Foldable Bikes Party: Vitus Escarpe VRS

Friday, 2 October 2015

Vitus Escarpe VRS

http://ift.tt/1P9ZauH

As the in-house brand of internet giant Chain Reaction Cycles, Vitus is well placed to deliver good value bikes to the masses. The Escarpe is its 650b wheeled, 135mm (5.3in) travel trail offering, which shares much of its make-up with the longer-travel Sommet enduro bike. It’s well equipped for the price, but does that translate into real-world performance?

Highs: Superb suspension performance for the price, solid Shimano stop/go equipment, dropper post is a blessing at this price
Lows: Cramped front end hinders both climbing and descending, puncture-prone treads, short travel dropper limits steep descending

Vitus’ V-Link suspension system looks like a regular four-bar design, complete with Horst Link-style chainstay pivots. But the lower shock mount is actually on the swingarm, not the frame, creating a ‘floating shock’ setup. This layout is designed to provide a supple suspension action that’s soft at the beginning of the stroke and ramps up slightly towards the end to resist bottoming out.

The Escarpe’s hydroformed alloy chassis won’t win any prizes for exceptional stiffness, but the high-direct front derailleur mount and ISCG-05 tabs allow for simple drivetrain swaps down the line, and bottle cage mounts are always handy too. Vitus claims the XL Escarpe will suit riders from 6ft 3in (190cm) to 6ft 7in (201cm), but our 6ft 3in tester needed the seatpost raised to the minimum insertion limit. The reach is on the shorter side too, so we’d recommend double-checking the fit if you’re thinking of buying.

The rear end kept pace without feeling undergunned despite its 15mm travel deficit compared with the fork

A Marzocchi 350 CR fork and simple RockShox Monarch RT shock are on damping duty, while Shimano SLX brakes and an SLX/XT 2x10 drivetrain deal with stopping and shifting in their usual flawless manner. A dropper post is a bonus at this price, but the KS eTen on the Escarpe only has 100mm (3.9in) of travel, which is a little limiting on steep descents and an odd choice for an XL bike.

You can read more at BikeRadar.com