Vitus Substance CRX

Vitus has delivered plenty of quality bikes over the last few seasons and the Substance CRX doesn't let the side down. It's an absolute cracker off-road, offering a fun yet stiff ride, plus it rolls surprisingly well on the tarmac too. Ignore that weight as well – it rides like it's a couple of kilos lighter.

• Pros: Comfortable frame considering the stiffness; a true all-rounder
• Cons: Tyre sidewalls leak like a sieve; gearing is a little low if you ride unladen

Ride

Having wide, high-profile tyres fitted will make even the stiffest bike feel more palatable to ride, but even with the 47mm 650B rubber pumped up to 60psi for use on the road the Vitus still deals with every road imperfection without issue.

On road rides I'd dart off down a new track I hadn't seen before and yeah, it was a bit rattly over the really rough stuff, but you could pick out that the frame and fork were doing a damn fine job of absorbing a fair amount of the vibration.

If you are spending the majority of the ride off-road, knocking that pressure down a few psi will see the Substance CRX just float over the bumps and ripples. It's a very comfortable bike to ride.

It hasn't sacrificed stiffness, though, as under acceleration or hauling yourself up steep climbs there is no flex of note and the front end is spot on when it comes to heavy braking or hard cornering.

For the first few rides I try to avoid the road.cc extranet (the place where I see what things are on my test list, with deadlines and stuff, and product details) so that I don't see things like price and weight, so I can just get out on the bike and smash it about a bit without any preconceptions.

To say I was shocked to see that the Vitus weighs 9.15kg (20.17lb) would be an understatement, as it feels nothing like that. Against the similar 9.17kg Pinarello Grevil the Substance CRX feels nippier over multiple terrains and loads more flickable when the surface gets technical and really bumpy.

> Buyer's Guide: 22 of the best gravel and adventure bikes

Thanks to its planted feel the Vitus also felt more controllable when out of control, if you see what I mean.

Over the test period the trails around here have changed a lot, so each ride brought something new. The recent hot weather and keen winds have seen everything get drier, but with the dust being blown out between the rocks you are left with the options of threading around and over sharp, gnarly stones or through the soft, sandy trail edge.

At speed on descents you can often be switching between the two, and the effects on the handling can be quite stark. The Substance, thanks to its long wheelbase, felt totally composed allowing you to tweak things with your body weight and pedalling action.

The slick tread of the tyres also make for interesting behaviour on loose gravel, but as long as you've got a bit of talent and understanding on how the bike is likely to behave when you hit the soft pockets of small aggregate then the Vitus is really easy to control. In fact you find yourself enjoying it when the bike starts to slide out beneath you.

The Vitus could easily be pressed into commuter use during the week, and it's a joy to cruise along the back lanes or even mixing it up with the traffic in urban areas.

It's quick off the mark, and while the handling isn't as direct as a dedicated road bike, you can easily scythe your way through a typically congested city centre with ease.

It's the same when descending. Tighter, technical downhills require a bit of smooth handling and reading the road ahead to get the best out of the Substance CRX, but if you get a little out of shape the bike never feels panicked – and after all, if it does all go tits up, with these tyres you stand a pretty decent chance when you end up on the grass bank. Trust me, I know!

Frame and fork

Considering its stiffness, the Substance CRX doesn't look massively over built; true, the down tube is quite a boxy design but not massively so.

The front end has a tapered head tube which adds a bit of girth and you do get a fairly chunky bottom bracket area, though Vitus has gone down the threaded route, which will please many.

The whole frame is made from Toray T700 carbon fibre and so is the fork, which includes a carbon steerer.

I quite like the paintjob; the stealthy grey and black with yellow highlights gives it a classy look while hiding all of the shapes and junctions between the tubes. It flows nicely I reckon.

Vitus has made sure that the Substance CRX is compatible with both 650B and 700C wheels and like many other manufacturers it has dropped the drive side chainstay to provide clearance between the wider tyres and the chainrings.

The clearance achieved is quite impressive, with the 47mm wide tyres fitted as standard leaving loads of room for full mudguards too.

There are loads of mounts too, mudguards as I've mentioned but also racks front and rear plus extra bottle mounts under the down tube.

This model is only available to buy in a 1x chainring setup but if you want to swap that out for a double ring combination the frame is drilled for a front mech and the adaptor is included.

Internal cable routing is also there, which is good to see.

When it comes to the geometry the Vitus is a little on the aggressive side for this type of bike, and taking the stack versus reach dimensions it actually mimics that of a road biased endurance bike. Things like the extended wheelbase and 50mm fork rake make it a little more subdued though, which is why it is such an adaptable bike.

I really liked the position; you can ride hard in the drops or just sit up and enjoy the scenery and it just feels right, very comfortable.

Finishing kit

Vitus provides, like most brands, its own finishing kit with an alloy bar, stem, seatpost and saddle. It all does the job and if I bought this bike I don't think I'd feel hard done by. Should you feel the need, though, the frame is ripe for upgrades.

The Substance has a slightly shorter stem at 90mm for a bike of this size and that keeps the front end a little bit exciting, but the bar is also wider at 44cm so you have room to increase your stance for added control. The drops are flared too, which gives you a planted feel when travelling at speed.

I really like the shape of the saddle. It's quite minimalist for off-road but it has a fair amount of flex which helps the frame take the edge off.

The gearing is taken care of by SRAM's Apex 1x groupset, with a 40-tooth chainring paired to a 10-42 cassette.

If you are going to spend a lot of time riding the CRX unladen and on the road you might find the top gear a little low. I spent the majority of the time on the flat maxxing it out, but if seeking out routes in the back of beyond with a bag or two strapped to the frame is your thing, then it is about right I reckon.

The shifting gives a solid clunk as you move between sprockets so you always know you've made the shift you've asked for, and even under load the gear change is unhindered which I was quite impressed with considering the large jumps between the sprockets.

Braking is via SRAM's 160mm rotors front and rear and they work a treat. Compared to Shimano's offerings with their fins and filled in body, these look quite minimalist but they don't half do a good job.

Barely any bedding in process was needed, and they have loads of feel to them to make sure you stop quickly without locking up the rear.

Wheels and tyres

When it comes to the wheels, Vitus has gone for a WTB Frequency Race i23 TCS 650B rim paired to an Alex Bear Claw hub front and rear, and it is a solid build. They took the usual whack from the off-road terrain and came out unscathed.

Vitus has chosen WTB tyres too, its Horizon 47mm Road Plus model. It's a full slick so struggles for grip a little on steep climbs on loose surfaces, but its width allows it to float over the gravel when the going is fast. If you're tackling various terrains like a bit of singletrack or heading out in the wet, you'll definitely need something grippier.

> Buyer's Guide: 18 of the best gravel and adventure tyres

My biggest issue, though, is that the sidewalls weep like a jilted bride! It's not the first time I've had this happen using tyres from WTB, either. It takes a good six or seven inflations to stop seeing the tubeless sealant dribbling through the porous tyre edges. 

Value

When it comes to pricing I'd say the Substance CRX does itself pretty proud. I've ridden a lot of gravel bikes this year and this is the one that I have found most balanced as an all-round package.

It's practically a kilo lighter (and feels more like 2-3kg) than the Specialized Men's Diverge which costs £2,100 with a full Shimano Tiagra groupset.

I liked the Diverge, but the Vitus delivers a more fun ride. It has a little more zip about it.

Canyon's Grail is one of the benchmarks for me out of the bikes I've ridden when it comes to fast gravel bikes and the Vitus shares a lot of its qualities. The way it handles on the loose stuff, its feedback that allows you to feel totally at one with the bike is all there.

If you want carbon in a Grail on a budget you are looking at the CF SL 7.0, which'll give you a Shimano 105 groupset and DT Swiss wheels for £1,999.99. It's a little lighter than the Vitus but you wouldn't notice it.

Conclusion

I think the Vitus is great. It probably isn't the best bike I've ridden on any single terrain but if you really want one bike to cover nearly all the possibilities it definitely needs to be on your list.

Verdict

A really good all-rounder that works just as well on the commute as it does off the beaten track