Vitus Substance CRS-2 eTap AXS Rival | £2,499.99 | 9.6kg

Stefan Abram gets to grips with a great-value gravel machine

Substance is the name for Vitus’s range of gravel bikes, designed to be capable off-road and comfortable over long distances. The wide range of mounting options for bags and accessories make them well suited to multi-day trips.

This CRS-2 eTap AXS model is Vitus’s top-spec build, coming with SR AM’s 2x12 Rival AXS groupset which features electronic shifting and hydraulic braking.

Frame

The Substance CRS-2 Rival AXS is equipped with a carbon frame and fork with tyre clearances of 650b x 47mm or 700c x 42mm. This is a little on the narrow end for a gravel bike: typically you’d expect a frame to be rated for 650b x 53mm (2.1in) or 700c x 45mm. There is, however, masses of clearance around the stock 650b x 47mm WTB Venture TCS Road Plus tyres, so there is scope for squeezing in something a little larger.

There are additional bottle bosses on the underside of the down tube and on each of the fork legs, providing an easy avenue for a bit of extra carrying capacity. In addition to this, there are also the more traditional mounts for a full set of mudguards and a rear rack.

The geometry of the frame favours stability. The head angle is on the slacker side at 71.5° in a size medium, which has the effect of making the steering a little less twitchy. For context, gravel bikes generally have head angles of a bit over 72°, while the slackest tend to be at around 70°.

The bottom bracket drop is 68mm, which is reasonably low – although again not boundary pushing – and has the effect of lowering your centre of gravity, making you feel as if you’re ‘in’ the bike, rather than perched on top of it.