Looking to add a bit of diversity to their line of Ti gravel bikes, Lindarets just brought the Chiru Vagus into their mix of offerings. The new addition claims to be a capable endurance rig designed to make long days on less than ideal roads, or even multi-day adventures, more comfortable.
Chiru has been a regular in our Eurobike coverage a few years now, and Cory even spent some time on their 29er Ti adventure bike, the Kegeti. The Vagus, however, is their take on a gravel bike that’s ready to be fully loaded and ridden for days. It’s built with seamless grade 9 3AI/2.5V titanium and has a brushed finish.
Vagus Frame
Functionality starts with the rack, fender, and bag mounts that can be found across the entire frame. Lindarets even has a CEC 6-bolt carbon fork that can be spec’d for an additional $75 to maximize cargo space.
Leading the Vagus is a 1,1/8″ – 1,1/2″ tapered head tube, and your option of a rigid or a 40mm suspension fork with a crown to axle distance of 395 – 410mm. Internal cable routing cleans up the rear brake, front and/or rear derailleur, and dropper post housing. Heading towards the back, it fits a 27.2mm ∅ seat post and gets a 68mm T47 threaded bottom bracket.
The back end gets a 142x12mm thru-axle dropout and flat mount disc brakes compatible with 160mm rotors. Its chainstay design offer space for up to 700 x 43c or 650b x 2.1″ tires.
Build options
Through Lindarets, there are a few complete build options starting with a Shimano GRX build and a GRX & Spinergy build on sale for $4,295. Their mid-tier is a Sram AXS build for $5,495, and a top-tier Red/XX1 Zipp option for $6,195. Lastly, its frame only option retails for $2,195 and weighs 1.55kg (~3.4lbs) size M. Sizes range from XS-XL but may be limited to quantity.
Terske (formerly Traben) titanium tubeless valve stems
Detail oriented? Then you might think a titanium valve stem is the perfect accessory for your titanium bike. Or any bike for that matter. You might have seen Terske titanium tubeless valve stems before, though they were previously called Traben. The name has changed, the valve stems still offer the same blend of durability and light weight while remaining highly serviceable. Bead Shed tech claims to make tire installation easier around the valve and replaceable gaskets promise to keep these $40 stems in action for years to come.
New to the family is a longer, 60mm valve stem option. These should be perfect for deeper 40-50mm rims. Weighing in at 5g per 40mm stem, or 6.25g per 60mm stem, it’s a small penalty for longevity.
Last on the list are these Ti Nitride coated ‘oil slick’ aluminum stems. Oil slick seems to be having a bit of a moment right now, so if you’re looking for all of the shiny bits you can get your hands on, this is just one more option. They also have replaceable gaskets and Bead Shed tech for $25. Each weighs in at 5g per 44mm stem.
