After a couple of months of riding (and one big crash!) it’s about time we checked in on our long-term test bike … the Vitus Escarpe 275 VRX.
What is it?
We met Vitus in an earlier issue of Wideopenmag and found a fun, well specced and affordable (if slightly unglamorous) all-rounder. The new Vitus you see here brings a brand-new bike with a total redesign and a welcome injection of “enduro”.
Strictly speaking the VRX doesn’t offer anything massively out of the ordinary. 650b wheels, 135mm travel, slackish angles. All pretty standard short travel enduro/trail stuff.
What is remarkable is the £2500 price tag and the very impressive list of components. For the relatively modest price tag comes a great Marzocchi 350CR fork, a Reverb Stealth, Rock Shox Monarch RT3, SRAM X1 groupset and Shimano SLX brakes. All that and a comfortable, fun to ride frame with a very capable suspension platform.
“Strictly speaking the VRX doesn’t offer anything massively out of the ordinary… What is remarkable is the £2500 price tag and the very impressive list of components.”
Heavy hit components
Frankly, that line-up is absolutely bloody brilliant and would be well suited on a bike far more expensive. The ‘zocchi fork has limited adjustment but is plush, simple to set up and great fun on the trail. The SLX brakes offer loads of stopping power and are a lovely detail compared to the lower-spec Avid offerings we often see on similarly priced bikes. And the X1 groupset offers an ultra modern touch with 1 x 11 gearing, narrow wide ring and 11-42t cassette that has got winched up everything we’ve thrown at it. Oh, and you’ve got tubeless wheels setup and running straight out the box. That’s a nice touch and a surprise where we often see bikes turn up “tubeless ready” but without the manufacturer going the distance to actually set them up. Great stuff all round and a package that hits far heavier than the price tag hits your wallet.
“Frankly, that line-up is absolutely bloody brilliant and would be well suited on a bike far more expensive. “
Not too long, not too short
The bike is low, slack and fairly long (though not the longest we’ve seen by far). With a short stem, wide bar and loads of stand-over height the bike cries out for aggro riding on aggro trails and has been a blast on the rooty, muddy natural off-piste stuff we’ve been throwing it down. The geometry finds a nice middle ground between stability and playfulness. Where (for example) our Nukeproof Mega TR feels long, surefooted, planted and very stable at the slight expense of flickyness, manuals and little hops the Vitus offers a nice middle ground of stability and playfulness.
Are you asking yourself “what size Vitus Escarpe should I buy?”
The bikes tend to come up slightly short. Where I might typically ride a medium, I’d run a large Escarpe. Compare the size chart to your current bike and see how it compares. Generally, they’re on the smallish (not hugely so, just a bit) side.
A great all-rounder
The Vitus is exactly the sort of bike I want to ride at the moment. It has the modest travel of a ride-all-day-bike (135mm) but the slack, aggressive angles of a bike made for hammering technical trails. I can take it on the weekly pub-ride, I’ve just done a big day out at Brechfa on it, I’ve slithered down the rooty, technical trails at Triscombe that I would previously have taken a downhill bike to. I won’t take it to Madeira in March as I think I’ll want a bit more travel for bigger, rougher trails but for everything I’m riding in the UK short of big, gnarly downhill tracks the Escarpe is putting fire in my legs and a smile on my face.
“It has the modest travel of a ride-all-day-bike but the slack, aggressive angles of a bike made for hammering technical trails.”
Any grumbles?
What hasn’t been so good? The WTB Trail Boss rear tyre is cracking on surfaced trails but quickly gets sketchy as the trails loosen up and has left me on my ass once or twice. Oh, and the Reverb died but that’s expected right? We also, if we’re being really fussy, weren’t blown away by Vitus’ own-name grips … but who cares?
We’ll keep you up to date with the Vitus. For now, check out their site.
