Customer Reviews

Vittesse Sprint 21-Speed Alloy Racing Bike

Having not cycled a bike for about 10 odd years, I recently started cycling again to and fro work on my 15 year old Raleigh mountain bike (cost around £150 at the time). As such other cyclists regularly passed me by probably wondering why I was so red faced and puffing when climbing up hills and slopes, I chalked it down to unhealthiness.

Since upgrading to the Vitesse it has been the difference between night and day. The hills I used to have to climb everyday to work, from which i've had to get off and push several times on my Raleigh, on the Vitesse now is literally like a knife through butter, I could not believe it, you can barely even feel the incline. An impressive bike.

Assembly was very easy, most of the important parts are already done for you, I didn't do any adjustments to the gears or anything like that, I just hopped right on and it was great.

Downsides.

It doesn't offer the same comfort as my old rugged mountain bike, I can't drive my bike up a steep curb, and you feel the bumps on the road more, but that was to be expected with a road bike.

I also had an issue with the handle bars. As many mentioned the gears require you to change hand position from the brakes to adjust, for everyday riding it's not really a problem for me, but for racing or longer distances I can see how this could get annoying.

Also, I prefer to ride in a more upright position, but this isn't really possible with the position of the brakes. So your kinda forced into a forward leaning, racing position.

Considering the price of this bike though, i can't really complain, it's pretty much one of the cheapest bike you can get.

On another note, this bike looks good, a little too good. Personally I feel a little stupid riding such a fancy looking bike when i'm not a serious cyclist, I feel a bit of a poser with my frankly lacklustre cycling abilities and general un-athleticness.

The bike itself is also getting a lot of looks when i have it chained up outside my local shops, I'm worried it looks a little too attractive to would be thieves, which belies it's actual humble price.

Note. At least three of the 1 star reviews complain of the wheel rubbing the frame, they have put the handle bar on the wrong way round when assembling their bike, I made the same mistake at first.

Overall, this has been a massive upgrade over my previous 15 year old mountain bike, the performance difference is huge. Of course this begs the question of just how terrible my old bike was, after-all it's all relative. So if your riding an old 15 year old mountain bike, if children and overweight middle-aged people are overtaking you left, right and centre, if you get into work every morning completely red faced and flustered while your colleagues (whom also cycle in) give you a discerning look. Do not question your health, do not question your longevity, just get a better bike. This one should do.

I used to own another racing bike that its price is double this one. When I thought about buying a new one, I found this to be the cheapest. I was expecting a moderate bike to use it for commuting. What I got is a much better one for this price. Here are the pros and cons:
Pros: Very nice look, comfort ride, breaks are excellent, seat is high quality, gears are easy to use, very well packed and very easy to assemble.
Cons: Heavy (but less than expected, it is 15.5 kg weight), tires are not very thin (as shown in image).
Best use: moderate distances travel (not more than 10 miles). it is not the kind of bike to be used for training.
Recommendation: I recommend for non-professional bikers. If you are professional, then it is expected to pay more.

Over all, I am so happy with this purchase. It is really a good value for money

I've thought for a few weeks about how I would review this bike. I will say that so far the bike has been running just fine with no mechanical problems. Assembly was simple except that it did not come with a properly sized hex key. I also needed to make some minor adjustments on the brake cables.

Be clear about this: This is not a racer bike. This is basically a hybrid bike with racer handlebars attached to it. Perhaps as a result of that, the design of the gear shifters doesn't make sense. You need to twist the shifters at the top center of the handlebars, but the breaks are all the way in the front. That just means that you can't easily switch gears and use a brake at the same time. It's not as light as a typical racer or road bike. The tires are a bit thicker than tires on a racer bike or a typical street bike. Since I ride on some pretty beat-up roads, that works for me. The bike is not fast enough to do real racing, but it is fast enough for commuting here and there, going through long park stretches, and stop-and-go cycling. I am 5'6" and I think that I am the absolute minimum height for this bike. Anyone shorter than that should look elsewhere. Also, I have small hands. Braking with this bike can be a little tiring after a while if you have small hands like me. It would be easier for me to place more pressure on the brakes if my fingers were just a little longer.

Other than those minor drawbacks, I like this bike. It's functional and easy to ride.

I've been cycling for 14 years and have went through 2 mountain bikes,3 road bikes and 2 racers.--I can honestly say that this one is by far the best--No question about it.--If like me you are an uphill addict, I would strongly advise you to get the gearing system finely tuned (as per manual-page 19) as you will need that 21st low gear.-- A dubious point that someone raised was the size of the frame--I'm only 5ft 8inches tall and find the bike to be a perfect fit, simply by adjusting the saddle and handlebars.--no problem!--I would strongly recommend this bike as it looks terrific and feels terrific on the road.

When I received it, it was dismantled into frame, handlebars, wheels and pedals. The tools are provided to assemble it, and this is not a difficult procedure.

One assembled, the following tasks were required:

1) Tighten brakes - they are loose so as to allow the wheels to be inserted.
2) Set-up indexed gears - they were pretty close, but some adjustment will always be necessary.
3) Tighten spokes - the spokes were quite loose, which would mean that the wheels would go out of true fairly rapidly unless the spokes are tightened. This requires a special tool, which isn't provided.
4) Pump up tires, of course.

None of these are surprising, and would probably be needed for any bike that doesn't come from a specialist bike shop.

The quality of most of the components seems perfectly acceptable, although my brother-in-law wasn't impressed by the brakes (I think another review mentions the brakes as well).

My main grumbles would be that the frame is pretty heavy, and the tyres are extremely wide. On the frame side, this is probably an unfair complaint, as the bike is very cheap - and at least the additional weight makes it more sturdy (and it is satisfyingly sturdy). The tyres, however, are really not racer tyres - indeed they are the same as on my tourer, whose whell rims are 1.5 or 2 times wider. This is actually mentioned in the product description (700x28C tyres), but most of us don't visualise this sort of numbers. The tyres being this size also means that mud-guards can't be fitted, as there is insufficient clearance between the tyres and the frame.

I bought this as an alternative commuter bike, but found it unsatisfying because:

a) It's weight is actually about the same as my (very old, but admitedly expensive) tourer.
b) Because of the large tyres, its rolling friction is about the same as my tourer.
c) Because of the large tyres, I cannot fit even temporary racer-style mud-guards - although thoses that stick out under the seat should be OK.

I have therefore kept my tourer and leant this one to my brother, who is using it to go cycling in Epping forest, and for which he is more than happy with it!

I bought this bike as a cheap way to get to and from work. The bike is basic with no frills but easy to maintain and repair. The build seems solid and strong. The brakes are also solid looking with reliable calliper type that work well wet or dry. The frame is reasonably light weight alloy with good shape, weld points and paint finish. The handle bars are well finished with neat tape binding. The gears are entry level 21 speed Shimano cassette with SIS derailleurs which shift easily and smoothly. However the Shimano Revoshift twist grip shifters can be a little inconvenient as the rider has to readjust his/her grip from the brake position to change gear. The tires are sound with good tread, my bike came with Schrader valve tubes. The delivery was very prompt and the bike was well boxed. Building the bike was simple taking around 20 minutes to fit the wheels,seat and post and fix and adjust the handle bars. The brakes and gear set were already in place. I am extremely pleased with the bike which for the money is a bargain.

Speed of delivery, etc, as usual, was brilliant.
The packaging - good.
The ease of making up - no problems.

BUT this is a very large framed cycle. Although it was described as suitable for age 12 - adult I missed the inside leg length measurement which starts at 33 inches, you do need to be at least 6 feet tall to fit it. My 14 year old son loves it but at 5'7" it is a bit big. (My 6'1" 17 year old fits it but doesn't like the racer handlebars.)

I recently moved to London and was after a commuter bike that would also be useful for longer rides and can handle speed. This bike seemed like the best fit based on the reviews supplied by other amazon purchasers as they all sounded quite positive and the price was great. All my bikes previously have been hybrids or mountain bikes with this being my first road/racer purchase.

I have to say I'm quite disappointed with it! If you read my feedback below and can look past the negative points you will be happy with this bike.

OK firstly the GOOD points(plus 3 stars): Build quality, inclusive of the seat and handlebars, is good. The bike comes 90% assembled and getting it on the road takes as little as 20-30 minutes. It looks very hardcore and I got a few compliments from friends and family on what a great looking bike it was when put together. The tires seem to be sturdy and can handle speed.

Now for the negative (minus 2 stars): The grip shift and gears. WHY put grip shift on a bike that requires the braking position to be so far forward? It is not possible to put your hands in an upper-forward position and brake with the levers either, as they are too stiff to pull in at the top, thus making this riding position useless! The Grip shift/gearing system has been problematic on my bike. Even after doing some alignment myself, I still get chain scraping when changing into certain gears. My kit was missing the hex key required to secure the seat into position too. Luckily I had one to do the job.

Overall: If you purchase this bike and intend to use it for highway riding, you will most likely not have any issues. If you intend on purchasing this bike for commuting, be prepared to constantly be changing you grip and rider position making the journey very uncomfortable!

Bought the bike with the intention of mixing up my marathon training, great value for money and nice to ride.
If you are a beginner looking for a cheap way to start this is it. I am 6'4" and this is a great size with plenty left to raise the saddle if you are taller

Although the bike IS good value for money, regular usage (very regular usage) will result in wear and tear quicker than most other road bikes. It is a comfortable enough bike to ride (until it breaks down) and it looks good. Me personally, I am always wanting a higher gear on this bike. Quick over short to moderate distances (hence the name - sprint?) but wanting more flat out speed when you have the space.

Regular punctures until I had the tyres changed (none since) The biggest problems I've had with this bike - The gear transition is not very smooth and the handlebar joints WILL become flimsy if you are a rough rider.

It has served has its purpose for me, although I didn't plan on wanting to get a replacement quite so soon. I've had the bike for three years and it will be the first bike that I've ever had that I shall willfully abandon.

After five services and in need of another - the appeal of the bike diminishes faster and faster. I have used the bike lots though, almost every day within the last three years, but the old adage of you get what you pay for rings very true in the case of the Vittesse sprint 21.