Vitus Dark Plasma VR (My review)

MREGAN

I have been training for Irelands coast to coast race. The race takes place on the weekend of the 14th and 15th May. Training has been relaxed in my usual kind of way. Half marathons here and there with a few long rides on my road bike. The Kayak training has been little to none with other things getting in the way. I have had a few nights on the water but not near enough.

One main concern I have had was my road bike. I think my bike is close to 12 years old and way to small for me. I took it for a 130km ride on my own and knew the pain I was in after was not down to distance it was down to the bike.

I have always been told to prepare right for a race, so race day is all about racing. With this in the back of my mind I decided the bike had to be changed. I decided if I wanted a bike for the race I want a really good bike. Sean Kelly is brand ambassador for Vitus Bikes so this was the bikes of choice for me. Sean Kelly is one of my all time favourite Cyclists so what is good enough for Sean Kelly is good enough for me.
The Vitus Dark Plasma VR will be the bike I ride for race day. The bike comes with a very smooth looking carbon frame, full carbon fork and steerer. The groupset is the shimano 105 with a compact double 105 chainset. The bike boasts a really neat wheelset in the Pro-Lite Merano with Schwalbe race tyres.


I was smiling at how nice the bike looks with its striking white, red and black colour and bold graphics. I just had to get straight out on it with a small 40km blast to get a feel for it. Clipping in and I was of (Like a rocket) The bike is just 8.5kg and this light weight frame can really go. I had to ease up as I wanted to go through the gears, find how how the shifting felt, feel how it braked. All the usual things you do with a new bike. I sometimes take a few rides to get a comfortable riding position on a new bike but this felt so comfortable straight away. After slowly working the gear range and testing the brakes I decided to take the bike to a nice flat road. I knew from the moment I got on the bike that it could move but I wanted to see how it felt at speed. I flicked the chain into the big ring and got the head down pedalling hard the bike just responded so well. I could feel it powering forward with every pedal stroke almost inviting me to give it some more. So it felt good pushing it hard next up I would try it on the corners. With the wheelset and tyres I was confident they would do their job but how would it feel as an overall package? I headed out of the city and into some quiet country roads that I knew had a few nice bends. Again pushing a big gear I picked up a bit of speed and took the corners with ease. The bike steered really well through the corners so I increased the speed on the next few. It was feeling better and better with each bend in the road. The bike felt really solid as I leaned it in. There was no twitching from the bike giving me more confidence with each turn. This was the first ride and all good rides have to include a steep climb. I stayed in the saddle and pushed it as hard as I could. The light weight frame, smooth pedal stroke made this normally tough climb feel easy. It almost felt I was getting some help as I pedalled up the hill. In a way I was with what is turning out to be a great bike. Next I think I will take it for a good long ride to see how comfortable it feels over distance.

With the bike ticking all the boxes so far I know what you are thinking. How much does a bike like this cost. Well this bike is aimed at a mid price road bike market. The complete package comes in at a very competitive £1499.99. There is a full description on the Chainreactioncycles website for those who want more info or are in the market for a new bike.

www.chainreactioncycles.com

Features:
• Frame: HM Carbon 12K
• Forks: Full Carbon
• Handlebars: Controltech Viento Frame size-bar width 50cm-380mm,53cm-400mm, 55cm-420mm, 58cm-440mm
• Stem: Controltech Estro Frame size-Stem reach 50cm-90mm,53cm-100mm, 55cm-110mm, 58cm-120mm
• Bartape: Vitus Dual Compound
• Headset: Semi-Integrated
• Chainset: Shimano 105 – 50x34t
• Chain: Shimano 105
• Cassette: Shimano 105 – 12-25t
• Shifters: Shimano 105 – 10 Speed
• Rear Derailleur: Shimano 105
• Front Derailleur: Shimano 105
• Brakes: Shimano 105
• Saddle: Vitus Cr-Mo Rail
• Seatpost: Controltech M Post
• Wheels: Vitus by Pro-Lite
• Tyres: Schwable Blizzard Kevlarguard – 700x23c
• Weight : 8.22kg (56cm)

mloc123

No offence but this kinda reads like you work for CRC or Vitus... just saying

MREGAN

HAHA I wish!! That would be an ideal job for me. No unfortunately I am in IT and insurance IT at that. Not so great.

I just try to cover all basis so who ever is reading doesnt have to ask questions. Also I have just copied and pasted this from my Blog so its a bit more than just the bike review you may have noticed.

mloc123

Ah k, nice looking bike. I see they are now sponsoring Bryan Keane.. not sure what model he is riding tho'

Zorba

MREGAN wrote: »

HAHA I wish!! That would be an ideal job for me. No unfortunately I am in IT and insurance IT at that. Not so great.

U must not be too busy today then

MREGAN

Lunch break. But always find time for a skive

ednwireland

bikeradar review
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/road/product/review-vitus-dark-plasma-vr-11-44343/

prefer this black one tho'
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/road/product/review-vitus-dark-plasma-44728

has sean kelly got anything to do with this? i know he rode the original bonded vitus frames but as far as i know that company is long gone and CRC bought the vitus name and knocking out fairly standard far eastern frameds (albeit at a knockout price just watch your credit card)

MREGAN

Sean Kelly is brand ambassador for Vitus Bikes so this was the bikes of choice for me. Sean Kelly is one of my all time favourite Cyclists

This isnt the main reason for me choosing the bike but it helped. Sean kelly isnt going to put his name to anything he hasnt researched.

cosman9373

MREGAN wrote: »

This isnt the main reason for me choosing the bike but it helped. Sean kelly isnt going to put his name to anything he hasnt researched.

I'm not too sure of that. I'm a big fan of Sean too but I do remember him being asked on eurosport what was his favourite bike he rode to which he replied any one I got for free!!

MREGAN

The first major event on the new bike. Coast to Coast Ireland

Video: http://www.vimeo.com/23932161
Race Report: http://acunamatadaar.blogspot.com/

Kav0777

cosman9373 wrote: »

I'm not too sure of that. I'm a big fan of Sean too but I do remember him being asked on eurosport what was his favourite bike he rode to which he replied any one I got for free!!

He was talking about vitus bikes the other day while commenting on the giro, and said he'd rode a vitus bike for over 10 years as a professional and was delighted to be able to be involved in the development of new bikes for them.

gman2k

MREGAN wrote: »

The complete package comes in at a very competitive £1499.99.

Is it a competitive price? For a 105 equipped bike?
e.g. Planet X Ultegra equipped for £250 less.
or why not splash the cash and get a Dura-Ace equipped PX for a very competitive £1499.99. (Bike Radar referred to it as: ""An absolutely cracking race bike" 4.5/5)
And then there is the CRC credit card problem......
So, new bike feels good - I hope you enjoy it and get many miles out of it!

petethedrummer

Nice Video. Go Pro hero HD???

fat bloke

Looks smashing in those pics! And let's face it, "dark plasma" is just about the coolest model name I've ever heard!:)

Take that, cube "attempt"!:rolleyes:

MREGAN

It's actually come down in price since I wrote the blog. Not good for me but good for a anyone buying now. As for a credit card problem that has been resolved that doesn't worry me. It may have been inconvenient but as far as I have heard no one lost money it was all paid back by the banks or card issuers. Let's face it credit is credit it's not yours in the first place. So why the big worry? You can still use paypal. Banks get robbed does that mean your never gonna use a bank again.

Yeah all filmed on the go pro hd hero.

Cheers for viewing.

Lemag

MREGAN wrote: »

As for a credit card problem that has been resolved that doesn't worry me. It may have been inconvenient but as far as I have heard no one lost money it was all paid back by the banks or card issuers. Let's face it credit is credit it's not yours in the first place. So why the big worry? You can still use paypal. Banks get robbed does that mean your never gonna use a bank again.

You've gone and opened up a can of worms there.

When money comes out of one's current account it is not credit. The vendors with whom the fraudulent transactions have taken place will actually foot the bill, not the banks and not CRC. If CRC had been more forthcoming in alerting their customers of the situation then less businesses would be out of pocket. In the event of the fraudulent transactions seeming consistent with the normal use of a credit card by an individual/company and that individual/company weren't vigilant with checking their account then no flags would be raised and their card could continue to be used for fraudulent activities.

..see what you made me do.

MREGAN

I never mentioned current accounts. I mentioned credit cards. What you are saying is probably true but you opened your own can of worms there fella. Read what I said and what I was responding too before you reply. Yes it is related but a totally different instance of the problem than I was refering to.

If you want to really get into money and who pays stuff back just look at the banks and the government. Its more of a big deal but people are just accepting it and getting on with it. Its sh1te but mistakes have been made in the past. No point dwelling on them.

Anyway I am sure there is plenty of related threads so getting back to the bike and the race. Cheers

Lemag

I had fully read what you'd said. Just because you only mentioned credit cards doesn't mean that the details of lazer cards etc weren't taken also. And if one were to get stung and had set up DD payments for their CC the DD payment might very well go through before the fraudulent activity is noticed.

The behaviour of the government and the banks regarding other matters is for another forum.

MREGAN

is for another forum.

My point exactly!!

I was reviewing a bike not a bike shop or what happened to it in the past. There are threads out there related to the problem and the company have set up a phone line and email address. Most geniune people with a problem went through them methods to resolve the problems. Yes there may have been a delay but its a busy company and who are we to say what caused the delay or the in's and out's of the whole thing. We dont know what they were doing in the background to resolve it. Any time there is a problem like this there is too much chinese wispers and friends of friends stories. Yeah its the internet these things happen and people like to talk.

Everytime someone starts a thread that relates to CRC we dont need to hear the same problem about the credit card fraud.

MREGAN

Is it a competitive price?
"Highly competent all-rounder at a competitive price"

Bike Radar Review. Seems to be in the same thinking as me.

I see your point about the other bikes, Not having ridden them I cant really say how they handle or how comfortable they would be. I can only really give a review for this bike.

Eamonnator

Quote:
"He was talking about vitus bikes the other day while commenting on the giro, and said he'd rode a vitus bike for over 10 years as a professional and was delighted to be able to be involved in the development of new bikes for them."

If Kelly thinks "Vitus" bikes are that good, why are the "An Post Sean Kelly"
Team riding "Dolan" bikes in the Ras??

goldencleric

Eamonnator wrote: »

Quote:
"He was talking about vitus bikes the other day while commenting on the giro, and said he'd rode a vitus bike for over 10 years as a professional and was delighted to be able to be involved in the development of new bikes for them."

If Kelly thinks "Vitus" bikes are that good, why are the "An Post Sean Kelly"
Team riding "Dolan" bikes in the Ras??

because Dolan decided to foot the bill for sponsorship money amongst many other reasons I assume.

Your logic is hard to pick apart though I must say :rolleyes:

shergar22

Jeez OP, if you didn't want to hear anybody's opimion other than your own why did you post here?
Guys were making a valid point and you jumped down their throats.

Seems you just posted just to get pats on the back. Wrong forum for that.

BTW, I also thought you were working for CRC or Vitus too. Still not sure

smacl

The complete package comes in at a very competitive £1499.99.

How much is that in shillings?

MREGAN

Jeez OP, if you didn't want to hear anybody's opimion other than your own why did you post here?
Guys were making a valid point and you jumped down their throats.

I'm not jumping down anyones throat. Opinions on the bike or the review are fine. If they have something to say on any part of the review they are entitled to their opinion. Tell me how is the below not wanting anyone elses opinion. I was agreeing with the other poster about the component list on the bikes mentioned. Just said I couldnt compare handling or comfort as I hadnt ridden them.

I see your point about the other bikes, Not having ridden them I cant really say how they handle or how comfortable they would be. I can only really give a review for this bike.

Why would I want pats on the back from a review. A review is my thoughts and experiance on the bike it isnt a my bikes better than yours type thing.

gman2k

MREGAN wrote: »

Why would I want pats on the back from a review. A review is my thoughts and experiance on the bike it isnt a my bikes better than yours type thing.

But see is doesn't read like a review, it reads like you are advertising the brand/website;
"With the bike ticking all the boxes so far I know what you are thinking. How much does a bike like this cost. Well this bike is aimed at a mid price road bike market. The complete package comes in at a very competitive £1499.99. There is a full description on the Chainreactioncycles website for those who want more info or are in the market for a new bike."

Why do you say it is aimed at a particular market?
Why do you say it is a competitive price, when in fact it is not?

MREGAN

Maybe it's me reading reviews in bike mags and my writting style is similar. Also the review was taken from my blog and some of it aimed at friends who read the blog.

Is that not what a review is? Compare it to similar bikes which in this case is mid price bike Market. No point me comparing this to a topline pro's bike.

I still think it is competitively priced and I stand by that. I wouldn't have bought it if I thought otherwise. To many so called big name brands are turning out rubbish nowadays. I am happy with this bike is it so wrong to want to tell others.

positron

Nice review.

CRC has 31% off on this price now - so it's going for £799, approx 900 euro. However, they seems to come with Tiagra now, not 105. Wheels are the same though (Pro-Lite). They have 50, 53 and 55 cms available.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=49202

Kav0777

positron wrote: »

Nice review.

CRC has 31% off on this price now - so it's going for £799, approx 900 euro. However, they seems to come with Tiagra now, not 105. Wheels are the same though (Pro-Lite). They have 50, 53 and 55 cms available.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=49202

That's the dark plasma, he was talking about the Dark Plasma VR, which also seems to have come down in price.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=49203

positron

Ah, that explains, thanks Kav0777, now where did I leave that cup of coffee...

PS: And just noticed OP's video review is on CRC page.. sheesh sorry, I am slow today.

Kav0777

positron wrote: »

Ah, that explains, thanks Kav0777, now where did I leave that cup of coffee...

PS: And just noticed OP's video review is on CRC page.. sheesh sorry, I am slow today.

Christ, i didn't cop that.... i think i'll have a coffee too

markcroninbsc

The chain reaction credit card thing worked out great for me. They got my card number and spent just over 600 sterlin on it (cant remember where, some electrical shop online), i didnt notice it for about a month when i got it back the exchange rate had changed and i ended up a fiver up!!
I do all my shoppin on chain reaction now

This fella's definitly working for chain reaction tho, its a bit obvious that its not really a customer review. Sher anyway he's only comparing the bike against his 12 year old bike that was too small for him anyway, any new bikes's gointa be 100 times better than that.

I have seen one or two of the vitus bikes tho, they do look alot better in real life than they do in the chain reaction pictures, chain reaction should take some new pictures cause they do look a bit ****e at the moment.

positron

markcroninbsc wrote: »

This fella's definitly working for chain reaction tho, its a bit obvious that its not really a customer review. Sher anyway he's only comparing the bike against his 12 year old bike that was too small for him anyway, any new bikes's gointa be 100 times better than that.

Not sure if this is definitely the case, OP (Mikey Regan?) a few other videos on vimeo and at least one of them has him riding a Trek MTB. Anyway, nice review, cool bike, and good work with the camera.

MREGAN

markcroninbsc wrote: »

The chain reaction credit card thing worked out great for me. They got my card number and spent just over 600 sterlin on it (cant remember where, some electrical shop online), i didnt notice it for about a month when i got it back the exchange rate had changed and i ended up a fiver up!!
I do all my shoppin on chain reaction now

This fella's definitly working for chain reaction tho, its a bit obvious that its not really a customer review. Sher anyway he's only comparing the bike against his 12 year old bike that was too small for him anyway, any new bikes's gointa be 100 times better than that.

I have seen one or two of the vitus bikes tho, they do look alot better in real life than they do in the chain reaction pictures, chain reaction should take some new pictures cause they do look a bit ****e at the moment.

Can't believe there is still a debate as to me working for Chain Reaction Cycles LMAO

Yeah I mainly ride mountain bikes. As to the video on the CRC page when I linked it on vimeo they asked me if they could use it. I was delighted to have the video up there. But have a look at the quality difference in the two videos on the page. CRC are a bit more professional than me using a go pro and filming myself.

This has cheered me up this morning. Cheers

tippx

I remeber a review popped up about this dark plasma(sounds more like a fu88in flat screen tv than a bike) about 4 weeks ago same style of writing the way he got on the bike pushed it a bit felt smooth really got the caddeace up instant reaction the bike was so responsive sprung out of the corners blah blah I find all this very suspect the pro pics and all

MREGAN

tippx wrote: »

I remeber a review popped up about this dark plasma(sounds more like a fu88in flat screen tv than a bike) about 4 weeks ago same style of writing the way he got on the bike pushed it a bit felt smooth really got the caddeace up instant reaction the bike was so responsive sprung out of the corners blah blah I find all this very suspect the pro pics and all

Pro pics. Thanks for that first time a pic of mine has been called professional. Taken with a canon 300d slr bought about 10 years ago. I could show you a few other pics from that evening anything but professional.

petethedrummer

tippx wrote: »

find all this very suspect the pro pics and all

There's nothing professional about photographing the non-drive side of a bike.

solarsnake

Just wanted to say that I purchased the Dark Plasma VR only last week. Got it for a great price of £999.99. Think this makes it a far more competitive price than the original £1499.99.

Personally it's my first carbon fibre racer as well, having primarily rode a mountain bike for the past few years. So again I can't compare it with other similiar priced bikes at this entry level.

On price and spec I thought it was a good deal and saved me a few quid as I was initially going to go for a Boardman Road Team Carbon.

I did research a few other websites who also seemed to give favourable reviews with the only criticisms being about the tyres and the older 105 kit rather than the current 5700 range.

Like I said I have no point of reference to compare as it's my first carbon race bike. But I am guessing its a good starting point for anyone looking for their first road bike.

solarsnake

Forgot to say I recall reading in your review about cable rub. I use scotchguard paint protection film. I had a few offcuts left from when I was covering the belly pan on my motorbike. It's clear and is only noticeable when you really go looking for it.

MREGAN

solarsnake wrote: »

Forgot to say I recall reading in your review about cable rub. I use scotchguard paint protection film. I had a few offcuts left from when I was covering the belly pan on my motorbike. It's clear and is only noticeable when you really go looking for it.

I used patches and they done the trick.