I own this bike, but came from a 1995 steel downtube shifter road bike with 700x28c as my previous "gravel bike", so any bike is going to be suppler. I think you characterize this bike well, its is definitely more "roady" and I have no problem riding 35+ mph on downhill road. On very chunky gravel it is a bit less stable, e.g. fist sized rocks, but i think that's to be expected given the size 38 ramblers. On flat gravel, up to about 1/2in it feels fine. Basically the bike is solid, tire choice may depend on what you ride. I kinda wish they would have put some maxxis ravagers on it, but I can understand why they didn't. So far the ramblers have treated me well except for cornering traction. The magnesium is great except for one concern, corrosion. The paint is holding up relatively well and I see no signs that the plasma electrolytic oxidation coating (anti corrosion coating, think of it as really durable anodizing on aluminum) underneath the paint is coming off where there are chips. The only major concern is the chainstay on the drive side, since its asymmetric, even with the clutched grx 810 rear derailleur, the chain can still slap it and cause pain to chip off. Normally small chips like this wouldn't be a problem on say steel or aluminum since those metals corrode relatively slowly. Its not like magnesium will disintegrate overnight either, but I do plan on putting some jb weld, or automotive touch up paint on the chipped areas to prevent corrosion from happening (even though the anti corrosion coating is still in place). Another thing to take into account, although minor, is that hardware for holding racks and water bottle cages need to be zinc, nylon, or carbon as galvanic corrosion can occur in the presence of other metals. This is also something to keep in mind when performing maintenance and any non synthetic compounds or brushes should not be used on the frame. This bike is certainly lighter than aluminum, mine weighed in at 19.5lbs without pedals, and this is less than the advertised weight of some carbon bikes. The kit of the bike is excellent in my opinion, the group set especially. I think the kit on the bike alone would normally make it a $3k+ bike, but since its magnesium vaast realizes that some people may be tentative to buy it because of the past failures with magnesium frame sets. Overall, I would say this is comparable to a very high spec aluminum bike or a medium spec carbon bike. I can't speak toward the durability of the welds as I only have about 1k miles on it, and that's where the magnesium pinarello dogma failed, but it does seem like the alloy has been specifically formulated for better strength at those areas. Overall I would think the level of maintenance is similar to carbon, monitor chips and you'll be fine. If you want a bike with a race feel and don't want the feel or cost of carbon, but do want the weight savings without the cost of titanium and are willing to put up with a bit of babying when it comes to maintenance I'd say this is the bike for you.
Thank you so much for this! I’m going to build my own gravel bike from scratch in the future and have been looking for more info since its so sparse. This video + your info are awesome.
@@mnt9810 Certainly, if you want more info on the corrosion, which was my major concern, there are plenty of research papers discussing the corrosion of magnesium alloys. As far as I can tell from the research papers, the plasma electrolytic oxidation process is very good at stopping corrosion, enough so that magnesium alloys can even be used in salt water. Although I couldn't find any papers with regards to this specific alloy, I would think the general idea would apply to most mag alloys. Also since magnesium is regularly used in automotive parts, the technology regarding it has greatly progressed. I think much of the stigma from mag frames is from the past catastrophic failures from kirk's injection molding process (vs tubular extrusion and welding) and pinarello's failing welds (due to an improperly suited alloy). I think we will see magnesium becoming more mainstream as the kinks continue to be worked out.
@@andrewduncan4908 on the contrary, this bike is lively and can get up and go. The ride is similar to a very nice carbon frame. I find it to accelerate with a nice pop and it corners downhill on pavement like a good road bike should. I find it much more "Roadie" than my 2021 Diverge.
Excellent insights here thanks! I just bought the A1 with the Scram 1X. I’ve installed bike frame protection tape to address any potential chips in advance. The frame comes with a lifetime guarantee so that eases some of my concerns as well. I’ll report back after I’ve got some serious miles on it but so far so good.
I’ve been riding clipless for over 30 years and I feel safer using them than flats, I guess it’s what you’re used to. A nice option are the Shimano PD-A530 SPD Dual Platform pedals which have a flat side and a SPD side. Also there lots of more walkable shoes besides the straight up road shoes you’re wearing. When starting out with clipless pedals practice getting in and out of them at a standstill, holding on to a post or next to wall. Then practices starts and stops in a safe area. Once you’re comfortable doing that then head out on the road. Lastly reduce the tension on clipless mechanism so the pedals are easy to twist out of until you’re more confident. During your first couple of rides carry an Allen wrench to adjust the angle of the cleat. Tiny adjustments will get the angle perfect for your knees so it feels ‘just right’. Also you may need to adjust your saddle height, angle, or forward/back rail placement for the new pedaling system. Once you get it locked in then it should feel natural.
Just bought my first gravelbike, it came with 38 pathfinders, after 200 miles of gravel and trail it surprised me how good these tires are. Way more comfort then 28s on my emonda for sure
Road clipless definitely take some getting used to, but I find that the bigger pedaling platform and stiffer shoe makes for a much more confidence-inspiring platform when riding hard, especially when standing up.
Russ you've gotta get some clipless SPD sandals if you're gonna keep any bikes clipless. I've had the same pair for like 8 years now, they work great. Love em for summer riding and the one tour I did with them before I went platform on my touring rigs. And since I'm single they're also excellent birth control
Woah you can get clipless sandles? I know there were those special edition shimano ones, but I didn't realise there were other brands! Do you have any recommendations? Or has the joke just flown right over my head....
@@roseroserose588 I have some regular Shimano non special edition ones and they're great Nashbar and Keen also make them, theirs are closed toe. I like the Shimano design and the steeper price has been worth it based on their longevity. You'll also get a weird foot tan
+1 on SPDs. After riding XTR for ages, I ended up switching to the Look Carbon SPDs with steel axles. For me, they are just as secure as the Shimano, but clip in and out more easily when I intend to clip in and out.
Hi Russ, as a long time subscriber I just love how your channel grows. Good decision to go all in, wasnt it? Keep it fun, youre doin it just right! Greetings from Germany! ✌
Thanks! You helped inform my decision to get buy the matte black 1X Scram version of the Vaast. I actually swapped my Cannondale Topstone 5 for the Vaast. I prefer the more agile handling of the Vaast and I also find it more responsive than the Topstone 5. The Topstone 5 with the Kingpin suspension is nice and Cush but too soft a ride for my riding style/preference. The Vaast is very playful feeling and provides more feedback on the pedals imho.
I started riding Look "Deltas" in the 80s when I was 13. I still use Ultegra 8000 SPD-SL pedals on my road bike. I have SPDs on all of my other bikes, but if you want a full locked in feel nothing beats full roadie clipless.
The GRX 1x gearing is virtually the same at the slow end as any other 2x system, 42x42 is almost indiscernible from (and actually slightly easier than) for example shimano’s 34 front on the 32 cog at the back (the usual set up). Nice review, but don’t smoke near it!
Don't they market more of an "all road" bike rather than a gravel bike? And how is the sizing? Their website says I should ride a small and I'm a good 5' 10".
Giro gauge shoes. Softer sole, lots of mesh for airing out, looks like a standard running shoe as opposed to the tight pointed style worn. Reasonable price tag too.
„How do people walk in theses things?” We do it like the super models 🤔 I learned to value cleat covers. They protect the cleats on rougher terrain and give you traction on slippery surface. So go for these if you wanna I mean have to use them more often.
Russ, yes, road clipless is not intended for walking...what wheels were on there? While 20 pounds is light, light carbon gravel bikes will drop a bit more...I'm thinking the wheels could be lighter.
Might be a bike for me to consider. Took my old (2006) Specialized road bike out for the first time in a year. Damn that ride was harsh and the roads are relatively good here. I only mountain bike with a fully rigid steel Surly and it's much more subtle. I'd mainly ride the road with this VAAST but want something I could keep up on a group ride which most other gravel bikes I probably couldn't as they seem to weigh a ton, in my price range anyway.
I go back and forth a lot between my gravel bike and my road bike. In my experience any gravel bike with 37C’s will be roughly 15-20% slower than a road bike. At least that’s what my own stats are showing me. I’m seeing some riders swap out their gravel tires to standard road tires (mostly 28’s) to ride with their roadie crews and then back to gravel tires for gravel. Some guys are just swapping out the entire wheel sets, which is more convenient but obviously more pricey $.
Hey Russ, noticed that your pedalling technique using the roadie clipless pedals is different than when you use the flat pedals..... you looked really pro with the clipless :) maybe a future video? Anyway, keep up with the good work.....
I've watched the majority of your videos, thanks! Would it be possible to post in the descriptions your measurements and the bike size you reviewed? Also, if you changed any stem lengths and the whee ID and actual tire with and clearance shots of the bikes? These are the main things I look for that company websites and bike reviews/forums leave out... that only first hand reviews can provide! Thanks also for providing the actual weight of this VAAST, as I searched forever to find an actual weight of this bike! Thanks, from Portland, OR!
@@RichardDouglasDesign Thanks, I did see this. However, it seemed like a preliminary spec and I couldn't find any reviews, besides for new release videos. Comments on videos also said they could have gone much lighter, but for a first run they went the safer route. I understand setups can vary greatly, but it's also nice to see how much a setup weighs with specs in a video. i.e. 1x Rival with aluminum handlebars/seatpost, brooks seat, and stans wheels with 48 gravelkings tubeless. It makes it easier (in my mind) to compare with components I currently have. It's the little details that really make the difference in his videos that really help (compared to more commercial reviewers). Actual measured tire width on a wheel and frame is also tougher to find.
I've seen magnesium auto parts crack and be replaced with carbon or aluminum everytime, They should send one of these to Eric at Spindatt, I think he'd crack it.
i contactet vaast and they say it's going to be in warehouses on august 22nd in europe :) so the stores are going to get it soon after. you can hit them um and they'll notify you if they are available. i've been waiting for months :)
When I used to do Archery, I used to shoot a recurve bow which had a magnesium alloy riser. I was certainly very wary of it after the magnesium alloy started to corrode and go very powdery. Not sure I'd trust a magnesium alloy bike frame!
Yeah, it is super annoying that SPD-SL seems to be the only flavor of pedal based power meter. I guess a positive take away from wearing road shoes with SPD-SL cleats is that at least they weren't road shoes with the original Sampson clipless cleats :) , with the cleat height at ~35mm it was like walking in reverse high heels... :S and they wore out quickly.
Awesome content as I've read about this bike before, although maybe the specific road version. I find your comparison of frame materials interesting. Every material has its inherent advantages and disadvantages. Carbon can be turned in any number of ways and frames continues to evolve. As for road pedals, they do take time to get used to. They allow you, as others have said, to apply more power in comfort over time than many MTB pedals that emphasize engaging and disengaging in mucky conditions, as well as being extra durable. Road pedals like the Speedplay Zeros are double-sided, and actually easier to walk in than many. I got back and forth between my Speedplay's and Time ATACs all the time. As for MTB power meter pedals... can't speak to that one. Maybe it is a durability concern? With great options by Stages for a crank arm power meter, its sort of moot. Thanks for sharing the gravel views. Cheers.
Hi Russ. OK, it's two years since your review but do you remember the frame size? Maybe a 50cm? You look way too large for that bike. Also, did you ever try it with 27.5 wheels?
@@PathLessPedaledTV I was thinking about the Whisky fork for the Midnight Special. I've always been fond of steel bikes and dislike aluminum ones. I'm probably the same build as you, 5'8" with a 29" inseam so your bike observations are probably pretty accurate for me as well.
What's their distribution channel? It's not direct to consumer and they don't seem to sell through any bike shop near me. Their website just brings up every bike shop known to Google and wants to send an email to the shop you choose. These days you can hardly get a LBS to answer an enquiry, let alone sell a bike from a brand that they don't carry.
They work with IBD's like us. :) But I believe you can buy and have shipped to a IBD. After building two of these, I can say it's pretty easy to do but I'd recommend a bike mechanic shorten your brake hose and wrap your tape nice and pretty for you.
Hey. I think that you can get an spd power meter based pedal. You have to go to gpLama's channel and see how he converted a road to spd on one of the pedals he was reviewing. I can't remember the name right now.
I had a friend that did a gravel grinder in road clipless pedals. 3/4 through the race I had to squirt his cleats with my water bottle so he could clip back in. May work for dry conditions but it's a nightmare for anything else.
DAMn YOU! I want this frame and they wont deliver the 2x version maybe until the end of august, but more likely somewhen "end of the year" in Europe -.- By the frame geometry and numbers i would have guessed, that this is too racy for you.
@@dhalbrook well, the lady I E-mailed with wrote this: 1- We will have stock in EU in August 2 -We will have 2X A/1 frames available later this year so i guess the answer is yes^^
Magnesium always seems to be cheaper than aluminum. So while it's 30% lighter, will it also cost 30% less or will the manufacturer pocket the cost savings rather than pass it on to the consumer?
The savings to manufacture are definitely passed to the consumer on these. Price some carbon & aluminum gravel bikes with similar specs and you’ll see what I mean. An amazing value for sure! Love these Vaast bikes 😊
@@FenixYuk “rep guy?” Rep guy is wrong. Magnesium is more plentiful than aluminum and takes less energy to form. More skill and different equipment? Sure, but it’s still more affordable to produce.
@@TheBluehornz01 i can only say he's in charge of the Asian Pacific market and definitely have knowledge with the production in Taiwan, I specifically ask him about the cost comparison and he said it's about 20% higher due to the small production volume, which makes sense to completely overweight what might be reduced by the material. Furthermore, magnesium alloy is actually weaker than aluminium so you can expect that alot of the difference in material density would be cancelled out when beefing up the tubing, end result may still be a very light frame but not by a long shot
@@FenixYuk everyone seems to have a connection into the Asia Pacific market…just not a lot of metallurgy or chemistry degrees it seems. Have a great day.
This noticeable compliance with 38c tires. Could that be because of under inflation of the rear tire? At 06:03 you can clearly see the back tire bobbing as Russ climbs the gravel section.
And to add to Russ's point, I'm about 150lbs and run about 31-32psi on 38mm 700mm Gravel King's on Enve G23 wheels. So, go low, as low as you can go and move fast and comfortable. :-)
@@GMoneyLove 30psi on 38s with tubes and the Stans Grail id even for a very light rider is too low. G23s are hookless, have a wider id, and you weigh 20-30 lbs less than Russ.
@@cliph6068 Just offering comparison. Again, to each their own. Russ has ridden long enough to figure out what works for him comfort and flat avoidance wise. I admit I lean more on the lower side. I even run my 25mm road wheels at around 75-80 psi. I've even gone a bit lower, all riding on tarmac. Again, to each their own and whatever works.
@@PathLessPedaledTV If you run similar pressures on 38c tires as compared to fatter tires like 47c, the 38 will feel much more comfortable as it will have less casing tension compared to 47c. If you do decide to swap 650b×47c tires on this bike (around similar pressures), I bet that you won't find it more comfortable. Might indeed be harsher, albeit more grip and stability.
I wonder if there is a great $$ savings over Titanium. I have Ti, carbon and aluminum bikes currently and have owned many steel bikes. For me, and of course, this is personal, Ti is where it is at. It's light, basically corrosion proof , has nice ride qualities and can be repaired if damaged. Unless it is $$ I can't see the benefits of magnesium,
@@PathLessPedaledTV You can get a well-made titanium frame from China through Waltly for $750-950 without any paint or 1100-1200 (I don't quite remember) with literally the paint of your choice; it'll also be fully custom.
Thomas Jousse you’ll also have no recourse if something goes wrong and will probably spend more buying separate parts because you don’t get OEM pricing.
@@PathLessPedaledTV You do have recourse if something goes wrong as the frames have a lifetime warranty. It will take a bit more time though as you'd have to ship it back to China, that's for sure. As far as prices go, you can hardly find a fully build titanium bike right now for less than $2500 coming from a brand. Even then, you might not have the geometry or components you want. For $2500, you can build yourself a fully custom titanium bike with a Shimano 105 disc groupset, carbon gravel wheels and the rest of your components. All this might not be true for a carbon or steel build, but when it comes to titanium, prices are so outrageously inflated because of the "premium" aspect of it that you should be able to do it yourself for cheaper without even trying.
Thomas Jousse personally that sounds like a PITA and is the choice between time and money. For some it will be a good deal because they have the time and enough expertise to build a bike, but for others (myself included), they would prefer a turnkey experience dealing with one vendor instead of sourcing everything.
Because I'm super small :) I'm often caught on the tall end of the small or the short end of a medium. So my choice is to either get a small bike that I can make longer with a diff stem or a bike a bike that may be too long that I can't make smaller.
How to roadies walk in those pedals? Like ducks, of course. That’s why I ride SPDs, even on the road. By the way, I just finished my first long ride with GRX. Love it. The lever feel is great. But I’m new to Di2. I keep pushing the wrong button.
@@PathLessPedaledTV Hah, Yes I heard you say that at the end of the video. I should have waited to comment! Love your videos man, big fan. Thanks for the great content.
@@minushphoto Different material will result in different look. Aluminum and magnesium welds all kind of look like that. You can't really compare to Moots or Seven as they only deal with Ti and/or steel. But that bar tape finishing was butchered for sure. LOL
