Votec is the own brand of Internetstores from Esslingen, known through the websites www.fahrrad.de and www.bruegelmann.dewhere you can order the VRC Comp. The carbon frame is technically solid and beautifully painted, with alternating glossy and matt surfaces. The high-quality Easton wheels stand out, their wide rims harmonising well with the 25 millimetre wide top tyres from Continental. The equipment is a
mix of Ultegra and 105 parts, which nominally puts the bike slightly behind the competition. Functionally, however, there is hardly any noticeable difference. Not quite our cup of tea is the thin handlebar, which doesn't grip as well as the bars on the other bikes. We only realised the purpose of the plastic clamp on the carbon seat post when we ordered the bike incognito. The seat post there is slightly undersized; the ring prevents it from slipping into the seat tube. Otherwise, the assembly was good, but after unpacking it from the huge box, you are sitting on a mountain of packaging waste. In size 54 the frame is shorter than stated on the website; in size 56 the information is correct.
Price 1,899 Euro
Weight 7.3 kilos
Info www.votec.com
available via mail order
Weight frame/fork/steering bearing* 947/371/74 grammes
Frame sizes 50, 54, 56, 58, 60, 62 cm
Seat/top tube/head tube 525/555/159 mm plus 9 mm headset cover
Stack/Reach/STR**** 571/390 mm/1.46
Equipment
Drive/brakes/gear shift Shimano 105 (50/34 t.; Press-Fit BB86)
Wheels/tyres Easton EA90 SL/Continental Grand Prix 4000 S2 25C
*The frame set accounts for 40 per cent and the equipment for 60 per cent of the overall grade. The grades are calculated up to the final grade with all decimal places; for a better overview, we indicate all grades with rounded decimal places.
**Weighed weights.
***Manufacturer's specification, test size bold.
****Stack/Reach Projected vertical/horizontal measurement from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the head tube; STR (Stack to Reach) 1.36 means a very stretched, 1.60 an upright riding position.
