Vitus Dominer 275 – First Look
Vitus are one of a growing stock of direct sales bike brands who offer very competitive builds. We check out their Dominer 275 DH sled.
Vitus are one of Chain Reaction Cycle’s brands, and you won’t find them in your local bike shop, instead they are only available online. This helps them keep their prices low, utilising the ‘Direct Sales Model’. Without the support of your local bike shop, you would be in a pickle, but as the frame comes with a 5 year warranty, and a 2 year warranty on all the component hopefully that should keep you running sweet. The Dominer 275 is their DH rig, and comes in cheaper than quite a few DH frames on the market for a full build!
Frame Hydroformed 6061-T6 Aluminium
Forks Marzocchi 380CR
Shock RockShox KAGE RC
Chainset Shimano Zee FC-M645
Bottom Bracket Shimano Zee
Shifters Shimano Zee SL-M640
Chain Guide E.Thirteen LG1+
Rear Derailleur Shimano Zee RD-M640 Shadow Plus
Cassette Shimano 105 CS-5700
Chain KMC X10
Rims WTB Frequency Team i25 TCS
Front Hub Funn DH Disc
Rear Hub Funn DH Disc
Spokes Stainless double butted
Tyres Maxxis High Roller II
Front Brake Shimano Zee BR-M640
Rear Brake Shimano Zee BR-M640
Handlebars Vitus Riser Bar
Stem Funn RSX Light
Headset Cane Creek
Saddle Vitus
Seatpost Funn Kratos
Seatclamp Vitus bolt
Weight 16.90kg/37.25lbs (size M)
RRP – £2399.99
The frame doesn’t break any moulds, the linkage driven single pivot rear end boasts 200mm of travel, 63 degree head angle, and a mid-sized top tube reach. It comes in 3 sizes, those who stack up over 6’3” will need to look elsewhere according to their sizing chart.
The build of this bike is frankly superb. Up front the forks are a personal favourite, the Marzocchi 380CR is buttery smooth, plush and looks great to boot. The RockShox Kage RC out the back is a simple but straightforward shock. Given the price point of the bike, a simple set-up is going to be ideal – chances are this is going to be someone’s first DH bike, and while three flavours of compression damping are great they are also overkill for a large number of riders.
Shimano Zee is superb, a full drivetrain and pair of brakes is a welcome sight on any DH bike. It’s hard to fault the whole set-up. Wheels come from WTB’s stock and are shod with super tacky Maxxis high roller IIs, again an excellent addition to any stock build. Finishing kit is handled by a mix of Funn and Vitus branded parts – the bars come in at 760mm wide, slightly narrow for my taste on an uplift machine, but easily changed if wider is your bag.
The first couple of rides out have been impressive. Dead easy to set up (it arrived in the biggest box in the world, pop the bars on and away you go!) and comfortable from the word go. We’ve got a few more uplifts and sessions to smash out before we bring you a full review, but if you are after a DH sled on a tighter budget, these are well worth a look.
Action Photos – David Evans
