VITUS E SOMMET VRS
Vitus remodelled their beefy, long-travel e-bike this year, giving it an all-new chassis with a properly-integrated battery, a mixed-size ‘mullet’ wheel set-up and other tweaks. What hasn’t changed is that the direct-to-customer brand continue to deliver seriously high-quality kit for your dosh.
THE FRAME
The E-Sommet’s fat, squared-o down tube is shared with Nukeproof’s Megawatt (see p21). It conceals a large-capacity 630Wh battery, and joins a huge 1.8in head tube – the industry’s latest attempt to sti en up the steering on heavy e-bikes – fitted with an internal steering limiter to stop fork crowns striking the frame. Standover clearance is excellent, thanks to the short seat tube. Another bonus is oversized bearings and hardware, for improved durability in soggy UK conditions. Shimano’s latest EP8 motor provides the pedalling assistance.
A new suspension layout sees the rear shock driven by a fourbar Horst-link set-up, rather than ‘floating’ between two links, as on the skinnier previous-generation
E-Sommet. The 64-degree head angle is the same as you’ll find on many modern ‘analogue’ enduro bikes (and slacker than most electric rivals), while the bang-up-todate seat tube angle centres your weight while climbing and steepens as you go up the size range (77-78 degrees) to keep taller people equally well-balanced.
THE KIT
This mid-range E-Sommet represents exceptional value for money. You get a sti RockShox ZEB fork and SuperDeluxe air shock, albeit in lower-tier ‘Select’ guises that don’t have quite the same adjustability and silkiness as the top-level versions on the £700 pricier VRX. Fast-rolling and sti DT Swiss wheels are shod with a great Maxxis tyre combo, with reinforced casings at both ends and super-sticky rubber up front.
A functional mix of Shimano SLX and Deorelevel kit handles stop and go duties. Up front, an Acros headset routes the cables and rear brake hose into the frame under the stem. It looks neat, but the pierced top-cap allows crud and moisture to enter the bearings more easily, causing creaks, and prevents you from slamming the stem right down to balance the Vitus’s relatively low BB height.
THE RIDE
Once you get shifting, this burly bike smashes through any earth and rocks that aren’t geologically grafted into the ground. The chassis is so rock-solid that any components with a capacity to twist or flex will accede to the frame’s superiority, and at all times the suspension remains controlled and planted, allowing you to hammer tracks of any level and feel totally secure. The upright rider position sees you standing tall on the trail, with feet low and hands high. This lets you plough safely down properly gnarly terrain, then milk the motor and sorted seated climbing position to rinse and repeat.
Unlike some e-bikes with low BBs, the Vitus’s ride isn’t very dynamic. Weighing nearly 25kg and with a suspension feel that’s on the more-damped, duller side, there’s minimal bounce or pop from the back end, even with the rebound damping left wide open. This means the E-Sommet works best when you hold on tight, trust the grippy tyres, pick the best straight line between A and B, and enjoy steamrolling through the terrain with momentum and security, rather than try to shift direction rapidly or skip over holes. All this muscle means more experienced riders may find the E-Sommet a bit too thuggish when the trails get tight. The handling didn’t get our juices flowing in the same way as the Nukeproof Megawatt it shares some pieces with, and the main reason for this is its more subdued suspension. The Vitus is less responsive to smaller vibrations and less lively overall, which translates to the whole bike feeling heavier and less reactive.
Since the E-Sommet is such good value, we tried swapping in a RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate coil shock, to see if this upgrade would transform the suspension feel without adding too much to the price. The VRS’s ride was noticeably improved, with better tracking and increased grip, but it still didn’t feel as nimble and playful as some rivals through linked turns and on narrower trails. Mick Kirkman www.chainreaction cycles.com
THIS BURLY BIKE SMASHES THROUGH ANYTHING THAT ISN’T GEOLOGICALLY GRAFTED INTO THE GROUND