Vaast R/1 Ultegra

£3,199 Magnesium-framed, aero-styled road machine

Weight 8.37kg (XL) Frame Super-Magnesium Fork Carbon Gears Shimano Ultegra (50/34 Praxis Zyante, 11-30) Brakes Shimano Ultegra hydraulic disc Wheels Vaast Aero 30mm alloy tubeless ready Finishing kit VAAST Aero carbon bar and seatpost, Vaast Pro 3D forged stem, ProLogo Scratch M5 PAS saddle, Vittoria Rubino Pro 25mm tyres

EVEN THOUGH US BRAND VAAST has only been around since 2019, it has produced a wide range of bikes. It aims to make its products environmentally friendlier by shipping them in plastic-free packaging and by making its frames from magnesium. The ‘Super-Magnesium’ alloy it uses, originally designed for the defence and aviation industries, comes from the US company Alite.

Vaast and Alite claim Super-Magnesium is lighter than aluminium, steel and titanium, as well as being stronger than steel and aluminium and more resistant to corrosion. It also requires 40% less energy than steel and aluminium to manufacture and it’s 100% recyclable. The 1,250g claimed frame weight would be respectable for an aluminium alloy frame, and the complete bike weight is by far the lightest here. Our Ultegra-equipped model sits in the middle of the three-bike R/1 range, between a 105 and a SRAM wireless Force AXS (see right).

The R/1 frame’s curved, flattening toptube gently arches back to the aero-shaped seat-tube, the wheelbase is tightened with a cutaway for the rear wheel, while the triangulated down-tube adds plenty of torsional stiffness. The back end is more slender and the seatstays slightly dropped, nicely balancing the bike’s looks between modern and classic.

The frame has sensible details, including a threaded T47 bottom bracket and mounts for a rear guard, though neither the fork legs nor bridge have fittings. This is a shame as the R/1 is a potential fast commuter-cumwinter trainer. Plus the single central entry port for the internal cable routing means two cables and the rear brake hose are routed a little untidily around the head-tube.

The geometry is built for speed, with my XL test bike pairing steep parallel 73° head-tube and seat-tube angles with a very short 1,009mm wheelbase, a low 590mm stack and long 400mm reach. All this gives the R/1 an unashamedly oldschool race-bike feel about it.

Vaast’s kit choices are excellent. The aeroshaped carbon seatpost is topped with ProLogo’s quality Scratch M5, a compliant, supportive and compact saddle that encourages you to go down in the drops.

The slender stem is colour-matched to the frame and clamps to a well-shaped carbon Vaast bar that has a deep teardrop-profile top section, slight backsweep and deep ergo drops. Sadly, the paint on the stem’s faceplate is flaking a little. It won’t hamper performance, but doesn’t look great.

Vaast’s own wheels have been made in collaboration with Alex Rims. The 30mm-deep, aero-shaped alloy rims are tubeless-ready and weigh just 1,500g a pair, helping to keep the bike’s weight down.

Shimano’s mechanical Ultegra offers a great all-round gear range, pairing an 11-30 cassette with Praxis’s highly rated carbon Zyante 50/34 chainset. Shifting is swift, though the chainset/front mech combo wasn’t quite as slick as an all-Shimano setup, and there was a little annoying chain rub when the chain was crossing from big ring to larger cogs at the rear.

The frame and fork are stiff but don’t transmit much road buzz, which is impressive considering the bike has slender 25c tyres and a rim that’s narrow by modern standards, giving you much less cushioning than you’d get from a bike such as the Dolan with its wider 28mm tyres sitting on broader rims.

The result, though, is a bike with handling so crisp and direct you can’t help but have fun threading it downhill or weaving through traffic. The firmness of the ride isn’t wearing on smooth surfaces but can get a little jumpy on rutted roads where the slim tyres don’t offer much compliance. Since the R/1 can take tyres up to 30mm, I’d switch to 28mm tubeless tyres.

Overall, Vaast’s R/1 personifies everything that’s good about alloy – whether it’s aluminium or magnesium. It’s light enough, fast enough and inexpensive enough, and with its near-classic race shape, it’s a blast to ride. And thanks to its stiff frame, lowish overall weight, light wheels and responsive ride, the R/1 is also the quickest climber here. With more compliant tyres and a couple of detail updates it would be be a truly outstanding alternative to carbon.

“Vaast claims SuperMagnesium is lighter than aluminium, steel and titanium; and stronger than steel and aluminium”