Vitesse Evo
The bike that aims to pull Vitus back into the top flight
Vitus was among the first brands to introduce carbon frames back in the 1980s and it was well ahead of its time with bikes such as the ZX-1, a futuristic carbon monocoque design that in 1991 looked like it came straight from the pages of a comic book. But despite this pioneering spirit and an abundance of pro wins with Irish legend Sean Kelly, Vitus hasn’t been particularly visible in the top tier in recent years.
During the first decade of the 21st century the company changed hands a number of times and slipped into decline, but Vitus was relaunched in 2009 and renewed investment has seen it slowly returning to prominence.
This, the new Vitesse Evo, is its latest race bike, launched at the tail end of 2020, and it is the company’s main weapon in its fight back to the top flight of road racing.
All change
I reviewed this bike’s predecessor last summer (back in issue 101) and while I didn’t detect any significant flaws in its overall performance I did feel it lagged behind its competition in a number of areas. For a race bike it felt a bit outdated, with few concessions to aerodynamics and lacking the integrated cabling and seat clamps that are now ubiquitous on top-end bikes. Plus it was a touch on the portly side. But even as I was writing that review Vitus engineers were putting the finishing touches to this new model – one that would address all of my concerns.
This latest Vitesse Evo, says the brand, is the culmination of two years of R&D, with input from both Sean Kelly himself, who remains an ambassador for the brand, and its current sponsored pros at Vitus Pro Cycling Team p/b Brother UK, for whom it will now be their go-to race bike.
Key updates include a slightly longer reach and a claimed 11% increase in the stiffness of the head tube, a 9% stiffer rear triangle and upwards of 50% more rigidity at the bottom bracket. Added to that is a new fork (a claimed 69.5% stiffer than before), which all told makes this new Vitesse Evo a claimed 35% stiffer than the previous version.
The frame has been given clearance for 32mm tyres, a modest aero makeover (although it doesn’t claim to be a full aero race bike – Vitus has the ZX-1 for that). It has dropped around 10% in weight too, with a painted size medium now coming in at a claimed 910g, while the carbon
The handling is noticeably more refined. The Evo responded sharply, precisely and most importantly in a consistent fashion
layup and move to dropped seatstays has simultaneously helped to procure a dash more rear-end compliance.
Rock solid performance
From its first test run the new Vitesse Evo was clearly a different beast to the outgoing model. While the claimed stiffness gains are impossible to quantify, the step up is palpable. The old version was by no means flexy but the new bike felt much more purposeful, especially when paired with the Reynolds AR29 wheelset.
Whether it was head-down charging on the flat, attacking a steep incline or a full-gas sprint, the stiffness shone through impressively. The Vitesse Evo surged forward with every forceful pedal stroke. The front end in particular felt reassuringly steadfast against all-out efforts.
Pleasingly too, the solidity is sufficiently consistent throughout the frame as to leave no feeling of disconnect from front to back. This
is highlighted in the handling, which is again noticeably more refined than before. During my test rides the Vitesse Evo responded sharply, precisely and most importantly in a predictable and consistent fashion. What’s more the frame delivered ample comfort, certainly well within acceptable limits for a race-oriented bike.
Hands down the Evo delivers a polished performance. Not only has this latest frame shape met the modern era head-on, it brings appreciable improvements over the older model. And the best one of all is that the price hasn’t been hiked up as a result.
In fact the top-of-the-range Sram Red etap AXS equipped EVO CRX costs just £4,799, which is far cheaper than many similarly specced bikes and £200 cheaper than the previous version I tested. But really, unless you want the spangly glitter paint scheme, there’s no reason to buy that model over this model, which costs a significant amount less at £3,749. The performance of Sram’s Force etap AXS groupset is as good as the flagship offering, the only real sacrifice being a few grams in weight.
If Vitus wants to earn a place back on the Alist once more and to reassert itself as a brand synonymous with the top flight of racing, it’s going the right way about it. Considering these days we are used to seeing pricetags beginning with 7s, 8s, 9s, even 10s of thousands, there’s no denying that this particular spec of Vitesse Evo is a lot of bang for your buck.