we feel it is a reasonable time frame to discover product defects. We are aware that some large corporations will take basically any product back for a nearly unlimited time period, but we simply aren’t large enough to offer that kind of guarantee.

Many people seem to think that Velo Orange is a much larger company than it really is. Perhaps this is because of our rapid growth or the large number of products we are able to offer. Either way, Velo Orange is still a small business and we make the best effort we can. I have seen speculation in online forums making unfair comparisons between the level of our customer service department and that of Zappos.com. For a sense of scale, if you increased our staff by 50%, and then increased that size two orders of magnitude, Velo Orange would be almost as large as Zappos. Being so small makes filling all of the needed rolls in our organization a challenge but we are constantly working on it. We are making changes to our customer service process, but keep in mind that we are still a small business.

We appreciate your patronage and enthusiasm so if you have an issue that needs our attention, please contact us using the “Contact Us” link on our website. As directed on that page, email is the best method as it is monitored by several people though if your issue is more urgent you are welcome to call.

Thank you for your time and attention,
Robert George
Velo Orange

]]> By: rene chauvin http://austinontwowheels.org/2009/03/19/review-vo-model-8-saddle-from-velo-orange/comment-page-1/#comment-9496 rene chauvin Sun, 17 Oct 2010 23:54:18 +0000 http://austinontwowheels.org/?p=4699#comment-9496 i Ieally like the saddle , how it looks and how it feels. Unfortunately mine broke as well . I was riding and heard a snap. Thought it was maybe the saddle squeaking. A little distance later same sound again. Going over some streetcar tracks the saddle popped off!. I am about a buck sixty and thought damn ! I need to loose some weight. The shop I got it from replaced it no questions asked. Velo Orange apparently fixed the problem with reinforcements where the saddle and seat meet at the rear. I see now rails are snapping too. Oh well I will put this one one and pray it doen not fail. It would be a bitch to ride out of saddle all the way home.I have a couple of Ideal and a Cinelli I have had for almost 30 years.No problem , they are bullet proof. i Ieally like the saddle , how it looks and how it feels. Unfortunately mine broke as well . I was riding and heard a snap. Thought it was maybe the saddle squeaking. A little distance later same sound again. Going over some streetcar tracks the saddle popped off!. I am about a buck sixty and thought damn ! I need to loose some weight. The shop I got it from replaced it no questions asked. Velo Orange apparently fixed the problem with reinforcements where the saddle and seat meet at the rear. I see now rails are snapping too. Oh well I will put this one one and pray it doen not fail. It would be a bitch to ride out of saddle all the way home.I have a couple of Ideal and a Cinelli I have had for almost 30 years.No problem , they are bullet proof.

]]> By: vodid http://austinontwowheels.org/2009/03/19/review-vo-model-8-saddle-from-velo-orange/comment-page-1/#comment-9333 vodid Mon, 27 Sep 2010 18:02:47 +0000 http://austinontwowheels.org/?p=4699#comment-9333 I had a model 8, and the frame rails under the saddle broke. I'm not some huge guy; I weigh 170 and I'm 5'9" tall. Velo Orange refused to replace the frame, because I've had the saddle longer than a year. It irked me because this is a part that I don't expect should break, ever, and I'd expect the manufacturer to replace the part. I have several Brooks saddles that I've had for over ten years with no problems. Brooks for me from now on. I had a model 8, and the frame rails under the saddle broke. I’m not some huge guy; I weigh 170 and I’m 5’9″ tall. Velo Orange refused to replace the frame, because I’ve had the saddle longer than a year. It irked me because this is a part that I don’t expect should break, ever, and I’d expect the manufacturer to replace the part. I have several Brooks saddles that I’ve had for over ten years with no problems. Brooks for me from now on.

]]> By: misterarthur http://austinontwowheels.org/2009/03/19/review-vo-model-8-saddle-from-velo-orange/comment-page-1/#comment-4109 misterarthur Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:44:02 +0000 http://austinontwowheels.org/?p=4699#comment-4109 I have a VO model 6 on my Urban Fixie. It's a great saddle. I really like the way the leather is "tied" (via rivet) together under the "neck" of the saddle to help keep the leather taut. As for spring noise, my Koga Miyata World traveler has a Brooks Conquest - the springs squeaked on it, too. I have a VO model 6 on my Urban Fixie. It’s a great saddle. I really like the way the leather is “tied” (via rivet) together under the “neck” of the saddle to help keep the leather taut. As for spring noise, my Koga Miyata World traveler has a Brooks Conquest – the springs squeaked on it, too.

]]> By: elliott http://austinontwowheels.org/2009/03/19/review-vo-model-8-saddle-from-velo-orange/comment-page-1/#comment-3343 elliott Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:56:17 +0000 http://austinontwowheels.org/?p=4699#comment-3343 Thanks, Lefty. As long as we are plugging local businesses, the VO saddles and quite a few other Velo Orange products are standard components on the Ferguson line of city bikes by my company <a href=http://violetcrowncycles.com rel="nofollow">Violet Crown Cycles.</a> You can check them out at the Sunset Valley Farmers' Market every Saturday and buy them on my bikes or shop at the Peddler if you want to add them to your current bike. Thanks, Lefty. As long as we are plugging local businesses, the VO saddles and quite a few other Velo Orange products are standard components on the Ferguson line of city bikes by my company Violet Crown Cycles. You can check them out at the Sunset Valley Farmers’ Market every Saturday and buy them on my bikes or shop at the Peddler if you want to add them to your current bike.

]]> By: Lefty W. http://austinontwowheels.org/2009/03/19/review-vo-model-8-saddle-from-velo-orange/comment-page-1/#comment-3341 Lefty W. Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:28:46 +0000 http://austinontwowheels.org/?p=4699#comment-3341 Thanks for the review. As you may know, the Peddler Bike Shop, at 119 E. North Loop, carries the Velo Orange line. Thanks for the review. As you may know, the Peddler Bike Shop, at 119 E. North Loop, carries the Velo Orange line.

]]> By: marcus http://austinontwowheels.org/2009/03/19/review-vo-model-8-saddle-from-velo-orange/comment-page-1/#comment-2759 marcus Tue, 07 Apr 2009 21:04:40 +0000 http://austinontwowheels.org/?p=4699#comment-2759 They do look good. One thing I'd have to note though is they look like they need a lot of leather treatment when you first get them - they're very dry. They do look good. One thing I’d have to note though is they look like they need a lot of leather treatment when you first get them – they’re very dry.

]]> By: Stephen http://austinontwowheels.org/2009/03/19/review-vo-model-8-saddle-from-velo-orange/comment-page-1/#comment-2758 Stephen Tue, 07 Apr 2009 20:45:37 +0000 http://austinontwowheels.org/?p=4699#comment-2758 I've been using one of these for about a month or so. It's wonderful. It does squeak a bit now and then, but I actually kind of like that for the moment. It's lighter than the sprung B-66 Universal it replaced, but I'm not sure how much is the difference. Veddy nice saddle. I’ve been using one of these for about a month or so. It’s wonderful. It does squeak a bit now and then, but I actually kind of like that for the moment. It’s lighter than the sprung B-66 Universal it replaced, but I’m not sure how much is the difference. Veddy nice saddle.

]]> By: bongobike http://austinontwowheels.org/2009/03/19/review-vo-model-8-saddle-from-velo-orange/comment-page-1/#comment-2536 bongobike Tue, 24 Mar 2009 17:57:51 +0000 http://austinontwowheels.org/?p=4699#comment-2536 You can solve the squeaking problem by putting a couple of drops of thick oil (like Phil's Tenacious) on the nuts that hold the coil springs on both ends, and on the front where the frame pivots. That does it for me. You can solve the squeaking problem by putting a couple of drops of thick oil (like Phil’s Tenacious) on the nuts that hold the coil springs on both ends, and on the front where the frame pivots. That does it for me.

]]> By: David http://austinontwowheels.org/2009/03/19/review-vo-model-8-saddle-from-velo-orange/comment-page-1/#comment-2534 David Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:50:23 +0000 http://austinontwowheels.org/?p=4699#comment-2534 I think you mispoke: the V-O saddle is a "single-rail" saddle, meaning it has a single rail on each side. "Double-rail" saddles have two rails on each side, and are fairly rare in the US these days. Regardless, you are correct that V-O saddles fit virtually every contemporary seatpost. Thanks for reviewing practical items like this one! Cheers, David I think you mispoke: the V-O saddle is a “single-rail” saddle, meaning it has a single rail on each side. “Double-rail” saddles have two rails on each side, and are fairly rare in the US these days. Regardless, you are correct that V-O saddles fit virtually every contemporary seatpost. Thanks for reviewing practical items like this one!

Cheers, David

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