LONG-TERM RIDES
Sarah’s feeling spoiled with her Sommet
The latest on our team bikes – where we’ve ridden, the parts we’ve changed and what we’ve broken this month!
I’ve been into bikes for long enough now to know that the Sommet CRX’s spec sheet offers exceptional value for money. With its carbon fibre mainframe and high-end kit, I feel spoiled to be able to ride this bike for the year. Now that I’ve spent a bit of time in the saddle, I’m happy to report that most of the components work well for me.
While I like the modulation of SRAM brakes, I had Shimano XT four-pots on last year’s bike and, once I’d got used to their on/off feel, appreciated their huge power, so I was delighted to see that the Vitus has the same stoppers. Unlike last year, I haven’t had any problems yet with the wandering bite-point that can plague Shimano’s pricier brakes, even though I pulled the hoses out and swapped them over to Euro style (having grown up in Austria,
I ride with my rear brake on the right-hand side) without a rebleed.
The bling Fox 38 Factory fork and Float X2 Factory shock should provide ample travel and control for steep rough descents in Wales, or the Alps, where I call home. While I haven’t yet ventured anywhere gnarly enough to get the most out of the fork, I have noticed that, with the low air pressure recommended
for my weight (56kg), it feels a bit sluggish, even with the rebound damping left fully open. Also, coming from a ‘mullet’ (mixed wheel size) set-up on my previous ride, I still have to get used to the smaller 650b front wheel not rolling over trail features as smoothly as the 29in equivalent did, although the more sensitive fork seems to help compensate for this.
There are a couple of components that I’ve not got used to yet, though. The Nukeproof Horizon handlebar with its ninedegree backsweep makes the bike feel a bit like a Raleigh Chopper to me! I’m also not sold on the chunky WTB Volt seat, which I don’t find as comfy as the slimmer Syncros Tofino on my gravel bike. We’ll see how I feel about it after more time in the saddle.
Lately I’ve been finding myself lagging behind my riding partner on the steepest climbs. This may well be down to my fitness, which has suffered after a couple of injuries, but to save my pride, I’m blaming it on the Vitus’s ever-so-slightlylower easiest gear – 32x51t, versus 30x50t on the Scott I rode last year. This is something that’s easily fixed with a smaller chainring, though, and I’ll have no excuses then! www.chainreactioncycles.com