E-505 2022

The E-505 was the middle bike in Whyte's three-strong aluminium e-hardtail range, sitting between the compact E-504 and the SUV-style E-506. It paired a full-power Bosch Performance Line CX motor (85Nm) and an integrated but removable PowerTube 500Wh battery with 29in wheels, a 120mm RockShox 35 Gold RL fork and a Purion display, at a launch-era price of 3,825 pounds in a single build.

For a hardtail the kit was unusually trail-ready: four-piston Tektro Orion brakes on 200mm rotors front and rear, 2.6in Maxxis Forekaster tyres on 30mm WTB rims, a 150mm Whyte drop.it dropper and a 780mm bar. The 11-speed SRAM GX drivetrain with an 11-42 cassette was the clearest concession to the price point, and Whyte never published a claimed weight.

The geometry backed up Whyte's 'Enduro influenced' billing for the class: a 65.5 degree head angle, generous 447 to 479mm reach across M, L and XL, long 450mm chainstays and a low 305mm bottom bracket made it a stable, planted hardtail rather than a nervous commuter crossover.

The E-505 is long discontinued. It carried on into 2023 with a downgraded RockShox 35 Silver TK fork at 3,499 pounds before the e-hardtail line was dropped entirely; Whyte's current eMTB range is all full suspension, with no direct hardtail successor.