Whatever happened to the eccentric Viks GT, a Lamborghini-inspired city bike from Estonia?

A good eight years ago, we saw Estonian bike maker Velonia Bicycles unveil the Viks GT, a peculiar bike that mimics the aesthetics of an Italian sports car, Lamborghini to be precise. Let's take a look again at the details behind the bike, and what has become of Velonia Bicycles almost a decade later.

This singlespeed, belt-drive, disc-equipped bike has a lot to unpack. The Lamborghini-inspired Viks GT isn't Velonia's first bike with this kind of seat tube-less design – the co-owner of Velonia Bicycles, Indrek Narusk, said that he "wanted to create something entirely new for the daily commute" and with that, the first Viks came about in 2014.

The bike resembled a motorbike more than a traditional bike, with that pointy fin by the bottom bracket area a similar shape to the crazy Diamondback Andean tri bike (although that was a solid slab of carbon monocoque rather than hollow). 

Since 2014 there have been several different models of the bike made, including this copper version, one with a carbon frame and a version made out of wood. 

That said, Viks is far from the only bike made without a seat tube. We've covered the likes of this Urwahn Bikes X Vagabund Studfuchs earlier, too. 

The first Viks bikes were made with steel, but the Viks GT is made with thin aluminium tubing, boasting a 40% reduction in weight compared to its predecessors. Considering the lack of a seat tube, how much does it weight, then? Velonia says about 10kg. That's not exactly lightweight, but for a city bike it ain't bad, either. 

Though back in 2016 integrated one-piece handlebars were certainly not as mainstream as they are today, Velonia decided to make the Viks GT with a one-piece double crown fork seamlessly integrated with the handlebar. 

And then we have the downtube — if you can call it such. It traces the front wheel in a curve, then shoots straight back to the back to connect to the rear axle and seatstays. 

The bike is, despite its rather unique design, meant for commuting, so it comes with a singlespeed belt drive drivetrain for hassle-free maintenance. The mechanical disc brakes are there to ensure you can stop the bike even in wetter weather, too. 

The wheels are Encore five-spoke hoops, wrapped in WTB ThickSlick 700x28c tyres. The carbon seatpost and Volta R1 Braided saddle are from Fizik, and those grippy-looking pedals are Motobicycles flat pedals.

But the question you might be asking now is… can you still buy a Lambo-inspired Viks GT, just in case you need a bike for cutting about on when your actual Lambo is having a service? It seems that Velonia Bicycles has pretty much ceased trading, as its 2022 financial report said: "In 2022, the company had virtually no activity. Existing fixed assets were disposed of to reduce long-term loan obligations. The remaining loan balance was waived by mutual agreement with the lender" (translated from Estonian). 

That means that whatever Viks bikes there were made, they are likely few and far between nowadays. However, there is this webshop called the Arsenale which still seems to hold stock of the bikes, with the Viks GT Launch Edition retailing for £6,024. 

Let us know in the comments what you think about this bike – and if you'd like to have one – and make sure to check out the rest of our Bike at Bedtime features.