When developing the Vulcan, we knew one of the main areas of focus should be in optimising the way in which the rider interacts with the bike. To our minds, the best way to do that was start at the front. If we could positively influence the way that the air interacts with the rider at the front of the bike, we stood more of a chance in optimising the rider on the bike as a whole.
It would be very easy to make a highly complex handlebar system that could only by 3d-printed in titanium and cost thousands of pounds per rider, but what use is that? The challenge comes in that all riders are different shapes and sizes, with different preferences and different abilities, whether in terms of physiology or flexibility. Then of course there’s the added difficulty that as triathletes we need some form of hydration accessible somewhere near the front end. Where do you start with all that?
We took it back to basics. We defined exactly what it was that this system needed to achieve. It needed to have adjustable reach, adjustable stack and adjustable width. The stack takes a rather simple approach, one that we’ve seen on bikes for ten years or more. But how do you get something to go left and right, forwards and backwards?
We played around with horizontal stacks, independent arm pads and hand grips, but nothing quite worked. Then, one day we struck gold and stumbled upon a simple system that allows us to adjust in all directions in the tiniest of increments, allowing you as the rider to find the perfect position.
With short and long-reach base plate options, the Vulcan’s cockpit system allows for a total of 50mm of forward and backward movement as standard, with custom options available too.
The mono-stack of the system utilises one of our proven aerodynamic tube profiles to allow a total vertical stack adjustment of 0-80mm, bridging the gaps between frame sizes to give everyone as perfect a fit as possible.
For optimum comfort and aerodynamics, you can adjust the width of your extensions by up to 60mm, with a further adjustment of 20mm coming from the arm rests. With independent attachment points, it is also possible to angle your bars in and out to suit you.
We have three angles of extensions available – low, medium and high – all of which come in standard and long variants, as well as narrow and wide two-sided arm rest options. And that’s just stock parts. If you struggle to find the right fit and need a custom solution, we will offer all Vulcan customers access to our Advanced REAP Carbon Design (RCD) project to produce custom parts to make sure you’re riding as fast as possible on your REAP.
Engineered carbon:
materials & method
Because attacks and sprints place such great loads on road race bikes, we drew on the engineering of our Vulcan tri bike to make the Vekta massively stiffer than any rival. We used the technology that made a beam bike ride like a road bike to make a road bike ride better than any before. We achieved this in two ways: material selection and construction method.
Carbon fibre comes in many grades and, as with everything, the best fibres are more expensive. At REAP, all materials are selected by engineers, not accountants, and the Vekta is made with a blend that is over 80% ultra-high modulus Toray M40J unidirectional fibre. That’s a vastly higher percentage and grade than most manufacturers use in their top models.
Our raw material cost is around 50% higher yet the Vekta is very competitively priced; it’s a reinvestment that we can make because we sell direct to you and, unlike the vast majority, we don’t outsource production – we are our own factory. Expert deployment is crucial to get the best from these materials and that’s where our 25 years of composite engineering experience are invaluable. The carbon fibre lay-up is intuitive to us.
The performance of the carbon fibre lay-up is boosted significantly by our trade secret manufacturing method, a hugely effective innovation that’s unique to REAP. We can’t tell you what it is, but we promise you will feel the difference it makes.
As a true monocoque, the Vekta is made in a single piece, whereas mass-produced bikes are made in a number of pieces and then joined. Our way is more difficult, but the result is an optimised frame, free from parasitic weight – mass that is made necessary by compromised design and doesn’t add value.
Every element of the Vekta is designed for maximum performance. Sure, there are slightly lighter aero-road frames, but none that come close to the way the Vekta feels. We chose to invest a little frame weight to achieve a huge increase in stiffness which results in levels of steering precision and power transfer efficiency you’ve never even dreamed of. We know that you’ll feel it as soon as you stand on the pedals.
