In the fickle bike industry, hardly any other company has stood for consistency like Liteville. In 18 years, the 301 model has been revised a total of 15 times in small development steps. Liteville fans could look forward to a further optimised MK version almost every year. The Liteville 301, which is still available, has always been a constant symbol of attentive German engineering work, shaped from voluminous aluminium tubes.
Everything new at Liteville
A new wind is blowing at Liteville in 2023. Syntace mastermind Jo Klieber is still involved in the brand, but the company has been taken over by the Austrian Pierer Industrie AG. Two-wheeler enthusiasts are familiar with the new majority owner primarily because of the KTM and Husqvarna motorbikes in the company's portfolio. The change can also be felt in the products: Liteville is not only experimenting with carbon frames from European production, but this year presented a bike with the name suffix "MK1" for the first time in a long time: The Liteville 303 is intended to be an independent, more downhill-orientated version of the iconic 301.
Longer and flatter, the Liteville 303 is designed to take downhill performance to a new level
We were able to test a pre-production version of the new Liteville enduro bike back in spring. Our conclusion of the Liteville 303 with 160 millimetre fork, which at the time rolled on Mullet tyres: the all-round qualities of its 301 brother have remained, but the quantum leap in downhill performance has not materialised. Although a 160 mm fork can also be fitted to the standard model and a small rear wheel can be fitted by adjusting the chainstay length, our test bike comes with 29-inch wheels and 170 millimetres of travel at the front. It was clear that this configuration would have an impact on the geometry. When we pushed a 303 back into our test lab a good six months later, we were still quite astonished. It seems as if the pre-production bike - typical Liteville - was just an intermediate step on the way to the goal: The Geo is now significantly longer and flatter.
The Liteville 303 MK1 on test: How the aluminium enduro bike rides
Despite the overhanging chainstays, the bike handles better through tight corners than many other enduro bikes. However, if you want to get on the rear wheel, you need a lot of strength in your arms. With the high front and the low top tube, 303 riders feel wonderfully well integrated into the bike when standing. Racers would probably lower the cockpit to generate more pressure on the front wheel. However, this is prevented by the high headset cover - through which the cables are routed.
On tricky steep sections, it is not only the saddle, which can be lowered a long way, but also the powerful braking system that ensures a high feeling of safety. In the fall line, the excellent Rockshox ZEB takes all obstacles out of the way with ease, and together with the slack head angle, the bike stays on track with ease. Unfortunately, the rear suspension can't quite keep up, is a little less plush and lacks support on jumps or off-road bumps.
At the same time, the stiff rear end continues to deal out blows. Even with the adjustment options of the Ultimate suspension, the imbalance in the suspension cannot be completely concealed. It seems as if the Liteville 303 has an enduro bike in front, while an all-mountain bike follows at the rear. A tamer 160 mm fork might actually suit the riding characteristics of the 303 better. The moderate puncture protection of the tyres would also give a more coherent picture. Although Liteville has only given the MTB a narrow chainstay and no down tube protection, the bike remains pleasantly composed in every situation.
An enduro bike for the MTB tour: The Liteville 303 MK1
The 303 is a capable companion for those who like to pedal a lot of vertical metres on long tours or a trail transalp. The bike climbs exceptionally well for an enduro bike. Thanks to its absolutely acceptable weight and upright riding position, it is easy to pedal towards the summit. When seated, the rear suspension only bobs minimally. When pedalling out of the saddle, the rear end pumps more, but can be easily calmed down with the platform lever. The small chainring with 30 teeth helps on steep ramps. Due to unfavourable cable routing radii, the gears require a lot of manual force - there is still potential for optimisation here for a future MK2.
Technical data and notes on the Liteville 303 MK1 Race
Manufacturer information
- Category: Ednuro
- Price¹: 6499 Euro
- Available from: Specialist retailers
- Frame material: Aluminium
- Wheel size: 29 inch
Measured values
- Suspension travel: 170 mm (front) / 157 mm (rear)
- Weight without pedals: 14.43 kg
- Frame weight: 3374 g
- Weight of wheels: 4845 g
- Acceleration of running wheels: 3924.22 kg x cm²
- Handlebar width: 780 mm
- Frame rigidity (absolute): 62 N/mm
Equipment
- Wheels: Syntace C33i
- Tyres: Maxxis Assegai / Minion DHR II 3C MaxxTerra Exo Protection TR, 29 x 2.5 / 2.4
- Fork: Rockshox ZEB Ultimate
- Shock: Rockshox Super Deluxe Ultimate
- Brakes: Shimano XT 4-piston / 200/180 mm
- Gear system: Sram X01 Eagle gear ratio / range 30; 10-52 / 520 %
- Telescopic support / stroke: Eightpins / 150-258 mm
Valuation
- Driving behaviour uphill: 18 from 20
- Chassis efficiency: 17 out of 20
- Rolling resistance: 8.5 out of 10
- Weight: 6 of 15
- Inertia impellers: 5 out of 10
- Bottle cage: 4.5 out of 10
- Driving behaviour downhill: 34 from 40
- Rear suspension: 18.75 out of 25
- Front suspension: 25 out of 25
- Saddle retractability: 10 out of 10
- Brakes: 12.75 out of 15
- Tyre grip: 12 out of 15
- Driving stability: 5 out of 10
TOTAL MOUNT: 59 from 80
TOTAL RECOVERY: 117.5 from 140
- Other: 27 out of 30
- Ease of maintenance: medium
BIKE test rating²: Very good - 203.5 out of 250 points
Conclusion
With its uncomplicated handling and great touring characteristics, the Liteville 303 builds on the strengths of the 301. Despite the name, the Liteville is not a race enduro bike. The suspension in this configuration is too unharmonious for that. For technically winding trails without time pressure, the newcomer is a good choice. There are more capable enduro bikes for the chase over tough courses. - Jan Timmermann, BIKE test editor
¹Price may be subject to additional costs for packaging, dispatch and coordination.
²The BIKE judgement reflects the laboratory measurements and the subjective impression of the test riders. The BIKE judgement is independent of price. BIKE judgements: super (250-205 P.), very good (204.75-180 P.), good (179.75-155 P.), satisfactory (154.75-130 P.), with weaknesses (129.75-105 P.), unsatisfactory (104.75-0 P.). The weighting of the points in the individual assessment criteria varies depending on the bike category.
Jan Timmermann
Editor
