Sommet 297
Origin
The Sommet is Vitus's enduro/all-mountain flagship, launched in 2015 as the brand's first dedicated entry into the highly competitive enduro segment, developed over an 18-month in-house R&D programme on the foundation of the Escarpe trail bike. Vitus itself is a heritage name born in 1930s France (Ateliers de la Rive, Saint-Étienne) — pioneers of the first mass-produced aluminium frames in the 1970s — revived in 2011 by Northern Irish retailer Chain Reaction Cycles as a direct-to-consumer brand (now under Frasers Group). The 297 generation runs mixed wheels and 170 mm travel, and is consistently praised as delivering near-flagship enduro performance at roughly half the price of comparable dealer-brand carbon bikes.
Specifications
- Frame
- Carbon-alloy: T7000 carbon front triangle + 6061-T6 aluminium rear end
- Weight
- kg
- Drivetrain
- Shimano XT M8100 1×12 (CRX build). SRAM X01 1×12 on AMP build.
- Brakes
- Shimano XT M8120 4-piston hydraulic disc, 203 mm rotors (CRX build)
- Wheels
- DT Swiss EX1700 wheelset (CRX build), Boost spacing. Nukeproof Horizon V2 on other builds. Mullet: 29" front / 27.5" rear.
The verdict
- Exceptional value: carbon mainframe with top-end suspension (Fox 38 Factory / RockShox Zeb Ultimate) and XT/X01 kit at a sub-£4,000 direct-to-consumer price
- Lively, energetic and fun ride feel that stays composed and stable when terrain gets rough
- Modern, slack enduro race geometry well suited to fast, aggressive descents
- Supportive suspension platform once properly set up, with good mid-stroke support after the leverage-curve redesign
- Sensible spec details — external cable routing (no integrated headset routing) makes maintenance easier
- Fox 38 fork can feel over-damped for lighter riders (a 60 kg tester had to run rebound and HSC fully open)
- Doesn't feel quite as planted or forgiving at the limit as the very best bikes in the category
- Noticeable pedal bob on climbs — relies on the shock lockout to mitigate it
- Mullet setup can make the smaller rear wheel hang up / trail on square-edged hits
- Insufficient rocker-to-knee clearance reported on the smaller frame sizes
Who it’s for
Related models
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