Vitus Dee VR City Bike Nexus 2021

The Vitus Dee VR City Bike Nexus might seem a bit of a mouthful to say, but it's commendably straightforward to ride and live with. In fact, thanks to its eager aluminium frame, going forwards is where it excels. Add in some surprise speccing highlights at a very reasonable price and you've got a most attractive hub-geared city bike.

Every now and then I test a bike where I genuinely don't know what its limitations are – the hybrid that's so speedy you could imagine doing a sportive on it; the gravel bike that doesn't seem fazed by any off-road excursion. The Vitus Dee VR City Bike Nexus is not one of those bikes – it's quite clear that you'd neither fancy long-distance riding nor red route-ing on this. However, it does what it sets out to do superbly well.

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For urban sprints and fast-paced commutes, it is simply fantastic. The stiff frame is eager and rewarding to ride, not just in terms of effectively and efficiently translating your effort into forward motion, but the accurate and lively front end is supremely fun.

Balance and control is assured – in terms of weaving through the cityscape, it'll give e-scooters a run for their money. Positioning is good, too. It's a little bit head down and raring to go, rather than sitting up and admiring the view, but that really works in harmony with the rest of the bike.

Of course, there are downsides. For example, the Dee Nexus would be quite a tiring proposition on an extended ride, and the stiffness that is so welcome in getting you where you want to go would eventually become fatiguing. That said, the bike does do a very decent job of preventing one-off big hits knocking you off your rhythm, and it's actually a pretty smooth ride when conditions under tread are playing ball.

Frame

At the heart of this performance, the Dee's aluminium frame is a simple alloy design with nice round tubes used everywhere bar the chainstays. There's absolutely nothing ostentatious or innovative about it, but that's fine: the rider is benefiting from decades' worth of mountain-bike-inspired aluminium compact frame manufacturing, and it shows in the ride quality.

I would have thought Vitus might have been tempted to fit a suspension fork to complete the idea that this is an ultra-affordable Cannondale Bad Boy alternative, but I'm glad it didn't. The steel front end might be a trifle stiff over bumps, but it's strong and direct and gives the Dee Nexus a purposeful feel.

Both the rear dropouts and the fork have mounts for mudguards, which I think may well come in handy as this is built to be a dependable year-round workhorse. The bottle cage bolts will probably come in more useful for fitting accessories other than bottle cages, such as mini-pump mounts, and there are also rack mounts for extra utility.

If the all-up weight of 12.9kg is a little heavier than you'd imagine, I'd put the reason for that down to the rear hub gear. Speaking of which...

Drivetrain

Anybody familiar with my reviews of other hub-gear-shod bikes will know that I tend to moan about them. However, it's time to change that broken record.

To be fair, part of the reason for my disdain for lower-rent hub gears is that manufacturers tend to fit them to models – quite often steel frame bikes – in an attempt to offer some sort of faux boutique or faux custom option for cyclists who 'know what a good sensible bike needs'. Brands then charge a premium for such models. Particularly in the case of Shimano's Nexus 7 or 8-speed hub, I don't believe that supplement is justified over a good derailleur gearset (which is almost any derailleur gearset these days).

However, in the Dee's case, the Nexus 3-speed hub feels much less like it's been specced as a fancy upgrade, and more because it's simply good enough. On a £429.99 bike – which, as we'll see, also boasts Shimano hydraulic disc brakes – you hardly feel like you're being overcharged for the privilege.

In action, truthfully, the Nexus 3-speed isn't super satisfying. The twist shift is simple to use and yes, you can change gear while stationary, such as at traffic lights. But when the system is under load – which is quite often with just three gears to choose from – shifts can be hesitant and clicky-clacky until you ease up a bit and allow the hub to catch up.

On the flip-side, with just three gears to choose from you're not really tempted to flick up and down the ratios as you would with seven or eight ratios, so you'll be settling into a groove much more readily, at which point the hub is fine.

In terms of performance, the Nexus hub's easiest ratio in combination with the 38-tooth single-ring chainset will handle longer, moderate climbs better than short, sharp efforts, but this is very much a bike set up for flat routes where possible. With the Nexus's biggest ratio, you can get up a decent head of steam.

Brakes

The Dee Nexus comes complete with a set of Shimano M400 hydraulic discs, which is a very nice surprise on a bike at this price point. I'm a huge fan of Shimano's entry-level M200 brakes and these Acera-level options should be a cut above.

In truth, I didn't notice much difference in performance terms, and the pads do take a little while to bed in. But once everything is working as it should, they offer good outright power and, more importantly, very accurate modulation. This means you can tailor your braking input to suit conditions. For city riding on the Dee Nexus's very eager frame, they're just about perfect.

Wheels and tyres

Obviously, with that big ol' Nexus hub at the back, the Dee Nexus's wheelset is never going to be the lightest option. However, the Vitus Shining 29'er aluminium rims laced with 32 spokes seem well up to the task of hauling you about and don't dampen the rest of the bike's enthusiasm.

The front hub is from Shimano's Tourney series, so that is a solid bit of kit.

Tyre choice, though, is slightly too dependable in my opinion. There's certainly nothing wrong with the Schwalbe Land Cruiser Pluses on paper – they come with Puncture Guard tech and competent traction on a variety of surfaces. The smooth central tread rolls decently on road, too.

However, I'd question why this bike needs 47mm tyres or even quite such comprehensive multi-terrain grip. Because of the stiff nature of the Dee, I can't see it being taking too far from asphalt. I think the 35mm version of these Schwalbes would be more than good enough, although I'd personally be tempted to fit a thinner, slightly slicker tyre altogether.

Finishing kit

If the Shimano brakes are perfect for urban duties, that performance is mirrored by the rest of the finishing kit. The lithe Vitus flat handlebar seems almost too skinny initially but you quickly realise it works like a graphic artist's fine-nib pen, helping you to draw your line through the urban scenery.

The equally minimal but ultra-secure bar grips only add to this.

I'm not normally a fan of two-bolt stems, but the Vitus-branded kit here is solid enough and fits the bike's general pared-back demeanour.

Special mention should go to the Nukeproof Neutron saddle, which looks a classy bit of kit and performs really well. Again, its sporty nature fits the speedy theme of the bike, but it also manages to damp a decent amount of road sting that buzzes up through the frame. Of course, the best thing is to get out the saddle and let your legs soak up the big bumps, but I was very pleasantly impressed by the Neutron.

Value

Let's look at the Dee Nexus from two angles: first, compared against other urban bikes with hub gears.

Of the bikes we have tested, there's the sedate Electra Loft 7i with a Shimano Nexus 7-speed hub for £875. Or there's the Canyon Commuter 5.0 with Nexus 8-speed hub for £1,499. Or there's the Marin Muirwoods RC, again with Nexus 8-speed hub, for £1,045. The Dee's Nexus 3-speed is significantly less capable than these – on paper at least – but then £429.99 is less than half the price of any of these bikes. And it certainly doesn't feel like less than half the bike.

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Comparing it to other £400-odd bikes, I thought the Dawes Discovery 201 was a really fine budget ride for £369.99, but that's now £469.99. Meanwhile, the Specialized Sirrus Alloy came with a great frame but was let down by its spec for £425 (and is now £450). So, again, the Vitus can more than hold its own even in this more competitive market. I think it's safe to say, it's a great package at a very good price.

Conclusion

I'm a fan of the rock band Kiss, who are prone to waxing lyrical about subjects far beyond their specialist area of rock'n'rolling all night and partying every day. I remember in one interview when talking about dealing with bandmates, frontman Paul Stanley said something along the lines of, 'You have to respect not just other people's talents, but also their limitations.'

That's a sentiment that seems absolutely relevant to Vitus's Dee VR City Bike Nexus. Yes, it has its limitations, not least the limited selection of gears, and its stiff ride won't be for everyone. But when it comes to doing what it sets out to do – which is to get you across town, dependably, at speed, and even allow you to enjoy the experience – it's really very hard to fault.

Verdict

Fantastic urban bike with an impressive package at a very enticing price – possibly the perfect city runaround