Vitus Razor VR

Whether you're planning that first step on the road bike ladder or looking for a capable, well-priced mudguard wearer to get you through the year-round commute, the Vitus Razor VR is worth more than a passing glance. With an alloy frame, carbon fork and Shimano Sora groupset, it's a capable machine for its £599.99 price tag.

Vitus is a brand from the past that slipped away, but online retailer Chain Reaction Cycles resurrected it with a 'direct to market' ethos along the lines of Canyon and Rose. What this means is that it can bring very good bikes to the marketplace at very sensible prices.

I remember buying my first road bike back at the turn of the century. I needed to get fit, the gym had been tried to no avail, and having spent my youth riding everywhere on a cheap mountain bike, I decided that splashing the cash on a 'racer' was the thing to do.

Credit card in hand, I ended up in a well-known motor factors, which also happened to sell bikes, and bought what is, effectively – on paper at least – a bike much the same as the Vitus Razor VR: an aluminium frame, with own-brand components, and a Shimano Sora groupset. But boy, what a way we've come.

Sporty number

The Razor is responsive with a great frame and carbon fork, while one of Shimano's entry-level groupsets has become 9-speed and very much refined.

The Razor VR may look relaxed with its long wheelbase, its short, compact top tube and lengthy head tube, but when you look at the figures you realise – no, actually, when you ride it, that's when you think – this is a sporty little number. Vitus itself describes the Razor as having comfort geometry, but when you take a look at the numbers it is actually a little more aggressive than you think.

The stack to reach ratio comes in at 1.44 which is a little bit on the racy side; most race bikes are around the 1.4 mark, with an endurance machine we'd be looking more at the 1.55 mark. (Stack and reach are the vertical and horizontal measurements from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the head tube. For more bike terms/jargon, look here.)

Even though numbers alone rarely define how a bike rides, the Razor follows its datasheet with a sporty ride. The handling is very neutral, ideal for beginners, but still has that edge to engage the more experienced rider. This makes it great as a winter commuter no matter what your skill level.

For its weight the Vitus responds well to rider input. Acceleration and climbing are slightly better than expected of a 9.5kg bike, especially if it's already rolling – pushing off from a standing start can be a bit of a grind.

Through the bends, the Razor is confident – maybe not as sharp in the corners as a pure race bike, but you won't be left wanting. It's still engaging.

Flex account

If you really have to push the Razor hard, you do notice a small amount of flex at the bottom bracket shell, which is rather tiny compared with modern standards. Even the straight head tube – when we're used to seeing tapered – looks absolutely dinky in comparison. But really, the Vitus isn't likely to be ridden that hard, it's not that kind of bike.

While the head tube may not be tapered, the down tube certainly is, with a bulbous profile that extends horizontally at the head tube end before flaring out laterally at the bottom bracket, making the most of any available weld areas for stiffness.

On rough roads, the alloy frame never feels buzzy like some of old. The Razor absorbs a lot of road imperfections thanks to its double butting, and the carbon fork takes a fair bit of sting out too.

The frame itself may look a little 'agricultural' when you take in its unsmoothed welds, but for the money there's little to complain about. It's well finished, especially when you add the metallic paint job.

Gears, brakes, wheels

The Razor's groupset is pretty decent for a sub-£600 machine: near full Shimano Sora, apart from the Octalink chainset – a real blast from the past and something that does suffer in the stiffness stakes, though it's an easy upgrade to sort out. Pairing a 50/34T chainset with an 11-28 cassette gives a large spread of gears, even if there are a few gaps in the range, considering it is only 9-speed.

The brakes are Tektro R315, deep drop to accommodate the mudguards the Razor is designed to accept. Braking performance is pretty solid, so you won't need to make an upgrade here.

Wheels and tyres are nearly always an upgrade waiting to happen on an entry-level bike, but here I don't reckon it is an instant necessity. The wheels are Vitus branded and they roll well while remaining true. The bearings seem pretty good too, as they took in plenty of wet rides without any issues.

Kenda Kriterium tyres are pretty basic with their wire bead and minimal 60tpi construction, but they roll surprisingly well considering. They're 25mm wide, but the Razor can accept wider. The only downside with ours was the fact that they had started to crack and perish around the edge of the tread, but it's hard to say how long they've been on the test bike.

Make contact

As for the contact points, it's all Vitus branded and is as you'd expect: basic aluminium stuff that gets on and does its job.

The handlebar is oversized at the clamp but seriously reduces in diameter where your hand grips, and could do with more padding for comfort. The thin bar tape that comes as standard isn't really enough.

The saddle should get a special mention. It's a personal matter, but I found it superbly supportive without being overly squidgy, and the curved shape suits a lot of riding positions.

On the value front, the Vitus looks pretty good, but it is up against some pretty stiff competition, most notably the Verenti Technique recently tested, which comes with a Shimano Tiagra groupset, full carbon fork and a tapered head tube for just £50 more.

> Read our guide to the best bikes between £500 and £750

Overall, the Razor is a great bike whether you're a new rider or more experienced and looking for a stable winter machine that'll be happy in rubbish weather conditions, especially as its composed road manners make it so easy to live with.

Verdict

Ideal first road bike, and with the ability to use mudguards it would make a great quick commuter too