I'm new to the forum and just getting back into cycling. I'm currently looking for a steel adventure/gravel bike that can be used as my daily commuter in London, handle some trails and backpacking and won't be too sluggish on the road. The Vitus SRS2 looks like fantastic value for money. It's on sale on Wiggle for £1,3599.99 (though as it's their brand, I doubt it's ever sold at full price).
http://vitusbikes.com/products/vitus-substance-srs-2-reynolds-steel-adventure-gravel-bike-2/
Does anyone have any experience with this model? I can find some positive information about Vitus, but nothing about either of this bikes.
The other bike that I've found that fits my budget, about £1,500, is the Kona Rove ST:
https://www.konaworld.com/rove_st.cfm
It doesn't seem to be as good value for money as the SR2, and I'm not convinced the SRAM Rivel 1x would be great on the road. Love the electric violet frame though!
Thanks for your help!
Vitus make some lovely bikes. Attention to detail and finishing on my road bike was excellent. That bike looks nicer and better equipped than the Kona. Only issue I see is the weight 🙁 25lb + with pedals won’t be lively at all on the road ! If your a plodder it’ll be fine.
Have a look at Planet X they have few gravel bikes excellent vfm. Sometimes patchy customer service.
Had mine delivered a couple of days ago, love it already!
With regards to the comment on speed, every time I look at a steel framed bike, be it road or mtb I think “god, that’s gonna be heavy and slow carbon would be at least X kg lighter... then I get out on it and I’m always surprised by how much fun it is. Yes it’s knocked approx 2km/hr off my local loop compared to the carbon road race bike I had, but is that down to the weight or down to the nearly 2 inch tyres??
Only thing I plan on changing is the handlebars. The large comes with 42cm bars which is to small for me (and I would imagine most people riding a large!)
Thank you very much for your replies! I think I will go for the bike unless there are any other notable options worth considering.
@plusone I really like some of the Planet X bikes, but they’re out of my budget. I’m a plodder, so the extra weight (hopefully) shouldn’t be a problem. I’m definitely a comfort over speed person for longer rides.
@surfingobo If you don’t mind me asking, how tall are you? I’m 178cm / 5’10” with an 81cm / 32 inch in-seem, which puts me right between M and L with the Vitus. Based on what I’ve read, I think I may be better sizing up than down.
Thanks again!
That's gorgeous. No idea if it's any good, I still want it.
I have just got a new substance crs-1 which I think is the carbon frame version of what you are looking at in single ring guise. Been out on it a couple of times and loving it. The spec is good for the money and it's persuaded me to try commuting on it over the summer at least.
Unfortunately I had issues with the bike being unrideable when it was delivered. Although the box wasn't damaged, the rear mech and hanger had been bent inward so the gears we're all over the place and unusable. Also,the rear brake had very little hydraulic fluid left in it as the bleed port cover had been left loose. I fixed the issues myself by bleeding the brake and buying new rear mech and hanger, but beware wiggle have no way of contacting them apart from email which is 4 to 6 days response time! And all I have been told so far is that the workshop will look at the photos I sent and get back to me. It's basically a black hole providing no help whatsoever... Just incase that would affect your decision. Of course I could have been very unlucky and all that.
@lots_of_hope Thank for the heads up! I’m still very tempted by the SRS2, but poor customer service could be enough to change my mind if I find something else that looks comparable. I hate not being able to see and ride the bike before buying it.
I’m 6’ and bought a large, it’s a good fit although a little extra stack height wouldn’t go amiss, it’s not to low but it’s as low as I ever rode my “race” bike.
Be careful sizing up, it’s got a traditional top tube so stand over needs checking carefully!
Customer service is awful in my experience. If you're OK with that, the specs appear decent enough.
Well after 13 days of silence I got an email from wiggle saying I should take it to a local bike shop to be repaired... 🤣
I will never buy a bike from them again.
Did you find a bike to buy in the end?
After a lot of deliberation, I ended up going with the Planet X Tempest (totally your fault, @Plus_One 😃). While the Tempest was slightly out of budget, the spec and financing options were far better than the Vitus. I had my first ride last night and I couldn’t be happier.
I was also concerned about the customer service I would get from Vitus given all of the above feedback. I sent them an email about sizing and it took them 3 weeks to get back to me, which really proved the point. In contrast, I sent the same question to Planet X and they got back to me in 3 days. If you’re going to be a direct to consumer brand, you really need to invest some of the money you save in not having to maintain a brick-and-mortar shop into customer service.
Thanks again to everyone for your advice.
