VSF Fahrradmanufaktur GX-500: Longer tours and sporty rides

Timo Dillenberger

· 12.06.2024

Photo: Matthias Borchers

VSF Fahrradmanufaktur GX-500

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Although the VSF Fahrradmanufaktur GX-500 gravel bike is quite heavy, it scores highly in terms of riding stability and tyre choice. For travelling or more sporty rides.

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When it comes to steel, it's easy to be prejudiced: soft, heavy, sluggish. And yes, the VSF set of steel frame with aluminium fork doesn't score well in terms of weight, but it's not far off the mark either. Aluminium Koga or Carbon Megamo. The stiffness measurements, especially at the bottom bracket, are at test winner level, remarkable despite the small tube cross-sections and also confirmed in the test rides! The fact that you sat more comfortably in practice than on competitors with similar comfort values is due to the tyres and the handlebars, which fit well in the hand. Both are very well chosen for use on long, but not quite so wild tours.

The beautifully crafted dropout is located at the end of a long chainstay, and together with the thread welded to the rear, luggage would be far away from moving feet and pedals.

Photo: Matthias BorchersThe beautifully crafted dropout is located at the end of a long chainstay, and together with the thread welded to the rear, luggage would be far away from moving feet and pedals.

The VSF Fahrradmanufaktur The GX 500 is one of the rare cases in which the gears fit quite well despite the single-speed cranks, with an 11-kilo bike you don't want to chase best times or scramble up ramps, the twelve gears are appropriate, the travel competition from Bergamont and Koga but is more variable. On the other hand, the steel gravel bike comes with a newer groupset, which means that the brakes in particular are state of the art.

Deficits in terms of manoeuvrability and speed are not so much due to the wheelbase or the slackest angle from the bottom bracket to the centre of the saddle, but rather to the weight of the tyres and the frame. You sit well behind the bottom bracket and not so close to the handlebars, reminiscent of the days when people travelled on randonneurs instead of gravel bikes. The cables on the outside are not elegant and harder to keep clean, but maintenance and tuning are a breeze. Everything is prepared, right down to the light cable.

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The slim VSF gravel bike with its thick tyres stands out refreshingly between dramatically curved frames made of massive bars. The exotic GX-500 has everything you need for riding and travelling, and on flat terrain it is even "sporty".