VITUS E-SOMMET VRX

Top performance at a reasonable price- £5,499.99

The E-Sommet VRX is Vitus's topspec and longest-travel e-bike. designed for the rigours of enduro riding and draped in high-end parts for a reasonable price, but only available online.

THE FRAME

Built from 6061-T6 aluminium alloy, the E-Sommet boasts integrated chainstay, down tube and motor protection, internal cable routing (via the headset cap, with un-plugged ports, which let water enter the headset) and a steering block to stop the bar turning too far. The Shimano STEPS EP8 motor is powered by a 630Wh battery in the down tube. There's 167mm of four-bar rear travel, with a relatively progressive leverage rate, suited to both air- and coil-sprung shocks. The Vitus runs an on-trend 'mullet' wheel set-up (29in front, 650b rear).

While the geometry isn't revolutionarily long, low or slack, it's well-suited to the bike's enduro remit. On the large size, a relaxed 63-degree head angle and tall 459mm stack height are combined with a 478mm reach and 634mm effective top tube length. The seat tube angle gets steeper as you go up in frame size (77.5 degrees, large), while the chainstays are universally 442mm long. Our bike had a 1,267mm wheelbase and 35mm of BB drop, equating to a 330mm BB height.

THE SPEC