Vitus Escarpe 290 CRX Mountain Bike - £4,599.99

Dappled forest light on warm dusty trails. The soundtrack of tyres rushing through berms, nimbly threading a rock garden and the buzz of a happy freewheel. Eyes trained on the way ahead. You’re focused, but it’s easy. On the full-carbon Vitus Escarpe 290 CRX there are no distractions. All trust and total control.

But life isn’t a photoshoot, so let’s get real here. Swap in off-camber, hectic off-piste and washed-out turns, slick roots and “that climb” back to the trail head. It doesn’t matter. The Escarpe is poised and planted - perfectly balanced to flow with you no matter where the trail goes. You and the bike are singing from the same hymn sheet. You want a bike that inspires confidence on technical descents and keeps you grinning for more, not gritting your teeth. You want a bike that holds speed and drives keenly into the climbs, keeping your legs fresh for one more run. You want weight down and performance high. This is it.

Whether braking hard, pushing more power or negotiating a twisty descent, your centre of gravity is rarely constant, so key to the whole system is efficiency. To deal with the dynamic nature of trail riding, the Escarpe stays predictable and consistent so that you can stay loose. No white knuckles here. The suspension kinematics have been enhanced compared to the previous platform, further countering the effects of pedal-bob and reducing the harshness of small bumps and trail vibrations that drain your energy and kill speed. Smoother is faster for longer. With an adjustable flip-chip, that can raise the bottom bracket by 6mm and increase the head angle, you can also customise the setup to best suit how and where you ride. Whatsmore, geometry and performance are optimised throughout the size range, so whether you are S or XL, there’s no compromise on how this bike feels.

When riding trails there’s enough to think about without having to consider how the bike is going to respond to the next turn or obstacle. You should just know. It should do what you need it to. No back-chat and no fight. On the Escarpe you don’t have to compensate or compromise. You don’t have to adjust your style. Just ride. Just concentrate on having fun.

• Full T800 frame sheds weight for a truly responsive ride
• Fox 36 & Float DPS Factory Series suspension
• SRAM GX Eagle T-Type AXS 1x12 speed wireless drivetrain
• Powerful Hayes Dominion A4 hydraulic disc brakes
• Nukeproof Horizon V2 tubeless ready wheelset with tape applied
• Confidence inspiring Maxxis Assegai & Dissector tyres