While the Vitesse Evo is Vitus’ flagship racing frame, the Zenium SL has been introduced as an affordable, aluminium alternative.

“High performance aluminium has been the staple of club racers and mile munchers for many years and rightly so, with low weight and supreme durability at a fraction of the cost of carbon counterparts,” say Vitus – and we’re inclined to agree. Aluminium shouldn’t be overlooked by riders with less than £1,500 to spend, with many metal frames offering a lively, engaging ride that some entry-level carbon frames struggle to match.

The Zenium SL is made from triple-butted 6066 aluminium for a sub-1,100g claimed weight which makes it one of the lightest alloy frames out there. There are two builds available, both with a tapered carbon fork, with the standard Zenium SL coming with a full Shimano 105 groupset (Vitus have predominantly moved to full groupsets across the range for 2015 – thumbs up from us) and Fulcrum Racing 7 wheels for £1,099.99 (claimed weight 8.5kg).

There’s also an upscale model which has the same wheels but comes with Shimano’s second-from-top Ultegra groupset for £1,299.99 (claimed weight 8.24kg), which seems excellent value to us.

Meanwhile, the Zenium VR Disc is, you guessed it, Vitus’ disc-equipped road bike – every brand has to have one for 2015. This time the frame’s made from a lower grade of triple-butted 6061 aluminium and pairs a Shimano 105 groupset with mechanic TRP Spyre disc brakes. The Zenium VR Disc costs £1,049.99 and weighs 9.23kg.