Vitus Substance VRS-1 HT Gravel Bike Apex (2022) - £1,999.99

The Vitus Substance loads your ride with freedom and choice. It expands your world, opening up new possibilities to ride and explore where otherwise you might not have looked. Unshackled from the same old routes, each ride reveals new ways ahead, like a fresh map - that bridleway to who-knows-where, the gravel track through the woods or the rougher shortcut that you know is quicker but that other bikes couldn’t handle.

See, in a world obsessed with pace, sometimes we need to focus on the place, the journey and the fun that comes from a bike with the capability to seek out adventures where others wouldn’t.

Whether embarking on a far-flung bikepacking adventure or simply staying light for a mixed-terrain local loop, the Substance VRS-1 HT is capable of adapting to suit your ride, moreso than ever before. At its core, a double-butted aluminium frame and RockShox suspension fork are tuned for comfort on long days and across varied surfaces. Aided by big volume tyres that soften the bumps and add traction over rutted or loose tracks, the build also includes a dropper post for maximum freedom of movement on the steepest terrain. With compatibility for 1X or 2X drivetrains and either 700c or 650b wheels, you can really fine-tune the setup to best fit where you are riding. And if ultra-racing or multi-day expeditions are your thing, the frame has mounts for luggage, water bottles and mudguards. For those remote rides where water, food and spares might be hard to come by, you can always load up with whatever you need to reach the next supply point.

This isn’t simply about the same cliches of getting off the beaten track or going in search of the road less travelled, because the Substance is more than a gravel or adventure bike. It broadens your horizons, delivering richer experiences and powerful lasting memories. It’s a bike that enables you to do more. It’s a bike that gives you options. The Substance empowers a new mindset, one that entices you to break away from routine and to ride where you want to ride, unrestricted.

• Double Butted aluminium frame with internal cable routing
• Adventure mounts for bottles and luggage
• SRAM Apex 1x11 speed groupset
• DT Swiss G 1800 Spline 650b wheelset with WTB tyres
• RockShox Rudy XPLR suspension fork and Brand-X dropper seat post
• 16 degree flared handlebar