Vitus have a deep rooted history in the world of road bikes. They're less well established in mountain bike circles, but released a line-up of knobbly-tyred bikes earlier this year, which are available exclusively from Chain Reaction Cycles.
The range consists of three hardtail models – the top-end carbon fibre Optimum, entry-level Nucleus, and mid-range Zircon. The recipe for this tough-but-light trail bike is simple; Vitus have chosen a lightweight aluminium frame, proven RockShox fork and brand-name parts.
Take a glance at the spec list for the Zircon 0.2 and you’ll discover that this bike is very well equipped. There's a RockShox Recon air fork up front with 120mm of travel, gearing is a 2x10 SRAM X9 setup and braking is handled by Avid Elixir 5s. Finishing kit is sourced from Truvativ and WTB – the only unbranded part is the headset.
This all adds up to a seriously good value package at the RRP of £1,099.99 – and CRC have been offering up to 21 percent off in recent sales, making it even more of a bargain. Our 20in test bike has just been on its first outing and we'll be providing you with a first ride report in the near future, but for now here it is sitting pretty just out of the box! We’ve already tested the slightly cheaper Zircon 0.1 – check the review out here.
