Vielo R+1 Superbike versus the Yorkshire Dales

I've been riding Vielo's gorgeously single minded, 1x, wireless only R+1 road super bike for a while now and been loving it round my local hills and lanes. But is a 44 tooth chainring capable of tackling some of the longest, steepest climbs in the Yorkshire Dales? There was only one way to find out so I headed up to the fantastic Yorkshire Dales Bike Centre with a properly punishing route loaded into the GPS. The Vielo boys came along to add some extra encouragement and camera angles on one of the hottest days of the year so make yourself a brew and settle in for a big day out in some beautiful scenery.
Cheers
Guy Kes

[@carlkershaw6032]

Fantastic video guy , been a fan for many years completely immersed in this with your commentary and photography never seen better mate,reminds me of on board motor bike around the Isle of Man.I have a merlin grx x1 and am pleased that someone can ride positively and seems to genuinely enjoy riding x1 thank you for inspiring me to ride what you got congratulations all the best guy and the film chaps

[@SteveBrill]

Great in depth ride review Guy. I got the impression you liked it......a lot! 👍

[@peterharrison1977]

Excellent review thanks. Looks like a great alternative to the big brand bikes and I do quite like the idea of a 1x road drivetrain. I can't help thinking these will become more and more popular over the next few years. I do much prefer a single chainring on my mountain bike. But I'm not sure whether or not I could actually live with a 44:36 lowest gear. That could be a bit of a grindfest for my liking. I could drop to a 42T or even 40T chainring, but then I might run out of gears at the other end of the block. I would have to try it for myself I think. I love the ultra-clean cockpit on this bike too. Definitely going to take a close look at the R+1.

[@gaza4543]

It very much depends on your strength, my best advice is not to be a heman and be truthful with yourself and pay attention to your working gears the gears you know you can push all day. I ride and 11-32 and 40tooth chainring i live in Suffolk which is "flat" but there are some very punchy climbs make no mistake about that and my times are up there with the road boys on strava. I'm hardly in 32 tooth sprocket. At the other end of the scale sure you can spin out but at 95-110rpm I'm pushing. Around 37-40mph on a flat in the middle of the block, I'm cruising at 20-21mph. Oh and I've never struggled in the wind no more than my roadie counterparts. All this bull of their 1x friends being dropped in the wind because they can't find their magical sweet spot. man up (not you) get the gears you can push. Oh, and i do this on an 10.2kg steel bombtrack hook ext no aero whippet. My bet you'll be fine but it will take some getting used to. All the fast strava segments are owned by the TT boys round here doing 32-36mph averages im about 10mins off the fastest times around here to me im more than happy with that on the bike i currently have which has all the aero grace of a tank.

[@lostboy8814]

Superb video Guy,and the Dales were made for cycling,stunning scenery mate,you lucky B,he,he.

[@TurnbuckleTrivia]

Excellent video as always Guy. Great day out too!

[@craigcycles]

Looking at this bike now for a while , think ill be visiting them come oct 24 when back in the UK, what mount were you using for the HH K2, it looking like it was bouncing around a bit for ws that just the camera footage, great review thanks .

[@neal9151]

Great video. I love the simplicity of 1x. I've had 3 bikes equipped with 1x from gravel to road, SRAM and Shimano, and ridden around the lakes and scotland hills no problem. Do you think people get a bit hung up on gear steps? Maybe in England our terrain is so undulating causing so many gear changes that the steps in 1x are perfect for it 😎

[@peterharrison1977]

I was thinking the same. Some people seem totally obsessed with gear steps as if they can't ride unless their cadence is at a very specific value. I also ride undulating terrain, it is never flat with loads of punchy climbs. Often flipping from big to small chainring or just grinding it out in the big ring just to avoid the shifting. A 1x setup might solve this issue, but the range seems a bit limited when trying to emulate a compact 2x setup. I'm currently using a 50/34 with 11-34 cassette. Sram don't seem to have a wireless 1x setup that matches this range. Maybe I could get away with a 38T chainring and 10-36 cassette, but it's a compromise at both ends. A Shimano gravel setup might work, but I like the idea of going wireless on a bike like this.

[@gaza4543]

@@peterharrison1977 They get far to hung up, i just read a comment that their road mate can't keep up in the wind on his 3t strada because he/she cant find their magic gear. what a load of bull. it more likly there trying to a be a heman and try to push a 53 with an 11-25 outback.

[@peterharrison1977]

@@gaza4543 Absolutely agree! Anyway looks like Ekar 13-speed is the answer to my slight doubts about 1x road. I can get the range I need at both ends with a 40T chainring and 9-42T cassette. Think that's the way I'm going to go on my next bike.

[@christopherhood9241]

One hell of a nice bike - great to see something 'different', all large brands appear to be the same now.

[@chrissinclair6086]

Agree. 3T Strada (the bike I have) was pretty much slated....now a few are starting to follow the 1 x. I'm a big fella and have not struggled too much on 44 x 10-33t 12 speed at 15% average hills around County Durham.

[@Damarsh]

27:46 that guys driving… 🤦🏻‍♂️ fml

[@louisgunstone6651]

27:44 Guy nearly gets flattened less 100yards from the end of the ride.

[@deanf2259]

Sorry but I can't agree, but this is not a stylish bike. Angular yes? Surely isn't the rider that gets up the hill and not the bike. Re: single ring. I find from riding my mountain bike the issue with a single ring is that you are always going up and down the block to get the right gear. Where as with a 2x you just have to go down from the big to the little ring and then make a couple of gear changes rather then going up ring up the block on a single. Yes Guy you may prefer 1x especially when Veilo pay you to say that.

[@GuyKesTV]

Don’t worry Dean, I fully appreciate it’s not for everyone but I’m a genuine fan of the simplicity of single ring. BTW the ‘paid promotion’ tag is because Giro clothing sponsor the channel not because Vielo paid me to be positive about the bike. That’s just me being honest (but those small stem bolts do scare me).