Vitus E-Sommet VR

[davosaurusrex]

I'd be amazed if it's anything other than new colours and minor spec tweaks. The bike is only one year old and it's not like they're struggling to sell them, the MBR grouptest win will only help that

 

[Gary]

Any word on whats updated for 2019? Interested to see if they bring out a shorter travel version

PM'd you about this

 

[drjarvis2003]

No, I'm going to try to find out though.

Rob, if you can ask someone about the new bikes, can you find out if they have resolved the seat post insertion depth problems, cheers.

 

[Kernow]

My switch units become temperamental, button presses only work 1 outta 10 times at best.

I had the same problem , a blast with wd40 seemed to cure it but it kept coming back as it got dirty or dry again .
I hadn’t heard that they could play up if tight against another mount and I changed it for the e600 before I checked that out .

 

[R120]

I'd be amazed if it's anything other than new colours and minor spec tweaks. The bike is only one year old and it's not like they're struggling to sell them, the MBR grouptest win will only help that

Yeah not expecting anything radical, just interesting to see if they have taken onboard the feedback

 

[inwoods]

You sure it's not fouling on the dropper remote or brake lever? either from one of the three rotating or the levers bending. (I bent mine in a crash, but it bent back easily)

No no fouling but the last time I used the bike it had been in the car so it could be bent, will have a look at that for now.

I had the same problem , a blast with wd40 seemed to cure it but it kept coming back as it got dirty or dry again .
I hadn’t heard that they could play up if tight against another mount and I changed it for the e600 before I checked that out .

Cheers I ordered the e6000, a lot simpler designed so less to go wrong imo.

 

[smokey_jo]

Since having a go on my medium deore the missus decided she must have one too. There was only the VR version available in small so that's what she got.

I got chance to nick hers yesterday as she was at work so I could compare the two bikes.

So I'm 5'6 1/2" with a 30" inside leg. On the small the dropper at maximum insertion and full extension was just right for me. On the medium I have had to reduce the travel on my dropper by 50mm to get it to the right height. As the wife is quite a bit shorter than me I'm going to fit a 27.2 CX dropper with a shim which should bypass the lip on the inside of the seat tube. On compression the shock moves away from the seatpost so I think another 10mm of insertion coupled with the shorter dropper should get it about right.

I much preferred the reach on the medium to the small, needs another 10mm or so for me.

The smaller bike felt quite a bit more agile and eager to change direction despite the bars on the small being a but narrower.

I prefer the Deore brakes to the guides (Ride was in very wet conditions), much better feel and lever shape I thought. Although the front Deore already needs a bleed - hope I haven't got a faulty one and it's just sticky pistons!

The Lyrik is more of a step up in performance than the Yari than I was expecting. I have to run the Yari quite a bit softer to get the small bump performance on the Lyrik. Going to try less air and a token or two in the Yari to try and get a similar feel.

Couldn't tell the difference between the rear shocks and never felt the need to use the compression adjust lever on the higher spec bike.

Transmission performance felt exactly the same.

If you're 5'4 - 5'5 I think the small is spot on once you've sorted the dropper travel, and for the medium you need to be 5'8 +. 5'6 - 5'8" you really need to try one and see what you're preference is.

I think I should have bought a small Deore and fitted a 10 mm longer stem in retrospect, but I'll just borrow the wife's when she's not using it ;-)

 

[StuE]

Made a few changes to my E sommet, Renthal bar and stem,Canyon seat (very comfortable ) Saint caliper on the front and Shimano floating rotors,shorter XT cranks,swapped back tyre for a Bontrager SE4 2.6 and converted f/r to tubeless,I know the vault peddles clash a bit but they were cheap off of ebay . What has anyone else changed ?

 

[peteh80]

How did you plumb the caliper up, has it got a different banjo on the end of the Saint or was it the same?

 

[StuE]

How did you plumb the caliper up, has it got a different banjo on the end of the Saint or was it the same?

Used Deore lever and caliper /hose from the Saint brake

 

[Gary]

If you're 5'4 - 5'5 I think the small is spot on once you've sorted the dropper travel, and for the medium you need to be 5'8 +. 5'6 - 5'8" you really need to try one and see what you're preference is.

I think I should have bought a small Deore and fitted a 10 mm longer stem in retrospect, but I'll just borrow the wife's when she's not using it ;-)

I'm 5'11" (33" inseam) and my VR is a small. I definitely made the right choice. But sizing depends massively on how you ride.

 

[thebarber]

That's a bit crap. I was under the impression CRC customer service was pretty good.

Can't you use a local service agent?

Wiggle have been great for me.
I've had a couple of issues, 1st was resolved without warranty but they offered as much as they could then after my shifter imploded at glentress Sunday I contacted them about replacement and it'll be with me before the weekend.
I know motors are a different thing but after seeing a couple of mates being messed around by Evans who to me havnt got a clue about e-bikes, ones just had his Kenevo down to Bike scene in Guisboro last week where they diagnosed and ordered a replacement motor in the same day (the bike wasn't even booked in) and so was up and running ready for last weekend.
I know where I'll be taking mine ...

 

[Gary]

No. CRC are great at sorting out warranty on small things that don't require their workshop or shipping an Ebike to Ireland and back.

 

[Gary]

Wiggle = CRC

 

[Gary]

 

[R120]

Back quicker than expected no?

 

[Gary]

Nah. Was expected today.
Firmware updated, assists tweaked to my prefs and ridden it again this afternoon/evening.
All seems fine.

Not all that impressed with CRCs workshop staff's skills though.
HTII pinchbolts not tight enough.
and someone doesn't know how to work a 10mm allen key.

About as good as my photography skills

 

[thebarber]

Nah. Was expected today.
Firmware updated, assists tweaked to my prefs and ridden it again this afternoon/evening.
All seems fine.

Not all that impressed with CRCs workshop staff's skills though.
HTII pinchbolts not tight enough.
and someone doesn't know how to work a 10mm allen key. View attachment 4558

About as good as my photography skills

I'd get that replaced asap

 

[Iain at the back]

Nah. Was expected today.
Firmware updated, assists tweaked to my prefs and ridden it again this afternoon/evening.
All seems fine.

Not all that impressed with CRCs workshop staff's skills though.
HTII pinchbolts not tight enough.
and someone doesn't know how to work a 10mm allen key. View attachment 4558

About as good as my photography skills

That looks more like a ball ended 11mm Allen bit in an impact driver doing up a 10mm Allen bolt. Nasty!!!

 

[Gary]

I have just had my bike in the LBS for its first major service so to speak, was away for two weeks so i thought it was a good opportunity to drop it off and get some proper love shown to her, basically a full strip down and rebuild, replacing anything that needed doing.

She' done about 700 miles, and the wear and tear is as follows:

New pads front and rear, they where pretty much down to the metal. Discs fine. Brakes don't need bleeding either.

• New chain and rear cassette - no problems with them but the Chain was at about 80% wear, and i like to change the cassette when i do the chain as i find they wear in together and i have had shifting problems in the past with new chains on fairly well worn cassettes. I would say the cassette was about 2/3rds of the way though its life. The old chain and cassette where working fine, but i took the opportunity of having the bike in the workshop to get the job done. Chain had blown 2 links in its life, both pretty early on.
• New bearing for rear hub, the old one was shot.
• Needed the usual re adjusting/setting of the drivetrain cabling.
• Headset needed taking out and cleaning down as a fair bit of dirt in there, though surprisingly hardly any crud under the motor covers.

All in all very pleased given the abuse i have put the bike through. Cosmetically i have never cared about a bike getting scratched up, and mine has a fair few scars, but always been pretty good with making sure the vital bit are well maintained, so pleased to see no major issues reared their head.

Mechanic emphasised to me how important keeping the drivetrain clean and lubed is on the e-bikes, he said he had seen a fair few where owners hadn't done any real maintenance and had destoyed the cassettes/chains within a couple of hundred miles.

Thought I'd do a similar report to @R120's on the previous page , only as I previously worked as a bike mechanic for many years I don't use bike shops and do all my own maintenance.

Mine's done a bit over 800miles and I tend to check my bikes for wear and tear/problems before, during and after every ride. I wash the bike after almost every ride so it gets a proper looking over then and the drivetrain is cleaned, dried, inspected and re- lubed every wash.

Firstly, Yes. I killed the original motor bearings (as detailed throughout the last few pages). not 100% sure what to make of this TBH. Is an E8000 motor actually up to the task of taking the abuse a 200lb DHer who loves air and getting sideways can put through a BB axle? I'd never expect a DH BB to last more than one season and this bike's done about a DH season's worth of descending in 3 months. Or was I just unlucky? Only time will tell I guess!

Mine has a few scratches to the bars from crashing but very few scratches to the frame paintwork . I had a crack/ hole towards the front of the plastic motor casing from a rock strike but a brand new motor solved that

Wheels have remained true (I nipped up and evened out the spoke tension myself after the first few rides like I always do with new wheels so no real surprise there)

Chainring, cassette, chain and jockey wheels are still fine with plenty life left in them.
Derailleur/Shifter still running perfectly, no cable adjusting or replacement required.
cranks still true (quite impressed for such a cheap crank). One did come loose early on but I put that down to poor assembly on CRCs part (and me being too eager to ride and not bolt checking them from new). I replaced the plastic HTII preload bolts with alu versions and thread locked the bolts after that and the problem didn't repeat itself.

Hub bearings/freehub still running smoothly with no problems.

Headset running smoothly (I did take it apart when new to inspect and add grease though and periodically check it)

Fork and shock both smooth and trouble free, All pivot bearings/bolts have remained tight, free from play and smooth.

B-X dropper has loads of rotational play but otherwise works as it should.

Brakes have been flawless, still on original pads barely half way to worn and excellent firm lever feel. Easily the best brakes I have on any bike.
Here's the rear pad wear if you can cope with my poor photographic skills again

Tyres. Fitted Exo DHF and SS Minions around two weeks into ownership, they've both done 800miles+ and mainly ridden on steep DH/Enduro tracks, so probably 200-300miles of steep descending in them
Front

Rear

I like to drift and corner hard but don't really skid. hence the wear to the edge knobs and almost new centre tread.

anyway... Bike's awesome. snap up the 2019s when they arrive

 

[Gary]

I'd get that replaced asap

The bolt? or the shifter?

already emailed CRC about both.

 

[Gary]

That looks more like a ball ended 11mm Allen bit in an impact driver doing up a 10mm Allen bolt. Nasty!!!

Or a head the ball mechanic trying to use a shimano HTII tool on a hex bolt

 

[thebarber]

The bolt? or the shifter?

already emailed CRC about both.

That bolt.....

 

[Gary]

@thebarber

It still functions. I'm more shocked a shop mechanic would fuck it up so badly and not at least send me a note with an explanation/appology. The other one is fine.

 

[thebarber]

That aside, does anyone else think it's funny that Vitus is encompassed with the 'other manufacturers label' ?

 

[Gary]

That aside, does anyone else think it's funny that Vitus is encompassed with the 'other manufacturers label' ?

Sorry. You've lost me there.

 

[R120]

He means we shouldn't be slumbing it in the other manufacturers section, but be uplifted to having our own section like the specialized bunch

Nice report Gary - definitely caned my brakes more than you, but then i do love a good skid.

Have to say given the abuse these bikes get, i am super impressed with the durability to date.

 

[thebarber]

He means we shouldn't be slumbing it in the other manufacturers section, but be uplifted to having our own section like the specialized bunch

Nice report Gary - definitely caned my brakes more than you, but then i do love a good skid.

Have to say given the abuse these bikes get, i am super impressed with the durability to date.

Yep , that !
But then again, let's keep the good stuff to ourselves eh !!

 

[StuE]

Check out 'Vitus E-Sommet VR 2018' on IMB Vitus E-Sommet VR 2018 | Reviews » Bikes » Electric Bikes

 

[Gary]

My E-Som had a horrendous creak today that was far worse when turning/leaning the bike over.
it sounded like it was coming from the fork/Headset. so I stopped and wrenched the bars/stem. Nope. Headset. nope. turned it upside down pulled and pushed the lyrik every way i could. nope. did the same with the front wheel and tried to twist the dropouts. nope. no creaks there.
i rode it and tried to locate where the creak was coming from. it creaked either standing or seated and creaked if I rode the bike and leant over while stood on the top tube. So that eliminated the crank/BB from the equasion and also the seatpost/saddle (or so you'd think). I checked the rear wheel/maxle. again nope no creak. Seeing as the motor has just been replaced my money was on the E8000 mounting bolts creaking as the frame flexed or a dry bearing from a suspension pivot, pulling on the rear triangle at every pivot gave no creaks. Not having a T40 torx on me I took it home for a full bolt check and better look over. One mounting bolt wasn't quite as tight as the rest (not loose though. and the main pivot bolt was a tiny bit looser than the rest (agai, not loose though). With those tightened and the rear wheel checked for movement all that was left to check was the seatpost. and guess what? pulling on the lower portion did indeed gave a creak, twisting the saddle (the seatpost has loads of rotational play) gave even more. I removed the dropper and unhooked the cable. it had a knock when twisting it but no creak, The seat tube and lower post were gritty rater than smooth/greased (it had been greased fully when fitted) So just to make sure out it was the interface between the post and seat tube (rather than go ahead and clean/grease/refit the cable/dropper I cleaned out the seat tube, re-greased it and a clean non dropper I just happened to have nearby. and tested for creakage. no creak. Ok. definitley located the problem. Cleaned the dropper, hooked up the cable, greased the actuator and the post and the annoying creak is gone.
Phew...


One thing that I actually found a little disconcerting while searching for the creak is the amount of flex in the downtube/BB area. leaning the bike over slightly and with one foot pushing on the lower downtube it flexes like crazy... Well crazy in comparison to my carbon Capra, Alu slope bike or two Alu DH bikes. That amount of flex'd be completely normal on many roadbikes and lightweight hardtails but the way I'm riding this thing it was quite a surprise. It's not noticible while riding and plenty (even DH) bikes have some amount of intentional flex designed in.
Moral of the story. Ride moar. worry less.

[EDIT] Lesson #2 posting this reply took as long as finding the creak did