Vitus’s newest Zenium Carbon adds another affordable carbon drop bar bike to their line-up beyond the new adventure Substance CRX. Building on 2018’s alloy all-rounder road bike, the new Zenium Carbon disc brake road bike promises more comfort, lighter weight & higher performance, all at a price point that will make your N+1 bike buying decision easier than ever…
2019 Vitus Zenium Carbon affordable disc brake road bike
While Vitus’ newest carbon Substance adventure gravel bike looked like a great value for mixed-surface riding, the Zenium Carbon takes comfort & affordability even further. Vitus says the new carbon road bike was the logical progression of the alloy Zenium they have sold for several years. Not meant to be the most aggressive road bike on the market, the Zenium has been a solid option you could ride to work, cruise quiet roads on the weekends with friends, and even enter the occasional race on.
Now with an all-new hi-mod carbon frame, the reborn Zenium is lighter & faster than ever before and most importantly, more comfortable for those long days in the saddle. The Zenium’s all-rounder geometry carries over the alloy bike’s blend of a ‘not too racy, not too relaxed’ ride, with the added carbon comfort of dropped seatstays and a 27.2 seatpost making it a great entry for longer sportive and gran fondo rides.
Zenium Carbon tech details
The new affordable all-rounder is based on a unidirectional T700 carbon frame & fork. It gets modern road tech with 12mm thru-axles, flat mount disc brakes, full internal cable routing, and ample room for 28-30mm tires.
Since comfort is a priority over absolute racy stiffness, the bike sticks with a straight 1.125″ steerer for a smoother ride that won’t beat up your arms & shoulders.
Vitus still says that actual steering precision wasn’t so difficult to achieve with the full carbon fork.
The new Zenium carbon bikes are available in six frame size range (XS 50cm – XXL 60cm), as well as a smaller four size women-specific range (XS-L 56cm) that features shorter reach brakes, and shorter/smaller stems, bars & cranksets.
Zenium Carbon pricing & availability
Price is really where the new Zenium shines, with the base bike retailing for only £1000 (~$1200 / 1100€) with a Shimano Tiagra R4700 2×10 mid compact groupset, TRP Spyre mechanical disc brakes, Shimano alloy wheels, and 28mm Vittoria tires.
Even the more expensive Zenium CR & women-specific Zenium CRX (which shares the same framesets) still offer excellent value at £1400 (~$1650 / 1550€). They get complete Shimano 105 R7000 groupsets pairing mid compact road double chainsets with wide 11-30T gearing, and hydraulic disc brakes, plus Vitus’ own 32mm deep semi-aero alloy centerlock disc wheels with 28mm Vittoria tires. A high value Ultegra spec build is also expected to roll out later in 2019.
Of course the low price / high value combo is a direct result of Vitus’ consumer-direct retail model, and their retail partnership with mega online retailers Wiggle & Chain Reaction Cycles. But while the Vitus brand is itself owned by the parent company of these big retailers, it does maintain its own bike design group who has really started to crank out what look like some great, affordable bikes.
