All Road / Do It All Bikes / Vitus Venon EVO

[bobones]

My CGR SL will be 4 years old next season so I'm thinking about replacing it but I'm kind of in a similar place to you. It makes a really good fast endurance road bike, especially with a 48/31 gravel chainset on it for lower gearing than my Tarmac. Have been looking at the Venon framesets on offer but there doesn't seem to be much in the difference between the two, and the Ribble can take bigger tyres. I'd love a Factor Ostro Gravel or a BMC Kaius but you can't get BMC as a frameset and the Factor costs nearly 3x as much as the 2nd tier brands. There's every chance I end up just buying another CGR SL when the time comes (my frame is a size too small).

Totally understandable...
The Venon is sort the same bike.. Little prettier but same.
I also liked the paint on the Venon, but from @bobones comment, it does look darker then I would like to...

And he quoted a weight of 8.4 kg... Which is heavy...
My CGR SL is 9kg on the dot with Zipp 303S, Conti TS 40mm and cages pedals comp.mount and power meter..

I believe that Ribble can take easily 45mm and depending on tire and rim inner width up to 47mm...

If you do get another Ribble get the GRAVEL SL,Which is the same bike but with different paint job...

8.4 kg is with 1650g wheels, 2 x 330 g tyres, Garmin Vector 3 pedals, heavy ACR stem, Force AXS, cages, computer and radar mount. Could drop ~1kg with UDi2 and lighter wheels and tyres. Venon's 45 mm clearance is with 700c so probably similar CGR with 650b.

If you already have an all-road bike that you're happy with, then it doesn't make much sense to change it for a Venon. That CGR SK looks great too.

[bobones]

If it’d had been on sale in the EU as well I’d have picked one up
The only thing is, as you pointed out, the color.. in the original pics with a brighter red, imho, the frame looks better as I prefer brighter colors
Guessing what the blue looks like out in the flesh

The blue color is a darker, slightly muted shade of blue and less saturated than in the product pictures. Yet it comes quite alive in certain light conditions. You can find pictures of my Venon in XS in this thread: https://www.rennrad-news.de/forum/threa ... st-5724560

That blue looks awesome. It is definitely darker than the Vitus website but I like it.

My question for the group. How does this bike ride on tarmac? I don't expect it to ride exactly like a race bike (Tarmac, TCR, Ostro), but I am hoping something that feels lively and agile. My only other endurance bike was a Trek Domane in 2018, and it rode like a tank; just sluggish overall. My riding would be probably 90% on roads with a little light gravel here or there where I could throw on my 38 Pathfinders. But I want a road bike basically.

Yeah, the blue is great and that is one sleek looking build. Love it.

I was very impressed with it when I first rode it before I fitted the guards. The ride feel belied its true weight and it felt springy and lively: reminded me of my TCR SL. If I could only keep one bike then I would be happy riding this in summer as a pure roadie, with lighter wheels tyres and no guards.

[thirdsun]

If it’d had been on sale in the EU as well I’d have picked one up
The only thing is, as you pointed out, the color.. in the original pics with a brighter red, imho, the frame looks better as I prefer brighter colors
Guessing what the blue looks like out in the flesh

The blue color is a darker, slightly muted shade of blue and less saturated than in the product pictures. Yet it comes quite alive in certain light conditions. You can find pictures of my Venon in XS in this thread: https://www.rennrad-news.de/forum/threa ... st-5724560

That blue looks awesome. It is definitely darker than the Vitus website but I like it.

My question for the group. How does this bike ride on tarmac? I don't expect it to ride exactly like a race bike (Tarmac, TCR, Ostro), but I am hoping something that feels lively and agile. My only other endurance bike was a Trek Domane in 2018, and it rode like a tank; just sluggish overall. My riding would be probably 90% on roads with a little light gravel here or there where I could throw on my 38 Pathfinders. But I want a road bike basically.

I use it as a road bike. Or to be more specific: As a somewhat aero and comfortable allroad bike. Prime Primavera aero wheels and handlebars, Rival AXS 1x group set with 44T chain ring, a 10-36T cassette (it's quite flat here) and 28 mm Continental Grand Prix AllSeason TR tubeless tires.

I'd describe the ride as fun, always stable and easy to handle, yet wanting to be ridden fast. To me, and in my current setup, it's a very versatile and simple road bike. This bike gives you a lot of options - whether it's tire width or stem length.

[NordicSal]

Road bike


Winter bike


Gravel bike




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Is this a Caledonia, how big are the gravel tires and what's your experience with using that size on it - how's the fit

[tommyb]

Yes Caledonia 5. The gravel tyres are Pirelli Cinturato, 35mm and they seem fine even on some muddy trails


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[Mundaka2023]

Thanks, I'm leaning towards black now too. Yes, Condor seem to be the main stockist here. Now, I need to decide between these big boys or this slimmer version.

Kinesis Fend Off Wide are another less expensive aluminium option. I have the standand width version on another bike, and they're are great guards, but I prefer the mudflaps and black stays of the PDWs.

Great thread!

What size PDW did you go for in the end @bobones?

Just built mine up today. Mine is size large and is 8.4Kg all in with 105 Di2 and 30mm tubeless GP5000. About 500g heavier than my old Cannodale Evo. First proper ride tomorrow hopefully.

[bobones]

Thanks, I'm leaning towards black now too. Yes, Condor seem to be the main stockist here. Now, I need to decide between these big boys or this slimmer version.

Kinesis Fend Off Wide are another less expensive aluminium option. I have the standand width version on another bike, and they're are great guards, but I prefer the mudflaps and black stays of the PDWs.

Great thread!

What size PDW did you go for in the end @bobones?

Just built mine up today. Mine is size large and is 8.4Kg all in with 105 Di2 and 30mm tubeless GP5000. About 500g heavier than my old Cannodale Evo. First proper ride tomorrow hopefully.

Really dig that silver paint job! I got the 45 mm PDW City fenders, which take up to 35 mm tyres. Unfortunately black is out of stock in that model. The Road Plus size or the big daddy 55s are possible alternatives.

Here's mine now in beast mode with the Discus 40/45s (29 mm internal) and 32 mm GP5kS TR. The 35 mm AS TRs arrived today after a few days delay clearing customs (thanks again Brexit),which will enable full beast mode. 450 g per tyre so it really will be a tank with these on. Not sure how much the 105% rule matters when there are bloody great big air brakes surrounding the wheels, but the tyre-rim transition is superb with these wheels !

[bobones]

Here are a few pics with the 35 mm AS TRs on the 3T Discus 40/45s from this morning's ride. I was seeking out some of the gravel tracks at the windfarm, but I ran out of time before the tarmac did and had to turn back for home.

The bike didn't feel heavy and sluggish as I feared it might with such weighty tyres, and it still seemed relatively quick, but I'll need to get on a fast group ride to tell for sure. Shod like this, the bike feels indestructible, and it's confidence inspiring to have such wide and grippy tyres beneath you. I've got them at 3.5 bar, but could go a bit lower for sure. Comfort is great, but it's not a game changer as I don't feel uncomfortable on 25 mm tyres.

Both these and the 32 mm S TRs were relatively easy to fit and inflated with just a track pump. Hardly any adjustment was needed to avoid rubbing the mudguards, and everything seems to fit together perfectly. Even the disc brakes have been quiet, which makes them a joy to use.

I'm really happy with how this bike has turned out in its winter guise, and I can see me removing the guards and fitting some light wheels and tyres come spring and using it as a fast road bike. I can still slip on Quickguard v2s for summer downpours, but I'll keep the PDWs for winter. I might then fit some nobblies to the Discus wheels and be able to easily switch from road to gravel with just a wheel swap. I'm currently on 48/35 with 10/33 but have the option of going lower with 46/33 and 10-36.

[bobones]

Did my first gravel ride today! It was a mix of tarmac, forest trails, rough and smooth gravel. The Venon was great: it felt fast on the road and handled some quite rough and muddy stretches where I thought I'd bitten off a bit more than I could chew. However, the slick 35 mm AS TRs were up to the job, and I didn't puncture, fall off, skid or need to put my foot down. I'd maybe want a little bit wider for the really rough stuff, but the 35s (WAM 37.7 mm on the 3T wheels) seem to be just the job for the mix of tarmac and light gravel I'll encounter most frequently around here. One thing is clear: this bike has opened up opportunities for a whole load of fun.

This is probably the smoothest stuff I came across:

[bobones]

Good old Wiggle! I contacted them about the missing fender mounts and seat clamp cover and they say they'll get on to Vitus and get the parts sent over in 1-2 working days. That remains to be seen, but I jokingly asked for a refund for the £10 I'd spent at Condor on the missing rear fender eyelets and they've duly obliged! Anyone else get their missing parts yet?

[kofsw4]

That's good news! Your post only just reminded me to get in touch with them about the missing parts so I'll let you know what they say when I hear back. Ride pics look great too and nice to hear your enjoying the versatility of the bike.

I did notice there was some kind of crown race in the box which isn't on the technical documents so I assume is surplus?

I couldn't find an FSA SMR stem anywhere. Every shop is sold out and Windwave, the UK distributor, are quoting February for expected delivery. This might severely limit availability of full bikes for a while.

The good news is that the standard FSA NS ACR stem that I bought instead is a good fit although it has to be fully internally routed rather than semi integrated. The stack is much lower because the transition spacer is only 5mm and the stem clamp height is only 30mm. No possibility to put spacers on top of it though.

I also got some 3T Aeroghiaia bars in 40cm. These are really nice. They flare out in two parts so the shifters stay more or less normally vertical but the drops still flare out to 48cm. 245g on my scales.

Just waiting on some new hose then will post pics of the full build in a few days.

[thirdsun]

I couldn't find an FSA SMR stem anywhere. Every shop is sold out and Windwave, the UK distributor, are quoting February for expected delivery. This might severely limit availability of full bikes for a while.

Back when I got my Venon the FSA SMR stems were hard to come by too. I found mine on ebay - a second hand one, but very inexpensive. Have you tried platforms like ebay?

[kofsw4]

Back when I got my Venon the FSA SMR stems were hard to come by too. I found mine on ebay - a second hand one, but very inexpensive. Have you tried platforms like ebay?

Thanks, yes I had a look there and on FB but not that many seem to come up and mostly in extreme sizes. Plus I'm inpatient and had planned to run the hoses through the stem anyway

[bobones]

I did notice there was some kind of crown race in the box which isn't on the technical documents so I assume is surplus?

I used the crown race on the fork as I just assumed that's what is was for and hadn't consulted the manual at that stage. At first I wasn't convinced that it fitted on the fork that well or that the bearing sat on it correctly, so maybe I got it wrong and the fork doesn't need it, but when it's all compressed into place nothing seems amiss. I might revisit this when I bleed the brakes, but for now it's too much hassle to take apart. I'll be interested to find out if you think it's needed.

[DouglasDDX]

Do you guys think a sl7 tarmac stem will work on this frame? If I can find a 10mm 3d printed transition spacer similar to this:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw4AdAEyToM ... BiNWFlZA==

I need the -12 angle to get enough drop. Or I have to drop down a frame size to S. But with my 180cm and 86cm inseam its not ideal