The Vial from ax-Lightness, the brand that has made Axel Schnura one of Germany's leading carbon experts and lightweight construction gurus, is the quintessence of a racing bike reduced to pure functionality. Wafer-thin, dull paint allows a full view of the manufacturing irregularities on the frame, which weighs just 779 grams. No effort was made to conceal the windings on the tube-to-tube construction.
The surface: At first glance, it looks like a patchwork quilt, but it is strictly material-orientated. Depending on which fibre orientation has technical advantages, sometimes unidirectional, sometimes cross-woven carbon fibres are used. Frames from large-scale production do not look any different when they come out of the mould - before paint covers up the raw look. The consistent subordination of visual aspects to functional aspects gives the Vial a very technical, literally unpolished character, which is also continued in the equipment. Rarely is the term "bike manufacturer" more appropriate than here.
Not only the frame is manufactured at ax-Lightness in Kreußen, Upper Franconia, but also the stem, handlebars, saddle, seatpost, cranks, brakes, bottle cage and the 55 millimetre high aero rims, whose bulbous profile is not coincidentally reminiscent of Zipp rims. Because SRAM, the parent company of Zipp, appreciates Schnura's work, he was granted a licence to use Zipp's aerodynamically superior Firecrest profile for his own rims.
On the other side is the Clade E11 from Engage. A bike that could just as easily come from a mass-produced manufacturer. With its glossy paintwork, professional decor and components that are perfectly matched to the frame, it looks as if it has been cast from a single mould. Engage is Schnura's second brand, founded in 2011. The project is still in its infancy, but the goal is clear: building on the expertise of ax-Lightness, Engage is intended to appeal to a larger target group.
Above all, this means that the bikes have to be cheaper, much cheaper! Because this is impossible with frames and components manufactured in Germany, Schnura has all Engage products - so far frames, brakes, rims and add-on parts - manufactured in Asia. However, even with Engage, there can be no talk of popular prices: While the 13,000 euro Vial competes with well-equipped small cars in terms of price, the Clade E11, at 6,800 euros, is on a par with standard high-end racing bikes.
As different as the Vial and Clade E11 look, the bikes ride just as differently. The first impression of the Vial is an acoustic one. The thin walls and large cavities turn the frame and rims into resonating bodies that add a spectacular soundtrack to every ride. It is also impressive that the five-kilogram wheel is extremely stable and feels solid on the road - no comparison to the bikes available on the market. TOUR 11/2012-> The stiff, high rims allow the bike to run like it's on rails. The stiff, high rims allow the bike to run as if on rails, while the torsion-resistant frame easily withstands sprinters. The saddle, which is actually more of a carbon fibre sheet, is surprisingly comfortable and one reason for the extremely comfortable ride at the rear. The second reason is the seat post, which has a noticeable increase in damping and the best comfort value we have ever measured. The ultra-light carbon brakes are criticised for their low restoring forces, which create an undefined feeling on the levers, but this has no influence on the braking effect.
In comparison, the Clade E11 not only looks like a well-made mass-produced model - which is in no way meant to be derogatory - it also rides like one. At just 6.1 kilos, this bike is also very light, but doesn't react quite as spontaneously to pedalling as the Vial due to the heavier wheels. The carbon saddle feels a little firmer than on the Vial, the stiff carbon brakes are powerful but require a lot of manual force. The damping at the rear is also at a high level, although heavy, athletic riders might notice a slight weakness in the headset. At least that's the case for our test bike. Shortly before the editorial deadline, we received a call from Axel Schnura, who informed us that the measured values of the first Clade series, from which our test bike originates, did not quite meet his specifications. The aim here is actually to achieve riding stability at the level of the Vial frame, which future Clade frames should also achieve.
Both models are sold through specialist dealers and are available as a complete bike and as a frame set - the Clade E11 in four sizes, the Vial in two. The normal case with the Vial, however, is that the frame is custom-built, for which tube-to-tube production is predestined. There are virtually no limits to the geometric freedom. The smallest Vial frame that ax-Lightness has ever built has a 460 millimetre short top tube; a maximum top tube length of 615 millimetres is possible. Now if only you had the right amount of money to spare ...
Ax-Lightness Vial
Price complete wheel 13 .000 Euro
Price frame set 3,900 Euro
Weight 5.0 Kilo
Reference/Info ax-lightness.de
Weight frame/fork/steering bearing** 77 9/307/74 grammes
Frame sizes*** M, L and customised
Seat/steering angle 73,5°/73,5°
Seat/top tube/head tube 530/575/164 mm plus 4 mm headset cap
Wheelbase/caster 995/50 mm
Stack/Reach/STR**** 569/405 mm/1.40
EQUIPMENT
Steering bearing Tune, top 1-1/8, bottom 1-1/2 inch
Brakes ax-Lightness 3000
Circuit SRAM Red
Bottom bracket ax-Lightness Morpheus (50/34 Z., BB386E vo)
Wheels/tyres ax-Lightness Stream 55 Aero/Continental Grand Prix 4000 (tubular tyre)
Handlebar/stem ax-Lightness 4100/ax-Lightness Zeus
Saddle/post ax-Lightness Leaf/ax-Lightness Daedalus (27.2 mm)
Engage Clade E11
Price complete wheel 6,800 Euro
Price frame set 2,480 Euro
Weight 6.1 kilos
Reference/Info www.engage-bikes.de
Weight frame/fork/steering bearing** 900/314/92 grams
Frame sizes*** S, M, L, XL seat/steering angle 73°/73.5°
Seat/top/head tube 515/570/164 mm plus 15 mm headset cap
Wheelbase/caster 995/51 mm
Stack/reach/STR**** 566/401 mm/1.41
EQUIPMENT
Steering bearings FSA, top 1-1/8, bottom 1-1/2 inch Brakes
Engage Gavial gears/bottom bracket SRAM Red (50/34 t.,
BB386Evo) Wheels/tyres Engage Spher e 50C/
Continental Force/Attack (folding tyre) Handlebars/stem
Engage Apsis/Engage saddle/post Engage Fluk e/Engage
Revit (27.2 mm)
* The frame set accounts for 40 per cent of the overall score and the features for 60 per cent. These ratings include individual grades, which we have only partially printed for reasons of space. The grades are calculated up to the final grade with all decimal places; however, for the sake of clarity, all grades are given with rounded decimal places.
** Tested frame size greased.
*** 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 an extremely race-like riding position, 1.60 an extremely comfortable riding position. A typical sporty position is in the range of 1.44 to 1.49.
**** Adjusted weight for frame size 57 cm and fork steerer length 225 mm.
