"I hope it rides as well as it looks," I think to myself as the Vitus Escarpe rolls into our test cellar. The Vitus lettering is emblazoned in sky-blue letters on the bright white down tube. For those who are not yet familiar with the manufacturer: Vitus is a mail-order brand from the United Kingdom (VK). The trademark: Affordable bikes that also work without fancy technologies. Vitus is still relatively unknown in Germany and is only available from online retailer Fahrrad.de. But that could soon change.
Because when it comes to the equipment package of the top model Escarpe 290 CRX, which costs 5199 euros, hardly anything is left to be desired. The shimmering gold Kashima coating on the fork and shock indicates Fox's highest factory quality class. The chic chassis with four-bar kinematics is made of carbon from front to back and the newly introduced GX Eagle transmission from Sram takes care of the shifting. Only the chubby Nukeproof Horizon V2 wheels are more functional than spectacular. However, if you can do without the component manufacturers' gourmet treats, you can get the Escarpe with the same carbon frame for 3599 euros. The model with aluminium rear triangle is already available for 2799 euros.
But back to our test bike. With 150 millimetres of rear and front suspension travel paired with 29-inch wheels, the Escarpe is clearly recognisable as an all-mountain bike. Despite its exquisite equipment, the Escarpe unfortunately only performs moderately on the scales. A large part of the excess weight is due to the 5728 gram wheels. This is also noticeable in practice. The rotating mass of the Vitus requires a lot of effort to keep it going. The rear suspension also bobs noticeably when pedalling out of the saddle. This means that the bike prefers to climb long climbs comfortably. Once you have come to terms with this, however, the bike's climbing capabilities are quite impressive. The combination of long reach and moderate seat angle places the rider in a sporty, stretched position above the frame triangle. Thanks to the 437 millimetre chainstays, the front wheel stays reliably on the ground even on steep ramps.
The rather average uphill performance is in stark contrast to the downhill performance of the Vitus Escarpe 290. On the downhill, the bulky candidate utilises its excess weight to ensure riding safety. Even in rough sections, the bike remains confident and jumps less quickly than lighter bikes thanks to its weight. The modern geometry with a long reach, slack head angle and long chainstays also sets a clear direction: Full throttle towards the valley. The high front end also creates the feeling of being low on the bike. This enables confident handling even on steep descents.
At the limit, however, the rear suspension with Fox Float shock proved to be a limiting factor. Extremely fast and hard hits quickly upset the rear end due to the lack of damping control. The Fox Float X shock could have utilised the full potential of the geometry better with multi-adjustable rebound and compression damping.
Due to the long geometry and high weight, the agility of the MTB suffers somewhat. This means that the Escarpe requires additional physical effort on winding trails or when performing tricks.
The Hayes brake system, on the other hand, received a lot of praise. Compared to other manufacturers, the braking power can seem almost overwhelming and requires a certain amount of familiarisation. The grippy Maxxis tyre combination also stands out positively and equips the bike with decent grip and sufficient puncture protection for alpine terrain - just as it should be for an all-mountain bike.
As I push the Vitus Escarpe 290 back into the cellar after the test phase, I am certain that the riding characteristics have really won me over. However, the all-round qualities of the all-mountain suffer too much from the high weight to top my enthusiasm for the stylish frame.
Conclusion from BIKE test editor Stefan Frey
The equipment package and the stylish carbon frame alone are reason enough to take a closer look at the Vitus Escarpe - especially given the attractive price. All the better that the all-mountain bike also scores with good handling characteristics. Unfortunately, the high weight and the somewhat undersized shock don't quite do justice to the range of applications.
Max Fuchs
Editor
