Vitus Escarpe 29 AMP Mountain Bike (2022) - £4,599.99

Turn it up. Right up. Redefine your trail riding and raise the bar for raw joy. The Vitus Escarpe 29 AMP Mountain Bike is full volume for when you need to go full-send. No half measures. Everything cranked up to 11. We’ve cut no corners in the build, so you can take any line on the trail.

That’s not to say that things are getting out of hand here. Far from it. The full-carbon frame is beautifully balanced, so it flows like mercury along the trail. You ride hard and fast, and the AMP keeps you on the right side of finding the limit. No surprises. The carbon chassis is married with the finest components to keep weight down, so acceleration comes easily and climbs are less of a drag. And with soft rubber on the chainstays, the only soundtrack is the song from a happy freewheel or the shred of your tyres through dirt. Plus your own whoopin’ and hollerin’, of course. If first back gets the beers in, there might be a few rounds on you.

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. Smooth and fast 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