2019 Vitus e sommet

[StuE]

Still great value First Look: 2019 Vitus E-Sommet e-MTB With The All New Shimano Steps E7000 - Singletrack Magazine

 

[GDAS]

has anyone on here gone for one of these 2019 basic (i.e. non-VR) E-Sommets? I'm struggling to find any thorough reviews of the E7000 motor.

 

[Gary]

it won't be much difference from an E8000. Just a little less top end torque.

 

[R120]

Our very own @knut7 did a review


Personally I think its a very interesting motor, as the reality is you rarely use boost when out riding.

 

[craigy2782]

Can anyone confirm battery size in the e-sommet ?
I’ve heard it has 418watt battery
I’ve tried asking chain Reaction Cycles but they don’t know ?

 

[Gary]

Sorry...
I find it very odd when folk make rules about when/how often you should use each mode.
Sometimes I leave mine switched off entirely for a 3hr ride. Other times I mainly use Eco. And sometimes I use boost the entire ride until the battery is done.
Usually it's a mixture of modes for different situations /reasons.

Sort of sick of hearing places like Embn (well Jones really) constantly dictating mode use and frame size to others.
Use it however you want.
Same with sizing.
They're both just preferences like any other "rider" preference.

 

[Kernow]

Smaller motor could be an advantage , lots of us use mainly eco to get battery life and just trail when it’s required so if the e7000 would give the same without the extra power of boost but much longer battery life it’s worth considering

 

[craigy2782]

Does this bike come with 418wh or 500wh battery life tho?

 

[Cisco]

Does this bike come with 418wh or 500wh battery life tho?

504wh battery, my riding buddy has one. Feels same as E8000 motor and range is similar too. We now have 5 e-sommets in our group.

 

[craigy2782]

504wh battery, my riding buddy has one. Feels same as E8000 motor and range is similar too. We now have 5 e-sommets in our group.

That’s brilliant thank you for the info
Thinking of getting one myself Looks nice in the red what’s it like in the flesh? currently riding a large cube stereo hybrid 140 but I’m finding it too short for me, probably going to go for the XL

 

[Cisco]

I

That’s brilliant thank you for the info
Thinking of getting one myself Looks nice in the red what’s it like in the flesh? currently riding a large cube stereo hybrid 140 but I’m finding it too short for me, probably going to go for the XL

The 2019 black/red looks the best of the colour schemes imho. Only thing I don't like is the black/white display. I need reading glasses so the e8000 colour screen gives me immediate mode confirmation if I need it, the smaller b/w one is just a blur for me.

 

[craigy2782]

My vitus e-sommet arrived today only took 4 days it’s in perfect condition ?

 

[Lawson]

Here's mine.
Sooooooooooooo good!

 

[Kernow]

Nice bike gooood choice Looks like your at our local at cardinam , I guess it’s your local too ,do you ride the Moors Caradon hill area etc ?

 

[Lawson]

I'm super close to Minions.
You?

 

[steve_sordy]

has anyone on here gone for one of these 2019 basic (i.e. non-VR) E-Sommets? I'm struggling to find any thorough reviews of the E7000 motor.

From the reviews I've read, the verdict is good. One reviewer said that the E7000 delivered a more natural riding experience and he only missed the extra torque on really steep sections. Because of the reduced max torque, there is a good chance that the battery should last longer.

 

[RocketMagnet]

I've got the E Sommet VR and personally can't see why I'd need more power, I've turned the Boost mode down on mine so I think there is little to be concerned about with a touch less power as IME I've never needed it. I suppose if your going to your limits of "steep" it will help, but really how often will that be unless you go specifically looking for it. So yeah the VR has a minor advantage in power but it's probably irrelevant to most IMO.

The specification isn't quite as good (its still good though) as the VR but it's still better than many bikes up to double the price and I see it as a well thought out selection of parts to cut £600 off the VR asking price. No idea about the brakes but the M5xx range tend to be bomb proof. Like some others not as keen on B&W display so keeping the beeper on may be beneficial for those struggling to read the screen. Also personally with such a heavy bike a VR has 46 cog on the back which IMO is a nice fall back spin gear if your battery runs out and some steep climbs to still do. You could always drop it from 34 to a 32 on the front if 34/42 is too big with no assist on climbs or UG in the future if its a real issue.

I'm not convinced for most riding the battery will last longer unless your topping out max assist in boost mode frequently on the VR.. IMO Eco/Trail will be basically the same for both bikes range wise?

 

[R120]

TBH with the Shimano I think it is easier to climb really steep stuff in trail rather than boost - I find boost is a bit all or nothing, and hard to modulate, whereas due to the reactive nature of the trail mode I find it easier to get up stuff.

 

[Gary]

Yeah. Climbing proper steep stuff is a bit weird as you need momentum and you need constant consistsant assistance and you also need it to match your legs cadence/power output.
There's only one local climb I've found that can only do in Boost. (it's crazy steep and quite short)
Boost for me comes into it's own climbing less steep climbs at a fast pace. Removing the "dull" from a climb as it were

 

[R120]

The only time I use boost is if I am knackered and just want to cruise up the last steppingstones hill on my way home.

 

[Lawson]

I've got the E Sommet VR and personally can't see why I'd need more power, I've turned the Boost mode down on mine so I think there is little to be concerned about with a touch less power as IME I've never needed it. I suppose if your going to your limits of "steep" it will help, but really how often will that be unless you go specifically looking for it. So yeah the VR has a minor advantage in power but it's probably irrelevant to most IMO.

The specification isn't quite as good (its still good though) as the VR but it's still better than many bikes up to double the price and I see it as a well thought out selection of parts to cut £600 off the VR asking price. No idea about the brakes but the M5xx range tend to be bomb proof. Like some others not as keen on B&W display so keeping the beeper on may be beneficial for those struggling to read the screen. Also personally with such a heavy bike a VR has 46 cog on the back which IMO is a nice fall back spin gear if your battery runs out and some steep climbs to still do. You could always drop it from 34 to a 32 on the front if 34/42 is too big with no assist on climbs or UG in the future if its a real issue.

I'm not convinced for most riding the battery will last longer unless your topping out max assist in boost mode frequently on the VR.. IMO Eco/Trail will be basically the same for both bikes range wise?

Very well put ?

 

[Lawson]

I opted for the cheaper one based initially on price if I'm being honest, but then I looked at the spec carefully.

Wheels - shite on both models
Forks - charger damper is bunk and hence the MC damper would be fine
Shock - vr has compression adjustment which I don't consider that relevent on an ebike - NB I certainly do on my Evil!
Brakes - I'm always a Shimano fan
Seatpost - same
Bars/stem - well they're just things that I'd change anyway probably
Tyres - same

So that only really left the motor as the battery is the same.

I find the motor plenty powerful enough for a local climb which is a total bitch on a normal bike (Hells teeth - Cornwall) and is super smooth and lighter than the e8000.

I genuinely don't see any need for the the additional costing on the VR and being picky, I bloody hate the green on the VR.

As said though, the above is purely my opinion ?

 

[R120]

The Lyric RC2 Debonair is a big step up IMO. The 2018 came with Lyric RC, and the RC2 is a lot smoother (I have fitted a 180mm on mine), in fact I would say its the best fork I have ever had, including Fox Factory equivalents.

My 2018 VR was the most sorted suspension wise of any bike I have had out the box, and I think really that's the key thing about the bike, they whole platform rides so well.

 

[Lawson]

The Lyric RC2 Debonair is a big step up IMO. The 2018 came with Lyric RC, and the RC2 is a lot smoother (I have fitted a 180mm on mine), in fact I would say its the best fork I have ever had, including Fox Factory equivalents.

My 2018 VR was the most sorted suspension wise of any bike I have had out the box, and I think really that's the key thing about the bike, they whole platform rides so well.

I'd agree that the debonair part is good, if you do your research on the charger 2 damper it's sort of been agreed that the compression side of things leaves a lot to be desired, as do the adjusters that don't really adjust much very well.

Good news, is that it can be sorted by a chap in New Zealand, or failing that, PUSH have come to the rescue with a nifty redesign...

 

[R120]

Well my research has been done by putting about 6 months and 1000 miles on my RC2. I can notice big differences if I start playing around with the adjustment, in fact I decided to try a different set up on it about a month ago and managed to make it ride like a pig! I do run the HSC fully open, the LSC from memory about 2/5ths of the clicks, and the rebound 5 clicks in.

I do find its sensitive to getting the PSI right, you can really notice a drop off in the small bump sensitivity if you run the psi even a little bit too high. For me the set up I have got on it now is working amazingly, and just ups my confidence levels in the bike.

I also have a Yari on another bike, and whilst I think its a good fork, its nothing ike the Lyric. The key thing for me about the Lyrik RC is that when you are really pushing it, and going proper fast, it never transits any of the harshness of the trail through to the controls, i.e the bike never feels as though it about to get loose.

 

[RocketMagnet]

Personally I've been really impressed with both the fork and shock on the VR and that's coming from a die hard exclusive Fox rider for over 20 years. Absolutely no complaints & the fork and shock are excellent on the VR IMO.

Ultimately it's the law of diminishing returns in mountain biking. I could see a selection of riders who need the extra tuning available on the VR but agree a large majority won't. They are 170mm Enduro bike but the price it attracting people who normally wouldn't need or buy that much travel.

I think both bikes look good for Ebikes, the Metallic Green actually looks great in the flesh.. nice compromise from the Garish bikes of 5 years ago to the more subdued colours of recent trends.

Personally I'd be happy with either bike, I just had the money for the VR. IMO it's personal thing if you think it's worth it and TBH both bikes are an absolute steal.

 

[R120]

Having a decent fork set up correctly is a far more preferable option to a top end one that's not! Both bikes have great kit, and there's no need to upgrade anything out the box really if you don't want to.

 

[Lawson]

Well my research has been done by putting about 6 months and 1000 miles on my RC2. I can notice big differences if I start playing around with the adjustment, in fact I decided to try a different set up on it about a month ago and managed to make it ride like a pig! I do run the HSC fully open, the LSC from memory about 2/5ths of the clicks, and the rebound 5 clicks in.

I do find its sensitive to getting the PSI right, you can really notice a drop off in the small bump sensitivity if you run the psi even a little bit too high. For me the set up I have got on it now is working amazingly, and just ups my confidence levels in the bike.

I also have a Yari on another bike, and whilst I think its a good fork, its nothing ike the Lyric. The key thing for me about the Lyrik RC is that when you are really pushing it, and going proper fast, it never transits any of the harshness of the trail through to the controls, i.e the bike never feels as though it about to get loose.

Glad you're happy with it buddy, after all that's all that's important ?

It's so subjective though isn't it? What you describe, is polar opposite to the views expressed by others. Happy to forward on the thread if it's of any interest?

I like the yari on the Sommet, but I still very much favour my coil pike rct3 on my other bike. Saying that I can't forget how good the damping is in manitou forks ?

 

[R120]

Thats the difficult thing isn't it, its going to vary hugely from rider to rider and the terrain they ride.

Agree with you on the coil, that's the one thing I would like to try out, a decent modern coil fork, but my wallet is not in a good place right now to justify trying some.

I am no suspension expert but one thing I have noticed is that the longer the travel version of a fork the less sensitive it is to smaller adjustments. My Yari, and Fox 36 Factory Grip 4 are both 150mm and things like rebound and LSC are far more noticeable when even changing by 1 or 2 clicks, whereas my Lyric is 180mm is less sensitive to smaller changes in setup, aside from the pressure. This will be partly down to the fact you have to push it harder and ride it on some gnarlier terrain to get it going though the full travel, but riding your average trail you won't notice much difference between adding a click of rebound or similar on the lyric, whereas you would on the other forks.

As such I think its quite easy to ride around on a longer travel fork and come to a set up that feels good and leave it at that, because really nailing down the setup, and the benefits from the set up, requires pushing the bike harder to see the differences.

I might be totally wrong on that as like I said I'm no expert, but the Lyric took me the longest to dial in fully, mainly because I thought I had a good set up on it and it was only on some proper riding that I realised it needed further tweaking.

 

[R120]

And just to add what I am looking for in a fork, and suspension in general, is not a setup that I can take off big jumps and hits, but one that allows me to ride as fast as I can and tracks the ground, maximising grip. I don't set my bike up for jumps, but for being as planted on the trail as possible.

Someone who is riding big lines at BPW or similar would have a very different set up.