Continuous test performance 2,620 km | 29,600 altitude metres
Model year 2013
For the tuning competition in BIKE 7/2013 the Liteville had been dressed up really nicely: wide Syntace system wheels, Clavicula carbon cranks, XX1 drivetrain, XTR stopper, Reverb seatpost, plus a lightweight Syntace cockpit - all of which made me salivate at the time. In the end, the Liteville won the test in this festive costume. A few individual adjustments were still necessary: the Ergon saddle and grips suited me better, I fitted a 30 mm chainring for better touring suitability and replaced the heavy Schwalbe Magic Mary tyres with Hans Dampf.
The most important change was to the rear suspension: the Fox Float had to make way for a Fox Float X - which clearly gets more out of the suspension. I find Liteville's wheel philosophy exciting: "Scaled Sizing" is what they call their concept, which makes the wheel size dependent on the rider size. And since the front wheel has a harder time overcoming obstacles due to the physical parameters, Liteville uses a larger wheel at the front than at the rear. For frame size L, Liteville recommends the 26/27.5 inch combination. This results in a steering angle of 65.2 degrees, which provides a lot of safety when galloping downhill.
And how has the bike resisted the ravages of time? The joy of the plump look is somewhat dampened: the down tube shows a crater field like after a meteorite impact. Although the scratches are probably the result of a more serious crash, I would still recommend 301 riders to use a frame protector for the thin-walled oversized down tube. Apart from this flaw, the bike is still going strong after a year of use. Our mechanics were surprised by the condition of the bearings: "almost like new".
Conclusion: Successively developed over the years, the versatile Liteville 301 makes a very mature impression.
Functionality ******
Shelf life *****
(max. 6 stars)
CHANGES
- 100 km - Tyres: Hans Dampf instead of Magic Mary
- 700 km - Grips and saddle: GE1 grips and SM3 saddle from Ergon fitted
DEFECTS
- 300 km - Crater landscape: dents in the down tube, probably due to a crash
- 1300/1700 km - Brake pads: Good braking performance, limited service life especially in winter: the organic Shimano pads have been replaced twice.
- 1700 km - Chain guide: The chain guide shows a crack, but continues to do its job.
- 2000 km - Fork/seatpost: RockShox Reverb seatpost and Fox 34 Float have some play.
Josh Welz
Editor-in-Chief
