gilbertdave
New Member
Hi all,
New here and recently returned to mountain biking after riding non-stop upto to around my mid-20’s
Now, I’m fatter, lazier but with more disposable income so it seems like the timing is right.
Most importantly, I recently confirmed I’m eligible for a cycle to work And just this very evening, I have secured the all important approval from the wife.
I feel like I’ve watched almost every Rob Rides and was initially very drawn the Vitus Sommet. I like the look of them (even though, I have to say the external battery is starting to look quite dated), I love the spec vs price but ?I am quite nervous about the lack of support and terrible reviews about the ongoing support.
A lot of Robs vids (and others) talk very favourably about Levo’s and Kenevo’s.... and I went to my local Specialized shop and true enough, they are very nice looking in the flesh. The concern then flips to “is the kenova too much ‘ is the Levo not enough.
in all cases I’d be looking at maxing out at around £5K which pretty means entry level from Specialized or top level Vitus.
i tend to ride single track and trails, with a reasonable amount of jumping with a couple of trips each year to uplift parks. On the most recent visit (on my Cube Stereo 160) I certainly felt ‘I was started to get out of my depth on some runs and wondered is shorter travel backs would only make this feel worse?
Again, the Vitus seems to be a perfect fit in the middle, I just can‘t look past the bad rep and lack of support... I can practically SEE specialised from my house.
I think it’s unlikely I’m ever going to go for 8 hour adventure rides with countless huge climbs, I’m more likely to spend Maybe 2 or 3 h-ours on a loop, or 3-4 hours heading down trails, then climbing back up.
If you were me, what would you do?
TIA
New here and recently returned to mountain biking after riding non-stop upto to around my mid-20’s
Now, I’m fatter, lazier but with more disposable income so it seems like the timing is right.
Most importantly, I recently confirmed I’m eligible for a cycle to work And just this very evening, I have secured the all important approval from the wife.
I feel like I’ve watched almost every Rob Rides and was initially very drawn the Vitus Sommet. I like the look of them (even though, I have to say the external battery is starting to look quite dated), I love the spec vs price but ?I am quite nervous about the lack of support and terrible reviews about the ongoing support.
A lot of Robs vids (and others) talk very favourably about Levo’s and Kenevo’s.... and I went to my local Specialized shop and true enough, they are very nice looking in the flesh. The concern then flips to “is the kenova too much ‘ is the Levo not enough.
in all cases I’d be looking at maxing out at around £5K which pretty means entry level from Specialized or top level Vitus.
i tend to ride single track and trails, with a reasonable amount of jumping with a couple of trips each year to uplift parks. On the most recent visit (on my Cube Stereo 160) I certainly felt ‘I was started to get out of my depth on some runs and wondered is shorter travel backs would only make this feel worse?
Again, the Vitus seems to be a perfect fit in the middle, I just can‘t look past the bad rep and lack of support... I can practically SEE specialised from my house.
I think it’s unlikely I’m ever going to go for 8 hour adventure rides with countless huge climbs, I’m more likely to spend Maybe 2 or 3 h-ours on a loop, or 3-4 hours heading down trails, then climbing back up.
If you were me, what would you do?
TIA
Another great bike with the Bosch system, is the Whyte. 2021 model sorted out the odd cable routing of the 2020 model. British brand with special attention to weather -sealed pivot bearings. Not sure what you mean by "out of depth on some runs" - do you mean the bike feels a bit too hefty? In my opinion you want a bike you're going to grow into rather than out of, so that your skills grow in time to match your bike's capabilites. Bike feel is hugely influenced by getting the sizing right, and correct setup of cockpit/saddle and suspension, and tyre choice. So i wouldn't necessarily restrict yourself to shorter travel bikes, unless you know from your riding style and where you ride that that's what you really want. Agree about the shimano too, it's a bit dated now, underpowered compared to the Bosch and smaller battery too, I was surprised Shimano didn't update it for 2021
