Well, it's been a long time coming but I finally managed to get out and start putting my E-Sommet 297 through it's paces. For info, as seen in these photos, this bike has cost me £3,125.06, once I've taken into account the savings on new parts and money gained back from selling the bike this one replaced (2017 Powerfly 9 LT+), plus money for the parts that have come off the 297 (still a couple bits waiting to sell). I am beyond stoked to have it down to this price!
First off, I like to ride natural trails, but the techier and steeper the better. Unfortunately, I got to the woods today to find that FC have felled trees across a lot of the steepiest trails, in a deliberate move to shut them down. I'm gutted, 'cos it meant I didn't get to play quite as hard as I'd have liked, but they have left (for now...) some fun stuff, which meant I got to give the bike a good shake-down.
First off, I friggin' love that Durolux fork (see separate review)! Just ridiculously good and then you look at the price; honestly, one of the best first rides I've had on any fork, ever. I have no doubts about it being very capable of balancing out the Fox Float X2 on the rear. The trails were running such that I wish I'd been on an Assegai, as the Shorty just wasn't needed to ride most of what I was riding. It's been a while since we had any rain of note, so the trails were relatively dry and the dirt was nice and tacky. Mixed with the rock, it would have been perfect Assegai territory. Anyhow, I was able to launch the bike, send a couple of big drops, and run some speeder-bike trails, and the 297 took the lot in it's stride. It was so good on the roots that I didn't actually think about it until after the ride, and supremely confident when it got wheels off the ground. I could certainly feel the weight of the bike, when coming in hot to the bottom of a chute (which nearly caught me out first time round!), but I think I'll quickly get used to it. Speaking of weight, out of the box, minus pedals, the bike weighed a tenth over 24kgs. As seen above, minus mud(!), it weighs a tenth under 24kgs, which I was pleasantly surprised about. It definitely takes a bit more effort to pop about, loft the front wheel, and change lines (just ask my shoulders!), but this is a very fun bike to ride none-the-less. I'm certainly looking forward to getting onto some of my more preferred style of trails and getting in a visit to my fav DH centre too. Fair to say that this is probably the best bang-for-my-buck eMTB that I've bought to date!
Aside from a few control tweaks, my only real gripe was the speed sensor cable. I was more than a little concerned when I looked down, to see the cable nudging up against the rotor (stock 203mm), as I was plodding up a climb. I'm hoping that a couple of zip-ties and a little extra slack in the right place, should see it right. Ugly solution but the best I have right now.
First off, I like to ride natural trails, but the techier and steeper the better. Unfortunately, I got to the woods today to find that FC have felled trees across a lot of the steepiest trails, in a deliberate move to shut them down. I'm gutted, 'cos it meant I didn't get to play quite as hard as I'd have liked, but they have left (for now...) some fun stuff, which meant I got to give the bike a good shake-down.
First off, I friggin' love that Durolux fork (see separate review)! Just ridiculously good and then you look at the price; honestly, one of the best first rides I've had on any fork, ever. I have no doubts about it being very capable of balancing out the Fox Float X2 on the rear. The trails were running such that I wish I'd been on an Assegai, as the Shorty just wasn't needed to ride most of what I was riding. It's been a while since we had any rain of note, so the trails were relatively dry and the dirt was nice and tacky. Mixed with the rock, it would have been perfect Assegai territory. Anyhow, I was able to launch the bike, send a couple of big drops, and run some speeder-bike trails, and the 297 took the lot in it's stride. It was so good on the roots that I didn't actually think about it until after the ride, and supremely confident when it got wheels off the ground. I could certainly feel the weight of the bike, when coming in hot to the bottom of a chute (which nearly caught me out first time round!), but I think I'll quickly get used to it. Speaking of weight, out of the box, minus pedals, the bike weighed a tenth over 24kgs. As seen above, minus mud(!), it weighs a tenth under 24kgs, which I was pleasantly surprised about. It definitely takes a bit more effort to pop about, loft the front wheel, and change lines (just ask my shoulders!), but this is a very fun bike to ride none-the-less. I'm certainly looking forward to getting onto some of my more preferred style of trails and getting in a visit to my fav DH centre too. Fair to say that this is probably the best bang-for-my-buck eMTB that I've bought to date!
Aside from a few control tweaks, my only real gripe was the speed sensor cable. I was more than a little concerned when I looked down, to see the cable nudging up against the rotor (stock 203mm), as I was plodding up a climb. I'm hoping that a couple of zip-ties and a little extra slack in the right place, should see it right. Ugly solution but the best I have right now.
