Vitus - History

The
renaissance
of an icon

1930

To witness the birth of the French manufacturer, you have to go back to 1930. In Saint-Étienne, Ateliers de la Rive produced various types of steel tubes, including Vitus, which appealed to frame builders for its lightness and robustness. The firm competed with British Reynolds and Italian manufacturer Columbus.

1978

In the 1970s, Vitus became a benchmark among steel tube manufacturers, thanks to the "Super Vitus 971", the result of new construction processes. In 1978, a pivotal year, Vitus was bought out by bicycle manufacturer Bador and obtained a new technological patent improving the frame's rigidity and strength. One year later, the iconic Vitus 979 frame was launched, equipping ultra-high-performance bikes ridden by Phil Anderson, Graham Jones, Luis Herrera and Sean Kelly, among others. Kelly, of course, would go on to establish the brand's pedigree with his victories in the classics and the Vuelta. At a time when most manufacturers are still using steel tubes, Vitus has become the world's leading manufacturer of aluminum bikes.

1990

In the early '90s, another material, another revolution with the ZX-1, a one-piece frame with an avant-garde design. With its internal cable routing and formidable aerodynamics, it was immortalized by Laurent Fignon in the Grande Boucle. This jewel of technology will pave the way for modern carbon design processes.

2008

The late 90s and early 2000s were more difficult. The cycling industry was evolving rapidly, and the brand struggled to keep pace. It was bought up by the big names in French cycling, such as Look and then Time. Despite several attempts to revive past successes, Vitus ceased trading in 2008.

2009

A team of engineers from Northern Ireland, working on the development of a brand new bicycle brand, discovered that Vitus was for sale. The history and heritage of the name immediately convinced these passionate engineers. They found themselves exactly in line with Vitus' vision and values. So they decided to buy the brand, with the legendary Sean Kelly as ambassador.

2011

This was the time for new ambitions, the rebirth of old ranges and the creation of new ones, such as the Nucleus semi-rigid mountain bike in 2011.

2012

Starting in 2012, engineers develop the Vitus Escarpe all-suspension mountain bike, marking the brand's debut in the Enduro world. In the same year, the launch of the Sean Kelly all-carbon signature bike accompanies the first rides of the An Post UCI professional team. Close collaboration with the riders leads to improvements in the bikes.

2015

The Enduro range is completely redesigned, thanks to a new suspension patent. Rewards follow, with Killian Callaghan winning the Enduro World Series U21 in 2016 and Colin Ross taking the Downhill Masters World title in 2018. The Escarpe mountain bike even received the "Trail Bike of the year" award from MBR magazine.

2016

The Nucleus mountain bike wins Bike of the Year and will do the same for the next 5 years.

2018

The Irish brand joins forces with Cherie Pridham to create Vitus Pro Cycling, featuring Ed Clancy and Scott Thwaites. 2018 also saw the launch of the first electric range, with the E-Sommet mountain bike winning MBR magazine's Ebike test with a handsome 10/10.

2020

More recently, Rob Warner (Britain's first DH World Cup winner), Joe Smith (DH rider) and Helen Jenkins (former two-time triathlon world champion) have joined the Vitus family, bringing ever greater expertise in the various cycling disciplines.

2021

The Escarpe mountain bike was voted best Trail bike of the year by British magazine MBR. The ZX-1 EVO road models (celebrating its 20th anniversary) and the Vitesse EVO were completely redesigned and unanimously acclaimed by Road.cc, Cycling Weekly and Bike Radar magazines. Finally, the Energie EVO cyclo-cross made its World Cup debut in Belgium, thanks to Team Spectra Racing.