VITUS SOMMET 29 CRX

The Sommet was always a greatvalue bike but lacked a little in performance. A full geometry and suspension overhaul means the latest model punches well above its price. The new carbon front triangle (mated to an alloy back end) gives this latest version more BB drop, a slacker head angle and a steeper effective seat tube angle. The latter increases on bigger frame sizes to ensure that, as saddle height increases, the rider isn’t seated too far back behind the BB. We measured the head and seat angles at 63.8 and 77.1 degrees, respectively, on our size-large bike. Vitus include a flipchip at the base of the shock, which alters these angles by 0.5 degrees, and the BB height by 6mm. The reach on our large frame was a lengthy 470mm.

The spec sheet is simply amazing for the price – a Kashima-coated Fox Factory fork and shock, plus a 12-speed Shimano XT drivetrain and four-piston brakes, on a carbon frame for less than four grand. All the parts are top choices, right down to the race-ready EXO+ and DoubleDown casings of the Maxxis rubber.

While the sticky MaxxGripcompound front tyre slogs along on tarmac, it’s the only thing slowing the Vitus down on climbs. There’s a lowspeed compression lever to firm-up the back end, but it wasn’t needed when pedalling seated. The steep seat angle puts you far enough forward to ensure things feel comfy and efficient.

On tamer trails, there’s a stiffness that gives the bike an urgency and reactiveness when changing direction. Everything from the Fox 38 fork to the tough Maxxis rubber feels direct and accurate. But that doesn’t translate to a harsh or uncomfortable feeling when the bumps start coming. Rather, the Sommet mutes the chatter well, thanks to the supple and wellcontrolled fork and shock. At 68kg, our tester ran the rebound damping on the fork fully open. Even then, he’d have liked it faster, but this shouldn’t be an issue for heavier riders.

Hit the rough stuff and the Sommet works away in near silence, but doesn’t offer quite the same level of traction as the bikes in the top three. Instead, the Vitus feels poppier than the biggest-hitters here, which highlights its do-it-all credentials. We removed the volume spacer from the shock and one from the fork, which helped on rough tracks and ensured we could access every millimetre of travel on tap, too.

While the reach of the Sommet is identical to that of the RocketMAX, the Vitus felt like it had the edge when navigating more awkward trails.