VITUS MYTHIQUE 29 AMP REVIEW

Reviewing the Vitus Mythique 29 AMP was one of the highlights of our 2023 Budget Bike Group Review. We’d never ridden a Vitus here in the States and their bikes have been a force in the delivery of budget rippers in the UK since 2011. Vitus’ Mythique is their affordable, alloy do-it-all trail bike, with four models in the range that top out at the $2,599 AMP. Does this low price point limit the performance of the Vitus Mythique 29 AMP on the trails? We think not.

THE LAB

The Vitus Mythique family of trail bikes are available in either 27.5” or 29” wheel sizes (29er only in North America), with 140mm of travel on both ends (130mm for the entry-level VR model). A 6061-T6 aluminum alloy frame is used throughout the range to keep the price down. Aiming to ensure the price was the only thing that was reduced though, Vitus focused on further improving the performance of their value-minded trail shredder by tweaking the geometry and kinematics to offer more confidence for beginners and more capability for experienced riders.

To cater to a wide range of riders with varying budgets, Vitus offers the Mythique in a choice of four spec levels. The lineup begins with the $1,699 Mythique VR, which receives a 130mm travel fork and has the rear shock stroke reduced to deliver the same out back. Going through the Mythique VRS and VRX at $1,999 and $2,299 respectively, you arrive at the top-spec Vitus Mythique AMP tested, with a price tag of $2,599 and a sensible build kit to maximize its performance at this price level. Vitus do offer more expensive bikes in other family lines. However, the Mythique is firmly planted as their affordable do-it-all budget mountain bike.

The rear end of the Vitus Mythique uses the common Horst Link suspension layout, which Vitus has tuned to deliver reasonable pedaling efficiency, good comfort when braking and ample progression (21%) to take the bigger hits. The frame has been updated with a number of features in the name of “keeping it simple”. There’s SRAM’s UDH to make replacements easier to source; externally routed cables to make maintenance easier; a Trunnion shock mount for smoother shock operation; a threaded BB; hardware that’s shared across their trail and enduro bikes; and room inside the front triangle for a large bottle on all sizes.

The geometry of the Vitus Mythique AMP reviewed here has been made more aggressive compared with the previous model, now sharing similar geometry numbers as Vitus’s premium carbon fiber trail sibling, the Escarpe. Across the size from Small to XL, the seat tube lengths are relatively short, and the Mythique has been designed to offer generous insertion to slam a long travel dropper post. On the 29er models equipped with 140mm travel (as tested), there’s a 65.5° head tube angle; 77.5° seat tube angle; 445mm chainstay length and 40mm bottom bracket drop across the size range. Reach lengths are fairly long, ranging from 430mm to 510mm, with our large review bike coming in at 482mm – the longest on the test. Stack heights are tall too, with the large sitting at 643mm to give a commanding and confident front end. The wheelbase totals 1,244mm, sitting at the upper end of the spectrum in this shootout.

The Vitus Mythique AMP retails for an impressive $2,599 and is the only bike with a Charger damper-equipped fork, something that set it apart from other RockShox competitors. Up front a RockShox Pike RC fork with Charger RC damper and a Deluxe Select R shock. Braking duties are handled by Shimano with their two-piston SLX M7100 brakes, likely the crew’s favorite in this test. The drivetrain is a mixed Shimano 12-speed setup, with an SLX shifter and 10-51t cassette with an XT derailleur, driven by a Deore M5100 crankset with a 30 tooth chainring. The cockpit is provided by Nukeproof, with a Neutron Saddle and V2 alloy bar and stem with 31.8mm clamp. Brand-X’s Ascend dropper is fitted, with 150mm travel on the Large and XL; and the wheelset comprises WTB’s KOM Trail i30 rims on Vitus KT hubs. As standard the tire duties are handled by a Schwalbe Magic Mary and Hans Dampf Super Trail combination in 2.3” width, however, for this test all of the bikes were equipped with Versus tires to give consistent performance across the board. The large Vitus Mythique AMP tips the scales at 33.3 lbs.