Bike manufacturer Liteville is certainly infected by the current 27.5-inch euphoria, but has developed its own approach to dealing with the three wheel sizes: The motto is "Scaled Sizing": The answer to the question of the maximum sensible tire size - front and rear - at Liteville depends on the frame and thus body size.

One bike - two wheel diameters
And since the manufacturer also differentiates between pushed and pulled bikes, there are several combinations. With an XS frame and an average height of 157 centimetres, a 24-inch wheel is used at the rear and a 26-inch wheel at the front. For the 175 cm rider with frame size M, a 26-inch wheel at the rear and a 27.5-inch wheel at the front should be used. For tall riders with frame size XL around 192 centimetres tall, the recipe is 27.5 at the rear and 29 inches at the front.

Pushed and pulled wheel
Liteville also has an explanation for the different rear and front wheel sizes. A pulled rear wheel simply rolls over obstacles - and can therefore be smaller at the rear wheel in favor of stiffness and good acceleration. A pushed wheel - i.e. the front wheel on the bike - finds it more difficult to ride over obstacles, which is why a larger circumference is the right choice. To allow customers to experience the "one bike - two wheel sizes" concept in an unconventional way, the German manufacturer provides wheelbarrows that can be used to overcome obstacles by "pulling" and "pushing" them.

Detail work on the 601: the "MK3" version
The 601 model, which is often referred to as a "super enduro", has been revised for the 2014 model year. An aluminum plate has now been incorporated into the transition between the head tube and down tube to prevent dents from forming on the steering head when using double bridge forks.

The bellcrank and its mount on the down tube have also been freshly overhauled. The milling machine planes a few grams more aluminum away from the rocker arm than before - and the front pivot point is now not located above the down tube center point, but is inserted centrally into the down tube. Thanks to this lower pivot point, Liteville promises a drive-neutral ride and a more sensitive response in the first few centimetres of travel.And there is another new feature hidden in the MK3 version: while the MK2 frame was designed exclusively for a Stealth dropper post from Rockshox, openings in the top tube also allow remote cables from alternative dropper posts to be mounted tidily.

The adjustments to the rear triangle reduce the 601 weight by around 30 grams despite the integration of the reinforcement in the steering head. The 601 MK3 frame will be available for the first time around Christmas 2013.

www.liteville.de