£2,399 Big trail capabilities for a modest price
STRAIGHT OUT OF THE BOX & ONTO THE TRAILS FRIST RIDE
Vitus have set out to raise the bar at this price point, aiming to give riders a bike that can perform on any trail and make you smile doing it. With 140mm of travel front and rear, 29in wheels, good rubber and an aggressive cockpit, the Mythique 29 AMP is designed to turn affordable trail bike performance up to 11.
THE FRAME
The frame is made from 6061-T6 aluminium tubing and delivers 140mm of rear-wheel travel via a four-bar Horst-link system. Vitus say the suspension has a 22 per cent leverage rate, which should offer sufficient progression for aggressive trail riding. Anti-squat is claimed to be around 100 per cent in the bike’s lower gears, to provide a stable pedalling platform.
Sharing the same frame hardware as its more expensive Escarpe sibling, the Mythique features all the modern standards, including Boost 12x148mm hub spacing, a threaded BB, 44mm upper/56mm lower headset bearings, and a trunnion shock. While a bit old-school, the external cable routing is tidy, and a plus for home mechanics. There’s space for a water bottle in the front triangle and mounts for tools and spares under the top tube.
Our medium test bike had a generous 455mm reach, a trail-friendly 65.5-degree head angle and a thoroughly contemporary 77.5-degree effective seat tube angle. This combination gives a moderate effective top tube length of 596mm, which, combined with the tall 634mm stack height, provides a balanced seated pedalling position. The chainstays are a stable 445mm long, and the BB drop a low 40mm, aiding fore/aft stability and side-to-side agility. At just 410mm, the seat tube is short, but its new straight design means it should still accept long dropper posts. Overall, the geometry looks on-point for a modern trail bike that should give confidence on a wide range of trails.
THE KIT
Well-equipped for the price, the AMP boasts a 140mm-travel RockShox Pike Select RC fork and a more basic RockShox Select Deluxe R air shock, which only has externally-adjustable rebound damping. Shimano supply the 12-speed gearing – a mix of XT, SLX and Deore kit – and the two-pot SLX brakes with 180mm rotors, which provide reliable stopping power. Rolling stock consists of WTB KOM Trail i30 rims on Vitus hubs, with Schwalbe Magic Mary and Hans Dampf tyres, both with the SuperTrail casing and ADDIX Soft compound, in a 29x2.3in width. Cockpit kit is from Nukeproof and you get a Brand-X Ascend dropper post as standard.
THE RIDE
The modern geometry of the latest Mythique seats you in a comfortable p
