First Look: 2015 Vitus Dominer DH Bike

Aug 22, 2014
by Mike Kazimer  
2015 Vitus Dominer

Vitus, the house brand of Chain Reaction Cycles, had their new aluminum-framed Dominer DH bike on display in Meribel, France, where the World Cup DH finals are being held. Previous models of the Dominer were aimed more at the freeride crowd, but this latest version is meant to be a downhill race machine, equipped with 210mm of travel and 27.5" wheels to allow it to plow through the roughest terrain and get to the finish line as quickly as possible. The bike has already proven its race worthiness, recently racking up two victories at the Irish National Champs. Weighing in around 38 pounds, the bike will retail for €2899.99 and £2299.99, with worldwide shipping available once it goes on sale in November.

2015 Vitus Dominer
Race ready out of the box, the Dominer is spec'd with a solid build kit that includes a Marzocchi 380 CR up front and a RockShox Kage in the rear. Maxxis Highroller II tires are mounted on WTB's Frequency i25 rims that spin around FUNN's DH hubs.

2015 Vitus Dominer
From the cranks to the brakes, the Dominer gets the full Shimano Zee treatment.

2015 Vitus Dominer
The rear suspension is handled by a fairly straightforward four bar configuration, with a forged linkage joining the rear seat stays to the RockShox Kage shock. Pinch bolts help secure the rear thru-axle, and they're are also in place to clamp the chain stays around the lower pivot.

Dominer geometry

www.chainreactioncycles.com

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109 Comments
  • 280 10
 Looks like a 2015 Vitus Dominer DH Bike
  • 15 11
 not enough +1s for that
  • 20 4
 Looks like a Taokas Dumun 200:
www.taokas-bicycle.com/taokas/products_detail.php?uID=1&cID=4&Key=4
www.vitalmtb.com/community/titic999,32224/setup,26616
  • 5 10
flag DragRider (Aug 22, 2014 at 17:46) (Below Threshold)
 www.mtb-bg.com/index.php/products/news/1335-products-news-110418-dragomir-kink
  • 4 2
 It's a Taokas!
  • 6 1
 Very similar to the Identiti Mogul, except the 27.5" wheels.
  • 7 1
 Expect an Identity mogul 650b "prototype " in the next few weeks Smile
  • 2 0
 Fat
  • 2 1
 www.dragbicycles.com/?menu=product&id=141
  • 5 3
 Looks like a new specialized demo, said no one ever.
  • 2 0
 Well it's a catalog frame essentially, their enduro bikes are good quality this shouldn't be bad either.
  • 73 4
 incoming looks like a session comments
  • 54 4
 im confused...does your comment count as a looks like a session comment or nah?
  • 28 6
 looks like a kona
  • 9 9
 Looks flexy
  • 48 4
 OK guys seriously that legitimately looks exactly like a trek session....
  • 3 4
 looks like s foes weasel!!!!
  • 4 3
 My first thoughts were Trek session or Scratch.
  • 6 2
 literally saw the thumbnail, only clicked it for the comments.. classic pinkbike +1
  • 2 1
 Looks maybe! But this is essentially a single pivot in the way it performs. They should have run a Horst link. Still good for the money though.
  • 2 1
 Nope. I think this time it will be more looks like a Kona Carbon Operator.
  • 62 1
 Someone needs to make a frame that looks like all the other major frames and the call it the 'Nuthin Special'
  • 21 1
 I too thought crc had close ties with nuke proof I don't fully understand the need to develop this bike as surely it takes buyers away from the scalp ?
  • 1 0
 Finishing kit appears to be the nukeproof brand
  • 5 0
 CRC are direct selling with Vitus and selling through shops with Nukeproof so its win win for CRC
  • 1 0
 Yeah I thought nukeproof were their 'in house brand' already... didn't nukeproof start off being direct sold with CRC only? Given prices it looks like they are targeting same segment of the market too.
  • 14 0
 I'd love to see some long term reviews of the 380! We got a "first impressions" type writeup a while back....anything more en route? For such a high quiality product it's surprising how little you can find about this fork online.
  • 3 0
 Well I can see they applied the espresso coating on the stantions.
  • 17 2
 Looks like a Fiat
  • 10 0
 That is an amazing spec for the money. That Marz 380 fork is brilliant by all accounts. It's great to see another affordable dh bike being made instead of all this mega expensive carbon bollox that you need a mortgage for. Keep bikes like this coming please.
  • 13 0
 someone finally had the common sense to outfit a bike in full shimano gear
  • 9 1
 Head angle looks way too steep compared to, well, any other DH bike.
  • 13 4
 Session
  • 8 1
 How is it a four bar? I thought it was a link activated single pivot! so confused....
  • 3 5
 The terms are interchangeable, although sometimes this layout is called a 'faux-bar', and designs that use a Horst link, with a pivot on the chainstay instead of the seat stay are called 'true four bar' designs.
  • 15 1
 Interchangeable by bicycle journalists yes, by engineers... not so much.
  • 5 0
 Anything to confuse the buyer.
  • 6 0
 Confuse with science, baffle with bullshit.
  • 1 0
 There could be an article about linkages, explaining the basics of mechanisms and applying it to bike suspension design. Maybe even a GIF with the wheel path for the most common designs.
  • 2 0
 There is on wikipedia actually.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four-bar_linkage
  • 1 0
 Thanks! Althoug I've seen it already, it led me to this one: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_suspension#Single_pivot
Exactly what I was looking for! Salute
  • 10 2
 I thought Nukeproof was CRC's house brand?
  • 4 1
 I was just about to ask the same question. I thought the same.
  • 20 0
 I believe they have plans to buy every brand over the next 30 years.
  • 9 1
 Looks like a bargain
  • 4 0
 I would agree. Proper drive and brakes.
  • 4 0
 Vitus was a real brand in the past, especially on the road. After the brand mother house bankruptcy, CRC purchased the brand.
Today, Vitus looks like only a "Taiwan catalog + stickers" brand..... :-(
  • 6 4
 I remember how much riders complained about poor suspension designs that were affected by braking forces and so companies came out with better designs. Yet in 2015 this "company" Vitus is releasing a DH bike with the same linkage that Kona is infamous and hated for. But as long as the colors and price are right the new young DH riders will buy it.
  • 1 1
 Quotes were meant around DH not company since Vitus is just a house brand.
  • 2 1
 As long as it looks cool it must perform well!
  • 3 0
 I dunno a little brake jack might be a good thing. Slackens the head angle, drops the bb. My Kona's have had the D.O.P.E. system and Magic link to counter it so can't say for sure but the old Stinky had a tuneable D.O.P.E. floating brake that allowed as much or as little brake jack as you wanted. Trek has the apb pivot or whatever and I haven't heard complaints about the Operator or Entourage.
  • 4 1
 Man, lots of "looks like" comments, when did the pinkbike membership demographic become a majority of judgemental 12 year old girls? I guess a while now...
  • 9 1
 mentally they've been that way since the site was founded and never aged past that.
  • 6 0
 New here, huh?
  • 3 1
 I thought Nukeproof was CRC's inhouse brand, why would they be racing Nukeproof instead of promoting their own inhouse brand?
I do like this frame though, But for some reason the top tube looks a bit off..
  • 1 0
 But is this bike going to be at the really good price range that the 2013 models where or will it be a lot more expensive the vitus brand was known as one of the most value bike out there
  • 1 0
 i had a vitus dominer 2, the frame pivot bolts snapped 3 times and everything was tightened correctly, although i hope this new bike does not do the same because its cool to see more low-key brands in my opinion Smile
  • 1 0
 My friend has a Dominer2 and has had his fair share of problems, the bearing actually pulled out of the upper linkage plate that right seat stay bolts to ( just poor oversized machining fault) . The though-axle creaked a lot on the shock/chain stays. The standard base model Kage shock is useless and dead feeling. The pedal insert has ripped out of his crank arm, and the Powder coat finish on the frame soon chipped away feeling it looking messy. But on a plus side when it works properly its alot of fun for £1000 ( 1200 euro's ).
  • 1 0
 yeah i also had many of those problems but when you look at it your getting what you pay for but still it should still be able to ride with out constantly having problems
  • 5 1
 Looks like people just cant give up with the "looks like a" jokes....
  • 1 0
 Vitus was a brand, especially on the road, but after the mother house bankruptcy, the brand was purchased by CRC. Now, it's just a "Taiwan catalog + just a sticker" brand :-(
  • 2 0
 The last two articles I've read on pb have been about affordable dh rigs. This is fantastic. It's good to know you don't have to spend 5-10k on a dh bike.
  • 7 3
 Trek
  • 1 0
 I have rode it ...It feels excellent ..quality of kit is unrivalled at this price .... guess what it is going to look like other bikes folks ....its a bike
  • 1 0
 it looks like every other four bar linkaged downhill bike that feels like crap when using the suspension. let the negs and whining from kona riders commence
  • 2 0
 Nice to see Vitus breaking into the DH market, I'd like to see how this rides!
  • 2 2
 looks like a bike! cross Glory, Operator, Session? Don't know much about Vitus other than they discontinued the best looking bike they had this year. I would say for that many clams go Status 1!
  • 3 1
 All hail Vitus, cousin of Titus!
  • 2 0
 Well, actually it looks like an Identiti Mogul
  • 3 1
 Wow first diamondback now this, the gods have praised us!
  • 4 2
 looks like a session and arum
  • 1 0
 Considering I just got a new wheelset with those exact rims and tires, I give the build 2 thumbs up.
  • 1 0
 It look same giants glory frame 2015
  • 1 0
 Look like a Norco Aurum...
  • 1 0
 Actually it looks like affordable bike.
  • 2 0
 Looks like a norco
  • 3 2
 That main pivot point?!?!?!?!? Not trusting it Frown
  • 3 0
 i had a vitus dominer 2 which has pretty much the same pivot point, and the bolts snapped 3 times so i sold it
  • 2 1
 Strip it bare and let Semenuk or Brook Macdonald ride it.
  • 2 1
 That 380 looks like a Rockshox product.
  • 1 0
 Shouldn't the seat be more over the rear wheel?
  • 1 0
 So a identiti mogul frame with good parts for sensible money. Sign me up.
  • 2 0
 looks like a bike!
  • 1 0
 Looks like patrol 781. Indonesian brand
  • 1 0
 Wow, two unpopular brand posts in a row Pinkbike?
  • 1 0
 Iron horse???
  • 1 0
 Three some!
  • 1 0
 Another trek
  • 3 3
 look , a kona but not as decent looking
  • 1 0
 27.5 = big business !
  • 1 0
 So much like and aurum!
  • 1 1
 COOL???
  • 1 1
 Support you LBS!!!
  • 1 1
 Your*
  • 2 0
 I'd agree to a point , if they were not such a bunch of over priced pretentious dicks that make youngsters trying to get into the sport feel bad about their rides and generally talk condescending to them!! Well that's my lbs at least
  • 3 0
 Chain reaction is my most local bike shop!
  • 1 0
 @sewer-rat that's probably the worst way to sell bikes I've ever heard of.

@petrfd , that is totally understandable. As a bike shop employee it just hurts when people come in to get their nukeproof worked on when they could've bought from us and chances are we would've hooked them up.
  • 1 0
 Your right mate, such a bunch of overpriced condescending gits that really do make people feel bad and charge heavily for everything, then scratch heads why they haven't got much trade lol
  • 3 6
 Looks like the baby of a session and an aurum....
  • 1 2
 And a kona operator
  • 2 5
 Looks really ugly...
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