Vaast A /1
Fledgling US brand has delivered for both rider and planet
Anyone remember Kirk? No, not the captain of the Enterprise, those wacky road bikes from the late 1980s. The magnesium frames, with their striking, girder-like I-beam construction were the brainchild of one Frank Kirk, an aeronautical engineer from Chelmsford.
Magnesium, you will remember from school, is the material that burns like crazy when you stick it in a Bunsen burner. Kirk was convinced it was also the material of the future for bicycles, with a strength-to-weight ratio far higher than both aluminium and steel. His party piece to demonstrate this was to lay one of his frames in the road and drive over it with a Land Rover.
If you’ve never heard of Kirk it’s probably because the brand didn’t last, despite being raced at the Tour de France in the early 1990s with the Dutch TVM team. But the beneficial properties of magnesium as a frame material live on – a fact not lost on fledgling US brand Vaast.
How green is your bike?
Magnesium is, by volume, 75% lighter than steel, 50% lighter than titanium and 33% lighter than aluminium. And, says Vaast, it’s far stronger too. It’s also 100% recyclable, and eco-friendliness is a big part of the Vaast story, the company motto being, ‘Sustain the planet, sustain the ride.’
‘Magnesium is the ninth most abundant element on Earth and completely recyclable,’ says brand and marketing manager Keith Knapp. ‘Plus it’s forged at a lower temperature so uses significantly less energy in manufacturing.’
It sends a powerful message to anyone who cares for our future, especially versus carbon
– a dirty word, environmentally speaking.
Vaast’s frames, says product manager
Steven Fairchild, are made from Allite Super
Mag (AE81), a proprietary patented formula specifically for creating tubes. One flaw of magnesium as a structural material is that it corrodes easily, so Fairchild says Vaast uses a plasma electrolytic oxidation process to impregnate tubes with a ceramic treatment to make them less susceptible to corrosion.
Of that I’m glad, because no sooner had I taken the A/1 off-road than I noticed the chain’s closeness to the underside of the right-hand dropped chainstay not only resulted in a clatter over uneven ground, but it also scuffed a chunk of paint off, leaving the base material exposed.
I told Fairchild and he reassured me that this issue has been addressed. My test bike was an
early model and a rolling update has already rectified the chain slap and also added 2x drivetrain compatibility (from 1x-only).
Rough and smooth
While I’m talking niggles, two other things irked me straight out of the box. First was how the chunky rear dropout prevents the thru-axle lever from making complete turns. The repositionable lever means it’s hardly a deal-breaker, but it’s a faff to go half a turn at a time. Second was how unsightly the cable entry port into the down tube is – something for Vaast to consider when the time comes for a frame update.
Beyond that it proved to be very likeable and offered excellent versatility, especially given this complete bike costs under £2.5k.
The A/1 has a spring in its step, literally. Whenever I rode with any gusto I got a sense of springiness from the frame, reminiscent of titanium or a high-end custom steel build. It doesn’t feel detrimental, like excessive flex,
When I rode with gusto I got a sense of springiness from the frame, reminiscent of titanium or a high-end custom steel build
but is merely a characteristic of the magnesium frame that allows it to disperse vibrations well.
The geometry is pegged at those seeking a slightly more relaxed and amenable ride feel. Handling is far from sluggish but it’s a noticeable notch back from the racier end of the spectrum. That will help inspire confidence in less experienced riders on rutted tracks, plus potentially keep things more stable when laden.
In terms of the spec, Sram’s Rival shifting and braking both performed flawlessly. Vaast has chosen to up-spec the chainset to a carbon Praxis Zyante, worth £300 alone, which feels like a nice bonus. I have no complaints with the Stans Notubes Grail S1 wheels either, as they were both light and stiff, plus fitting and inflating tubeless tyres on these rims is a cinch.
Vaast says its bikes are for those seeking something beyond that which has a finish line, and I couldn’t put it better. It’s certainly versatile enough for anything from the commute to a daylong adventure and more. It’s a tad weighty at 9.12kg for a size 54cm, but I think I can forgive that when I remember the price.
Handling is a notch back from the racier end of the spectrum. That will help inspire confidence in less experienced riders