Vitus at Sea Otter - Extraordinary Bikes for Real Riders

From the pros to the average joes, Vitus loves those who love bikes. In this case, that would be freerideer and racer Kyle Strait (pro) and Vitus USA’s fearless leader, Hap Seliga (average Joe).

Kyle Strait's reputation precedes him. A racer, trail builder, and freeride mountain bike icon who competed in his first Red Bull Rampage at the age of 14, then went on to win the thing twice. He’s the Big Boy himself and the original Natty Daddy. Some might even refer to him simply as “daddy” (we’re not here to judge).

Hap Seliga is his own version of the Natty Daddy, just a little less chaotic cowboy. He runs the show here at Vitus and shreds a bike harder than most of us. “Hap,” it turns out, is a nickname; his real name is John. At some point he earned the epithet because he’s so damn happy all the time. It stuck, and now he’s Hap.

Kyle is a professional mountain biker and Hap is a normal dude who runs a bike business. Though on paper they lead very different lives, what they share is an undying love of bikes. Somewhere between their two positions in life are the rest of us — no matter who we are or what we do, we all love bikes.

That shared passion is what fuels the Vitus Real Rider slogan. It’s the idea of bikes as the great equalizer; at the end of the day, Hap, Kyle, and the rest of us participate in this trumped-up child's activity because we love it. We think that’s pretty rad.

To celebrate that shared passion, we used the 2023 Sea Otter Classic as an excuse to custom paint bikes for Hap and Kyle. 
For Hap, it’s a pop art-inspired Vitus Rapide FS custom-built for big downcountry adventures around our home base in Park City, Utah. And, like the man himself, Kyle’s bike nearly needs no introduction — we painted the Natty Daddy a Natural Light-inspired Vitus Escarpe custom-built as a dual slalom bike. It’s crispy, to say the least.

Kyle Strait’s Natural Light inspired custom Vitus Escarpe

The thing about the Natty Daddy is he’s always thirsty. But as the name implies, not just any cold one will do — it must be the nectar of Natural Light. When we signed Kyle this year, it was clear we needed to paint him a bike that paid homage to the classic American-style lager. Inspired by Natty’s freshly revived new old-style can, we partnered with UK-based painter Johnny Bradley at Elite Refinish to dial the design. It was a process that involved Ebay-ing a vintage Natural Light can for color matching and rush shipping it across the pond, but in the end, Johnny delivered the goods. Kyle’s Natty Daddy tribute Vitus Escarpe slalom bike might be the crispiest rig on the hill.

• Frame: Vitus Escarpe 27
  • Flip chip in the low setting
  • Vitus custom aluminum rear triangle, 420mm chainstay length  
• Fork: RockShox Pike Ultimate
  • Set at 130mm. 125psi, 3 clicks HSC, 7 clicks LSC
• Rear shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate 
  • 200 psi, 8 clicks LSC, medium tune
  • 205 x 50mm trunnion for 121mm travel 
• Headset: Angle headset, +1 degree 
• Drivetrain: SRAM X01 AXS DH 7-speed 
• Brakes: SRAM Level Ultimate 4-piston, 180mm rotors 
• Front wheel: Onyx Vesper hub, Stan’s NoTubes Arch 27.5 front rim 
• Rear wheel: Onyx Vesper hub, Stan’s NoTubes Flow CB7 27.5 rear rim 
• Front tire: Kenda Pinner ATC 2.4x27.5 
• Rear tire: Kenda Karma 2 2.4x27.5 
• Crankset: SRAM X01 DH cranks 165mm, SRAM 32 tooth chainring 
• Bars: Deity Black Label bar cut at 780mm 
• Stem: Deity Copperhead stem 
• Saddle: SDG Bel-Air III, Strait Acres Edition 
• Grips: Sensus Meaty Paw grips 
• Pedals: Sensus Crue pedals

Hap Seliga’s pop art inspired Vitus Rapide FS

A tip-to-tail mashup of styles reminiscent of the pop-art icons, Hap’s Rapide FS project was tackled by custom bike painter Dr. Curtis Bullock, a.k.a (@savethepostalservice).

Fueled by a passion for art and love of bikes, Hap and Vitus’ Creative Director, Lynda Maldonado, conceived a paint job born in freedom, inspiration and exploration. That was then handed to Curtis, who blended their ideas with his uniquely whimsical style to create the final design. Curtis made the idea a reality in his studio in Portland, Oregon, where he painstakingly applied custom graphics using laser-cut vinyl decals and multiple coats of spray paint.

Beyond the paint, the build was carefully selected for far-flung adventures in Hap’s home turf of Park City, Utah. It's a bike with a big personality, built for big days in the mountains.

• Frame: Vitus Rapide FS, Size Small
• Headset: Chris King 42/52 tapered integrated
• Handlebar: Nukeproof V2 Horizon Low Rise, 35mm x 780
• Stem: 5DEV, 35 clamp x 48mm
• Grips: PNW Loam Grip, purple
• Bottom bracket: Chris King 68/73, threaded, purple
• Saddle: Specialized Power S-Works Mirror
• Brakes: Magura MT-7 SL 
• Rotors: Magura 180 | 180
• Crankset: 5DEV, Dub 29mm, 170mm crank arms, purple
• Fork: Rock Shox SID 120, 44mm offset
• Chain: SRAM XX1, oil slick
• Cassette: SRAM XX1 Eagle, 10-52, oil slick
• Rear derailleur/shifter: SRAM XX1 AXS Eagle
• Rear shock: Rockshox SIDLuxe, 165 x 42.5 Trunnion Mount
• Seatpost: Rockshox Reverb AXS, 31.6
• Wheelset: Chris King, Boost 15 QR x 148, purple
• Tires: Specialized Eliminator 2.3 Grid T7
• Chainring: Rotor Q-Ring, 34t, black
• Valves: Santa Cruz Fillmore, purple

US customers can learn more about the line at US.VitusBikes.com. Everywhere else in the world, head directly to VitusBikes.com. 
With offices in the United States and United Kingdom, it’s never been easier to get a Vitus direct to your door.