Wiggle and Chain Reaction Cycles' in-house brand Vitus, like so many other consumer-direct options, offers surprisingly good bikes that don’t require you to refinance your mortgage. The brand's latest release, the Dominer, looks like the ideal downhill bike for the sometimes gravity rider or privateer racer.
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Vitus says the Dominer builds on its Sommet long-travel enduro bike, and gets a downhill-specific triple butted 6061 alloy tube set, more travel and an updated four-bar Horst link rear-end, complete with a trunnion-mount metric shock.
The rear end remains mostly unchanged, however Vitus has updated the seatstay pivot and rocker to offer a more progressive ramp and updated leverage ratio.
According to the suspension kinematics, when compared to the 2018 bike, gone is the early regressive stroke with a more constant leverage rate. The new bikes also see reduced anti-squat and increased anti-rise. This should make for a more consistent feel through the mid-stroke, improved small bump compliance and better cornering with the brakes on, with plenty still in the tank to smooth out big hits.
The Dominer is based around a proven downhill geometry with the same 63-degree head angle as its predecessor, the reach is up to 425mm and the chainstays get an extra millimetre in a size medium. Available in three sizes, each carries the same stack measurement.
The new Dominer is available in one build, complete with a RockShox BoXXer triple clamp fork and Super Deluxe rear shock, both with 200mm of squish, Shimano Zee group, 27.5in x 2.5in Maxxis Minion DHF DH Super Tacky rubber paired with WTB i29 rims, SRAM Guide RE brakes and Nukeproof cockpit.
The Dominer is available now from Wiggle and Chain Reaction Cycles and will only set you back a surprisingly modest £2,500 / $3,000 / AU$4,149.