E-505 2023
How current the bike is — newer chassis, motor and battery score higher. 10 = brand-new, 0 = legacy.
The E-505 was Whyte's 29er electric hardtail, pitched as a do-it-all machine for trail riding and commuting alike, with the brand itself calling it the Land Rover Defender of e-bikes. At £3,499 it paired a full-power Bosch Performance Line CX motor (85Nm, Purion display) and a removable 500Wh PowerTube battery with a 6061 T6 aluminium frame, a sensible spec for the money in 2023.
The single build was honest rather than flashy: a 120mm RockShox 35 Silver TK fork, SRAM GX 1x11 shifting with an 11-42 cassette, Tektro Orion four-piston brakes on 200mm rotors at both ends, tubeless-ready WTB ST i30 rims and high-volume 29x2.6in Maxxis Forekaster tyres. A 150mm Whyte drop.it dropper post came as standard, which was not a given on hardtail e-bikes at this price.
Geometry was confident for an e-hardtail: a 65.5 degree head angle across the M, L and XL sizes, 447 to 479mm reach, 450mm chainstays and a low 305mm bottom bracket. Riders needing smaller sizes were pointed at the 27.5in-wheeled E-504 sibling.
The E-505 is discontinued. It carried over from the 2022 range through 2023, and while the product page still lingers on Whyte's site marked sold out online, the bike has long since left the catalogue with no direct hardtail replacement; Whyte's eMTB range subsequently centred on the full-suspension E-160, E-180 and lightweight ELyte platforms.
Geometry · hover a row to highlight the measurement on the bike
| M | L | XL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reach | 447 mm | 463 mm | 479 mm |
| Stack | 645 mm | 655 mm | 664 mm |
| Seattube | 444.5 mm | 495.7 mm | 533.4 mm |
| Chainstay | 450 mm | 450 mm | 450 mm |
| Headtube Angle | 65.5° | 65.5° | 65.5° |
| Seattube Angle (eff) | 74.5° | 74.5° | 74.5° |
| Wheelbase | 1198 mm | 1217 mm | 1237 mm |
| Headtube | 115 mm | 125 mm | 135 mm |
| BB Height | 305 mm | 305 mm | 305 mm |
| Standover | 825 mm | 844 mm | 851 mm |
| Front Centre | 748 mm* | 767 mm* | 787 mm* |
Trims · 1
Base £3,499 | |
|---|---|
| Motor | Bosch Performance Line CX Gen 4 · 85 Nm |
| Battery | Bosch PowerTube 500 · 500 Wh |
| Travel F/R | 120/? mm |
| Frame | 6061 Alloy, Hydro Formed T6 Aluminium, Multi Butted, Custom Drawn, Tapered Headtube, Internal Cable Routing for Dropper Post and 12mm X 148mm Boost Dropouts |
| Fork | RockShox 35 Silver TK 29", 120mm Travel, 44mm Offset, DebonAir, Fast Black Coating, Adjustable Compression and Rebound, Tapered Steerer, 110mm x 15mm Boost, Maxle Lite |
| Shock | N/A (hardtail) |
| Headset | FSA No. 57B Orbit ZS, 1 1/2" Lower and 1 1/8" Upper Caged Bearings |
| Stem | Whyte Alloy 6061, 35mm Extension |
| Handlebar | Whyte 6061 Alloy, 30mm Rise, 31.8mm, 780mm Wide |
| Grips | Whyte Lock-on V Grip |
| Saddle | Whyte Custom, Triple Panel Design |
| Seatpost | Whyte drop.it, 30.9, 150mm Travel, Paddle Remote Lever |
| Brakes | Tektro Orion, 4-Piston with Sintered Metal Pads, 200mm Disc front and rear, Post Mount |
| Rear derailleur | SRAM GX, 11 Speed |
| Crank | Whyte, Steel narrow/wide, 165mm, Direct Mount 36T for Bosch Performance Line CX, Black |
| Shifters | SRAM GX, 11 Speed |
| Cassette | SRAM PG-1130, 11-42, 11 Speed |
| Chain | KMC NPBK Sport, 11 Speed |
| Drivetrain | SRAM GX, 11 Speed; Whyte, Steel narrow/wide, 165mm, Direct Mount 36T for Bosch Performance Line CX, Black; SRAM GX, 11 Speed; SRAM PG-1130, 11-42, 11 Speed; KMC NPBK Sport, 11 Speed |
| Wheels | WTB ST i30 TCS 2.0 System, Pinned Joint, Tubeless Ready, 32 Hole |
| Tyres | Maxxis Forekaster TR 29" x 2.6" 60TPI, EXO Sidewall Protection |
| Price | £3,499 |
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