The storied Northern Ireland-based builder lands in the United States for the first time, with operations and distribution headquartered in Salt Lake City. One significant MTB redesign is also on the way.
Vitus built its first bike frame in 1979. Now for the first time, the French-born company establishes roots in the U.S.
Today, Vitus announced it will bring operations, distribution, and its direct-to-consumer ordering platform to a Salt Lake City facility. Anyone in the States can now purchase select models of Vitus’ mountain, road, gravel, and youth bikes, plus e-bikes, through the company’s U.S. website and order them shipped directly to their door.
To start, the lineup will include four all-mountain bikes, three enduro bikes, and one kids’ mountain bike (though the company did not specify which models). That’s in addition to two road bikes, two gravel bikes, and one of each in kids’ builds.
And as a bonus, Vitus announced the “first redesign in years” of the Mythique trail bike. The key features seem to support easier rideability and maintenance: a slacker head tube angle, trunnion mount (instead of DU bushing) rear shock for higher sensitivity, and external cable routing.
“When I look at the Vitus line of bikes, I get giddy. Being able to offer this initial lineup directly to US riders is a tremendous opportunity,” Brad Howell, U.S. Brand Manager for Vitus Bikes, said in a press release.
With its consumer-direct ordering model, the brand seeks to offer riders performance-oriented bikes at accessible price points. Instead of relying on third-party resellers in the U.S. as it did in the past, Vitus can now oversee assembly and quality control internally.
The lineup includes road bikes like the ZX-1 EVO CR eTap AXS, with an SL UD carbon frame and fork, integrated seat clamp and internal cable routing, and SRAM Rival eTap AXS HRD groupset. MSRP: $3,799.
You can also check out the Substance CRS 2 gravel bike, with its Shimano GRX 2×11 groupset and WTB 700c aluminum disc wheels, at $2,499.
For kids, there’s the 24- or 26-inch Razor Disc 6061 aluminum frame road bike for $899-1,199.
Each bike will arrive in a recyclable cardboard box with “zero-waste packaging,” Vitus said. The brand also offers a 30-day ride guarantee and a U.S.-based team of customer care representatives.
Vitus got its start almost a century ago as a steel tubing manufacturer. Within a generation or two, the company became embroiled in building bike frames. Its aluminum race frames became popular by the 1980s, when Sean “King” Kelly rode a Vitus 979 to the top of the world rankings. In the ’90s, the brand was busy developing carbon frames.
“From privateer racers to weekend enthusiasts, Vitus offers something for everyone in the worlds of road, mountain, and gravel riding; we even have a killer kids’ line,” Howell said. “If riding bikes fills your cup and spreads a smile across your face, then Vitus is for you!”
