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TECH NEWS
First Look: Vielo’s striking new 1x disc brake road bike
New British brand Vielo launched the V+1 two years ago, a road plus bike with big tyre clearance and a 1x/disc brake frame design, and now it has followed that up with the R+1, a proper road bike with some radical design features that ensure it stands out.
Vielo popped down to the office recently with the new bikes, fresh from their worldwide debut at Sea Otter in California, so we could take our very first look. The new model isn’t in production yet, that’s planned for later in the year, so we’re going to have to wait until we can take one for a spin.
- Review: Vielo V+1 UDG Rival Edition
First impressions are that this is no cookie cutter carbon road bike. It takes a very different approach to most other road bikes on the market but it’s founded on solid design principles so there’s no superfluous nonsense here.
First things first, the R+1 is designed around disc brakes with clearance for up to 30mm wide tyres and is only compatible with a 1x drivetrain, not dissimilar to the 3T Strada we tested a couple of years ago. Just like that bike, the new R+1 will divide a lot of opinon, many of which I'm sure will be aired in the comments section.
There are good reasons for going with a 1x-specific frame design but the main one for Vielo is that the downtube, bottom bracket, seat tube and chainstays can all be optimised for stiffness, to the tune of 30% compared to a 2x frame according to the company’s claims, as well as comfort and aerodynamics.
Unlike anything we think we’ve seen before, the radical seatstays owe their shape and design to a desire to provide improved comfort. Along with the shape of the chainstays, the seatstays provide a small amount of deflection which along with the wide tyres the bike is designed for, should ensure it’s as comfortable as it is fast.
- Are the benefits of 1x outweighed by the disadvantages? We asked, you answered
Another benefit of the stepped seatstay is to reduce drag. Further aerodynamics nods come from the Kamm tail shaped down tube and seat tube and fork blades. The down tube has a small recess on the top side into which the water bottle fits, and the seat tube curves around the rear wheel.
For epic rides when you want extra tools, food or water, there’s a third bottle cage mount on the belly of the down tube and a fuel pod mount on the top tube.
Integration is a key aspect of the new bike and as well as all cables and hoses being routed inside the frame and fork, Veilo has designed its own one-piece handlebar that keeps all the cables tucked out of sight and out of the airflow. The pictured handlebar is just a mockup before its design goes into production. It’ll provide a full range of fit options and each bike will be specced to a customers exact requirements.
There are the now common 12mm thru-axles at both ends with flat mount calipers, and the frame will take a 160 or 180mm rotor up front paired with a 140mm out back. There are additional details like
Vielo is a company that also believes in 1x and with more companies investing in it with the likes of SRAM 12-speed and Rotor 13-speed, and even Shimano is getting in on the act now, it’s gradually becoming a viable alternative. Not for everyone of course, but that’s fine and Vielo is happy with that.
- Is the front mech dead? Is there a future for the front derailleur on modern road bikes?
The new R+1 will be available in two versions, the R+1 UD frameset with seat post costing £2,699, and the higher-end R+1 UDG with stem, handlebar and seatpost and costing £3,999.
The mustard coloured bike pictured here is the high-end UDG model and it’s specced with a SRAM Red eTap groupset with Force cranks and the company’s own narrow/wide chainring, adn rolling on DT Swiss ERC1400 Spline carbon wheels shod with Schwalbe Pro One tyres.
I can’t wait to see how the bike rides, and that’ll hopefully happen later in the year once production bikes land. The promise of a bike that combines aerodynamics and comfort, so often the achilles heel of fast aero bikes, definitely appeal and we all know how impressed I was with the 3T Strada.
Vielo also brought in this lovely V+1 build to show us. It’s built with the brand new SRAM Force eTap AXS cranks and shifters paired to an Eagle AXS rear mech and 10-50t cassette. It’s also rocking a Reverb AXS wireless dropper post which is smartly activated by pressing both left and right shifter buttons at the same time.
The one departure from the SRAM setup are the Hope disc brake calipers and matching floating disc rotors.
Wheels are Zipp 303 Firecrest with WTB Byway 47mm tyres.
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
Latest Comments
- lesterama 4 min 22 sec ago
Not an advertorial, and you've not used one yet, but:
- john_smith 6 min 31 sec ago
Very nice. The stem looks quite futuristic for 1983. Do you know if it's original?
- Flâneur 15 min 49 sec ago
From a population density 6 times higher?...
- bobbinogs 15 min 53 sec ago
Corrected that for you
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if you think this is a religious war you are fundementally mistaken - it is about power and control and land.
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I need an ice bath in Singapore after walking from the hotel to the office!...
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Growling and barking are often signs that a dog is scared or uneasy, but yeah, that'll be why the sign is there.
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You do get that there will be no material differences between the 2 right? Apart from 150g (1/3 of a poo or a 1/3 of a water bottle full) or so or...
- Rendel Harris 5 hours 4 min ago
Think you're correct on the Renault. I don't find it makes any difference to breathing, because if you look at the picture their upper arms are...
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14 comments
I think this is a fantastic looking bike; yes, it will be a bit love/hate with some people, but to me it's a stunner. And a welcome risky innovation to boot.
I've been fortunate enough to own/test the similar 3T Strada since October, and for me (average solo rider, i.e. not a racer) i've seen no issue whatsoever in comparison with my old (ageing) Madone, quite the opposite. I felt confident enough to get rid of the Trek and go 'all-in' for the 1x on the road, and it works for me, but I'm never gonna claim its for everyone. I agree that the range is a limit in some places, but if i'm doing anything seriously hilly (e.g. >8-10% for a long time, or short v sharp >20% hellfests) then I swap in my Hunt wheels from the cross bike (that has a crazy massive 10-42T cassette! it'll climb up a wall!).
The Vielo is forging a similar path, but has the advantage over my bike of the new SRAM 12 speed option, which probably has ample range for most practical uses (e.g. not tackling Ventoux). I'd certainly recommend being open minded about it, it's a stunning looking bike (especially in mustard), and if I didn't already have a 1x road bike this would be near the top of my "want" list. Of course, if Vielo need an every-day bloke test subject for real-world use, I'd be only too happy to help out
(and fair play to Ian from Vielo for following-up on all the comments posted here, and being open and honest - wish this British company best of success for taking a big risk with the R+1)
Sigh, I love the mustard r+1, but I will never compromise with 1x on a razor sharp road bike where timing your shifts is critical. It’s all well and good on the gravel bike but if speed and precision is paramount, the Sram shift mechanism and clicking one way up and down constantly is just too slow.
what a horror that is.
and why oh why does the gravel bike have post mount brakes?
That’ll be why the hope brakes.
all in all I’m amazed at the press Vielo are getting, who are they paying?
Those “Roman nose” seat stays look similar to Ribble’s new CGR SL.
jury’s out on the aesthetics (I quite like it personally), but it’d be interesting to get some impressions of how it affects the ride, if at all.
Looks cool, I like the whole minimal thing.
However, I just don't get the 1x drivetrain for a road bike. I get that there is a 30% increase in stiffness but so what when you consider I would have to walk up some of my favourite hills (Yorks Hill in Kent being one).
The 3T Strada was realeased 3 years and wasn't a commercial success, there aren't loads of copycat bikes and they have brought out a 2x version since so why?
Yorks hill in Kent certainly has a nasy kick at the top for the last 1/2 klm. The average grade is 6.3% over 1.9klm
We will offer 5 direct mount chainring sizes for our R+1 so you can select one for your type of riding. 38,40,42,44,and 46. Lets say you chose a 42T for your R+1. We then offer a 2nd chain ring of your choice FOC. So you could choose a 40 (or maybe 38) or larger. Its very easy to swap out our Vileo chain ring with the new SRAM Red or Force 8 bolt fixing.
We now have 12 speed from SRAM and 13 speed from Rotor.
All very well and good, but an average ride for me includes going up Toy's Hill (slowly) and bombing down fast(ish) and then up Yorks Hill (extremely slowly). My speeds vary from going so slow my Wahoo thinks I've stopped to so fast I have to wash my shorts when I get home....
Also having one smaller (or bigger) chainring at home really doesn't help I'm afraid.
Those seatstays aren't for me.
Have Vielo resolved their issue with Storck yet regarding allegations of plagiarism?
Hi Joe,
Just to confirm, there was never a case with the forma brand we used to distribute , never was, never will be. I hope this clarifies.
30% more stiff, aero, lightweight than a 2x bike, which no doubt itself was lauched with claims to be stiffer, lighter, more aero and more comfortable than ever before. Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?
I'm with you on how many bicycle brands make unrealistic claims for their products. I have spent 36 years in the bicycle trade observing these claims.
When we set up Vielo I wanted to make sure all our communication is truthful, honest and backed up with real science and engineering data.
We will be provide this data soon.
That will make interesting reading - I think 30% is a massive claim, if it's true. Would like to see the aero and weight figures too, I don't believe they can be sufficiently large to make up for the problems with a 1x, not for proper road use anyway.
I do like the handlebar/cockpit design though, that looks very elegant.
I ride a Giant Propel with fairly tight clearances between wheels and frame, and it is marginal in winter riding in this country. It looks to me like the Vielo has less clearance, which means you either have a dedicated winter bike, you spend a lot of time cleaning it and maintaing it post ride. Or you don't, and your lbs gets a bit of an income out of you...
Please allow me to clarify 'what' we are measuring with 'what' in terms of lateral stiffness.
Our R+1 could have be 2 by as well. But we decided to take advantage of a 1by drive train, that allowed us to widen the cross section especially around the BB, which is crucial for lateral stiffness. The space, usually occupied by the inner chain ring and the front mechs constraints was used to increase the innertia of not just down tube [which is now symmetrical] but also the chain stays [with even providing 30 mm tyre clearance] and the seat tube [now without any recess and asymmetry]. In calculations during the engineering process, the equations even suggested a much higher lateral stiffness, which we scarified in favour to more vertical flex on the rear triangle and a slightly lower weight.
We are not claiming the R+1 is an out-and-out aero frame, we are paying attention and considering the airflow over the frame, hence the Kamm tail shaped tubes, waisted headtube and ground level seat stay.
By running the brake hoses inside the bar stem combo makes significant aero improvement.
LOVE the gravel bike. Love.
Not sure about the shelf for sandwiches on the yellow number, but FRESH innovation is there.
well done