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EB15: Split Personality Marathon or Trail Bike in Liteville’s New 120mm 101 mk1

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Liteville_101-mk1_aluminum-trail-XC-cross-country-mountain-bike_complete

Liteville did some reorganizing of their naming schemes last year and phased out their previous hardtail which had held the 101 name. (That hardtail has being reintroduced under the H-3 moniker with aggressive all-mountain builds.) So now they have reintroduced a 101 with an all-new 120mm full-suspension bike that is light enough to get built into a Marathon cross country machine and burly enough to go the other way and become a capable Trail bike. Developed as a toned-down and lightened up version of their popular All-Mountain/Enduro 301 (in its 12th iteration) the new 101 MK1 looks like it is destined for a lot of great singletrack riding.

Click through across the break for a detailed look at the new bike, its tech and features, and a look at a different approach to Boost from Liteville and sister component company Syntace…

Liteville_101-mk1_aluminum-marathon-XC-cross-country-mountain-bike_complete

Both Trail and Marathon versions gets spec’ed with RockShox suspension, care of SIDs up front and Monarch DebonAir shocks in the back. The 11.7kg (25.8lb) Trail version adds a dropper post, shorter stem, Syntace’s bolt-on chainguide, and beefier wheels; vs. the Marathon’s light weight cockpit and wheels from Syntace to shave off 1300g to get down to 10.4kg (22.9lbs). The 101 MK1 will be available in 4 sizes for either build (and also as a frameset) with the Small getting 27.5″ wheels, and the Medium-Extra Large going 29er. Prices and final availability should be revealed in October 2015.

Liteville_101-mk1_aluminum-XC-cross-country-mountain-bike_front-end Liteville_101-mk1_aluminum-XC-cross-country-mountain-bike_rocker-arm-detail Liteville_101-mk1_aluminum-XC-cross-country-mountain-bike_DynaLevel-sag-indicator-detail

The 101 MK1 takes a lot of design cues from the longer travel bikes in Liteville’s range, with a light, butted and shaped aluminum tubeset. It also gets a lighter version of the same Horst-link four-bar suspension layout with its high rocker mounted on the toptube. A nice touch found on most of their bikes, the 101 includes Liteville’s DynaLevel sag indicator which is a small pin welded to the toptube that aligns with a red pin on the rocker when you sit on the bike. This easy to see (even when riding) sag marker makes it very simple to ensure your bike stays set up optimally. Also of note on the top tube is an open port to partially route a non-internal dropper post cable.

Liteville_101-mk1_aluminum-XC-cross-country-mountain-bike_DuoLink_Evo-6-details Liteville_101-mk1_aluminum-XC-cross-country-mountain-bike_DuoLink-demonstration

The rear end gets a Syntace X12 thru-axle, the modular mount for Syntace’s RockGuard rear derailleur protector, a DuoLink setup, and Syntace’s new EVO6 frame standard. The 101 uses Liteville’s two-position DuoLink system that lets riders switch to a smaller rear wheel for quicker acceleration while not altering the bike’s angles or bottom bracket height.

Liteville_101-mk1_aluminum-XC-cross-country-mountain-bike_DuoLink-27-5-position Liteville_101-mk1_aluminum-XC-cross-country-mountain-bike_DuoLink-26inch-position

The Liteville engineers had a fun demonstrator set up at Eurobike, so we could see the impact of (or rather lack thereof) switching rear wheel sizes with DuoLink. The shortening of the chainstays and overall wheelbase can yield a quicker accelerating and more maneuverable bike, but does not affect it’s steering characteristics or center of gravity. With only the small 101 coming standard with 27.5″ wheels, it can swap in a 26″ rear wheel with the DuoLink system. The M, L & XL start out 29er and can opt for a 27.5″ rear wheel if desired.

Liteville_101-mk1_aluminum-XC-cross-country-mountain-bike_rear-axle-Syntace-tool Liteville_101-mk1_aluminum-XC-cross-country-mountain-bike_bottom-bracket-details

The bike gets a post mount 180mm rotor, and can also include a small Syntace tool that is stored in the X12 rear axle. The 101 is compatible with both single and double drivetrain setups, with a direct mount front derailleur, and includes flexible cable routing for a mix of internal and external cables to solve most any possible setup.

Syntace_EVO6-frame-standard_asymmetric-Boost-interpretation_fact-sheet Syntace_EVO6-frame-standard_asymmetric-Boost-interpretation_EVO6-vs-Boost-148

The EVO6 rear end is Syntace’s take on the Boost system. Instead of evenly splitting the extra Boost width with 3mm for each hub flange, the Syntace EVO6 solution puts all 6mm of it on the driveside for symmetric rear wheel builds with equal spoke tension. They make up the difference by sliding the cassette (and dropout) a further 3mm outboard (vs. Boost 148) which requires a proprietary frame setup and rear wheel. The performance and long-term wheel durability is probably there, but you are locked-in to a Syntace-compatible wheel/hub.

Liteville.de

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Smitty
Smitty
9 years ago

I’m not sure I understand the point of 148, I think it’s mostly a chainline thing, BUT…

Similar to what they did with this wheel, would it be possible to use a standard hub with a 148×12 axel and 6mm spacer (or new cap) on the non-drive side and spacer for the disc mounts? This would make the wheel off center from the center of the bike, so the wheel would need re-dished back to the center making spoke lengths and tension a little closer to equal. You’d still need the boost chain line correction and the hub flanges aren’t any farther apart, but it could still make a stronger wheel.

Bob Log
Bob Log
9 years ago

Does this really lock you into Syntace wheels & hubs, or can you simply build up any rear wheel you want so long as you dish it appropriately? (so, similar to C-Dale’s F-Si rear wheel)

Bob Log
Bob Log
9 years ago

er, any rear wheel using a Boost 148 hub that is…

spctgr
spctgr
9 years ago

@Bob Log Yup, just like Cannondale’s AI system, both of which still require offset chainrings. I believe Pyga has a new offset 142 hubbed bike as well.

Sevo
Sevo
9 years ago

If this can take a b+ rear wheel I’m in

Seraph
Seraph
9 years ago

You lost me at the proprietary hub.

ploor
ploor
9 years ago

where can i get a liteville in the US? – i really like their no-nonsense approach, no hype
but applying clever engineering

Tang
Tang
9 years ago

Goodjob. Nice Evo 6 design.
As long as the frame design don’t hit the heel or crank arm.. should be fine. 🙂

(y)

Krischan
Krischan
9 years ago

@Smitty – Boost 148 essentially provides symmetrically wider hub flange spacing for a stronger 29er wheel.

@Cory Benson, correct the Boost cranks adjust the chainline to be the same as with a non- Boost bike because everything on drive side is moved out equally.

@sevo – Syntace’s Evo6 does not specifically allow B+, the frame needs to be built with B+ in mind. The Liteville H3 is built with the option of building it as a B+ bike, the Liteville 101 as a XC/marathon/trail bike is not built as B+ compatible, but both use Evo6 axle spacing.

@Ploor – contact RadsportUSA.com

– Evo6 is great because it uses the newest hubs/hub spacing standard (148mm), AND solves two further issues: a) equal spoke tension / bracing angle b) chain line is improved due to the cassette being positioned 3mm further out.

Tim
Tim
9 years ago

Rear brake line routing looks terrible. Otherwise, these look like well-conceived bikes to me. The sag meter is an especially good idea.
@Krischan- those sounds like huge pluses for Evo6 rear wheels. Why is Evo6 not standard? Why didn’t other manufacturers do this? (That’s not Bikerumor comment section sarcasm, I am really wondering that.)

Adam
Adam
9 years ago

Hey Tim

The rear brake routing is actually not bad, there’s no bending which crimps the brake hose, and all the tight radius bends are pretty much static after installation. Plus, it keeps the brake line well away from snags. But – it is limited to brakes which have a banjo fitting you can rotate.

I dig the Evo6 idea, I hope it takes off like Syntace’s X12 system did.

Jerry Greer
9 years ago

Ploor,

Go to http://www.radsportusa.com/. They are the US distributor for Liteville, Syntace, and other great German bike products. Talk with Kenny Roberts, he’s the owner. You can also get our from Colorado Cyclist in Colorado Springs. I’ve been shredding a 301 for almost 2 years and I love it. Best warranty on the industry. Goes with the frame and not the original buyer for 10 years.

ploor
ploor
9 years ago

thanks Jerry!

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