Vitus road and mountain bikes – First look

Entry-level to full-carbon bling

Vitus

Published: October 19, 2010 at 9:30 am

Vitus have unveiled their 2011 mountain and road bike range, which spans everything from a singlespeed urban Vee-1 machine to the full-carbon Vitesse VR road bike and Optimum III race hardtail.

Road

Starting with the road range, there are six different models to choose from, from the £649 Shimano Sora-equipped Razor all the way up to the £2,199.99 carbon Vitesse VR with Shimano Ultegra.

Vitus razor: - Vitus

Vitus Razor

In between the Razor and Vitesse VR, there’s the £799.99 Zenium built from triple-butted 6061 alloy with a carbon fork, Shimano Tiagra for shifting and braking, and finishing kit from Control Tech.

Vitus zenium: - Vitus

Vitus Zenium

The Dark Plasma is Vitus’s entry-level carbon bike made from 12k carbon fibre and uses Shimano’s Tiagra for shifting and stopping. A Control Tech One bar and stem combo tops off this £1,149.99 machine.

Vitus dark plasma: - Vitus

Vitus Dark Plasma

For an extra £350, at £1,499.99, you could buy the Dark Plasma VR which comes with a full Shimano 105 groupset as well as upgraded finishing components from Control Tech.

Vitus dark plasma vr: - Vitus

Vitus Dark Plasma VR

Built from a higher quality 3k carbon fibre weave, the £1,799.99 Venon VR has a full Shimano 105 groupset, Shimano WH-RS30 wheelset, Control Tech Formidable carbon bars and Control Tech Estro stem.

Vitus venon vr: - Vitus

Vitus Venon VR

Mountain bikes

The £559.99 entry-level Nucleus 0.1 hardtail is a “tough, practical and reliable package aimed firmly at the newcomer to the sport”, according to Vitus, and is kitted out with a Suntour SR XCR fork with 100mm of travel and lockout, Avid Juicy 3 brakes, SRAM X4 shifting and own-brand finishing kit.

Vitus nucleus 0.1: - Vitus

Vitus Nucleus 0.1

The mid-range Zircon 0.2 hardtail, at £1,099.99, is built from triple-butted aluminium, has a RockShox Recon RL 120mm-travel fork, Avid Elixir 5 brakes, 2x10 shifting provided by a mix of SRAM X9 and X7, Truvativ Stylo bar, stem and seatpost, plus a WTB Speed Disc XC wheelset.

Vitus zircon 0.2: - Vitus

Vitus Zircon 0.2

With a full-carbon frame, RockShox SID XX World Cup Dual Air fork and SRAM XX groupset, the £2,999.99 Optimum III is Vitus’s top-of-the-range hardtail. Other component highlights include a WTB Laser Disc XC wheelset, Truvativ Noir Race Carbon bar and Truvativ Stylo WC stem.

Vitus optimum iii: - Vitus

Vitus Optimum III

Vitus have stripped everything back on their Vee-1, which will cost you £259.99. Singlespeed gearing, fat tyres and a stealth black finish makes this an attractive-looking low-maintenance city commuter,

Vitus vee-1: - Vitus

Vitus Vee-1

Vitus are distributed exclusively by Chain Reaction Cycles in the UK – go to the website now for more information. Keep an eye on BikeRadar too, where we'll have reviews of the new bikes.