Totally a good frame for path hunting, really love the bike.

The title phrase is very appropriate. I've ridden my Pass Hunter for several years now. I commute and ride brevets. I have drop bars and ride 700-32 tires. After 4 years the finish is still impeccable. But the finest aspect is the ride. After 300K it's not unusual for me to be a bit complacent (tired). There's no instability in handling so even tired, the bike tracks well. I cringed at gravel/sand in the past; but not with the Velo. I also make trips to the market; 20 lbs of groceries is no problem and does not adversely affect the handling. I have not ridden with any heavier loads; for brevets I use a trunk bag. My bike is pre-disc brakes; those would help for sure.

I pre-ordered this frame in the summer of 2020, and finally finished building it up in late June of 2021. I've put a little over 500 miles on the frame and I’m confident it has been worth the wait. I think my Pass Hunter is a phenomenal all-road bike, balancing responsiveness with a smooth ride better than the other three bicycles in my stable. It’s equally capable cutting through urban traffic as it is putting long miles on gnarly gravel.

I was very skeptical about a tapered steerer with a steel disc fork, but I’ve been surprised how well it works. The fork and front triangle are stiff, but don’t have the same harshness I associate with frames using a steel disc fork. The rear triangle is lively, but never tries to buck me off over chunky stuff. When I'm climbing out of the saddle, the rear triangle does seem a little noodly compared to the front.

This isn’t a light frame. The fork alone weighs over four pounds. I don’t really notice it. I’ll take the smooth ride as a compromise. One thing that did disappoint me about the frame is that the internal routing situation isn’t perfect. I had purchased TRP Hylex RS hydraulic disc brakes to use with this frame, but the internal routing tubes are too narrow to accommodate the TRP hoses. I ended up switching out the TRPs for Paul Klampers.

It’s an unashamedly modern frame without feeling the need to look like a murder weapon. It’s an unpretentious, playful frame, and I love how the lines of the unicrown fork are echoed in the wishbone seatstay. It rides great! It’s fun and feels very predictable. I feel equally confident chucking it into a fast, tight corner on the road and hucking it down a knotty singletrack descent. Kudos to everyone at Velo Orange for the amount of thought put into this frame.

Built the Passhunter over this past winter. The struggle to get parts became its own adventure. I ended up cannibalizing the shifters off of my Specialized Diverge which I do not regret.
I gave my Passhunter the nickname Serene Speed. The build ended up being very much a Velo Orange and Shimano build.
Rims: VO 650b Voyager 32 Hole
Hubs: VO Touring 6 bolt disc
Tires: 650b x 47 WTB Byways
Brakes and shifting are a mix of Shimano Ultegra and 105. 11 speed.
Crankset: VO Grand Cru 50.4 BCD
Cassette: Shimano 105 (11-34)
Steering: VO Taper Sealed Bearing Threadless headset, VO Nouveau Randonneur Handlebars
The Passhunter has an incredibly comfortable ride paired with the 650b rims and tires. It does not compromise on acceleration and speed. The steering is tight and responsive but not at all twitchy. Handles rough terrain really well. There is a little bounce on the rear tire but not at all an issue.
Getting out on rides has been a real joy.

I’ve had some issues with bikes in the last six months. Cracked my mtb frame in November, was forced to sell my salsa warbird to by a new mtb frame as a replacement. Meanwhile I had a custom steel gravel frame on order and was collecting parts. Well the new gravel rig was supposed to be ready at five and a half months but I’m now approaching eight months and no frame. I happened to be on the velo orange sight and there it was, a pass hunter in large. Finding anything in stock these days is anything short of a miracle. Five days later it was in my workshop built and ready to ride. I now have about 300 miles on it in the last two weeks, a good mix of road, gravel, sand and a little single track. I love it, now I didn’t use the heavy steel fork (I have a whisky mix), and I would have liked a slightly larger tire than 35mm in the rear. The bike is amazingly comfortable off road, far bars blow away the cow chippers I was familiar with and the sram axs group and the zipp carbon wheels really make this thing fly. Buy one you will not be disappointed, quality frame, excellent fit and finish and the burgundy looks great.