Chiru VAGUS-i: A 1.62 kg Titanium Gravel Frame With Two Personalities
Chiru's VAGUS-i titanium gravel frame weighs 1.62 kg, clears 52c tires, and ships with two fork options for different riding styles. Frameset starts at €3,345.
A 1.62 kg titanium gravel frame with internal routing and clearance for 52c tires. That's the Chiru VAGUS-i in one sentence, and it's enough to make the spec-obsessed among us pause.
Chiru, the French titanium specialists, built this around Grade 9 tubing — triple-butted, bi-oval profiles — which sits in that sweet spot between the compliance of Grade 2 and the stiffness of aerospace alloys. The frame alone weighs less than a lot of carbon gravel frames, and the complete build pictured clocks 7.8 kg. For a titanium bike with internal cable routing, that's legitimately light. The "i" in VAGUS-i stands for integrated, and they've clearly prioritized clean lines over serviceability. Whether that tradeoff appeals depends on how often you're swapping cockpits or bleeding brakes yourself.
Two Forks, Two Bikes
The interesting move here is the fork-dependent geometry. Pair it with the ENVE Gravel carbon fork (limited to 50c tires) and you get a snappier, more race-oriented ride. Swap to the CEC #425W fork (60c clearance) and the bike slackens out, prioritizing stability on rougher terrain. Same frame, different personalities. For riders who want one titanium frame to last a decade but don't want to be locked into a single use case, this modularity makes sense. It also means your fork choice isn't just about weight or aesthetics — it fundamentally changes how the bike handles.
The Math
The frameset starts at €3,345, which includes frame, CEC carbon fork, headset, and seatpost clamp. That's steep but not outrageous for boutique titanium with this level of finish. Deliveries aren't expected until February 2027, though, so this is a commitment for patient buyers. Pre-orders open after Roc d'Azur.
Who's this for? Riders who want a forever frame and are willing to pay the premium — both in euros and in wait time. If you need a bike by next spring, or if you're chasing the lightest possible build regardless of material, this isn't it. But for the data-driven cyclist who's done the math on frame longevity and values titanium's fatigue resistance, the VAGUS-i is a serious option in a category that doesn't have many.
