The Vitus Mythique 27 VRX is an award-winning entry-level trail bike. At £2,100, it's hard to beat the spec level of this VRX model – it's a fantastic all-around trail bike with spot-on modern geometry that means it climbs like a billy goat and is an absolute hoot when things head downwards. Only its somewhat portly weight and a few misjudged component specs mar an otherwise perfect scorecard.
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Vitus Mythique 27 VRX trail bike - Technical details
Released a few years ago to unanimous acclaim, the Mythique has been tweaked and tuned by Vitus for 2023 with improvements across the board with an aim to make it one of the best bikes in its class. This latest iteration is more capable than ever, especially this VRX model as it gets a bump in travel to 140mm from 130mm on the standard models. It is available with either 29-inch wheels for increased rollover capability or the more playful 27.5-inch model I have on test here. It comes in four sizes - S, M, L, and XL to suit riders from 5ft 2" to a whopping 6ft 7" so there should be a model for everybody.
Starting with the sleek-looking British racing green 6061-T6 aluminium frame, there have been some significant changes from last year's model. Most noticeably the kinked top tube has gone, replaced instead by a far sexier low-slung straight tube for increased standover clearance. Seat tubes have also been redesigned and are now shorter for 2023 with full dropper insertion across all sizes (440mm on my size large) Next up we have bridgeless seat stays for maximum mud clearance and space for up to a 2.6in tyre, double row bearings in the rear triangle for increased stability and durability, and a reliable BSA threaded bottom bracket shell complete with ISCG tabs for a chain device or bash guard.
The cable routing is fully external for ease of maintenance apart from seat tube stealth routing for the dropper post. Vitus has done a fantastic job of this with smart bolted alloy hose guides for a secure and premium aesthetic. It's also good to see some well-designed moulded rubber frame protection adorn both downtube and chainstay. The rear end features a Boost 148 x 12 rear thru-axle for maximum torsional stiffness and a universal derailleur hanger for ease of crash replacement.
Vitus has also tweaked the geometry with the new Mythique. The head angle has been slackened by half a degree to 65.5 with a 140mm fork, for more confident handling in steeper, more technical terrain. This has been balanced out with additional tweaks to the seat tube angle which is now 1.5-degrees steeper at 77.25-degrees effective, placing the rider more forward over the BB for improved climbing ability. Reach has also been lengthened a touch to keep things from feeling cramped, a roomy 487mm on the size large I'm testing. The chainstay length is a nice middling 435mm for a good balance of stability and agility.
On the subject of stability, Vitus has listened to criticisms of last year's bike and dropped the BB height which now sits 22mm below the axles lowering the centre of gravity for increased stability and cornering prowess.
The Mythique retains its Horst-Link four-bar suspension platform, however, for 2023, the kinematics have been updated for improved performance on rougher, more technical trails. The leverage rate is a pretty progressive 22 per cent for better mid-stroke support and improved big-hit capability. Meanwhile, anti-rise has been increased to ensure the bike's geometry remains stable under hard braking forces.
Additionally, there's a pair of downtube-mounted bottle bosses with room for a full-sized water bottle, a must for any trail bike worth pedalling in my eyes.
Overall build quality and finish is impressive, especially considering the bike's low price.
Vitus Mythique 27 VRX trail bike - Componentry
Obviously, at this price point there will be some concessions made to the spec to keep it affordable, but generally speaking, Vitus has done a smashing job with the Mythique VRX.
Prioritising suspension performance is a great way to start things off as it affects the whole feel and ride of the bike. Thankfully, the 140mm Marzocchi Z2 on this longer travel VRX model is a fantastic little fork that performs brilliantly with a plush but supportive Rail damper and Float Evol air spring borrowed from its Fox 34 sibling. It's a tad heavier than the Fox fork due to thicker walled stanchions, but this could be seen as a positive as it really stiffens things up, making it a stouter and more accurate fork especially combined with the 110mm x 15mm thru axle.
Likewise, the trunnion-mounted RockShox Deluxe Select R rear shock may be basic, with only rebound adjustment available, but it's been accurately tuned and compliments the frame very well with a plush feel off the top but with enough progression to absorb the bigger hits. Excellent pedalling manners make up for the lack of a lockout with minimal bob or excessive movement unless really stomping on the pedals.
Stop-and-go duties are taken care of by a mainly Shimano affair with the exception of a 170mm Raceface Ride chainset complete with a rather cheap-looking pressed steel 30T narrow wide chainring. Shifter and brakes are Deore with the usual showroom upgrade to an SLX 12-speed rear mech. The cassette on my test rig is a Sunrace CSMZ800 with a whopping 11-51T range although according to the Vitus website, it could come with a 10-51T Deore M6100 instead, I guess this is due to parts availability.
Gear shifting on my test bike was crisp and accurate throughout the test period. The brakes are Shimano's excellent two-piston Deore MT501s with 180mm rotors front and rear - one of the best budget brakes available and a great shout on a bike like this. While it would have been nice to see Vitus spec the four-pot calipers for some extra stopping power, the brakes on my test bike were more than adequate in most scenarios. Unfortunately, Vitus has cheaped out on the rotors, speccing very basic 'Resin only' RT56 discs meaning an upgrade is necessary if you want to switch to harder-wearing winter-friendly sintered pads in the future.
The Mythique rolls on own brand hubs laced to 30mm wide WTB St Light i30 rims that seem fairly tough and not too heavy and the freehub has a reasonably quick pick up too. These are shod with some decent well-proven rubber in the shape of a pair of EXO casing 2.3in Maxxis High roller 2s in the basic dual compound. They are a tad skinny for my tastes and I'd prefer to see a Minion DHF up front for its superior corner carving attributes, but it's still good to see proper tyres specced on an entry-level bike.
The finishing kit is all taken care of by Nukeproof with a well-shaped 780mm Neutron bar and a matching Neutron stem in a fairly stubby 45mm reach. Saddle and grips are Vitus branded parts and are decent enough although the grips are a little thin for my large hands.
Finally, a reliable Brand-X Ascend dropper takes care of up and downy duties and has been flawless from day one. I did find the 150mm drop a little wanting on my size large though, with enough exposed post that at 6ft, I could easily take a 170mm version to really benefit from the shortened seat tube. Disappointingly, even the XL comes with the same measly 150mm dropper as standard which is surprising considering the Ascend is available with up to 200mm of drop.
Mythique 27 VRX trail bike - Performance
My first impressions of the Vitus Mythique were very positive. It's a lovely-looking bike with a premium aesthetic that belies its budget price tag. According to Vitus, the size large on test is suitable for riders from 5'10" to 6'2" so, at 6ft and a bit, I am bang in the middle. Subsequently, I felt at home on the test bike immediately, although having gotten used to the super long 504mm reach of my personal enduro bike, it did feel a bit like a big BMX at first.
I needn't have worried though, after the first shakedown ride at the local woods I was loving the agility and playfulness of the shorter reach, and the slightly steeper head angle provided. The Mythique was a flipping riot, darting around the tight enduro tracks, begging to be popped off any root or lip that came its way. As I smashed out lap after lap it was evident that for this kind of riding the Vitus was not only more fun but actually felt faster than my personal bike and that cost nearly twice the asking price of the Vitus. An impressive start.
I have been testing the Mythique for a couple of months now and in that time I have ridden a wide variety of trails including some long days on both Dartmoor and Exmoor. It was on these rides I discovered just what an accomplished climber the Vitus is. Despite its fairly portly overall weight of 15.3kg, thanks to a combination of that ultra-low 30x51T bail-out gear, a healthy dollop of anti-squat, and a comfortable and nicely centred ride position - it'll claw its way up pretty much anything. I didn't even miss not having a lockout or compression adjustment for the rear shock since it pedals remarkably well with good support and minimal bob. For long days in the saddle, the Mythique is in its element with a peppy ride quality that encourages you to go that extra mile, just what you want from a trail bike.
I've also taken the little pocket rocket out of its comfort zone at a couple of proper Enduro and DH tracks where I certainly found its limits, but had a whole lot of fun getting there.
The chassis feels very solid and confidence-inspiring which, along with the sorted geometry, encourages you to push it harder than its trail bike tag suggests. The soft ribbed rubber chainstay protector pretty much eliminates chainslap which makes for a super quiet bike as speed picks up. Although the Z2 is a pretty stout little fork, it can get overwhelmed when really pushed in really rowdy terrain. I'd love to plug in a bigger fork and turn the dials up a notch, but then if that's the kind of riding you're planning to do on the regular you'd perhaps be better served by the Mythique's big brother the Sommet.
Obviously, this bike is an entry-level trail full susser and not a full send enduro rig, and although it has proven super capable of blurring the lines, fundamentally it is just that - a brilliant do-it-all trail bike for the masses.
Niggles are very few in all honesty, it's a sorted bike for a bargain price, but if I was digging deep I'd love to see a longer travel dropper on the larger sizes to really capitalise on the short seat tubes - 150mm drop really is a bit miserly by today's standards. Even a 170mm for large and XL would be acceptable and would allow the seat to be dropped right out of the way for maximum fun times.
Secondly, the cheap resin-only rotors are a bad place to skimp as a trail bike this capable warrants a decent set of stoppers. Not only are they incompatible with sintered pads, but they also seem particularly easy to warp - I've had to true them up on multiple occasions, especially after long fast descents. I know it's a relatively cheap upgrade, but I'd sooner see Vitus spec a Deore rear mech or own brand stem and supply better quality rotors as standard.
Finally, although the massive gear range is very welcome on a trail bike like this, the Sunrace cassette on my test bike weighs the same as a small moon. Enough that there's a definite rearward weight bias to the bike that causes a slight imbalance when airborne or bunnyhopping larger trail obstacles. It's something I got used to though and it was rarely a problem. Although its bulk goes someway to explaining the bike's fairly hefty overall weight. To be fair the Mythique wears its weight very well, feeling surprisingly nippy everywhere, probably aided by those lightweight EXO casing tyres. Speaking of which, I had to run 30psi in the rear for fear of puncturing the thin casings due to the Mythique's enduro bike-lite aspirations.
Vitus Mythique 27 VRX trail bike - Verdict
The Mythique VRX offers a great deal of bang for your buck and, in terms of direct competition, there are very few that come to mind that offer the same level of value, specification and performance to rival the Vitus in this price range.
In terms of value, at £2,225, the Boardman MTR 9.0 offers a killer spec for the money. It trumps the Vitus with a RockShox Pike Select fork and Deluxe Select + RT rear shock taking care of suspension duties and a full Shimano SLX drivetrain and four-piston brakes taking care of shifting and stopping duties. It packs a tad more travel too, 145mm rear and 150mm up front, which along with the bigger 29er hoops should give it the edge as the terrain gets gnarlier. However, although Boardman has recently updated the frame, the geometry is still a tad conservative for the travel on offer with a fairly steep 66-degree head angle and a slightly slack 75.5-degree seat angle.
Additionally, the Boardman seat tubes are significantly longer in all sizes than the Vitus - 480mm vs 440mm size large, meaning it rides taller even with the dropper fully slammed. This actually puts it on the back foot in terms of downhill stability as well as climbing efficiency compared with the more progressive 65.5/77.25-degrees of the shorter travel Mythique. Speaking of droppers, the budget Sartori post on the MTR 9.0 is inferior to the ergonomic and supremely dependable Brand X on the Vitus.
Alternatively, if you're willing to splurge a few more beer tokens, £2,899 gets you the Canyon Spectral AL 6 (here's our review of the CF8), an incredible trail bike with great spec and progressive, fun geometry.
While on paper it's a trail bike, Canyon has blurred the lines between trail and enduro with the latest generation Spectral. Rocking a full 160mm of front wheel travel via a beefy RockShox Lyrik Select+ and 150mm of rock-swallowing rear travel from a plush piggyback-equipped Super Deluxe+ RT shock, the Spectral is ready to party. The suspension tune is spot on too with plenty of small bump sensitivity and a progressive end stroke for big hit capability and coil shock compatibility. The Spectral is a true all-rounder that's both efficient on the climbs as well as a formidable descender.
A solid spec compliments this; highlights being a SRAM GX Eagle groupset, punchy Code R brakes and a quality DT Swiss wheelset shod in triple compound Maxxis rubber with tougher EXO+ casings. For the money, it's hard to beat, but then again it is a good deal more cash and more in line with the higher specced Mythique AMP than the VRX on test.
Finally, at just £1,400 the Rockrider Am 100s is a great value 140mm trail full susser. Sporting a Sram NX drivetrain, 150mm Rockshox 35 Gold fork, and 29-inch wheels, this mid-travel bargain has great spec for the money. Unfortunately, though, the bike is held back by outdated geometry and an overly linear shock tune that wallows in its midstroke and bobs badly under load. Upping pressures don't seem to add any progression either. The short reach and tall seat tube along with a relatively steep 66-degree head angle really hold the bike back when trails get steep and technical.
The Mythique by comparison is a far more up-to-date and upgradeable machine and is far more capable in serious terrain despite it having less suspension travel on tap.
I think it's pretty clear by now I'm a big fan of the Vitus Mythique 27 VRS. Not only is it a fantastic bike for the money, but it's also a fantastic bike full stop. The frameset has obviously been sweated over and it feels and rides like a much more expensive bike. Geometry is key as always, but even more so at this entry-level price point. So many budget suspension bikes are plagued with old-school regressive angles that do nothing but undermine new rider confidence.
Thankfully Vitus has ticked all the boxes with Mythique VRX with fantastic modern trail bike geometry that truly encourages you to push your limits, which is exactly what you need if you are a new rider looking to progress your riding. It also pedals like a dream if munching miles and crushing the climbs is the top priority.
