liteville

liteville
301
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images, and video on the Liteville,
scan this QR code or log on to
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Weight: 27.2 lbs (as tested)
Weight: 5.75 lbs (frame only)
Price: $2,595 (frame only)
www.Syntace-US.com
92
Trent Bona
I’M RIPPING
MY FAVORITE
AFTERNOON
SINGLETRACK
loop in the Colorado high country—Doctor
Park in Crested Butte, a true mountain bike
trail. The climb seems to have flown by as
I top out and begin the flowy yet technical
descent. Opening it up on the initial drop in,
my bike begins to come to life: It sweet-talks
the rocks, and they swoon under its finesse.
The suspension allows me to go faster than
usual, and I’m carving turns and effortlessly
maneuvering the rocky sections as though I
were aboard a burly downhill rig. The bike
beneath me engages the trail as though it has
been built specifically with this one trail in
mind. Basically, it rips.
Key design details are what make the
thoughtfully crafted Liteville 301 stand out
from many of today’s cut-and-paste high-end
mountain bikes. While riding the 301, it is
immediately apparent that Liteville’s detailoriented engineers are also mountain bikers
who have the freedom to make changes with
that one euphoric trail in mind. The intricate
craftsmanship, robust tubing and function-
oriented accessories of the 301 frame provide a
great platform to build a trail-worthy bike.
German-based Liteville has been crafting
suspension mountain bike frames since
2005. The company formed from an already
established partnership with the owners of
component manufacturer Syntace. Michi
Gratz and Jo Klieber set out to continue their
standard of creating top-notch componentry
and apply it to building the best suspension
bike available. Now in its 10th iteration, the
versatile 301 continues to receive subtle yet
particularly beneficial annual improvements,
demonstrating Liteville’s continued dedication
to perfecting the bike and keeping it up to date
with current trends. Our Mark10 301 offers
many unique and cleverly machined features
that make the bike an engineering masterpiece.
With its innovative, machinist-inspired
design, the heat-treated 7005 aluminum frame
straddles the line between elegant and bold/
surly. Its simple, stout lines and clean welds
ooze function and versatility. The shock is
uniquely placed directly below the top tube
and parallel to the rocker arms at one of the
stiffest tube junctions. Because of this, the
301 provides a strong yet light setup and is
extremely resilient over time.
Each piece of the 301 has a purpose,
adding to its trail capability without
overcomplicating or contributing unnecessary
weight. One example is Liteville’s NCP
(Neutral Center Path) cable routing. NCP
basically means non-interrupted cable routing
that follows the down tube, passes through the
seat tube, directly through the rear triangle’s main
pivot (eliminating elongation of the housing as
the wheel passes through its travel), and through
the driveside chainstay directly to the rear
derailleur. This provides constant, precise shifting
and less chance for cable contamination even in
day-after-day wet-weather riding. Additionally,
a channel below the top tube houses the front
derailleur cable and there is space to route
housing for a height adjustable seatpost.
Because of Liteville’s connection with
Syntace, all frames include an assortment
of the component manufacturer’s high-end
goods. A great example of this is the frame’s
rear dropout, with Syntace’s X12 12x142 axle
system (a standard pioneered by Syntace). An
optional chainguide mounts discretely beneath
the chainstay fitting tightly into a machined
notch. Utilizing a nylon runner, the chainguide
provides ample chain management with little
drag and can be used with any chainring
configuration. Another nice accessory is the
Syntace CNC machined rear derailleur guard
that protects that high dollar XTR mechanism,
which can so easily be sacrificed on a looming
rock. Little touches exemplify the thought that
has been put into the 301 and greatly improve
93
Trent Bona
the rider’s experience. The partnership with Syntace allows Liteville to
provide riders with a complete package bike.
Designed around a four-bar Horst Link suspension system, Liteville
is the only European brand given approval by Specialized—who owns
the U.S. patent—to utilize the Horst Link design in the U.S. market.
(Liteville’s full line of frames is now available stateside through Syntace
U.S.) This tried-and-true suspension design is well-known for its
efficient ride characteristics, and Liteville has done an excellent job of
refining and implementing the Horst Link design into the 301.
Liteville’s “Statically Superior” suspension design makes for a
comfortable yet efficient ride by providing a stable pedaling platform
when the shock is in its sag. As I pedaled through rough flat sections, the
301 felt snappy and accelerated with little noticeable bob while it sucked
trail chatter and kept me in control. Many hours of engineering were
spent analyzing suspension movement to find the optimal placement of
the shock and the four pivot points of the rear triangle to keep the chain
torque introduced into the system by the rider completely separate from
the movement of the rear triangle. This creates a system that produces
little bob or pedal jack even under full acceleration, regardless of gear
selection and also keeps braking forces out of the suspension’s movement.
The design utilizes cold-forged rocker arms that run on needle
roller bearings and actuate the shock. These rocker arms are offered
in two configurations (140mm and 160mm), so with a proper traveladjustable fork, the 301 can be quickly morphed from a quick and
agile 140-mm cross-country bike to a 160-mm trail monster, for those
looking to push the bike on bigger mountain terrain or purpose-built
94
park riding. With the 160-mm setup, we found that we had to match
the bike’s aggressiveness: The rider needs to lean and force turns on
this bike. But like a good DH bike, the 301 also tracks really well and is
surprisingly stable over big drops and bike park features. It felt like the
front end was solidly in front of me, rather than under me, allowing me
to blast through obstacles with complete confidence.
Changing the rocker arms changes the rear wheel travel by altering
the geometry as well as the position where the linkage fastens to the
seatstays. The idea is that if the front and the rear wheel travel are changed
jointly, the bike will ride the same way, just with more or less travel.
Cleverly integrated into the rocker arm is what Liteville calls Dynalevel, a
simple sag indicator positioned directly below the rider, providing quick
on-the-bike sag indication.
With the rear shock positioned directly below the top tube and the
rocker arms parallel to it, the 301 provides clean and simple aesthetics
rarely found in a bike of this travel level. Heck, you can even run a bottle
cage. We spent most of our test time with the 301 set up as a 140-mm
bike mated with a Magura Thor 150-mm fork. This provided an extensive
amount of versatility, and this became our go-to bike for long days on
technical terrain. We later swapped out the rocker arms for the 160-mm
option and traded the fork for a 160-mm Rock Shox Lyrik and were
surprised how well the 301 accepted the change, still providing ample
efficiency and an almost bottomless suspension feel.
Our test sled was spec’d pretty generously with a Shimano XT
groupset including a 2x10 with an XTR Shadow Plus rear derailleur.
Running this bike with 2x added to its simple, efficient nature while
providing an ample gear range. DT Swiss EXC1550 carbon hoops made
for a light and stiff addition. A Syntace Vector carbon bar and F99 stem
created a light yet comfortable cockpit. For amazing stopping power,
Magura MT8 brakes kept the bike’s European trend.
Our medium 301 featured a rather slack 66.5-degree head angle
paired with a stable 115.4-cm wheelbase, giving the bike’s handling
a slower feel but making it very stable on big, fast, steep terrain. The
bike takes a bit to adjust to after riding a less aggressive trail bike, but
once you find its sweet spot, the 301 will inspire a new level of riding.
Each frame also features size-specific chainstays—ours were 430 mm—
adding more to production costs but creating a truly size-specific frame.
These angles gave the bike a very stable feel at speed without being too
downhill specific. Climbing on the 301 was surprisingly efficient and it
welcomed out-of-the-saddle bursts. This bike can be pushed on both the
uphills and the downhills and will leave you grinning from ear to ear on
both. The 301 begs to be the do-it-all bike.
The 301’s pivot points feature specific load-optimized, doublesealed stainless steel bearings mated to the frame with titanium
hardware. Frame pieces, such as the rocker arms and dropouts, are
CNC machined for optimal strength-to-weight characteristics. These
crafty details make the 301 stand out over other production frames
on the market. If those features aren’t enough, Liteville also offers a
5+5 warranty, five years of full coverage against any defects at no cost
and five years of 50 percent off coverage. This applies to anyone who
owns the frame, not just an original owner.
Liteville’s end goal was to create a bike that a variety of riders
would love riding without having to worry about what’s not working
correctly. The 301 climbed efficiently, and our build was rather light
for its burliness. When pointed downward, the long and slack 301
was predictable and stable but also had a playful side and felt at home
hopping every obstacle in sight. Riders looking for a do-it-all-bike that
features amazing detail and an element of uniqueness, will be stoked
ride after ride on this bike. –J. Carr