I've been asked to post a few thoughts on the new bike, so here we go. It's a Vitus Alios Triple Carbon, supplied by the good folks a Chain Reaction Cycles in Doagh. You can get the full spec of the bike from their website, where it'll put you back £450. There's a slightly cheaper version of the bike available, with an aluminium front fork instead of carbon, which costs £400 - £425 depending on which size frame you choose.

Here it is, in the flesh:



First, a disclaimer. Having been bikeless for nearly 20 years, I don't have much of a frame of reference to what constitutes a "good" modern bike. Even then, while my last bike was a road bike, it was a road bike built for African roads - a somewhat heavier, more forgiving beast than the Alios is, and that probably colours my opinions a little. My lack of technical knowledge also means that I'll be sticking to talking about how the bike feels to own & ride, rather than getting into the guts of what the various components do / don't do for me. With all that said...

Why the Alios?
My budget was fairly limited, while road bikes tend to be one of the more expensive pedal-powered options out there. That restricted me to the Vitus Alios or Razor, or a pair of entry-level BeOne's which now appear to be out-of-stock. From there, pure aesthetics kicked in - the Alios was the best-looking of the options. I did get the chance to have a look at the beast & a spin around the car park up at CRC before parting with the cash, and initial impressions were good enough that I didn't have any qualms about that. Going up to the store also meant I could get them to do the build, which given my lack of DIY skills was a definite advantage!

Appearance
It's red. As anyone who's ever played Warhammer will tell you, "red ones go faster". Allegedly. With the crossbar and downtube both being rather angular pieces of metalwork, it also has a slightly aggressive appearance that I find quite appealing. That seems to be about as far as road bikes go in terms of visually distinguishing themselves - they're machines that place function above appearance, after all. Suffice to say that its looks are unlikely to offend anyone. I've had a few occasions where people have paid close attention as I've ridden past, but whether that's the sight of the bike, or the slightly incongruous look of a racing bike with a rather fat bloke on it, who's to say. :)



Practicalities
The first thing that struck me is the weight of the thing - or rather, the lack of it, at under 10kg total weight. I can pick up the Alios with two fingers, something I'd never have been able to do with the old beast. You can also feel every little bump and crack that the wheels go over, but it's firm without being uncomfortable and, once you get used to the feel of it, there's a good feeling of knowing what the bike's doing and being in full control of it. The saddle is only lightly padded, but is comfortable enough for the comparatively short spins I've taken it for so far - we'l have to see how it fares on longer trips. Brakes are responsive.

With a 9-speed rear cassette and 3-speed front, there's a gear for almost every occasion. Bangor doesn't have much in the way of nightmare hills, but most roads out of the town centre will see you tackling an incline of some description and I've yet to find one that I can't cycle up, thanks to some low gears that really should let you pedal up anything. Given how unfit I am at the moment, that's something of an achievement. Conversely, head back down those inclines and the top gears will let you fly. Either way, there's a feeling that almost all the power you put down onto the pedals is ending up on the road. As provided, the bike has an issue in that the front dérailleur doesn't seem aligned correctly, so that shifting down from outer to middle cog almost always results in the chain jamming (need to shift right down to the inner cog then back out to avoid it happening), but a quick Google search tells me that should be fixed with a fairly straightforward adjustment.

After years being used to downtube shift levers, by the way, the handlebar gear changers on the Vitus are a revelation to me, with brakes, upshift and downshift all available at the flick of the appropriate finger. Ah, modern conveniences...

Final Thoughts
When I decided to start getting some exercise in, I went for cycling as my method of choice as I still remember how enjoyable it was when I was younger to just jump on the bike and get away from everyone and everything, but I'll admit to being wary that the passing of time may have been colouring those memories. It hasn't. The Alios "felt" right the first time I sat on it in Doagh, and (barring the gear-change issue mentioned) the more I ride it & get used to its handling, the more I love it. It may not be the most expensive or high-tech road bike out there, but it does what I want it to do, in a way that makes me want to get out there and do more of it (if that makes any sense). What else could you want from a bike?

If you're interested in the Alios yourself and have a particular question to ask, drop it in the comments and I'll do my best.