Meet Monet and her long term 2016 Vitus Sommet Pro test bike! Monet will be putting the direct sales brand’s enduro machine through its paces over the year, starting with the the Welsh Enduro Series at Afan.
Monet Adams will be 50% of Wideopenmag’s fairer contingent in 2016 and has taken delivery of her long term test bike, the 2016 Vitus Sommet Pro. Cutting out the distributor and the shop does land you with a bike that screams top spec at a crazy price, but can direct produce the best bike when it gets to the trails? Monet will be cutting loose on the Sommet to find out.
Take it away Monet!
The Vitals
- 2016 Vitus Sommet Pro.
- Monet is testing a medium sized bike.
- £3,399.99 RRP.
- 27.5″ (650b) wheels.
- 160mm travel.
- Available in S, M, L, XL.
- www.vitusbikes.com
Monet says:
The 2016 Vitus Sommet Pro is a step up from the previous 2015 Vitus trail bike I had been riding; the Escarpe. Sleeker with a more refined build kit and an extra bit of travel (160mm on the front and rear), this bike means business.
Fully ‘murdered-out’ in stock form, Monet’s added a dash of red to suit her preferences.
The first time I jumped on the Sommet, the slacker, more aggressive geometry of frame was immediately obvious. The suspension feels plush and you can really swing your weight around the back of the bike. When it comes to climbing, the firm option on the Monarch RC3 locks out the back end and maximizes each pedal stroke.
I’ve brought my bars a little closer to my body with a super short little gem of a stem a Deity Cavity 35mm which increases my control and shortens the reach slightly- this may not be ideal for everyone but my height puts me at a ‘Small’ and my leg length ‘Medium/Large’ on the sizing guide.
A Monarch RC3 handles the rear wheel damping, while RaceFace keeps the power going to the ground.
After a day of downhill runs and pedal ups I had my suspension set up pretty well and was feeling at home on the bike. The only thing I was caught out by was how it felt more stable at speed, tracked the ground better and is definitely longer than the old Escarpe which had me blowing turns for the first half of the day.
Cables tucked away neatly beneath the integrated downtube protector.To give it a good thrashing I signed up to the Welsh Gravity Enduro Rnd#1 at Afan. In the unforgiving Welsh valley of sharp rocks and sideways rain I spent 2 days spinning up the hills and hammering down as hard as I could in what was also my first enduro race. Arriving on Saturday the valley was thick with rain, it didn’t seem to even be falling from the sky its was just blowing along sideways! We put off riding with the excuse of needing to take photos of a clean bike first in the hope it might die off…no luck we were soaked through within 20 minutes of pedaling up but we kept up pace and kept warm. I didn’t find it a challenge to climb, if any thing I found it easier to balance my weight over the bigger wheelbase up the short tech sections.
Afan’s open hillside takes no prisoners and I was caught out once on race day, putting my front wheel in to a hole in a switch back and getting spat out the other side. However I was feeling confident and comfortable on the bike, enough so to be pushing my limits on the descents despite the conditions. The bike is responsive and light to move around, but it seems to feel more planted even through the rough stuff.
A mad spec at the price. Mavic wheels and SRAM XO isn’t cutting any corners.
I battled through the moist weather, focusing on having fun, cheering on the other girls and pushing this Sommet! We got back to the center with lots of time to spare, so there was plenty of time for hot chocolate and marshmallows and it was looking like I had done a lot better than expected! Final times came in and I was up by 11 seconds overall, super stoked! Despite the horrible weather everyone still had huge smiles on their faces and looking round the car park it was clear to see that everyone had just a good time as us. My first endure race was rad, and so is the first impressions of the Sommet Pro. I’m really looking forward to spending a whole summer riding this bike.
We’ll be keeping track of Monet’s adventures here and of the 2016 Vitus Sommet Pro here.
Afan was wet. Very wet. Think mermaid’s flannel.
