V IT US MYTH IQUE29VR
£1,249.99 Does the low price tag limit the fun?
Introduced at the end of 2019, the Mythique is a 130mm-travel trail bike available with 650b or 29in wheels. It’s the 29 VR model’s low asking price that piqued our interest.
The frame
Built around a Horst link suspension system with 130mm of travel, the 6061 alloy frame features Boost rear axle spacing and a threaded BB. Cables are routed externally, along the top of the down tube, where you’ll also find a bottle mount. We tested the large frame, which has a 468.3mm reach, 621.9mm e ective top tube length and 1,224.7mm wheelbase, with 445mm chainstays that are shared across the sizes. The head angle is 66.63 degrees and the e ective seat angle is 76.26 degrees.
The kit
The most notable omission from the spec is a dropper post. You also only get 10 gears, although the Shimano Deore mech and shifter are paired with a wide-range 11-46t SunRace cassette (and cranks). The Shimano MT-401 brakes are good, and fitted with 180mm rotors. Suspension duties are taken care of by an X-Fusion RC32 fork, with 130mm of travel and externally-adjustable rebound and low-speed compression damping, and an O2 Pro R rear shock, with rebound adjustment. The 30mm-wide (internal) WTB rims are clad in Schwalbe Magic Mary and Hans Dampf rubber.
The ride
A bend in the seat tube means the (rigid) seatpost can’t be inserted very far, so it’s hard to find the balance between having enough post to extend to the correct height and cutting enough o so that you can slide it down far enough for descents. The lack of a dropper interrupted flow at times, especially on undulating terrain. We angled the saddle’s nose down and pushed it as far forward as possible to further steepen the e ective seat angle. On particularly steep climbs, a smaller chainring or wider cassette range would be welcome. The 32-46t ratio of the easiest gear wasn’t enough.
The Mythique’s rear end absorbed small, square-edged hits with utter competence, whether seated or standing, and was almost impossible to overwhelm through deeper compressions. However, the bike’s performance on descents was dominated by the fork’s underdamped stroke and flexible 32mm-stanchion chassis. To compensate for the lack of damping
SPEC
Frame Aluminium, 130mm (5.1in) travel
Fork X-Fusion RC32 Boost, 130mm (5.1in) travel
Shock X-Fusion 02 Pro R
Drivetrain Shimano Deore w/ SR Suntour Zeron cranks (1x10)
Wheels WTB ST i30 rims on Vitus hubs, Schwalbe Magic Mary (f) and Hans Dampf (r) 29x2.35in tyres
Brakes Shimano MT-401, 180mm rotors
Bar/stem Nukeproof Neutron, 800mm/ Vitus, 50mm
Seatpost/saddle Vitus rigid/Nukeproof Neutron
Weight 14.4kg (31.7lb), large size without pedals control, we inflated the air spring above the recommended pressure for our weight. But no amount of setup can improve fork sti ness, and on steeper, rougher terrain, we noticed obvious flex that we think caused the headset to continually work loose.
Overall though, the Vitus has a calm and planted feel, and is stable on a range of trails. Pushing hard, we felt the rear end’s low-speed damping faltering, but an increase in air-spring pressure helped sort this. It’s good in berms, and accelerates like a dearer bike through compressions and pump-bumps. We found it jumps well too, with no surprise kicks from the suspension.
The tyres provide excellent grip on most terrain and help you explore trails that’d normally be out of a 130mm bike’s depth. We like the geometry (but a steeper seat angle would be good), although the speed from the 29in wheels and a decent frame makes us think that a slacker head angle would improve the ride without any negatives. ALEX EVANS www.vitusbikes.com