Test: With the Bergamont Vitess N8 Belt, we tested a sporty trekking bike with Gates carbon belts. Can the all-rounder prove the promised versatility in practice?
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Trekking bikes often have a rather conservative reputation among many. Optics and equipment are often predominantly determined by sober pragmatism, leaving little room for technical gimmicks or design quirks. But trekking bikes are also the all-rounders of the bicycle world: Whether as a commuter bike, everyday companion, touring bike or touring bike; a trekking bike with full equipment can – also thanks to its sobriety – hold its own in a wide variety of usage scenarios.
As a manufacturer of such a bike, you face a small dilemma: Of course, you don’t want to disappoint your buyers in terms of versatility and suitability for everyday use, but a sporty look and a healthy pinch of style are also expected from trekking bikes today. Unfortunately, it is often a complicated balancing act between style factor and suitability for everyday use and it needs to be carefully considered.
It is precisely this balancing act that Bergamont attempts with its Vitess series. The manufacturer from Hamburg is offering a total of nine models of its sporty trekking bike this year. When it comes to the shape of the frame, you have the choice between a classic diamond frame and a trapezoidal frame with a slightly deeper step-through. One model variant even comes as a step-through model. There is a lot to choose from when it comes to equipment: disc brakes or rim brakes, derailleur gears or hub gears, classic chain drive or low-maintenance belt? With the wheels on offer, you should be able to meet almost all wishes.
All Vitess bikes have in common their full equipment with StVZO-compliant lighting system including hub dynamo, robust metal mudguards and luggage rack. The price of the Vitess series starts at €799 for the Vitess 6.0 with Deore drive and hydraulic disc brakes - the top model Vitess N8 Belt costs €1.099. But there's also a Gates belt and a Shimano hub gear.
Equipment
In our test, we took on the top model of the series, the Vitess N8 Belt. Of course, at over €1.000 it belongs to the upper class of non-electrified trekking bikes, but for your money you also get “all-round carefree equipment” that shouldn’t leave much to be desired when commuting or on longer trips. The most interesting thing is certainly the belt drive, which two years ago was almost unthinkable on a bike in this price range. For newcomers to belts, the benefits compared to a traditional chain drive in a condensed form: Extremely low wear, no chain oil required and very low background noise.
The Gates carbon belt on the Bergamont has been tried and tested thousands of times and is combined with an 8-speed Shimano Nexus shifting hub at the rear. Together with the 46-tooth toothed belt, the Vitess N8 gives you a quite sporty gear ratio range, which should especially suit fast drivers. The gear changes themselves are carried out by a trigger on the handlebars, which underlines the sporty orientation of the bike: other manufacturers often use the well-known twist grips here.
It continues with the brakes: As with most of the Vitess bikes, Bergamont also installs a hydraulic disc brake from Shimano on the top model. The M315 with 160mm discs is one of the more tame representatives of the hydraulic brakes, but it also fits very well on a trekking bike like the Vitess: If necessary, it offers more than enough power to bring the almost 15kg bike to a standstill, but is not so snappy that there is a risk of unintentional departures over the handlebars in the event of emergency braking.
The tires are extremely inconspicuous in appearance, but they are crucial for the good performance of every bike. With the Marathon Supreme in a width of 42mm from Schwalbe, Bergamont relies on high-quality rubber that brings comfort, low rolling resistance and puncture resistance. Thanks to its width, you can also ride with moderate air pressure and improve the damping: The lack of a suspension fork should be largely bearable even on bad bike paths.
They didn't skimp on the lighting either: the front and rear lights come from the traditional German manufacturer Busch & Müller and are powered by a Shimano hub dynamo. Branded goods are also available for mudguards and luggage carriers: Robust mudguards from SKS keep pants and bottom dry even in the rain, a Racktime carrier securely holds shopping or touring luggage.
The cockpit is interesting: while many other trekking bikes in this class use adjustable stems, Bergamont uses a conventional one-piece aluminum stem. Although this does not offer the variability of its adjustable counterparts, it is lighter, stiffer and simply looks much nicer.
field test
We had the Bergamont Vitess N8 Belt in the editorial office for a few months and were able to test it in a wide variety of conditions: Whether in dingy, snowy late winter weather or in bright spring sun - perfect conditions for an impression of such an all-rounder. However, the bike can already throw many of its positive qualities into the ring with the first rolling meters: This undoubtedly includes the extremely low background noise of the entire bike: Thanks to the belt drive there is no chain rattling even on really bad paths and the robust SKS mudguards also give protection even on unexpected ones potholes no noise at all. The Vitess makes an extremely high-quality impression right from the start.
Although trekking bikes, as mentioned at the beginning, are often subordinated to the much-quoted principle "form follows function", the Vitess N8 Belt proves that this does not necessarily have to go hand in hand with the look of an ugly duckling - quite the opposite. The bike looks really good, sporty, elegant, the matt finish is understated and looks like it was made of one piece. Two thumbs up for that.
The bike is similarly convincing in the real practical test, but it also quickly becomes clear that you are dealing with a clearly sporty bike here. This starts with the seating position, which is by no means comparable to "real" sports bikes, but is a little less upright than on many other trekking bikes. Thanks to the trigger shifter, mountain bikers can quickly find their way around the cockpit and the large toothed belt on the crank allows pedaling at speeds in excess of 35 km/h. On the other hand, steep climbs require strong calves in order to be able to conquer them even in the easiest gear.
In adverse weather, the bike cuts a very good figure, especially the sufficiently long fender at the front. The tires grip excellently even on wet asphalt. Thanks to the disc brakes, you don't have to worry about the braking effect decreasing. The headlights always make the bike and driver clearly visible and reliably show the way, even on unlit paths.
