Conclusion
While it’s true that there aren’t many really bad bikes these days, mountain bike engineers and designers are human, and as such, mistakes get made. The wrong codes get entered for shock tunes, and products often change from the preproduction samples that brand managers base their decisions on, so by the time they reach the shop floor, performance may not be as good as expected.
Take something as simple as numbers being transposed on a CAD file – a sensible 76° seat tube angle instantly becomes 67° and no one notices until it’s too late. Now, we’re not saying that’s what happened with the Jamis Faultline A1, but something clearly went wrong. How else would the size Large Jamis end up with a top tube measurement that would only look normal on a XXXL bike?
And Jamis clearly knows what it’s doing: the 27.5in Dakar, that’s been around for quite some time, does not suffer from the same problem. So the Faultline A1 needs a straighter seat tube to give it a steeper seat tube angle, and ideally Jamis would extend the reach a touch too. In doing so, Jamis will stop the bike having such a split personality – super long when seated, relatively short when out of the saddle.
And while fundamental to the bike’s handling and performance, getting the seat tube angle wrong was not the only mistake Jamis made. Fitting a KMC chain absolutely ruined the performance of the 12-speed Shimano drivetrain, and all just to save a few bucks on the headline price.
Probably most surprising of all though, is that we still had a lot of fun riding and testing the Faultline A1. It covers ground quickly, it’s relatively lightweight, so it’s easy to chuck around, and it offers an agile and dynamic ride. So with a steeper seat tube angle and a Shimano chain, Jamis could make easy gains in the rating game.
The Polygon Siskiu T8 29 wasn’t faultless either, but the fundamentals that make a great 29er trail bike are all present and correct. With modern geometry, sizing and the ability to upsize, due to the short seat tubes and low standover heights, the Siskiu really is a bike of the times. With lighter wheels, a Shimano chain and a better front tyre like a Schwalbe Magic Mary, the Polygon would be even better though. The fact that it’s almost £200 cheaper than the Vitus gives you some wiggle room with the specification though, so we’ve accounted for those upgrades in the final rating. It still can’t match the suspension performance or ride quality of the Vitus though, so even with the upgrades factored in, the Polygon doesn’t get a double-digit rating.
Vitus is no stranger to test wins. The Rapide FS and Sommet 297 AMP both came out on top in our XC and enduro bike tests early this year. So the brand that was once best known for good quality, affordable hardtails is now better known for top-quality suspension bikes with competitive pricing. And with the introduction of the new Mythique 29 VRX at £2,099.99, not only has its winning streak continued, its reputation as a quality mountain bike manufacturer has strengthened too.
Vitus’s reputation as a quality mtb manufacturer has strengthened