Vitus Substance CRS-2 2021

Vitus says its Substance CRS-2 adventure road bike will go wherever you point it, on whatever surface you choose – and it does exactly that. Its massive tyres let you float over pretty much any terrain you choose while helping on the comfort front, and the geometry keeps everything under control even when that surface is moving about beneath you. It doesn't stop there either, the CRS-2 also has a great frameset and impressive finishing kit for the cash.

Ride

I've got a favourite off-road testing loop for gravel bikes, and when time is on my side I'll try to ride the 33-mile route at least a couple of times a week.

It's got a bit of everything, with various sizes of gravel trails from huge tracks designed for transporting military vehicles to narrow little byways. There are grass fields, some chalk sections, and even a bit of woodland singletrack thrown in for good measure. There's even a small amount of tarmac too.

The Substance took it all in its stride. It didn't suit any one surface better than it did another, the whole time it just felt very composed.

A fair bit of this comes down to the tyres, as they'll cope with anything – in the dry at least – thanks to their predominantly smooth tread.

Even on the smaller gravel, when the CRS-2 is skipping about on the loose stuff, it's just so easy to control.

Up front, the head tube is slackish at 71.5 degrees, but not overly so for an adventure bike, and gives a balanced feel to the handling. Not so quick for it to feel twitchy, but still direct enough that you can get involved with what the front wheel is doing thanks to great feedback levels from the frame and fork.

I wouldn't put the Substance in the same sort of racy category as the Specialized Diverge Expert Carbon that I was testing at the same time.

On the same route the Spesh felt a little more urgent, a nimbler and more flickable machine, whereas the Vitus takes a slightly different approach. It just calms things down a notch, but without being subdued or even – when looking at the numbers – any less efficient. This is a big bonus if you want to load the bike up with camping kit.

> Road bike vs all-road bike vs gravel bike: what’s the difference and which one is right for you?

The Vitus is still a quick bike when unladen, and never feels anything like its 9.5kg weight on the scales.

It's no slouch on the hills or on the fast sections through the woods, where it is responsive to little changes in direction between the trees while bunnyhopping and skipping over the tree roots.

Stiffness in the carbon fibre frame and fork is exactly how you want it to be, which helps when you're putting the power down.

On sections of my test route there are a few borderline get-off-and-push kind of gradients, so if I'm fresh enough and stay on the bike I'm really cranking the force through the, er, cranks, and the CRS-2 just delivers that power to the rear wheel.

Comfort is great thanks in part to the wide volume tyres, but even when I had them pumped up hard for road use and darted off down a new track I hadn't seen before, the frame shows its ability to absorb the vibration and low-level chatter.

It is, in fact, quite a capable road machine too. Another loop I have has Stonehenge at the mid-point, which I arrive at via 25 miles of gravel tracks and a few on the road. After that it's a bit more of that chalky, grassy, gravel mixture before about 20 miles on the tarmac back through the Wylye Valley.

It takes me about four hours, and even if my energy levels are flagging the Substance never feels stodgy or laborious on the road thanks to a combination of the low front end, quick-rolling tyres and double chainset gearing.

Build list

Like a lot of the gravel bikes I've been reviewing lately, the Vitus has a bit of a mix and match groupset when it comes to the Shimano GRX components.

That's not a criticism. I've ridden all GRX series components, and they all deliver great performance and ergonomics. Something backed up by Mike's review of the GRX 600 group.

The CRS-2 uses the mid-range GRX 600 shifters, chainset and brake callipers alongside GRX 800 front and rear derailleurs.

I found the gearing – a 46/30T chainset and 11-34T HG700 cassette – great for all kinds of terrain, with plenty of low and top end options.

The shifting quality is great, even when covered in mud or dust, and the braking – Vitus has specced RT56 160mm rotors front and rear – is impressively powerful so you can just use one finger on the flat section of the lever to control your speed.

As far as the controls and contact points go, it's Vitus branded throughout. It's all aluminium alloy stuff, which gives you plenty of confidence when bashing over rocky terrain mile after mile, and when the inevitable crash rears its head.

The aluminium Wing handlebar comes with a 3-degree flare at the drops. It worked fine, but the majority of gravel bars I've ridden have 12 degrees, and after many miles on my own gravel bike using the Easton EA70 AX bar, I've grown accustomed to the wider 16-degree flare. It just gives a lot more control in the drops at speed.

Saddle-wise, the Vitus model looks quite svelte for something designed for off-road terrain, but it works well. As long as you have a decent pair of shorts on there is enough padding, and I found the narrow nose ideal for getting into the drops and putting the power out.

Wheels and tyres

The CRS-2 comes with WTB Speedterra i23 650B wheels and I had no issues with them whatsoever. Loads of stiffness, and even after all of the abuse I gave them they didn't miss a beat.

The hubs have run smoothly throughout the test period. Engagement at the freehub is quick, and I really can't think of a reason of why I'd upgrade unless I wanted something lighter.

WTB also supplies the tyres, the ByWay TCS Road Plus in a 47mm width. Ours came set up tubeless with sealant inside, but they needed a bit more adding; once done, with a quick ride to fling it around the inside the tyre, everything was fine.

I mentioned earlier that they'll cope well with dry conditions and that is down to the minimal tread pattern. If you are going to use the CRS-2 through the winter you're going to need something with a bit more tread. It's summer at the moment, though, so let's go with it.

> Buyer’s Guide: 23 of the best winter tyres

I found them to be fast rolling on the road, and likewise on the gravel. Off-road, I'd say their width brings more to the game than their tread pattern or compound, but they just work.

Puncture proofing seems to be good, and the knobbly bits on the shoulders do bite into slightly soft terrain.

Heading out after rain would see them slip about a bit in the mud, but thanks to the bike's controllable handling, it all becomes part of the fun.

Frame and fork

The Substance CRS-2 uses a frame and fork constructed from uni-directional carbon fibre, which includes a tapered head tube/fork steerer and a threaded bottom bracket shell.

It's a good looking frame in my eyes, and shining a torch inside (I'm saving up for the x-ray machine) it looks to be well made with a smooth finish.

It's the usual thing: chunky at the front and bottom half of the frame for resisting the forces, while going much more slender at the top for comfort.

I must admit I do like the way the top tube flows into the chainstays for a smooth look.

The drive-side chainstay is dropped for clearance and all of the cables are routed internally for a clean and smooth look.

When it comes to mounts, you get the usual twin bottle cage points, and an additional set added to the underside of the down tube.

You also get mounts on the fork legs for storage.

There are mudguard mounts in the regular places, and rear rack mounts if you don't fancy going the bikepacking bags route.

Sizing and geometry

The Substance is available in five sizes, from XS to XL, to suit riders between 163cm and 200cm (5ft 5in to 6ft 5in).

We have the medium, which Vitus says is suitable for riders between 178cm and 185cm. I'm 180cm and found it to be a perfect fit.

You get an effective top tube length of 545mm, 150mm head tube and 540mm seat tube.

Alongside the 71.5-degree head angle, the seat tube is at 73 degrees, good for getting you in a decent forward position when you want to get the power down.

This leads to stack and reach figures of 568mm and 371mm respectively.

When it comes to the length of the bike, the wheelbase is 1,025mm with 435mm chainstays. That's much longer than a road bike, but well within the parameters of a nippy gravel bike.

Value

This model of the Substance offers good value for money.

Compare it with the Fuji Jari Carbon 1.3 I tested about two months ago, for example.

The Fuji gave a great ride, and shares a lot of the Vitus's characteristics. It's a tad heavier and has a mix of GRX kit too – the same GRX 600 levers as the Substance, but dropping down to RX400 for the callipers.

It does come with a GRX 812 rear mech, though, as it is a 1x groupset. That mech has a clutch fitted to stop chain slap.

And it'll cost you £2,799.99.

> Buyer’s Guide: 19 of the best gravel and adventure bikes

I mentioned the Diverge earlier, too. The closest in price is the Diverge Comp E5, a bike I rode back in 2020. For 2021 it's £2,200 and comes with a similar build to the Fuji: GRX 400 brakes, 600 shifters and an 812 rear mech. 

Boardman does offer a competitive package for the ADV 9.0 Carbon at £1,800. I tested the 8.9 ADV alloy version recently and was very impressed. It's a similar build to the Vitus, but with 700C wheels and comes with GRX 400 callipers.

Conclusion

The Vitus Substance CRS-2 is a smooth-rolling gravel and adventure bike that works well as both an unladen speed machine and a fully loaded workhorse. With a great frameset, sorted geometry and well-specced components, it also offers great value for money.

Verdict

Wide tyres and sorted gear ratios finish off a very comfortable and capable gravel adventure bike