First Impression: Liteville 601
Originally posted on December 11, 2013 at 9:10 am
You’ve never heard of Liteville? That’s OK, it’s not like you local bike shop has racks full of these bikes. Liteville is a sister company of Syntace, the German component brand.
Besides being a niche brand, the 601 is a niche bike, with a downhill-worthy 190mm of rear travel, packaged into a frame that is designed to climb as well as descend. Match that up with a single- or dual-crown fork, and we’ve got a monster of a bike that is neither trail nor downhill, but hopefully some the best traits of both. And look!! 26-inch wheels!
The 601 came set up for all around use, with a 180mm Fox fork (full name: Factory 36 TALAS 180 FIT RC2), XO 2×10 drivetrain, XT brakes and a Reverb dropper with Stealth routing. The wheels are Syntace, with the ultra-wide W40 rim, plumping out the Schwalbe Muddy Mary tires to husky proportions. And that is a full on DH ready Rock Shox Vivid Air rear shock
Geometry is pretty interesting, with all sizes sharing top tube heights (not lengths), so sizing can be based on top tube length, rather than an concern about standover. The chainstay length also changes as sizes get larger, with 415mm (with a 24-inch rear wheel) on the extra small, up to 445mm on the XXL.
Head angle and BB height are adjustable with a single bolt on the upper shock mount. Even more adjustment can be done with a VarioSpin headset, with options for up to +/- 1.5-degrees of adjustment. While I’m usually a set and forget type of rider, I made use of the adjustable geometry to slacken things out to ride as Snowshoe bike park, and steepened things up for more local (and less steep) riding.
You’ll notice how serious this bike looks, and the ride so far has matched the looks, with impressive pedaling performance from that long-travel rear end, while making hits both big and small disappear.
I also notice how little attention this bike attracts, with almost zero inquires in the lift line. Most riders seem to glance at the Liteville, and quickly look away, perhaps sensing some danger underneath the unassuming all black finish.
