Test: The VOTEC VX is the long-running MTB hit in the southern German manufacturer's portfolio. In view of the balanced geometry, the well thought-out equipment and the low price, the success of the 29er fullies is no surprise. The basic ingredients remain the same in 2016; Our test showed that this is a good thing, because the VX Pro is a good-natured all-round talent at a fair price.
VOTEC VX Pro: frame and rear end
The Swabians have been using the basic form of the VOTEC VX Pro frame for a number of years. All equipment and model variants use an aluminum frame, the rear triangle is a classic four-bar linkage with Horstlink. The language of form and the overall design are extremely successful: Even the mighty damper rocker fits nicely into the overall picture and the glossy gray paint finish in our case with subtle, matt black elements and decals gives the bike a valuable look.
A topic on which opinions are still divided even years after it was established is the cable routing: In the case of the VOTEC (apart from the reverb and optional front derailleur) they are routed on the outside of the frame, more precisely below the down tube. Sure: Internally running sleeves look good, but not only make maintenance more difficult, but also tend to rattle sooner or later in almost all models. The placement under the down tube is visually inconspicuous and we didn't have any problems with damage from stone chips or bumps during the entire test period.
With 135mm of travel in the rear, 140mm in the front and the large 29″ wheels, the VOTEC offspring seems to fit perfectly into the category of modern trail bikes: why that is only half the truth, we’ll talk about right away when we look at the geometry . In any case, we think the versatile mounting options of the frame are really successful: Even if in our case it comes with an 11-speed group from SRAM and without a front derailleur, 2-speed riders can easily retrofit it here using Direct Mount. The generous tire clearance is also positive: 2,4″ tires have no problem in the rear triangle – even with wide rims. Many will also appreciate the option to mount a bottle cage, which even accommodates a large bottle on our L-frame.
VOTEC VX Pro: Geometry
As already mentioned, the VOTEC VX Pro has been around for a year or two - you can see that when you look at the geometry data. But to get straight to the point: The fact that the 29er fully is not quite up to date also proves to be positive during the test, as in many places it shows long-forgotten all-mountain virtues.
VOTEC VX Pro Geometry
S | M | L | XL | |
seat tube (in mm) | 425 | 450 | 480 | 530 |
Top tube horizontal (in mm) | 570 | 595 | 615 | 635 |
head tube (in mm) | 100 | 100 | 110 | 125 |
chainstay (in mm) | 451 | 451 | 451 | 451 |
Wheelbase (in mm) | 1131 | 1156 | 1177 | 1199 |
Steering angle (in °) | 68.5 | 68.5 | 68.5 | 68.5 |
Seat angle (in °) | 74.5 | 74.5 | 74.5 | 74.5 |
Reach (mm) | 395 | 420 | 437 | 454 |
Stacks (in mm) | 621 | 621 | 630 | 644 |
The most striking thing when looking at the dimensions of the frame are the long chainstays and the very long wheelbase associated with them. This is not necessarily in line with the zeitgeist, where the trend is towards ultra-short chain stays - even lengths of less than 430mm are no longer uncommon with 29″ - especially on modern trail bikes. This gives you extremely agile handling and playful trail rockets, but this comes at the price of losses in other areas. Bikes with short chainstays tend to be a little more nervous in handling, and the front wheel climbs quite quickly on steep uphill sections. With its 451mm long struts, the VX stands more for smooth running than for agility: Especially for slightly less experienced drivers, the positive properties should be more noticeable than the losses.
The rather short reach complements the other properties well: Despite the long wheelbase, the riding experience is not too bulky and the bike still appears compact. The 68.5° steering angle is a good middle ground between uphill and downhill and the steep seat tube angle promises effective propulsion.
VOTEC VX Pro: Features
frame | VOTEC VX AL6061-T6 |
suspension fork | RockShox Pike RC 140mm |
Suspension shocks | Rock Shox Monarch RT3 DebonAir |
Wheels | Easton Heist 27-29" |
Tire VR | Schwalbe NobbyNic 2,35" Evo Trailstar |
Tire HR | Schwalbe RockRazor 2,35" Evo PaceStar |
derailleur | SRAM GX1 Type 2.1 |
Gear levers | SRAM GX1 11-speed |
Crank | Race Face Aeffect 28t |
Front derailleur | ohne |
Brake | Shimano SLX M675 |
Brake discs | Shimano IceTech 203/180mm |
Seat post | RockShox Reverb Stealth |
Saddle | Ergon SME30 Evo |
Stem | Race Face Turbine Basic |
Links | LevelNine team Flat 760mm |
The RRP of €2.599 is quite cheap for a bike with the area of application of the VOTEC VX Pro - but if you expect cheap add-on parts or painful compromises in the equipment, you are wrong: Here in Swabia they have done an excellent job and put together a complete package, that's probably it is (almost) unrivaled for the asking price. The drive is based on the 11-speed entry-level SRAM GX group with a 10-42 cassette and a 28-tooth chainring. So you get a comfortable mountain gear of 28-42, even for less trained legs, and you can still pedal comfortably up to about 30 km/h. Processing and shifting performance are, as usual from SRAM, on a high level, especially the crisp shifts.
With the Rock Shox Pike, the all-purpose weapon par excellence is used at the front: even if it has been around for a year or two, thanks to a very good compromise between weight, performance and rigidity, it can still be used with the best forks in the world keep up class. The RC variant in the VX Pro has external rebound control and the compression can also be finely adjusted on the fork crown between fully open and lockout. The damper also comes from Rock Shox: Here VOTEC installed the Monarch as an RT3 variant with the large DebonAir air chamber. The compression level can be easily adjusted in three stages (open / platform / closed) using the thumb lever and thanks to DebonAir the Monarch should respond a little more sensitively than before. The fact that the decision was made against the more powerful Plus variant with piggyback makes perfect sense in view of the intended area of use, after all the VX is not a race enduro but rather a powerful trail tourer.
We were positively surprised by the Easton Heist 27 wheels. These weigh less than 1.850g and, thanks to an inner width of 27mm, also hold 2,4″ tires safely with good traction. With the appropriate rim tape and valves, the set can also be easily converted to tubeless. Speaking of traction: VOTEC has also given some thought to the tires and is looking at the VX with the NobbyNic as a Trailstar variant with good grip on the front wheel and the Semislick RockRazor as a PaceStar with little rolling resistance.
When it comes to the brakes, you can rely on proven power and reliability from Shimano. It is not without reason that the installed SLX M675 stoppers are among the most popular disc brakes of recent years and, with the IceTech discs (203/180mm), offer more than enough reserves even on long descents. Of course, a dropper post should not be missing either: The Reverb Stealth comes with 125mm adjustment travel, the 100mm variant is only installed in frame size S.
They didn't skimp on the attachments either: the saddle and grips come from Ergon, the crank and stem from the Canadian manufacturer RaceFace. Only the handlebars are made from the house brand LevelNine. It's a bit unusual that the latter comes as a flat bar without any rise at all - especially since the stack of the VX isn't particularly big either. This gives you a fairly low front, which is probably not for everyone: But the choice of handlebars and ergonomics are highly individual matters anyway.
VOTEC VX Pro: On the trail
So the ingredients for a tasty trail dinner are right, but does the VX Pro taste good in practice? In a word: yes! The sitting position "in" the bike has a positive effect directly on the first meters. While one or the other 29″ MTB still feels stilted today, the VOTEC cuts an extremely good figure here. The Easton wheelset is also pleasing from the start: Thanks to the humane weight, acceleration is good and the freewheel has a rich, crisp sound.
After numerous excursions off-road, many meters of altitude and depth, we are really impressed by the VX Pro: The overall driving behavior is probably best described with the word good-natured; the long chainstays are particularly noticeable on steep climbing sections - the front wheel always stays firmly on the ground without the rider having to shift his weight too much towards the front. The rear end works almost without bouncing - at the latest when you switch the shock to platform mode, it's quiet.
On the downhill, the VX impresses above all with its smooth running: Thanks to the long wheelbase, it stays on track and the powerful RockShox suspension also forgives the occasional excursion beyond the ideal line. Sure: With a 68,5° steering angle and the rather short reach, the VX is definitely not an enduro race machine and the VOTEC 29er reaches its limits in technically blocked and very steep terrain - but it was simply not designed for that. It also has some trouble with tight bends and needs to be maneuvered around the curves with great care. This is where the long wheelbase becomes noticeable. The tire combination almost always cut a good figure: the Schwalbe combo only lacks a bit of grip on deep and wet soil.
The VOTEC is in its element during longer trail tours in moderate terrain. The bike feels right at home here and can score with its properties. In this respect, we see the VOTEC VX Pro as more of a potent touring bike than a playful trail rocket. It evokes memories of 'classic' all-mountain bikes - a type of bike that has almost been forgotten in view of the latest enduro and trail bike trends - after our test of the VX Pro we ask ourselves: Why actually? Especially those who cannot or do not want to afford an MTB for every purpose and who are idlely looking for one thing for everything should take a close look at the VOTEC VX Pro.
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