Bike Check: Kyle Strait's Vitus Prototype DH Bike - Red Bull Hardline 2023

Jul 17, 2023
by Matt Beer  

Kyle Strait s Vitus Prototype DH Bike
BIKE CHECK

Kyle Strait's

Vitus Prototype


After recovering from a horrific back-breaking crash at Red Bull Rampage in October, 2022, Kyle Strait came back to compete at Hardline, an equally demanding course. The race was unfortunately cancelled due to adverse weather conditions, but he brought out a Vitus prototype downhill bike that has numerous changes from his typical freeride setup.

For the Hardline event, Kyle went with a 29" front wheel and replaced the chainstay for a longer one. To increase stability, Kyle has adjusted both the suspension and tires for more of a "race-spec" to work in the slippery conditions, yet still handle the huge gaps. The frame also has an adjustment chip at the lower shock mount. That's placed in the higher bottom bracket and most progressive setting.

Legends club... Kyle Strait crossed to pond to make Hardline for 23.

Kyle Strait

Age: 35
Hometown: Alpine, USA
Instagram:@kylestrait

Redbull Hardline 2023 Dinas Mawddwy Wales
This Vitus frame can fit all of the wheel combinations for freeriding or racing; dual 27.5, full 29er, or the popular mullet.
Vitus Prototype DH Bike Details

Frame: Vitus Prototype
Fork: RockShox Blackbox fork, 180 PSI
Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate Coil, 550 spring
Wheels: Stan's Flow MK4
Tires: Kenda Prototype - front: 30 PSI, rear: 32 PSI
Inserts: N/A
Shifting: SRAM XO DH
Drivetrain: SRAM XO DH 7-speed
Pedals: Sensus Crue w/chromoly spindle
Brakes: SRAM Code RSC stealth, 200mm rotors F/R
Controls: Deity Blacklabel 38mm rise bar, Deity Intake DM 50mm length, 35mm clamp stem, Sensus Meaty Paw grips
Saddle & Post: SDG Patriot I-Beam
Weight: N/A
More info: vitusbikes.com

Redbull Hardline 2023 Dinas Mawddwy Wales
Racing in these treacherous conditions meant that Kyle needed to find a balance between grip and support, compared to his Rampage setup which focuses on absorbing only the massive impacts. The frame has an adjustment chip at the lower shock mount which placed in the higher bottom bracket and most progressive setting.

Redbull Hardline 2023 Dinas Mawddwy Wales
A 550 lb Nukeproof spring does the trick when the hydraulic bottom out dial is fully closed. The low speed compression is fully open while the high speed is fully closed.

photo
As practice progressed, the air pressure in the fork has moved up from 160 to 180 PSI with two tokens.

photo
The frame is only two weeks old so plenty of changes are being made.

Redbull Hardline 2023 Dinas Mawddwy Wales
At home, Kyle was running a 435mm length rear end. Here at Hardline, he's moved to a longer swingarm but leans to the shorter of the two settings - 450mm.

Redbull Hardline 2023 Dinas Mawddwy Wales
The trend of stability continues up front. In the centered head tube setting, the reach measures 470mm. That's advanced 6mm for the high speeds of Hardline.

Redbull Hardline 2023 Dinas Mawddwy Wales
Alloy Deity bars are uncut at 800mm.
Redbull Hardline 2023 Dinas Mawddwy Wales
Kyle has moved his brake angles higher and reach dials out compared to his freeride setup when his hands come off regularly.
Redbull Hardline 2023 Dinas Mawddwy Wales
Meaty Paw grips for big mitts.

photo
Kyle chose to ride a chromoly spindle in the Sensus Crue pedal.

photo
Expecting to do a few no-handed tricks, Kyle went for an SDG Patriot I-Beam saddle. The wide profile allow him to pinch the saddle with his legs and avoid doing an involuntary "nothing".

Redbull Hardline 2023 Dinas Mawddwy Wales
Onyx Vesper hubs use a sprag clutch with a soft engagement and coast silently.
photo
Anodizing is out - hammered finishes are in.

Redbull Hardline 2023 Dinas Mawddwy Wales


Posted In:
Reviews and Tech Bike Checks DH Bikes Vitus Vitus Prototype Kyle Strait Hardline Hardline 2023


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50 Comments
  • 132 1
 Can't believe PB missed a comment on the K-Y-L-E downtube cable mounts! Super dope.
  • 13 0
 Haha was wondering why they were weirdly shaped!
  • 28 0
 Awesome spot, I totally missed those.
  • 1 0
 Came here for this comment after spotting that. So rad.
  • 17 0
 I had to STRAIT up scroll back upwards again.
  • 1 0
 Well spotted
  • 20 0
 I really hope the production frame will come with all this adjustability, too! Water bottle mount, straight seat tube, external cable routing, beefy, plenty of travel, full on DH geo - finally a frame again I really would like to own!
  • 1 0
 It looks like a very dialled bike.
  • 5 0
 Water bottle mount is underrated on a DH bike. Not everywhere is like Whistler where you can freely enjoy a sip of water at the top and bottom of the chairs. Especially in Europe, if you're out and about for a day, it's a great addition. Who wants to drag along a backpack when they're on a DH bike anyway?
  • 12 0
 Aluminium and black components, now that's a good looking bike. Those meaty paw grips are epic as well, got a pair for my shovel hands and now wonder how I used anything else. Arm pump is (almost!) a thing of the past.
  • 4 1
 This is such a better looking bike than the Dominier they just released with the weird kinked top tube and Ellsworth-ass upper link.
  • 7 1
 "The low speed compression is fully open while the high speed is fully closed"

What would be the intention behind this?
  • 17 6
 support on the jumps but smooth and tracking over the tech and chatter
  • 11 9
 @finnbuckley: isn't it the opposite?
  • 5 1
 No idea TBH... possibly that he's an absolute unit?
  • 4 1
 It could be a few things. Although this frame is 2 weeks old so it's possible that the stock RockShox Tune wasn't quite what they needed. Kyle Did say he was really comfortable with his set up so as always it might be strange but it seems to work for him.
  • 8 4
 @finnbuckley: closed hsc will make it a jarring ride over rough stuff. wide open lsc means the shock compresses more on takeoffs than normal
  • 2 0
 Kyle is a big dude who hits big jumps, so I'd suspect the closed HSC is influenced by that. The speed refers to that of the main piston, so wide open LSC is going to soak up a lot of the little stuff, probably adds stability & confidence for a non-DH racer on a course like Hardline. Just my guesses.
  • 2 0
 Will we ever find out the truth?
  • 2 0
 This depends ALOT on whats inside the shock...shimming and so on....can make absolute sense and i dont think the isnides of the Shock are very Stock in this Case....surely some kind of special tune..
  • 1 1
 low speed=slow speed
  • 1 0
 @plyawn: Pretty much this, the support provided support for him on the big hits and also enabled the bike to track well and grip on the chattery Rooty sections. It's seems an unconventional setup compared to most riders but Kyle is definitely not most riders, his bike setup is very unique and tuned to his riding style. There was a lot of testing and tweaking before and during Hardline to get the setup dialled to a point where he was fully comfortable, you should check his bike check video on the Vitus Instagram if you haven't seen it already. He explains that this is his DH orientated setup which was perfect for him at Hardline, it's a bit of an insight to his setup.

It was a shame that they had to cancel the main event as Kyle was stoked to put a run in, that said he hit all the features and he was stoked on the bike.
  • 1 0
 @agrohardtail: I think @finnbuckley had it right. The way I understand it:

low speed compression = compression at the low end (begining part) of the stroke
high speed compression = compress at high end (end part) of the stroke

So having low speed compression full open should make it more supple over roots/chatter and having the high speed compression fully closed should provide more support when preloading and/or landing off the big hits.
  • 1 0
 @charmingbob: LSC and hsc are affected by the speed that the fork compresses, not where it is in its stroke. Hsr and lsr are affected by where it is in the stroke
  • 4 0
 Kind of amazing how "looks like a session" went from a PB meme to what seems to be a really consistent formula for bikes these days - dual links are still alive and well, but more and more it seems like the market is dominated by horst-ish links and linkage driven single pivots that look like horst links, including those with pivots at the axle. High pivot is still sexy, sometimes the horst links reverse... but seems like especially for big bikes, a pivot near the rear axle, a rocker link and an otherwise almost classic diamond frame is more popular than ever.
  • 4 0
 One thing missing from this frame, exactly like the previous iteration - no fork bumpers integrated at the sides of the headtube.
  • 4 0
 Bumpers are on the fork.
  • 3 0
 That bike is stunning, vitus is always usually at front of the reasonably priced brands too
  • 3 0
 Look at that max seat tube insertion and water bottle space, with dual crowns it's the perfect End-Hill bike
  • 4 0
 K.Y.L.E. That's killer.
  • 2 0
 Looks good, and for the right price it will be great park bike. And if they’ll add Water bottle mount that will be amazing.
  • 3 0
 is it just me or.......
do the cable guides spell out something?
I K Y L E I maybe?
  • 3 0
 Meaty Paws. YeeeeeeHaaaa.
  • 1 0
 When you think that Kona have the ESD in their line up, I'd say that's what a Kona DH or EN bike should look like. It seems Vitus is "getting" it.
  • 1 0
 It would be nice to see the riders weight when doing these bike checks as a reference to suspension set ups
  • 3 0
 Looks like transition.
  • 9 8
 Ticks ALL the boxes, apart from wheel size. 29 is dead.
  • 10 1
 It’s compatable with 29, 27 and mullet - what more do you want?
  • 4 5
 @hitarpotar: mini mullet FK 29ers
  • 5 1
 @hitarpotar: 26?
  • 3 0
 @DirtyDee: no reason not to be able to put a 26’ wheel in the frame, it will just sit too low to the ground. I’m on a 2016 Dominer, instead of the 27.5 wheels it’s supposed to have i’m running a 26’ wheels - it just has a lower BB (too low probably). Trying to go through the 26’ tires i’ve got before switching to the 27.5 rims i have! Smile
  • 1 0
 @hitarpotar: Slightly longer shock/fork, shorter cranks... if you like a frame well enough you can cheat a bit to make it work with smaller rims.
  • 1 1
 @hitarpotar: it's only 10mm lower BB. The difference in radius between 27.5 and 26 is 10mm in maxxis DH tyres. Now between 27.5 and 29 it's 20mm. Its more 27 than 27.5..
  • 1 0
 Novyparts makes a füll custom coil schick with HBO which You can get in custom lebgth AS well. Thus a trunnion 205*65 schick could bei Had in 210*65 AS well.
Maxime makes it possible.
He worked for bos,raced dh and this Schock Just plainly works great. Aston MTB and I Love it
  • 1 0
 @bat-fastard: on some frames these 10mm get noticed quite more than on others - believe me, i know! Smile
There are pros and cons!
  • 1 0
 Nice truck
  • 1 4
 Looks like a Pivot
  • 1 1
 Not rlly
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