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If so what do you think? Where do you ride? How's the 100mm? How gnar do you get on it? How "downcountry" is it?
Great spec for the money, pretty progressive geometry for a 100mm XC bike, small seat tube suits me.
Any reviews / input appreciated.
*I know there are none availabe right now, Vitus wouldn't confirm if it's even reappearing for 2022, their www says that the CR is anticipated*
How is tyre clearance? Would a fast 2.35" / 2.4" fit in the rear? I guess the front wouldn't be an issue?
Fitted an internal dropper? If so what lever?
It's just an open mould frame from the far east with a nice paintjob.
Except not as nice as the ns synonym paintjob. It's the same bike tho. How many other companies sell it?
Ooooooh - that's quite interesting, I didn't realise that, the NS look good, 120mm sounds good, shame thy're all Fox & SRAM though, I prefer RockShox & Shimano. They're cheapest model is also around £500 more than the full XT Vitus.
How many other companies sell it?
I'd be interested to know.
I seem to remember that it's not quite the same as the Synonym - different rear triangle.
There's quite a lot of info on the chinertown forum about this, and quite a lot of people running 120mm forks.
If Vitus/chainreaction did a version of this with 120mm fork and a dropper post it's be pretty much perfect for me. I saw something about a guy doing an enduro race on a modified version, but can only find a podcast https://www.mtb-tribe.com/198-vitus-first-tracks-enduro-race-1-review-with-glyn-obrien/ which I haven't listened to so not sure what the details are
How gnar do you get on it? How “downcountry” is it?
It's an XC race bike with pretty much standard Geo in that world now, but it'll no doubt cope with as much Gnar as the the average joe could throw at it with consomethinge ease.
Granted is a repainted Carbonda frame, as are a lot if not all of the other Vitus bikes, but they're well specced and my Substance CRS2 (Gravel) and Energie Evo (CX) ride really nicely, are light and well finished.
You'd probably get a massive tyre in the back, but it may well be very close.
As for the internal dropper lever, due to the fork / shock lock out on my KTM and my fondness of tidy bars and levers that aren't sat on top of them, I use the Brand-X CX style one (for MTB bars) which is the little thumb lever and it sits nicely between the LH brake clamp and the grips.
If Vitus/chainreaction did a version of this with 120mm fork and a dropper post it’s be pretty much perfect for me
They'll be missing a trick if they don't! Although with my short arse legs / bar height, I might prefer the shorter stack of the 100mm front. 35mm SID @ 110mm pleeeeease.
I'll await what Vitus offer for 2022...
Hi,
I have the carbonda version of this frame. It's exactly the same as the Vitus, and has the same front triangle as the NS.
It's an awesome bike, loads of fun, fast everywhere, and comfortable. Sure beats the xc race bikes of 10 years ago.
Mine is not a pure xc race build. Eg, Hunt xc wides, fox 34 stepcast, dropper post etc, but still fast rolling light tyres. I think it suits this build very well.
Sadly, I'm in need of a cash injection though, so will be selling it very shortly. If anyone is interested in either a full bike, rolling chassis or frame only, ping me a message. It's a size large.
Sadly, I’m in need of a cash injection though, so will be selling it very shortly. If anyone is interested in either a full bike, rolling chassis or frame only, ping me a message. It’s a size large.
damn. This always happens.
I ordered a large from carbonda a couple of weeks ago!
@lovewookie i have a few questions....
What frame did you go for, normal or lightweight? do you know the weight difference between them??
What extras are you buying from Carbonda?
What shock will you be using? And do you know which shock tune works best with the frame?
Is their shipping and taxes included the final price, no hidden costs on delivery?
What fork are you going to use? and what length?
Where from / what shock fixings are you using?
How much did you pay n GBP?
Purchase to delivery time? ETA?
What frame did you go for, normal or lightweight? do you know the weight difference between them??
What extras are you buying from Carbonda?
just the rear axle. nothing else. was going to get a shok with it, but they're out of stock.
What shock will you be using? And do you know which shock tune works best with the frame?
hopefully a SidLuxe, but may end up with a RS Nude, depends on what's available. already had the delivery date pushed back by a week by deporvillage on a shock.
Is their shipping and taxes included the final price, no hidden costs on delivery?
you get two options. tax free, or full tax. about £10 difference in price, not sure what I'll get charged at this end.
What fork are you going to use? and what length?
Reba 120mm probably. so 530a-c.
Where from / what shock fixings are you using?
trunnion comes with the frame, shock hardware is 22mm x 8. got that from ebay.
How much did you pay n GBP?
£690 so far.
Purchase to delivery time? ETA?
tell you when it gets here! 4-6 weeks seems about right.
should add. bought via alibaba, they seem to respond quicker on that.
To answer your first q. Went for normal. Think there's about 250g between them
4-6 weeks seems about right.
Thats what they've quoted me for a BSA BB version.
SidLuxe, but may end up with a RS Nude, depends on what’s available
165 x 40/42.5 doesn't seem to be a well stocked size, there's none to buy right now, i'm a little concerned I might buy a frame but be unable to buy a shock! How sure are you you'll get one? Certainly no bargains to be had 🙁
@blackmountainsrider - pics please 🙏 and info on your choice of fork & shock plus any tips.
165 x 40/42.5 doesn’t seem to be a well stocked size, there’s none to buy right now, i’m a little concerned I might buy a frame but be unable to buy a shock! How sure are you you’ll get one? Certainly no bargains to be had 🙁
you'll need to source one from overseas. starbike had some, I go mine from deporvillage, so am waiting for it to arrive and waiting for the vat bill to accompany it!
last time I looked there were some sidluxe, RS deluxe, RS nude and DT Swiss. however not sure if all are remote, if not, I think the RTC3 won't work as you need to lick the lever all the way round to lock it and it hits the frame.
@lovewookie Which shock have you gone for? With or without remote? I'd rather not have a remote but obviously want a shock whose lever is accessable.
@qwerty A SIDLuxe is on its way to me! 165 x 40. Supposed to be remote version, which I'll use an old front gripshift as a lockout, or an old thumbie. half expecting it to be no remote though. don't mind, i'm not a racer, so don't mind slowing up a little to reach way down to flick the lever.
Bought a CR when they were in stock for about 12 hours a few months back. Got the CR as I figured I'd rather an all steel rear cassette and the suspension would be better than the Reba on more expensive brands. The CRX frame is the lightweight version and comes with full xt and sid ultimates v select.
Out of the box my large came to 12.7kg with the plastic pedals. Fitted my Hunt Xc race wheels, xt 170mm cranks, Unite oval chain ring and a one up dropper with a gash "x2" lever. Comes in at 12kg and the plan is to get a Droplock remote to tidy the front end but currently out of stock. Could knock it down to 11.5kg with a lighter cassette, carbon bar and carbon stem.
Noticeably faster than my hardtail for less effort. I can feel the difference with the lockout too. Considered fitting my 120mm Rebas or the CRC PSA Pikes that I can reduce to 120mm. Keep looking at rowdy hardtail frames for the pikes.
Dropper was a proper ball ache to fit plus I swapped the cables and hoses where they exit the frame to tidy the cockpit up. Top shock bolts look like something you find in a cracker and currently going through a warranty claim due to the suspension linkage showing signs of cracking near the heads of them.
My Carbonda rapide FS frame just arrived. not unpacked it yet, but that's bang on 2 weeks from notification of shipping, 16 days from payment.
Notification that my shock is sat with parcelforce and has charges to pay. Don't know how much yet!
Interestingly Pedals (Edinburgh bike shop) have a painted Carbonda and did say they had specced better hardware, sounds like they spotted it wasn't great quality..
Pedals project DC
Adding this as I like what they're doing with this open mold frame
Actually sent them a message about their build but the Rapide came into stock and then bought a few days before they replied. Looks like the shock upper bolt is the same and in time would be interested in replacing it with something better and not so tacky looking.
Chain reaction have gotten back to me and their engineering team have come back saying the damage I'm seeing is the paint being too thick near the bolts and flaking off. Offer of a £50 voucher.
Built my Carbonda 'rapide' over the weekend. Not had chance to ride it yet. apologies for the blurry photo, and the garden, and the fence etc etc etc..busy with bikes....
quick up and down the road to set the suspension and it feels, well, like a bike. light, nippy, way more neutral feeling than I was expecting for something with a 500mm reach, steep SA and 66deg HA.
This one is size large, sidLuxe rear shock, non remote as deporvillage images are wrong and descriptions not that clear. 165x40 to give 100mm. older Sid's up front at 120mm. 70mm stem, may go 60, but will try 70 first as that gives me a nice saddle to bar length.
I may colour coordinate a bit, but then again, I may not. crud catcher or mudhugger to go on.
The internal routing is interesting, the rear brake hose routes through the inside of the chainstay. The brake hose for my XT's routes to the outside using a banjo. couple of problems with this. 1. the hose has to do a tight S to get from outside to inside, 2. routing front to back would be easy, as the chainstay has a removalbe clip in guide. but back to front you have to put a long pokey thing in to catch the hose as it approaches the bend in the chainstay to direct it upwards and out of the hole.
I've just ended up zip tying to the chainstay. rest of the routing is great, keeps the cables and hoses well away from the frame, so no rubbing.
need to find some matt frame protection for it.
Mines inbound, should arrive soon.
1) What bolts did your shock need (i've a RS Deluxe Ultimate)?
2) Did you get away with a non boost crankset? If so which one have you fitted?
1. Trunnion mount bolts are included with the frame. Hardware for the normal eye is 8mm x 22mm. your new shock will likely come with a bush installed in the eye, so you just need to press in the hardware.
2. mine is a raceface Aeffect SL. non boost, 34t chainring. quite a bit of room for a 36 if I wanted. chain line is a bit iffy if I were honest, though it may be my hurried cable installation meaning shifts are not as crisp as I'm used to with my SRAMano setup, it shifts fine. I suppose when I change the chainring I may go for boost, maybe, or whatever is going cheap.
bikester had some SLX boost cranks going fairly cheap, and CRC have direct mount blackspire chainrings reduced too.
Has anyone got a list of shocks that work to long stroke this into a bit more than 100mm?
Can you order it in bare carbon with a clear coat to save weight?
@lovewookie were you planning to make it look like a 90s anodised CNC horrorshow? :-P. Looks like the kind of thing me and my mates lusted after when 14. Needs some hope tech 2's in purple!
Has anyone got a list of shocks that work to long stroke this into a bit more than 100mm?
It's designed for 165x40 which gives 100mm, 165x42.5 gives around 110mm. 165x45 to gain 120mm requires a different back end as seen on the NS Synonym.
Can you order it in bare carbon with a clear coat to save weight?
Mines coming in plain carbon.
See Chinatown for all things FM936:
https://chinertown.com/index.php/topic,2079.0.html
PS: adding a 120mm fork to the FM936 still keeps the BB height lower than a Spesh Epic Evo, which can only be a good thing.
Thanks for the reply. Asked for a quote, and including 20% import tax and shipping a bare UD gloss frame comes in at £979.50.
£300 more for a shock and I'm really not sure how much of a good deal this is.
My current bike, a barely used giant trance advanced 0 with carbon 30mm wheels, DVO front and rear, x0 eagle and a full carbon finishing kit only cost me £2100.
A shame, as I really like the idea!
Thanks for the reply. Asked for a quote, and including 20% import tax and shipping a bare UD gloss frame comes in at £979.50.
£690 inc tax for mine, using tax inc shipping. thought it would take a month to arrive, but only took 2 weeks.
Has anyone got a list of shocks that work to long stroke this into a bit more than 100mm?
as said above, 40mm stroke is 100mm, 42.5 is the max that will fit.
not many about, so new may be the way to go.
if on a budget, there are Suntour shocks on ebay that have a decent reputation that will work.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/133844422549
Ah, so you didn't pay import using the slower shipping?
yeah, that's right.
wasn't that slow either! I was expecting the up to 30 days to be just that, and some.
Ah, so you didn’t pay import using the slower shipping?
I asked: "230USD by WXY,tax free shipping ,shipping time is about 20-40 days" does this cover any import taxes into the UK?"
Katie replied: "Yes ,you don't need to pay any import taxes."
@lovewookie were you planning to make it look like a 90s anodised CNC horrorshow? :-P. Looks like the kind of thing me and my mates lusted after when 14. Needs some hope tech 2’s in purple!
don't know what you mean. it all kinda goes. the purple chainring with the purple ODI attack grips and the purple spoke nipples on the rear, the green seat collar goes with the green nipples on the front, the blue head clamp on the seatpost goes with the saltire.
Ah, the orange headset spacers, it's the orange headset spacers that ruin it...;-)
No, it's the blue and white beach deckchair saddle.
If it's any consolation, that's going back on my splatter painted hardtail..
Mine arrived yesterday, 12 days from ordering - my door. I hope to get it built in the next few weeks, just accumulating parts.
Awesome.
There will be a review in a few weeks on offroad.cc of the Vitus. It'll be interesting to hear what they have to say about it.
How are we sizing these? At 5'10" a large etc looks perfect, but massive reach and seat tube push me to a medium.
Medium is roughly the same size as a large Epic EVO. Size up with caution, especailly if you want to run a longer than 35mm stem or a longer dropper.
I'm 6'2, but shorter legs and have a large. while I could easily have got a XL and probably used a 40-50mm stem, the 540mm seat tube would be a tad tall. running 70mm stem on the large, could go down to 60mm, if I wanted to I guess.
I do fall between sizes in most bikes, but decided that something with a 500mm reach should be OK for me to size cautiously with!
I've signed up here just to specifically reply to you. I've had the rapide FS CR now for about a month n half and haven't a bad word to say about it.
I've ridden a 100mm hardtail for the last 3/4 years and done nearly everything on that, from trail centres to absolute natural gnar too.
The rapide feels like the absolute perfect upgrade bike for me as I'm currently canal and single track riding to and from work each day which totals around 25 miles there and back.
I went with the XL and I'm 6"3, with the big stem it came with, it did feel a little big. Don't slate me, but I've changed out the stem and bar to a 35mm hope stem and hope carbon bars at 800mm, which I previously had on my hardtail, it feels ideal now for smashing the work miles in and what I'm comfortable with. (I will however probably change the bar at some point and go with 760mm)
I've managed a few night rides in the woods and down some pretty steep tech stuff along with some steady rock gardens and it's handled everything so far.
Making the change from the hardtail, its an absolute breeze uphill and aggressive enough to ride fairly quickly downhill too. Every time I get on it, I feel like I just want to keep going and going.
I've never done any proper xc races, but I've already decided on having a crack at a few races next year.
I'm 182cm and have a large with a 125mm dropper. Sometimes wish I'd gotten a medium with a longer drop as the steep seat angle makes the seat right between my thighs when I lean back going down the steeps so I end up leaning forward more than I should.
Going to try a 150mm dropper on it and see how I get on but was worried I'd have to slam it right on the seat post clamp which I don't like so got the 125mm
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So here it is, spent a bit more than planned. Did it's first ride today 37miles & 4238' sooooo much traction compared to my HT, didn't feel the need to lock it out, rode really nicely. Loved it.
My build weighs in @ 26.8lbs complete (pedals, 180ml sealant, dropper, bottle cage, 2.4" tyres, i28mm rims etc), you could probably get it down to 25lbs with a 32mm SID fork, SIDLuxe shock, different cranks, wheels & tyres.
Many thanks to @lovewookie for answering all my questions.
Looks really good, I hadn't heard of the Vitus Rapide let alone the Carbonda! The geometry looks almost exactly what I would like, it's very tempting
Hows everyone who has one, getting on with theirs?
I'm still fettling mine to get it feeling right. dropped the stem down a bit, but may end up with a 50mm. however I'm a bit concerned as it feels very short with the 70mm in, so I'd most likely need to move the saddle back a touch. However, I am finding that I'm needing a lot of pressure for sag. I'm about 88Kg in my socks and had about 290psi in the SIDluxe to get 25% sag and not have it overly active. I have a Fox DPS in at the moment, about 310psi for the same, though it's a much more active shock in open position I'm not yet convinced the medium setting is managing that any better than an open setting on the SIDLuxe. Maybe I should just get the shock set from Medium to firm low speed compression.
I did notice that with the shock out of the frame, the bike will support itself. As in, the suspension kinda floats on the flex in the stays. However, I didn't manage to measure how much the eye to eye is, so where that relates to in terms of shock stroke.
conversely I've had to drop about 20psi from the fork than I would with a non slack frame. maybe slackness, may be longness, may be both.
Guess just persist for a bit longer. After longer rides I do find I feel like I've had more of a workout compared to my normal, traditional geo bike!
🙂
Has anyone had to replace or buy a spare rear mech hanger for their bike/frame yet ?
Mrs Yet1man has got the 100mm NS Synonym and we are trying to get a spare mech hanger but failing so far. NS bikes won't post to the UK, CRC don't have any as far as we can find, North shore Billet don't make them. Anywhere else we can try ?
@Yet1man https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobile/vitus-rapide-fs-rear-gear-hanger/rp-prod206049 is showing as in stock, if not buy direct from http://www.carbonda.com/ who are great to deal with.
Hows everyone who has one, getting on with theirs?
Great so far, i fitted a second hand but new SID Select+ to the front of mine, initially 120mm but managed to get hold of 100mm & 110mm air shafts, tried 100mm and didn't like it as too twitchy so opted for the Goldilocks option of 110mm which seems great as 60psi. Got a Deluxe Ultimate rear shock @160psi, run it in the middle position of the 3 compression settings unless honking up a long road climb when i'll add compression if i can be bothered. I'm running both around 27.5% sag.
Worth noting that SID forks are really 10mm short of their advertised travel as that final 10mm really has to be earnt by squashing the bottom out bumper with an almighty big hit, which is real difficult to achieve.
When I unpacked my frame without a shock fitted it supported itself like you mention, this eased a bit when i thread locked the bolts but was still there, i put it down to built in chainstay flex, but like you i didn't measure the eye to eye to see where in the travel it was occuring, was definitely towards the end of the stroke.
Mine came in at 12.2kg inc pedals, 2.4" tyres, dropper, i28mm rims and the Select+ & deluxe suspension (could loose 300g using an Ultimate & Luxe).
Liking it so far, coming from 27.5 HT the 29er wheels feel "bigger" but i'm sure i'll adapt. I think it suits my local doorstep riding, 20 miles / 3000' of ascent yesterday, easier on my back, digs in on real steep loose surfaces. I'm happy.
I'll be ordering a complete bolt kit in the new year and probably another spare hanger, just in case.
@qwerty looks good. I think I should've gone with the XL, though a 21.5" seat tube is still way too tall for me.
Got mine in the classifieds, not sure of price though, considering it's only a couple of months old, think it's about right. :-/
Matt page has reviewed one here:
https://off.road.cc/content/review/bikes/2021-vitus-rapide-fs-cr-review-8933
Does anyone know what base tune the rockshox shock needs for this bike?
Ive got the FM936 Carbonda bike, but was a bit niave to shock selection when i got it, and its a bit weird at the moment with the Medium/medium tune rockshox ultimate. Feels plush through to midstroke, & +1 LSC gives it nice pedalling, but then it dives through the last part of the stroke on big hits, even with extra volume spacers. I suspect it needs a high compression base tune, but it may just be my riding style.
Similarly, I'm reapproaching this as an idea (building it up to race xc and do easy trail riding) and can't get over whether to buy medium or large.
500mm reach is absurd; my large SB130 is 480 and that feels good. The medium is 475, or 470ish once you put a 110 fork on. Surely that length and wheelbase are going to be a total nause to manhandle around your average UK XC circuit, especially once you factor in a 60mmish stem. FWIW I'm about 5'11/6.
I'd say a high compression would work best. I found the m/m setting on the sidluxe not too bad, providing I whacked a lot of pressure in it, but pedalling would benefit from a higher compression, if you can find someone to do it.
I fitted mine with a fox DPS, that sorted a lot of things out in the medium stiffness setting.
(@continuity my large is still in the classifieds btw..open to offers ;-))
Pretty set on the flyweight build as I want to race it buddy - and v expensive to find 250g elsewhere!
I'm also a short arse by comparison and am tending towards medium...
@continuity
fair enough.
in seriousness, if you're near 6' a large is probably better. vitus have the sizing recommendations pretty close tbh, and a large is 5'10-6'2. I'm 6'2 and my large feels quite small.
Strange recs tho no? A modern large Enduro bike usually comes in at 475-480, which is the medium here.
I fitted a RockShox Deluxe Ultimate RCT Debon Air 380lb to mine,there wasn't a lot to choose from at the time. The other option was a SID Luxe but they offer no compression damping, just open or locked. The Deluxe Ultimate RCT was a good buy, I run it in the neutral compression setting pretty much all of the time, I may use the higher compression setting for a long road climb, I don't use the fully open setting and never the lockout. Works well and suits me and the frame.
Can anyone that has fitted a dropper to their 'Rapide' give me some pointers ?
Does the cable simply run down the downtube and into the BB and then up the seat tube ? There is a hole between tubes, so this is obviously possible, but... the hole is pretty small and the edges seem sharp, plus it seems a little tight in the BB area for the cable and the BB centre tube !?
thought it ran down the downtube, over the top of the BB shell and up the seat tube. the hole in the BB shell being a point to push it up from.
NB this is for the BSA BB ones.
if you're concerned about the sharp edges, take a bit of light sanding to it.
I routed my dropper cable in from the BB, one end up the seat tube, the other up the downtube, last bit was a tad tight but worked well, better than trying to pass a length of the cable outer past the BB area.
Sorry it's another dropper post query. The specs say it'll take a 31.6 diameter seatpost, would this 100mm dropper that's currently on offer fit within the frame? The online reviews suggest that there's a spare cable port for an internally routed one?
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/brand-x-ascend-dropper-seatpost-100-125-150
(I've not got the bike yet, I'm intending buy Size L, at 6 foot 2). I'm not fussed about being able to drop it massively, I just want to make sure the highest height, is sufficient (if that makes sense)
Mine came with a 30t chainring which seems a little under geared but anyone know what's the biggest that can be fitted? Probably go 34t if i can...looks like it could cope but thought id check
@bossworld that's the one i just fitted with 125mm drop on medium frame
Reviews on CRC say 34t max, mate
I had to give up and move on. CRC/Wiggle aren't taking CycleScheme again until H2 2023. Gone for an Orbea Oiz H10 TR instead