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Take a sneak peek at this prototype Vitus all-road/gravel bike that offers a ton of versatility

The bike's working title is the Venon Evo and should be available by the end of the year... if Vitus can source the components

This is a prototype of a bike that Vitus will launch probably towards the end of the year… as soon as parts become available. The design is finished and availability is simply down to supply of components. It’s bound to be popular because it’s suitable for a lot of people.

2023 Vitus Venon Evo prototype Sea Otter 2022 - 10.jpeg

It’s called the Venon Evo, and it’s an 'all-road'/fast gravel bike. Vitus had a Venon road bike in its range for many years, that was discontinued in 2019. This bike is quite different...

> Road bike vs all-road bike vs gravel bike: what’s the difference? 

2023 Vitus Venon Evo prototype Sea Otter 2022 - 2.jpeg

It has a taller head tube and more relaxed frame angles than a road race bike, and longer chainstays to accommodate larger tyres. It’ll take up to 45mm rubber, which is enough unless you’re taking on singletrack or really technical terrain. Vitus also says the Venon Evo will be made from a higher grade of carbon that the ZX-1 and Vitesse road bikes to keep the weight down. 

> Review: Vitus Substance CRS-2 

Vitus has the Substance that’s a full-on gravel bike, whereas the Venon Evo is intended to be more of an all-rounder. It’ll be offered as a gravel setup, and also as a road setup - with the idea that you can swap wheels/tyres and run it on either. You could use it for a sportive, for example, and the road version will come with 30mm tyres. 

2023 Vitus Venon Evo prototype Sea Otter 2022 - 11.jpeg

Interestingly, Vitus says this bike will not get a UCI-approved sticker. The brand tells us it simply doesn’t see the point for a bike of this kind, and it would simply be a marketing exercise; plus, sticking within UCI rules can limit the design. 

2023 Vitus Venon Evo prototype Sea Otter 2022 - 5.jpeg

The front derailleur mount is removable, and the port can be covered by a blanking plate for a 1x setup. It comes with three bottle cage mounts on the down tube, so you can choose between an upper and a lower position.

2023 Vitus Venon Evo prototype Sea Otter 2022 - 4.jpeg

You get mounts for full mudguards, and a removable seatstay bridge for fitting a rear mudguard. Cabling is fully internal using FSA’s ACR cable routing system, which is what Vitus already uses on the ZX-1.

> A closer look at the Vitus ZX-1 Evo and Vitesse Evo

2023 Vitus Venon Evo prototype Sea Otter 2022 - 7.jpeg

The finishing kit, including the handlebar, stem and seatpost, is full carbon and courtesy of Vitus' sister components brand Prime. The gravel build will have a flared bar for extra control and stability.

2023 Vitus Venon Evo prototype Sea Otter 2022 - 6.jpeg

Road builds will start at Shimano 105 level and go up to Ultegra Di2, and if you prefer SRAM then there will be both SRAM Rival and Force eTap 12-speed builds available. Gravel builds will be similar specification levels, but using Shimano's GRX gravel-specific groupset.  

Vitus says it is not 100% sure on when the bike will be available due to ongoing bike industry supply chain woes, but the best guess is towards the end of this year.  Pricing will be similar to that of the Vitus Vitesse.

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. We send him off around the world to get all the news from launches and shows too. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

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