Vitus Zenium SL VRX Disc

The Vitus Zenium has seen many little changes over the years. In 2015 it was pretty good, 2016 it was good, 2017 very good and for 2018... well, this new SL VRX Disc model has been tweaked to near-perfection when you consider the price tag. The great handling and excellent geometry has been maintained, while those new seatstays have bolstered the comfort.

• Pros: Beautifully balanced between race and endurance, lovely frame, great price
• Cons: Mudguard mounts will be fiddly to fit standard fenders to

I first rode the Zenium back in 2015 and I was pretty impressed. The only real criticism I had was that it had quite a harsh ride, but the updated SL model in 2016 had tamed that with a new frame which I, and John in 2017 found much more comfortable.

For 2018 Vitus has made a few more changes, which have turned the VRX into a very comfortable ride indeed. It's used hydroforming – where you use pressurised liquid to form the tubes in a mould – and created a slimmer top tube and very narrow seatstays to create some flex without taking away the stiffness and performance from the business end of the frame.

What difference does this make out on the road?

Perfect balance

Well, it's a minimal advantage but the Zenium is now even more comfortable and easier to ride for 100 miles or so and will challenge a lot of carbon fibre frames at this price point. It's not the most comfortable aluminium alloy frame I've ever ridden but it's getting there.

The good thing is that Vitus hasn't touched the geometry from the previous model, which delivered an exciting bike to ride fast but was never a handful when the pace dropped and you just felt like cruising along. It sits bang on between a race bike and something aimed more at endurance, ideal for something like a sportive in a far-flung county or even country. A bike that is comfortable to ride for a decent distance, but when fatigue starts to kick in it isn't too twitchy in the bends.

Tap out the rhythm on the flat and you can easily cover a decent distance quickly, and even when you get to the climbs you'll realise that at sub-9kg the VRX is pretty competent when it comes to ascending.

Then you come to that unfamiliar descent: do I go for it or rein it in a bit?

Go for it!

The Zenium might not be quite as razor sharp in the twisty stuff as a full-on race bike but it can definitely hold its own.

The steering is quick yet still has quite a neutral feel to it, and thanks to the excellent feedback from the fork and frame you can let things go a little bit. If you are about to overstep the mark you'll know soon enough, and thankfully the Zenium is very responsive to your input to get you out of trouble.

Plus, you've got the backup of the excellent Ultegra hydraulic brakes, which come in handy.

Slim Jim

There are four models in the Zenium range, with the top two getting the SL moniker for 'super light'; these get 6066-T6 triple-butted tubing as opposed to the 6061-T6 grade of the cheaper models.

The 6066-T6 offers a higher strength to weight ratio, which means Vitus can cut a bit of weight from the frame by using less material for the same stiffness.

If you haven't come across triple butting before, it means the wall thickness changes from the end to the middle in, as you've no doubt guessed, three stages. It's thicker at the end where stiffness is required, thinning out in the middle to allow a little give in the tube for comfort.

For 2018, as I mentioned earlier, Vitus has used hydroforming to shape some of the tubes, the most noticeable being the seatstays. It's not a new thing – many carbon fibre frames have been using similar for a long time – but many metal frames, whether alloy, titanium or steel, have gone down the curved route to promote flex rather than going super-thin.

The rear end of the Zenium does seem to cancel out the high-frequency buzz from rough road surfaces over earlier models.

Apart from slimming down the top tube, the majority of the frame is pretty much the same and I, for one, am very glad of that. The Zenium is a stiff bike and responds well to being ridden hard whether out on your own or working hard at the sharp end of the chain gang.

The down tube is still a chunky affair, as are the chainstays, to make sure that all of the power is delivered to the road. Plus the head tube is tapered from 1 1/8 to 1 1/2in top to bottom, which provides plenty of tightness for the steering and really resists the braking forces from the hydraulic setup.

A lot of riders will be glad to see a threaded bottom bracket has been specced too.

For the cabling, Vitus has kept the gears external but run the hydraulic hose for the rear brake internally down to the bottom bracket. It looks neat and tidy, to the point that I never noticed it wasn't all internal until I really looked.

In fact the whole frame is like that: with its really thick paintjob and tidy welds, until I got really close I honestly thought it was carbon fibre.

When it comes to mounts, the Zenium has plenty: two bottle positions plus mounts for mudguards, although they are slightly oddly positioned. The fronts are situated at the rear of what would be the dropouts (the Vitus uses 12mm thru-axles front and rear) while the rear mounts are situated in the normal position at the bottom of the seatstays. The issue comes because the Zenium doesn't have a traditional brake bridge, so the mounts are positioned under each seatstay which makes you wonder, how are you going to fettle a set of SKS guards to fit front and rear? It's an unnecessary faff; just put the mounts in the right place!

Tyre clearance could be an issue for some too. The previous model had a claimed tolerance of 30mm while this model has 28mm. For me that's fine – I'd happily run a bike of this style with 25mm tyres anyway.

Impressive kit

I've ridden metal bikes costing two grand with mechanical disc brakes and a Shimano 105 groupset, so to see a full Ultegra R8000 hydraulic setup here is very impressive indeed.

Vitus has, in a nod to the VRX's performance nature, specced an 11-30T cassette with a 52/36T chainset so it's a decent spread of low and high gears for the type of riding the Zenium is aimed at.

It does come with a GS model rear mech – long cage, if you like – which has a capacity up to 39 teeth, so you could swap the cassette out for an 11-34 option if you wanted without having to change anything.

The shifting from the latest Ultegra groupset is absolutely spot on with a really light feel to it, but without losing its snappy click so you definitely know the gear has changed even under load.

When it comes to braking it can't be faulted either. The levers have been tweaked to pretty much resemble the shape of the cable-operated rim brake offerings, including the hydraulic reservoir, so they are comfortable to hold plus the modulation is very good. I really like Shimano's brakes for this, as you can control the pressure you need almost infinitely.

For this kind of money a lot of brands go for in-house kit, but for the front end Vitus has specced a Ritchey handlebar and stem and it really adds to the value. Ritchey's components are very good, offering excellent stiffness for the weight.

The handlebar, while stiff, matches the frame in not feeling overly harsh at all and the same goes for the stem.

Vitus specs its own seatpost, though – a carbon fibre offering – and while the spec lists an own-brand saddle, our test bike had a Fizik Antares. I found it all comfortable enough for all the riding I did.

Wheelie good

DT Swiss wheels are a strong plus point on any specification list as they are solid performers, durable and a decent weight. The VRX comes with the ER 1600 Spline 23 wheelset which, with a claimed weight of just 1,638g, is good to see at this price.

They are a solid set of hoops that'll take plenty of abuse but don't hamper you on the climbs. A real all-rounder set of wheels that strike a good balance of lightness and durability.

In a mix of riding smooth A-roads and pot-holed country lanes they performed brilliantly, and finished the test period in the same condition that they started it.

The hubs look cool too.

For the tyres Vitus has gone for Continental's 28mm Ultra Sport IIs and they are decent performers. They aren't the fastest or the grippiest but they sit very well somewhere in the middle. Unless ultimate performance is a priority I wouldn't change them out straight away, but when they do wear I might go for something like GP4000S IIs as an upgrade.

Bang for buck

At £1,699 the VRX offers very good value for money. You are getting a great frameset, top notch finishing kit and a very impressive ride. If you aren't a racer but like to ride quickly in comfort and want the option to run wider tyres, the Zenium really fits the bill.

It's a fun bike to ride and I'd pitch it ever so slightly above one of its main competitors, the Canyon Endurace AL Disc 8.0, in those stakes, which comes in at similar money. The Canyon comes in at 50 quid cheaper, but that's before the delivery charge is added. Wiggle and CRC deliver for free and at the moment the Zenium SL VRX Disc is £1,299.99.

> Buyer's Guide: 13 of the best aluminium road bikes

Another option would be the Rose Pro SL Disc Ultegra, which'll set you back £1,632.72 at the current exchange rates. You'll need to add on £27.20 for delivery.

At this price most brands have switched to carbon frames rather than aluminium so there isn't a huge amount of competition. It's good to see that these brands are offering great frames with decent spec lists for the money.

Conclusion

The Zenium SL VRX Disc is a great race bike for the non-racer. It's fast, it's fun and for 2018 has upped the comfort stakes.

Verdict

Plenty of speed and performance married to neutral handling, a bike that anyone can ride fast