Akrotiri
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Europe
Today I headed over to my local LBS here in Belgium to buy some maintenance items for my analog Koga trekking bike that I bought in September. I leave my Trek allant8s in Greece for obvious (battery) reasons.
Had no intention on purchasing a bike but as I was there they were unloading a whole shipment of what was my first choice back in September; a steel frame VSF Fahrrad Manufaktr with the Shimano triple chain set in matte black. It was sold out back then and wasn’t going to be re-stocked until 2nd quarter of 2021 which turned out to be today.
I’m relatively happy with the Koga since it was my second choice and had the triple I needed but it has some incessant mildly annoying quirks.
The only paint options they offer are shiny not matte so on every sunny day the glare while I’m riding hits my eyes from the top tube even when wearing sunglasses and ofcourse on other instances when simply looking at the bike. It’s become very irritating that I have no intention on ever sending it to Greece which is my main residence. Defeats the purpose of having an analog bicycle in my view. It’s also aluminum frame which doesn’t make much sense for an analog trekking bike. The other issue is that it simply attracts too much of the wrong kind of attention and is a thief magnet. I have experienced on more than one occasion sketchy individuals loitering around it looking for the perfect opportunity to carry it away and steal it. I use a wheel lock and that would be the only way to steal it quickly. Further angering me is the fact that these individuals seem to be organized and have made a business out of stealing pricy well known brands.
Which brings me to the VSF which is not flashy, both literally and figuratively, has the same components, is €1000 less than my Koga and most importantly a steel frame. They were fully stocked and had my size so I paid for my maintenance items and then 70% of the bike sale price of only €1350. Quite the bargain since it’s basically the price of a new Bosch 625 battery.
They had Ergon gp3 bar ends in stock so those are going on and I already have new Shimano XT pedals and a spare Ergon ST gel saddle.They offered free of charge to swap the rigid stem for an adjustable incase I want a more upright riding position but I’m undecided and will wait until Tuesday to try both and decide. Shop is closed on Sunday and Monday is workshop day for them so no customers allowed. Very excited I purchased this bike. The adage timing is everything certainly applied to me today. If it’s as good as I think it will be I’m probably going to end up selling the Koga and I’m sure it won’t take long here since they seem to be in such demand for whatever reasons. Personally imo it’s a good solid brand but not deserving of all the hype it receives.
Had no intention on purchasing a bike but as I was there they were unloading a whole shipment of what was my first choice back in September; a steel frame VSF Fahrrad Manufaktr with the Shimano triple chain set in matte black. It was sold out back then and wasn’t going to be re-stocked until 2nd quarter of 2021 which turned out to be today.
I’m relatively happy with the Koga since it was my second choice and had the triple I needed but it has some incessant mildly annoying quirks.
The only paint options they offer are shiny not matte so on every sunny day the glare while I’m riding hits my eyes from the top tube even when wearing sunglasses and ofcourse on other instances when simply looking at the bike. It’s become very irritating that I have no intention on ever sending it to Greece which is my main residence. Defeats the purpose of having an analog bicycle in my view. It’s also aluminum frame which doesn’t make much sense for an analog trekking bike. The other issue is that it simply attracts too much of the wrong kind of attention and is a thief magnet. I have experienced on more than one occasion sketchy individuals loitering around it looking for the perfect opportunity to carry it away and steal it. I use a wheel lock and that would be the only way to steal it quickly. Further angering me is the fact that these individuals seem to be organized and have made a business out of stealing pricy well known brands.
Which brings me to the VSF which is not flashy, both literally and figuratively, has the same components, is €1000 less than my Koga and most importantly a steel frame. They were fully stocked and had my size so I paid for my maintenance items and then 70% of the bike sale price of only €1350. Quite the bargain since it’s basically the price of a new Bosch 625 battery.
They had Ergon gp3 bar ends in stock so those are going on and I already have new Shimano XT pedals and a spare Ergon ST gel saddle.They offered free of charge to swap the rigid stem for an adjustable incase I want a more upright riding position but I’m undecided and will wait until Tuesday to try both and decide. Shop is closed on Sunday and Monday is workshop day for them so no customers allowed. Very excited I purchased this bike. The adage timing is everything certainly applied to me today. If it’s as good as I think it will be I’m probably going to end up selling the Koga and I’m sure it won’t take long here since they seem to be in such demand for whatever reasons. Personally imo it’s a good solid brand but not deserving of all the hype it receives.
Nice bike, welcome to the dark side.
