Upon the back of the releases of the new Escarpe and Sommet, Vitus has updated the well-received E-Sommet. Building upon what people loved about the previous E-Sommet, this update sees an integrated battery with Shimano's new EP8 motor and a frame design which makes it fall in line with the recent releases.

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As with the release of the new acoustic bikes, Vitus says they tackled the redesign of the E-sommet with the intention to improve upon the old with an integrated battery, an updated geometry while kitting it out with the best kit at an accessible price.

Just like the previous iteration, the E-sommet is a mullet bike, rolling on a 29er wheel with 170mm of travel at the front and a 650b with 167mm of squish at the back, backing up its full enduro intentions. 

Most notably, the new frame design follows a similar styling to its non-pedal assist siblings thanks to that integrated battery. It comes from Shimano and the brand's internal battery in either its 630Wh or 504Wh guise. As for the motor, the bike is kitted with either a Shimano EP8 or an E7000 unit with the latter of each being found on the cheaper bike.

Vitus has opted for an EP8 motor because it has 36% less pedaling resistance, 10% less weight, and 20% more torque than the E8000 motor.

All bikes in the range are built up from a 6061-T6 aluminium frame and it gets a 478mm reach (on a large) with a 64° head tube angle and a 442mm chainstay.

The seat tube angle is where things get a little interesting. Vitus has built each frame size with a progressively steeper seat tube angle. This is to offer what the brand deems to be the optimal sagged saddle position across the size range. Therefore, an S and M frame get a 77° effective seat tube angle with an L seeing a 77.5° angle and an XL receiving a 78° seat tube.

The seat tube has also had a redesign to allow for a deeper insertion depth for longer dropper posts. Cable routing has also been improved and there's frame protection on the motor, downtube, and chainstay.

Following the 2021 Escarpe and Sommet, the E-sommet also gets a redesigned suspension platform featuring the very same fixed lower shock mount. This results in an improved progressive leverage curve for more consistent feel, damping, and support.

The E-sommet will be available in three builds, the VR, VRS, and VRX. The base VR gets a Shimano E7000 motor and 504Wh battery with an X-Fusion Trace 36 RC fork and an X-Fusion O2 Pro R shock. There's also a Shimano drivetrain and brakes with a Brand-X Ascend dropper and Maxxis tyres in the form of the Assegai up front and a High Roller II at the rear (all of which find their way onto each bike in the range too).

The middle of the range VRS gets the EP8 motor and 630Wh battery. It also benefits from a RockShox ZEB Select RC fork paired with a RockShox Super Deluxe Select R shock. This bike also gets a Shimano drivetrain but it's upgraded to the SLX range with some Deore sneaking its way in, taking the place of the cassette and chain.

Then the VRX tops the range being kitted with an EP8 motor and 630Wh battery. This one gets the super flashy ZEB Ultimate RC2 from RockShox with a Super Deluxe Select+ shock. The drivetrain is built up with a mix of Shimano SLX and XT.

The Vitus e-Sommet is set to cost £3,600 for the VR, £4,800 for the VRS, and £5,500 for the VRX and they each come in four sizes from S to XL.

• vitusbikes.com

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