Vitus Escarpe 29 CRS review

Around 7 or 8 years ago the Vitus Escarpe 29 was a way better 29er trail bike than Big Brand offerings. How is the Escarpe holding up now?

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By ben_haworth

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Vitus Escarpe 29 CRS review

I really liked my old Vitus Sommet and regret selling it. Seemed to do everything well.

BTW, I had a cheap Rockshox “Select” damper that seemed to act inconsistently and it was improved immensely by emptying the oil and refilling/bleeding. I think some air had got in somehow. I used slightly heavier 5wt Fox oil.

I really liked my old Vitus Sommet

The old Sommet/Escarpe had one of the best feeling suspension platforms over the rough stuff and in very steep terrain. Still used on the current Dominer. Dirt praised it too. The new one is good climber and more all round updated bike. I am curious to see how long the new gen frames last. I hope they get a an AL option to be a bit greener so it ultimately will not end up in the trash. Maybe could be chopped up used in GRC. 😛

Vitus seem to be coming out with a new short travel bike soon. keen to see.

I got an Escarpe amp about a month ago kit was on a very special offer). I’m really liking how it rides, compared to my 2014 stumpy. The top end version has matched calipers and the suspension upgrade. I think they all work well.

Mostly I’m here to thank Benji for answering the question that’s been bugging me: what on earth is that Port under the top tube for? Well, now I know.

Though I suspect I won’t be getting much use out of live valve on the rs shock…

I’ve not found the Head angle steep. But (a) I live in the south downs, so there’s only so steep the terrain gets, (b) my comparison is an 8 year old bike so anything modern is going to be slack as.

Isn’t 65 head angle on a 140mm travel bike the norm, I’m more bothered by how much the frame weighs, how do they manage to make carbon so hefty, kinda defeats the purpose of using carbon in the first place.
But whats going on at the fork axle.

I’ve had an Escarpe CRX for 18 months (the black and speckled gold one). It is a superb bike. Definitely don’t think the head angle feels steep but I was coming into it from a bike with a 67 degree head angle. It descends really well and agree that it’s a great technical climber. The geometry is spot on.

It can feel a bit sluggish to me on fire road type climbs if running something like minions. I put an Aggaro/Mezcal combo in 2.6 flavour on it towards the end of the summer and that livened it up a lot on dry trails but the mezcal doesn’t cope in the wet.

On the four pot front, two pot rear issue, I had the dreaded shimano microleak on the rear two pots in the first few months of owning it. But to their credit chainreaction sorted it easily. It was during the covid supply disruptions and they didn’t have stock of the two pot rears so they gave me a budget of up to £80 I think it was to replace the caliper from elsewhere and I managed to get an SLX four pot instead which has been faultless so now running four pots both ends which does work better IMO.

It’s been solid too. No issues with it all (other than the caliper, which isn’t vitus’s issue). Haven’t really had to touch it otherwise bar usual maintenance.