[Closed] *Talk me out of a Liteville 301 Please*

The top suspension link looks like a handy testicle removal device it you get your position wrong over the top tube?..

Cheers

Danny B

looks like it could be an interesting bike.
http://cerrol.wordpress.com/2013/04/19/liteville-301-part-1/

liteville 301 would be my first choice for 160 fork compatible frames.

+1 for not resting your old chap on the top tube

They look really nice, are there many stockists in the UK? Aren't they cheap from Germany?

The top suspension link looks like a handy testicle removal device it you get your position wrong over the top tube?..

160 fork compatible

They look really nice, are there many stockists in the UK? Aren't they cheap from Germany?

They look amazing and are very light for their travel, I would like to ride one, pinkbike have a good review.

Not helping here, but do it, buy one (after trying first!)!

Saw a lad out on a 650b wheeled one last week, that was a very capable enduro bike 🙂

Merely a point of order but liteville are made in Taiwan to German specs whereas Nicolai are made in house on Germany. Otherwise they will be pretty analogous bikes. Well maybe not so. There is a lot more design in the liteville, with lovely and very ever design touches everywhere whereas the Helius will, in my view, be better made.

The only thing that put me off the Liteville was that the 301 And the 601 were just too light for their travel for me to feel confident about them.

I was thrown out of a shop for stripping naked a rubbing against a raw mk11. Utterly stunning...
But how much 'better' is it than my bargain basement Meta5?

No.

The only thing that put me off the Liteville was that the 301 And the 601 were just too light for their travel for me to feel confident about them.

Its still pretty close with the 301 and AC but i dont want to wait forever for the thing to be made.

I was thrown out of a shop for stripping naked a rubbing against a raw mk11. Utterly stunning...
But how much 'better' is it than my bargain basement Meta5?

Hora just talked me out of it, not with the Meta5 bit lol. your Meta5 has zero warranty and the Liteville 10 years?

I'd have either...I'd prefer the Nicolai for the custom options but it would probably be an extra £1000 (for me, as I'd wanted a custom seat tube and some other options).

I'd have either...I'd prefer the Nicolai for the custom options but it would probably be an extra £1000 (for me, as I'd wanted a custom seat tube and some other options).

This is it, once you add the spec i want, plus shock headset seat clamp, its a bit rich and im into carbon money.
I could see myself on a Mojo HD 140.

Godzilla...it was a HD 140 I ended up buying! 😀

I know, saw it on a friday night ride in Swaledale, looks great, is there a new one out soon?

Godzilla it has a 2yr warranty.

Do you really think you'd be riding the same frame as your main bike in 10yrs?

If YOU have 'coin youll be onto the next new thing/Unicorn product in a few years anyway. Only tight/poor ****s ride the same frame only for ten yrs 😆

Nope its doubtful that i will have it in 2yr but in two years it will still have 8 years transferable warranty left making it quite desirable.
Im unlikely to have the cash to blow on the next new thing next year as im quitting my second job so i have more time to ride, as i say i have a good Five.
Hopefully im never that tight/poor

This probably won't help.....my new toy.

[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8117/8644551559_a9bd5fb06c.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8117/8644551559_a9bd5fb06c.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/92488114@N05/8644551559/ ]P1000341[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/92488114@N05/ ]Magdalen734[/url], on Flickr

is there a new one out soon?

The only thing that put me off the Liteville was that the 301 And the 601 were just too light for their travel for me to feel confident about them.

Oh and Liteville warranty is 10years, and transferable to any subsequent buyer too, unlike some other mfrs. DH and race included too.

Would like to know what the special offer is though, to people that crash their bike on car rack into garage wall etc.

Oh and if you ride with yer goolies near the shock linkage, then I think you prolly need to sort out riding position 😉

Someone please talk me out of buying a 301....

2148,- EURO frame only ........ that's me talked out of it anyway.

Buy it!

Frame + shock for that price (headset also included too, and all the other bits that you expect to be bundled).

But it is a bit on the steep side for an alu frame. Nice though.

Wow shock included too. 'Generous' 😉

Truthfully, it would have to be very very good to be better for me than my Mega with a Loco tune at £760.00.

But if I was in the market for a new frame, then a Nicolai or Liteville would be at the top. Second hand though because they can't be worth that much new.

[img] [/img]

Am extremely pleased with my s/h Mk8. 🙂

Find some vids of German guys on them... most will be pretty hardcore alpine mountain descent (and ascent). None of this trail centre nonsense.

That's true, but something just doesn't add up. Liteville state the 301 weighs 2.5kg without shock, offers 160mm of travel and is warranted for a 180mm fork.

The Nicolai Helius AC weighs 2.9kg without shock and is only warranted for a 160mm fork.

Other 160mm bikes are similarly about half a kilo heavier and also only warranted up to 160mm forks.

So either Litville have some super strong new aluminium alloy that no one else has or radical manufacturing technique or they are willing to accept a few more returns on warranty when the frames break.

Besides pictures of it being ridden are no proof that the frame has longevity built into it.

Honestly I love them, love the look of them, love the design of them and I am sure I would love the ride of them so I am not knocking them. I am just a little wary that they've been built just a little too, ahem, Lite.

I'd have either...I'd prefer the Nicolai for the custom options but it would probably be an extra £1000 (for me, as I'd wanted a custom seat tube and some other options).

It wouldn't cost anything like this much. Full custom is now, I think, £600 extra and for that you get to spec pretty much what you want within the parameters of an existing design.

Mine is full custom and the upcharge was £500.

Mugboo it wont be better than yours. Its like handmade ti litespeeds or Sevens etc to the roadie world. It feels a self-serving niche of customers.

Too right Hora, after 8 years I am gaining control over the new bike itch. It helps that I have worked out what I like and the Mega is more than good enough for me, and at less than half the price 🙂

Doesn't mean I can't appreciate the industrial look of a Nicolai though. Way better than looking than all these new fangled, hydro formed tube sets.
I am an Hemlock owner though so maybe I'm not the best judge of looks. It proves that I value handing over looks though 😉

Certainly never heard of one snapping, although I don't hang around the Liteville sections of the German forums (only Cotic, and local region sub-forums), so maybe some have passed me by.

Now other brands that are more common on UK shores certainly do have reputations for breaking (even if only a few frames - you only get to hear negative user reviews online).

Still tempted, but wish I'd got one when they were only €1970 inc. shock etc.

There are a few of MK10's kicking about for €1998 at [url= http://www.bike-components.de/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=301 ]Bike-components.de[/url]

I had a carpark ride of the 160mm one with 650b wheels felt nice and light for 160 travel bike , it weighed 30lb dead on, I felt the wheels turned a bit heavy but they did have a set of huge Noby Nics on, pedals quite well 😀

Just been playing with the custom colour options on their website. It's really rather good 🙂

Do it. Itll be fun. And yoy can rent it too the local rabbi when your not riding it as a snip machine. Youll make your money back in no time. Plus it'll get washed very well. Even sterilised for every time you want too ride.

I had a demo on a 160 version. Amazing bike, lots of really clever touches like the chain guide. The low weight makes it very fast up and downhill. My 2012 Spicy was better downhill though, the 301 had a touch more flex which became apparent on the rocky downhills of the Lakes.

I actually pushed the button one one but then they wanted to charge £140 extra for the 160 version which they don't tell you in any advertising so I got a bit miffed and got a Remedy instead.

Merely a point of order but liteville are made in Taiwan to German specs

Is this true, as I've also heard from people trying to sell the frames that they are made in Germany?

Tried 3 301's last night:

Med: 140mm with 26 inch
Large: 160mm, 34's and 650b
XLarge: 160mm, 34's and 650b

All different builds and feel very different to each other, very nice well made bikes, slightly tempted..... 😯

Tried 3 301's last night:

Med: 140mm with 26 inch
Large: 160mm, 34's and 650b
XLarge: 160mm, 34's and 650b

Buy one, realise what an awful mistake you made, then sell it to me at a discount?

If its the polished version OP- I say BUY IT.

Tried 3 301's last night:
Med: 140mm with 26 inch
Large: 160mm, 34's and 650b
XLarge: 160mm, 34's and 650b

Two questions -

---- Where did you demo the bike?
---- What was the tyre clearance like on the XL with 650b tyres?

The geometry says the chain stays in the XL are the same length as some dedicated 650b frames. Presume the extra 25mm of a 650b would effect the feel of the bike due to the increase in bb height.

I have recently sold my Liteville 301 Mk11 (medium and i'm 5ft 7 with 29inch inseam) having ridden mainly in the surrey hills, swinley and couple of trips to Spain. I converted it to 650b after 3 months which was very easy with easily enough clearance front and back for 2.3 nobby nics, Hans Dampfs and latterly a Maxxis High roller II 2.4. I was also able to continue using my 26inch BOS Deville 160mm Forks with no clearance issues at all. (you can see pics of the build on http://www.pinkbike.com/u/teknorob/album/Liteville-301-Mk11-650B/).

Before i talk about my experience of the 301, i have to say, ignore the haters 650b is a real game changer. I had ridden 29ers and like most enjoyed the speed but hated the lack mobility/ fun. I love 26ers but the 650b is faster rolling, more confidence inspiring and is just as manoeuvrable as the 26.

After initially thinking this was the best bike i'd ever ridden, after 6 months or so i really began to fall out of love with it. I appreciate this is completely down to rider style, personal choice and these are just my opinions.

Pros:
- Frame beautifully made of over sized top grade aluminium (absolutely no probs with being too light for - its travel)
- Great frame details
- Suspension works brilliantly and the bike climbs better than any 160mm bike that i've tried
- Very light for what it is and my build came to 29lbs dead
- 10 year transferable warranty is an amazing thing which meant i was able to sell the frame after nearly a year for 300 quid less than i paid.
- Flexibility of set up, 140mm or 160mm & 26inch or 650b.
- rarity value (unless you take it to germany and then its like a ford focus.

Cons:

- BB too high and obviously made higher by 650b wheels
- the ride height generally feels high which made me feel slighly unconnected/ perched rather than part of the bike. This is especially noticed on fast sweeping and technical decents where i like a bike to suck you into the berms and corners.
- Everything costs extra, from the rockguard (£30) integrated chainguide (120) and despite what it appears to say on the website it doesnt not come with the adjustable Vario spin headset as standard instead coming with the normal one.
- poor communication with the liteville who took years to answer any questions and then generally failed to deal with the point you'd raised

i would say this bike is not optimised for 650b but instead it just so happens that the components will fit, which is not the same thing, so if you're happy with 26inch wheels you might have a better time.

The final nail in the coffin for the 301 was a chance ride of the santa cruz bronson. Chalk and cheese is the best way to describe the difference. The ride is simple better in every way and the frame is designed around 650b and not a marketing after thought. The bronson is faster over all terrain and you feel completely connected rather than perched. I was very lucky that i was able to get hold of an ex-demo carbon bronson frame and that all of my components including the forks and shock fit it perfectly, but if you can stretch and extra 500 over the liteville and you want 650b its worth every penny and more.

I hope this helps if not with your bike choice then atleast your insomnia : )

PS The BOS Devilles & Vipr combo rock and are simply the best suspension i've ever ridden.

Sprockets cycles in Kilmarnock have a medium 301 in black going for around 20% less than RRP. 😀

Its interesting to read how different bike suit different people.

I've been riding one for a couple of weeks now & my opinion pretty much is the polar opposite for the other person.

I tried a Bronson, both Alloy & Carbon. The alloy was heavy bike, which didn't help, the build was done on a budget & the tyres really didn't inspire confidence.

The Bronson C was a nice build, but still suffered with the issues I had with my old Nomad C, mainly I was stuck between a L & XL. Santa Cruz bikes still size up small & they insist on monster seat posts on the bigger bikes.

The top tube was too short, as was the wheelbase, and coming from a slacker, longer bike I really disliked the way it felt. I thought the low BB would be an issue, but SC, like most are very selective with how they measure it. 150mm forks, and skinny tyres it would seem as the bike I rode with a 160mm Pike & 2.4 High Roller 2 F, 2.3 High Roller 2 came in at ~353mm. Or just under 14" in old money. A fair bit higher than the 'official' figure.

I have an issue with super low BB's on bikes that are designed to be pedaled, i'm completely on board with it on a DH bike where it's less important, but on a trail bike? Not for me. I understand there needs to be a balance between handling & ability to pedal, and that sweet spot seems to be around the upper 13" mark. That was a pleasant surprise to the Bronson. I thought this was going to be a big dislike.

The weight was great, as was the stiffness. The finish out of the box on the carbon was nice, the alloy looked cheap, maybe the black paint job didn't suit it? They both needed a lot of helitape to keep them looking pretty. One of the guys I ride with has had a carbon from the launch, but it's already suffering the issues I have myself with carbon bikes, in that when they get a lot of use, they look tatty. Not really what you want from what is nearly a £3k frame. Jungle to be fair have treated him well & he's recently been given a new F&R triangle due to said finish quality issues.

With regards to the Liteville, for me, with 26" wheels I think the bike would be too low. The one I have been on measured in at nearly exactly the same BB height as the above Bronson (as accurate as you can be with a tape measure). There are some great frame features, and it all seems very well thought out. I'm not a huge fan of the looks, although it doesn't offend the eyes too much.

Ride wise, again interesting how people want, and feel different things from a bike. This bike seems to fit me well, and being taller, the inbetweener sized wheels seem to make more sense for someone who isn't fussed with a 29. There are times I notice the difference, the bike feels faster and rolls better, and there are times I feel like i'm just riding any other bike. I haven't really noticed a downside to it personally.

Being on a bigger bike, there are no issues with regard to mud/tyre clearance for me, I understand on the smaller ones this may be an issue due to shorter chainstays.

Overall, i'm impressed. Almost impressed enough to want to buy one. It's the only bike i've ridden of late I really like.