Hardtail of the Year | Sub £500 | Mountain Bike Rider

Hardtail of the Year two years running, Vitus could have rested on its laurels and the Vitus Nucleus VR would still have bagged a hat trick.

But instead of sitting back and watching the sales roll in, Vitus improved upon it’s test winning formula. Starting with the frame, the new Nucleus gets a similar tube set and profile to the Vitus Sentier in the £1,000 category but retains its QR rear dropouts.

Vitus Nucleus VR review
The geometry has been tweaked too. It’s now longer, lower and slacker, and an XL size has been added to the mix. Internal routing for a dropper seat post is also new, and by internal we mean the cable goes into the downtube just behind the head tube, rather than simply drilling a hole in the back of the seat tube. All positive improvements then.

Suspension
The new Nucleus frame is a cut above the competition, but it’s the air-sprung, hydraulically damped Suntour XCR suspension fork that gives it a real advantage. Bring air sprung, it’s much lighter than the coil fork on all of the other bikes, and the spring-rate can be matched to rider weight with just a shock pump. It also benefits from an oversized alloy steer tube that maximizes steering precision and stiffness.

Components
Vitus stretches its lead further with the best finishing kit in test. The 2x drivetrain shifts seamlessly and the Tektro brakes are reliable stoppers. It’s the combination of the meaty WTB Vigilante tyre up front with the faster rolling Trail Boss on the rear that literally lets the Vitus run rings around its rivals though. An added bonus being the addition of wider rims for improved tyres stability at lower pressures.

Performance
From the get go the Vitus established a commanding lead in the sub £500 category and never looked back. It’s a proper mountain bike in every sense. You can shred turns, hit jumps and sprint up climbs all with the same ease as bikes costing double the money. There’s simply no better bike at this price point so whether you getting into mountain biking for the first time or retuning after an hiatus, the Vitus Nucleus VR is the bike to get.

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[jxffa]

Bought a Nucleus VR HT 29er 2018 based on your 2017 review, been riding it for about a half a year now, and it's been an absolute blast. The only upgrade i did was some DMR v12 flat pedals. Even works splendidly as a commuter. Thanks for making great reviews!

[Bewarthemn]

After several weeks getting my head back into MTB’s after 4 years on a CX (Bombtrack Arise, commuting.) trawling the net for reviews, specs, prices etc. I’ve just ordered the 29er VRS version in XL. The last MTB I had was a 2013 Kona Blast, I’d never heard of Vitus before, so to see so many good reviews made it a no brainier in the end. And the good thing is, once I need to replace components, I’ll just spec it up, because the frame is so good on this! Dropper post will be the first upgrade I think.

[acebikesjodybennettii]

I couldn't imagine riding a bike that cheap cause the quality usually isn't there for the riding I do but the quality on these newer bikes for the money is getting very good awesome!!!

[gtflyer]

Love my Vitus, though it's a 2017 Sentier 29r, but it has a ton of upgrades I did which makes it even better..

[richarde]

Love the paint scheme on this VR compared to this year's color scheme...great looking bike!

[downtoridemtb]

Well deserved winner. I built one from the frame up and it is great. Interested to see the 2019 results.

[bighes]

If I didn't already have a bike it would be the Vitus no doubt about it. Stunning for £500

[TomEssex]

Good job on giving this award to a bike that is no longer available....

[Paddy.Collins]

Can someone pls tell me if this is the 27 VR or the 29 VR ??🙂

[MrGreekstatue]

Also what fork is being used? As the low end SR suntour range are not recommend for trails? According to the warning sticker.

[geemail]

Great re-/overview - short, facts only, punchy summary!

[ibanez]

I have one question. What the hell happened to Ragley???

[ab_mtb]

How does the voodoo hoodoo stack up against the vitus?
I know it's £50 more expensive but it's much easier to get especially used + looks like a simlier package.

[tomwhyte]

Is this bike the Vitus nucleus 27 VR or 29 VR?

[AlexanderLee]

Is it better than the specialized pitch sport 27.5 2019 ?

[nevenblaskovic]

Vitus is a great bike I have it last 6 years and is superb.

[seant.]

Excellent review, will you be giving definitive reviews on ebikes like this. E.g. canyon v commencal or specialized?

[Sebatron-prbv]

so ur saying if i can find a 2nd had brand new w like a 100 quid off i can get a simalar spspeck mtb as a 750 for 400 and used for 200

[Daniel-cpjw]

Is the Nucleus VR out of production ?
Can't find it on Chain Reaction an neither on Wiggle.

[adamdead]

Is this vitus better then the 2016 voodoo bizango?