Need advice for my first enduro
I’m about to buy this build, need some advice on how good it is and how much it’s worth approximately. These are the parts:
Frame: Liteville 301 MK 12 160 mm
Damper: RockShox Monarch DebonAir Plus RCT 3
Fork: Formula 35 EX 180 mm
Wheels: Syntace W35 MX 27,5" front, W30 MX 26" back
Brakes: Magura MT 7, 203 disks
Sram GX 11, X01 Cassette and chain
Crank: Sram NX 155er mit 32er Kettenblatt
Chain guide: Syntace SCS II bottom MRP top
Head set: Newmen Evolution 30mm
Hamdlebar: Haero Carbon H.175 ED SL
Seatpost: Vecnum Moveloc2 200 mm with Trigger
Overall it’s been used a lot but still runs well. Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance
Posted Dec 24, 2019, 2:50 PM UTC
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Litevilles are weird bikes, 20% of LV owners fucking send it and 80% are overweight old men with too much cash lying around.
Estimating a price for this bike is gonna be difficult without any pictures, age of the components, etc. Spec seems decent but not great, I wasn’t too impressed with my Monarch, and it might be hard to find someone who can service a Formula fork.
How tall are you? I’d skip on this simply because of the 26‘ rear wheel. No one except freeriders uses 26 anymore.
And judging by the spec sheet, I assume this is in Germany?
Yeah it’s in Germany.
Why is the 26‘ so bad? I’ve read nothing but good things about scaled sizing...
Here’s more info and pictures, I’m 6“ so it should fit me perfectly https://bikemarkt.mtb-news.de/article/1321715-liteville-301-mk-12-l-160
It’s less the scaled sizing and more the 26‘ wheel. Some of the EWS and DH pros also run mixed wheel sizes, but those are 29/27.5 mullets. 26 is only better for things like flickability, which is why the pros run it for the fest series or rampage, but that’s not really the target group of the 301. Everywhere else 26 is gonna be at a disadvantage, both climbing and descending. For climbing, a mullet is is actually gonna be worse unless you adjust the geometry because it slackens the seat tube angle.
At your size you could ride both L or XL on some bikes depending on whether your focus is straight line speed or maneuverability, but I’d go with full 29 or 27.5. People say that 26 ain’t dead, but it really is.
Also, I don’t want to make this bike look bad for you, you’ll probably still have fun on it. Hell, a friend of mine is faster than me on a 26‘ dirt bike with big tires. I just think there’s probably something more fitting/modern for that price, especially with the big dents on the downtube and if you want to ride Enduro. I got a 29er this year coming from 27.5, and there’s no way I’ll ever go back.
Alright, do you have any recommendations? Something between AM and Enduro would be nice... been looking at the Capra as well but it seems to be pretty heavy
Edit: what do you think of this one? https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/radon-jab-enduro-20-neuer-rahmen-mtb-fullsuspension-carbon/1250207114-217-1590?utm_source=copyToPasteboard&utm_campaign=socialbuttons&utm_medium=social&utm_content=app_ios
In what price range? For 1700 the bike you linked is pretty good, and I guess with VB you could get him down to 1.6/1.5k. For more budget oriented bikes, consumer to direct is pretty much unbeatable, but there's some other options. Off the top of my head, I'd check out the following:
Canyon: Spectral, is sold as "trail bike", but with 160/150 its probably bang on for what you want. Strive, more of an Enduro race bike but still climbs pretty good. Dubbed best Enduro bike of 2019 by Enduro magazine in the 5.0 version.
Commencal: Meta 29. Also more on the Enduro side, but similar to Capra. Bit heavy, but I have no problems lugging it up the alps. 2019/2018 models also available in 27.5. There's also a Meta TR with 150/130mm of travel, but it's not a lot lighter and I'd rather have the extra travel.
YT: Capra as you said, which is really a pure bred enduro or park bike. Jeffsy is similar to the Spectral and was raced by some of the EWS riders on the more mellow stops in 2018 (don't know about 2019, not a lot of YTs in the top spots). There might be new models in 2020, YT usually releases them in January so maybe wait until then to get some discounts no the 2019 models.
Radon Slide and Jab, german brand, not a fan of the carbon frame shape myself, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Lots of bang for your buck.
Cube Stereo 140 or 150, also from Germany. Great price/value ratio, can be heavily discounted at bike shops sometimes. Friend of mine saw the 140 with full Fox Factory suspension and carbon frame for 2800€.
As for bike weight... it's something people worry about too much imo. 1kg on the bike is still only around 1-2% of total bike+rider+equipment weight. I'd rather have a heavy bike that doesn't break than a light one with shitty tires and a cracked frame, especially on an Enduro. On that topic:
Weight Matters
Interview with Chris Porter, I linked the time where he starts talking about weight, but the whole thing is really interesting.