Vitus Energie C, czarny

At its core, the Vitus Energie EVO C APEX Cyclocross Bike has the clean lines and sleek aesthetic of a modern carbon race bike. But its best side is not the one leaning pristine against an immaculate garage wall or sparkling for Instagram. It’s the one ready for the real world - to race laps of a grassy park in the rain, slide into muddy corners, power through sand and compete in the worst winter weather.

This bike cares not for your ability or ambition. Just want to finish? That’s cool, but if you also want to get amongst it this has the cutting edge design to mix it with any competition. The buzz of race day, the nerves, the banter with clubmates, the thrill of the experience, the personal bests, the feel of a great bike and wanting to do it all again next week. That’s what it’s about. Whether racing for the podium or just for fun, the frame is loaded with thoughtfully engineered features that are uniquely designed and refined for the demands of cyclocross. A flatter top tube sits comfortably into the shoulder and single-entry cable routing reduces penetration of dirt so that performance is not reduced by wet conditions or a jet wash. A revised carbon lay-up improves the stiffness for power out of the turns, where it really matters mid-race, while also reducing weight for when you need to carry or charge into a climb.

The top tube is slightly longer and the stem a touch shorter than before, keeping weight distribution slightly back from the front end, so the handling feels snappy and responsive - this is immediate control, whatever the conditions. Frame clearance around the wheels is vast, so your speed won’t be slowed, nor the bike weighed down by mud. It also makes the bike easy to clean for your pit crew, and when the racing is done you can spray it down quickly and put it straight into the car.

A Vitus is always best being ridden, not hanging on a wall, waiting or posing. So when you’re not lining up for cyclocross, thanks to an innovative removable seat stay bridge, you can add mudguards and carry on with your winter training and year-round commuting. However hard the ride, with the Energie the fun is always turned right up. Why wouldn’t you want to keep riding this bike?