Volagi Viaje SL

The third. In March 2014, I built a red/black Volagi Viaje as a road bike, and in 2016 an all-black one into a 1x11 gravel bike. To distinguish the three, I called the red one the RD, the black one the CX, and the creme one the SL. The RD went through several changes in the five years I rode it. With over 13'000 km, it's become the road bike I've liked most. In August 2018, someone posted in the Volagi Vanguard Facebook group that they were looking for a titanium Viaje. Out of curiosity, I just googled "Volagi Viaje" and discovered that a German bike shop still had some NOS Volagi material. There were several carbon Liscio framesets and one creme/black Viaje. This frame was just my size, and the price was far lower than the original retail price years ago. I loved this bike so much; it was the last chance to get my hands on a new Viaje and extend riding one for several more years. In early August, this frameset was mine.

Having my red/black RD, I was in no hurry to build it. The plan was to buy components little by little to have it completed by year's end. Having slowly but constantly moved to larger and larger tires (check 40 Is The New 28), I wanted to go one step wider. So, the SL received 650Bx47 WTB Horizon tires. Clearance inside the rear triangle is plenty, which is amazing for a bike that was originally designed in 2012. Clearance inside the fork, however, is a little tight. I have a pair of Compass 650Bx42 Babyshoe Pass, which will widen that clearance. Though so far, I stayed with the Horizons.

Components were chosen by what I know and trust as well as to standardize them a little. My Ritte Snob Disc underwent an update in 2020, and the Nordest Albarda was built with a very similar set of parts. Using the same brake and drivetrain parts across three bikes just makes upkeep and maintenance easier. 

Somehow Volagi managed to screw up the rear caliper mount on two of three frames. On my black CX, the SRAM Force CX1 caliper sat too low, causing the rotor to rub. While the creme/black SL is overall the cleanest welded one of the three, the caliper mount was off as well. I had to add 1mm spacers below the caliper to give the rotor enough clearance. I found some nicely machined titanium washers with just the right diameter and thickness to make the correction, though; an easy, clean fix.