The Endorfin VP-4 Lady enjoying some Scottish trails

We have to hand it to Endorfin for making one of the best suspension bikes designed for women that we've had the pleasure of riding. We usually start our bike reviews with and intro paragraph about the company, where the bike came from, who designed it etc etc. But this time we just had to get straight to the point. It's great and we have thoroughly enjoyed riding it. if you don't have time to read on all you need to know is, it's lightweight - like properly lightweight for women riders, has superb suspension design that really works and is totally tunable for all weights and rider set-up and it's beautifully made too. Phew, I'm off for a cuppa now!

Frame

When we say beautifully made, we mean that and in everyway too, the guys at Endorfin obviously love building these frames and lack no attention to detail either. Each frame is hand built and as Endorfin claim each one 'is designed, hand welded, powder coated and expertly assembled in Germany to ensure the highest quality and attention to detail possible.' Well that's certainly obvious from the moment you lay eyes on the bike.

Now it may come across a bit feminine to bang on about the colour choices availabe for the frame, but bear with us a moment. There are four standard colour options, black, anthracite grey, night blue and yellow, but should none of those be to your liking then how about one of the 176 other options. (Yes we did count them, and sorry if that makes us a bit sad!). Plus there are 10 decal versions to choose from (OK, we are sad!)

The VP-4 Lady is available to order as a frame only (from £1399) or a complete bike (from £1999).There is a £50 extra charge for all other RAL custom colours. It is also possible to have custom decals on the frame such as your name, nickname or team name for an additional £25.

The VP-4 Lady has 100mm of travel and uses a four-bar suspension system with a Horst Link located on the chainstay. Because the frame is made in Germany Endorfin do not have to worry about the Specialized FSR patent.

The suspension design is a winning formula that is well tested on the likes of Turners and Kona, a classic four-bar linkage design. The difference being the elegant shock mount that bridges the down tube and seat tube (see pics for that) and the rocker arm and pivot mount are quite tasty too. A nice touch is the Frame number plate bolted to the arch across the seat stays, no need to bend over to check the bottom bracket ever again.

Geometry is pretty racey, a 71 degree head angle keeps you from nodding off at the wheel and a 73.5 degree seat angle. To put this in context 69 degrees head tube angle is what you'd expect on a general trail bike, but then this isn't a general bike, it's quite special.

Components and contact points

From the saddle to the grips the bike was well spec'd and thought out, our test bike came kitted out with Rock Shox REBA SL fork and SRAM X9 gears and shifters. The rear shock is DT-Swiss SSD 190L with lock-out facility. The fork also has a lock-out facility but handily at the bar rather than you having to reach to the fork to implement. Brakes are Magura Louise with reach adjustment on the lever for smaller hands, they work well with the slimmer Bontrager grips and together help to minimise the stretch for the levers.

We liked the Fizik Vitesse HP saddle with magnesium rails, a good choice for a sporty rider who wants support in all the right places without any extra weight. The Race Face Prodigy Low Rise bars were a good width and took the edge off the racey ride characteristics of the bike that a straight bar could emphasize. The stem can be switched to give a lower bar position or slightly raised depending on how you like to set up the front end and the type of riding you do.

We loved the SRAM gearing and shifting was absulute perfection everytime, even when we left it a bit late going in to a steep knee busting climb. We didn't have to adjust them either which is the way we like it, more riding and less phaffing! The Schwalbe Little Albert tyres were new to us and rode well on all the trails we testing out, notably dry and technical ones! Cornering was good and controlled as was braking and traction on loose, rocky and forest trails, not slow rolling either making a good all round tyre.

No problems with the rough sections

Ride

Now this is the bit we were looking forward to writing. We were grinning from ear to ear, for most of the ride, although for the first few descents and tight corners the heart rate was high until we got in tune with the bike's geometry.The fast handling really grew on us and after a long ride at Kirroughtree (7Stanes). We'd have felt at odds switching back to a slacker head angle especially on the steep climbs and through tight switchbacks where the direct handling aided the speed and was great fun.

The rear suspension worked beautifully smoothly and handled some pretty big drops that caught us unaware at times, we tried various set-ups for the preload and rebound and found that ridden a bit harder really pushed the VP-4 Lady into it;'s own category. We were flying along on our local trails through tight singletrack through twisty tree trails and steep sharp descents. That said it's not a bike for a novice or lazy rider, this bike can catch you out if you're not focussed when giving it some welly in twisty singletrack. We enjoyed that aspect and found it refreshing and stimulating to ride.

More often than not, it is a disappointment to us that women's frames are equally heavy as male oriented frames despite us women being significantly lighter in body weight. The VP-4 Lady is a decent weight and when built up with the top end components it deserves, it's a lightweight bike worthy of some hammer time on the race course or off.

Verdict A handmade beauty worthy of the best components and riding hard. Ours rode perfectly and silently straight from the box and all we needed to do was adjust the seat height and lever reach. If you can afford it, then you have to ride this bike. If not we suggest checking out your bank's loan deals. The lovely shock mount (check out the pink paint job too) Price:From £1999 for complete bike, £1399 frame only. Our test bike was £ 2499 (approx) but you can specify the spec you want to suit your pocket Website: www.endorfinbikes.co.uk Frame: Frame weight: 5.5lbs (with shock) Bike weight: approx 25lbs Suspension Travel: 100m rear Fork: Rock Shox Reba SL with lock out Shock:DT-Swiss SSD 190L Handlebar: RaceFace Evolve XC Stem: Syntace Seatpost: RaceFace Evolve XC Saddle: Fizik Vitesse Rear derailleur: SRAM X-9 Front derailleur: Shimano XT Brake: Magura Louise Rims: DT Swiss XR 4.2D Hubs: Edco racer Tyres Schwalbe Little Albert Colour: take your pick Size: XS, S (we tested XS)