VAAST R/1700c 105

A competitive price and weight from a magnesium alloy frame, as good as it is, it’s the next iteration Stefan Abram is most excited about

- Stefan Abram

 £2,299.99 | 8.93kg

At this point, most of us are aware of what the selling points are for each of the big four materials from which most bike frames are made. Aluminium makes for a bike that’s reasonably robust, reasonably light and reasonably priced. Carbon tends to be lighter, more expensive and more delicate. Steel promises a ‘springy’ ride and ranks highly for both its durability and repairability. And titanium boasts a similar ride and longevity to steel, while also succeeding in being lighter.

So, what to make of VA AST’s R /1 road bike made from magnesium? Of course, there is a precedent for magnesium frames: who can forget the iconic Kirk Precision? But that doesn’t really tell us what to expect from magnesium today. Is VA AST planning on pitching its magnesium frames against steel and titanium? Or is it going after the other end of the market and challenging those made from aluminium?

Well, the word from VA AST is that it is taking a shot at all three: boasting of the lightness, ride quality and affordability of its magnesium alloy. But how does it really stack up?

Weight and spec

VAAST claims that the frame of the R /1 comes to 1,250 grams. This might not sound overly impressive when compared with the WorldTour framesets that limbo under the 700g mark, but when you bear in mind that the lightest aluminium frames tend to come in at around 1,500 grams, to knock about 17% off that is impressive.

The VAAST R /1’s list price of £2,299.99 is towards the cheaper end of high-performance alloy bikes. With a weight of 8.93kg the weight-toprice ratio is really quite impressive.