HVRT CF2

Nope. It's a road bike. A unique one, but still a road bike. It can take big tires and occasionally ride gravel road segments, but it's not a gravel bike or any other kind of off-road bike.

No. The HVRT puts the rider in a more aggressive position, the frame is stiffer and more responsive. You can really feel the difference, especially when both bikes are set up on the same wheelset.

Yes, but it's not UCI certified.

Yes, to some extent. It will work fine on smooth gravel and stuff like that but it's not designed as an all-out off road bike. The whole point of the additional feature that the bike has - which is 650B compatibility - is to allow you to take shortcuts that will get you to your favorite empty road and also let you ride on poor asphalt comfortably. It is worth noting that flipping the chip from the “aero” position to the “endurance” position further enhances the bike's off-road capabilities. The added stability can really be felt especially on rough technical descents.

It will take tires up of sizes up to 30mm on 700C wheels, or 47mm on 650B.

We suggest using the 700C wheels when you are racing, going for a fast group ride, smashing KOM's or riding on perfect asphalt roads. Everything else is better on 650B, and this includes solo training rides, endurance group rides (especially on poor roads) and exploring new, unknown routes.

It makes a huge difference. Swapping out the 700C wheels to 650B makes a bigger difference in comfort and road accessibility than switching from an all out race bike on 700C to an endurance bike on the same sized wheels. The HVRT on 650B tires feels amazing, we often hear people comparing it to riding a wild pitbull, or steamroller on nitro.

Actually, not that much. We tested the bikes side by side on various roads, and honestly we were surprised just how fast the big wheels are. For sure the skinny tires on high profile rims are much more aerodynamic, but you don't really feel that the big tires are slowing you down that much. The best way to put is like this: take two guys who are more or less on the same level, put one of them on 700C and one on 650B, and they can still go on a tempo ride together.

The HVRT is a bike for people who plan to spend most of their time on asphalt roads. The RUUT is designed primarily for off road riding. Both bikes can switch roles, but it's important to remember what they were designed for in the first place.