Road Test Review

Toronto ON, Canada: 28.07.10
Test Drive feedback, by Cheryl Rondeau

Tester: Cheryl Rondeau, Celebrated artist and O-Cup Racer. Discover how her passions for bicycles and art come together in her work.

After reading the article in the Toronto Star about Vitess I went straight to the company’s web site to learn more. I was intrigued by it being a Canadian manufacturer, and the idea of owning a bike built to my own personal needs through a comprehensive fitting peaked my interest. I have been thinking about getting a new bike within the next year and, although that is a long way off, I just had to take advantage of the offer to test drive one of their floor models.<

Julien Papon, the owner, was quick to respond to my email and I had an appointment for the fitting within a week. I was scheduled for a Friday morning and expected to bring it back the following day but Julien offered the bike for the whole weekend. Which actually worked out well as I was planning to do my usual Donut ride on the Sunday morning and would give me the perfect opportunity to test it out on a hard and long ride (usually 120-140km depending on the route I take).

I must admit I was a bit skeptical as I ride a Colnago and am partial to Italian-made bikes. My experience with other bikes thus far has been uncomfortable and awkward as they were far too stiff for my liking. Comfort is very important to me as I race and training demands many hours on the bike.

I took the Vitess out for a short ride on the Saturday afternoon and felt comfortable on it, just needed a bit of time to get used to the SRAM shifting (I have Campagnolo). But the big test was Sunday on the Donut ride, I had planned to do the longer hillier route up Jane and through Kettleby. This route is also quite fast given the quality of riders (racing in M1/2 and Elite 1/2 categories).

The bike held up beautifully. It felt light and fast and I had no problem picking up my pace when the surges in speed started. I kept up with the group through Kettleby and south on Keele. The bike responded quickly and smoothly in both sprinting and hill climbing situations, I actually forgot I wasn’t riding my own bike.

At the bakery break stop many people commented on the bike. Its sleek design and discrete branding was a plus for many people, myself included. Back on the bike heading south on Leslie Street the pace picked up and the Vitess bike held up well all the way home.

After over 4 hours on the bike and 130km accomplished I felt good. The frame is stiff without being uncomfortably so and responsive. Definitely will be considering a Vitess bike, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a high performance bike.

Cheryl Rondeau