2023 Vitus

Sommet 297 CR (Sram)

The Vitus Sommet has been around for long enough to be refined multiple times already. It also happens to be one of the best enduro mountain bikes you can buy. But the Belfast-designed enduro bike has had more than just a facelift. The carbon backbone is now significantly beefier and with the addition of the new 297 mullet configuration, Vitus aims to ramp up the nimbleness and add extra clearance for hanging off the back of the bike down the steepest sections of trail. Vitus Sommet 297 AMP need to know: Four frame sizes, where Large and XL sizes get progressively steeper seat angles RockShox Ultimate level suspension delivers 170mm travel front and rear Full SRAM XO1 drivetrain with no corners cut, even includes an XO1 chain Perfect Maxxis Assegai/ Minion DHR II tyre combination Using T-700 carbon fibre, the front triangle’s extra girth should bring extra stiffness for better tracking, but don’t get any ideas of some solid lifeless lump. The carbon/alloy chassis and supple suspension serves up by far the smoothest and most comfortable ride in the rough stuff when compared directly to the two full carbon rigs – the YT Capra Core 3 MX and the Canyon Torque CF 8 mullet – that this bike was directly tested against. Given that the same engineers design Nukeproof bikes, it should come as no surprise that the Vitus has a whiff of the same superlative trace-the-terrain ride as the Nukeproof Mega. That’s not to say the bikes are identical however, and geometry on the Vitus gets a slightly slacker head angle and lower BB, without veering towards anything too extreme like on Canyon’s ultra-low Torque. Rider’s preferring the old Sommet angles needn’t worry either; a flip chip lifts the BB by 6mm and steepens the head angle to around 64.5º. Another cool feature is having steeper seat angles on the two larger frame sizes to help prevent taller riders tipping off the back while climbing. Vitus Sommet 297 AMP suspension With a vertical shock position the suspension layout on the Sommet looks very different to the Canyon and YT, but it’s still a genuine 4-bar design, Horst link and all. It delivers a claimed 170mm travel where the bridge-less seatstay assembly offers stacks of tyre clearance – big double complement bearings making up for any reduction in stiffness. The MX versions get 10mm more rear travel than the 29er Sommet, where the suspension on the top-end AMP model is controlled by a RockShox Super Deluxe trunnion mounted air shock, where sealed bearings at both end reduce stiction for increased sensitivity. Fluid is probably the best way to describe the shock’s action as it’s silky smooth. It wasn’t without fault though, as it slowly but continually leaked air so we had to keep topping it up to retain the desired shock pressure. This seems like a one off though, as it’s never happened before and we’ve tested dozens of these shocks. Up front, the 170mm travel RockShox Zeb is the …Continue reading »

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The Sommet is an easygoing long-travel machine, and it's well spec'd for the price.

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