Whyte e-mtb

[Rob in a field]

It does look like a great bike to ride, love the effort to get the centre of mass nice and low, the overall spec of the E-180 is spot on for me as well.

I do have a few concerns however:

The first is the noise of the Bosch motor, every test has mentioned how noisy it it compared to all the other manufacturers.

The second is the result of the effort to get the battery and CofM super low, basically the bottom of the battery is in front of the motor and directly in the line of fire from any rocks and logs you may ride over or get kicked up, it does look like this area is made from plastic to act as a kind of guard but this area will take a beating on the sorts of trails I ride, and somewhere in there is a nice expensive but relatively delicate battery. Hopefully the retaining mechanism is super strong.

The last is the way the speed sensor, brake hose and gear cables are routed under the motor, they hang low and look very vulnerable.

Will be interesting to look at these areas in the flesh sometime hopefully soon . . . .

 

[Jamsxr]

It does look like a great bike to ride, love the effort to get the centre of mass nice and low, the overall spec of the E-180 is spot on for me as well.

I do have a few concerns however:

The first is the noise of the Bosch motor, every test has mentioned how noisy it it compared to all the other manufacturers.

The second is the result of the effort to get the battery and CofM super low, basically the bottom of the battery is in front of the motor and directly in the line of fire from any rocks and logs you may ride over or get kicked up, it does look like this area is made from plastic to act as a kind of guard but this area will take a beating on the sorts of trails I ride, and somewhere in there is a nice expensive but relatively delicate battery. Hopefully the retaining mechanism is super strong.

The last is the way the speed sensor, brake hose and gear cables are routed under the motor, they hang low and look very vulnerable.

Will be interesting to look at these areas in the flesh sometime hopefully soon . . . .

These were the negatives I also noticed. Really need to try the new Bosh motor, but the lack of a bash guard and cable routing seem like glaring mistakes, hopefully easily rectified. The frame welds aren’t that aesthetically pleasing either.

 

[iainc]

It's between this and the 2020 Focus Jam2 Plus 6.8 for me. My local bike shop does both brands so at least I'll be able to compare them side by side. I prefer the look of the Focus and it seems more cleverly designed in some ways, but the reviews of the Whyte so far seem to blow everything else out the water.

 

[R120]

These were the negatives I also noticed. Really need to try the new Bosh motor, but the lack of a bash guard and cable routing seem like glaring mistakes, hopefully easily rectified. The frame welds aren’t that aesthetically pleasing either.

Agree on the cables, not the neatest solution - however the motor seems very well protected, and the battery arrangement is essentially the same as the 2019 Levo, where you slide the battery into the tube, rather than take it out of the downtube - it looks to have a pretty substantial bash guard on it at the bottom, and the fact the battery is encase means its much better protected.

 

[Tribey]

a bike walk around by Guy

 

[steveo]

I have a Whyte S150 and my last bike was a vitus escape. Both had the cables existing the bottom bracket into the swing arm the same as the E150 and never had any problems with the cables. But the bottom brackets were never as low as the E150. . A take it only time will tell once they start hitting the trails.

 

[Skrix]

welp.... Shut up and take my money

i have been looking for a bike in that price range to buy and I think I found it

 

[MattyB]

...I do have a few concerns however:

The first is the noise of the Bosch motor, every test has mentioned how noisy it it compared to all the other manufacturers.

The second is the result of the effort to get the battery and CofM super low, basically the bottom of the battery is in front of the motor and directly in the line of fire from any rocks and logs you may ride over or get kicked up, it does look like this area is made from plastic to act as a kind of guard but this area will take a beating on the sorts of trails I ride, and somewhere in there is a nice expensive but relatively delicate battery. Hopefully the retaining mechanism is super strong.

The last is the way the speed sensor, brake hose and gear cables are routed under the motor, they hang low and look very vulnerable.

Guy Kesteven’s walk around video gives these potential issues a brief look at the very end (I just about made it that far despite his “nails down a blackboard” delivery...). I think it’s the angling of the motor that is causing the looping of the cables under the BB; if the motor was mounted flat as Bosch assumes it would be those cables would exit parallel to the chainstays and the routing would be neater and far less vulnerable. Is it a deal breaker? Without the super low BB I would not be that worried, but for the average rider with less than perfect bunny hop technique (i.e someone like me ) the cables are likely to take a beating in technical terrain.

 

[Hitby]

A lot of the Whyte bikes route the cables underneath the bottom bracket. My mate has a t130-sr that's the same and I mentioned it when I noticed it. He said he hasn't had any problems though...

 

[Skrix]

Gut Kesteven’s walk around video gives these potential issues a brief look at the very end (I just about made it that far despite his “nails down the blackboard” delivery...). I think it’s the angling of the motor that is causing the looping of the cables under the BB; if the motor was mounted flat as Bosch assumes it would be those cables would exit parallel to the chainstays and the routing would be neater and far less vulnerable. Is it a deal breaker? Without the super low BB I would not be that worried, but for the average rider with less than perfect bunny hop technique (i.e someone like me ) the cables are likely to take a beating in technical terrain.

Hmmm.. I work in a MTB specific bike shop and I see a lot of bikes coming in and out of the workshop. Surprisingly there is a lot of bikes that have similar cable routing and I have yet to see a single instance of someone actually damaging the cables that way or having them stuck on anything.

And to be honest unless you ride your bike sideways all the time I can't really imagine anything going absolutely wrong.

 

[Rob in a field]

Hmmm.. I work in a MTB specific bike shop and I see a lot of bikes coming in and out of the workshop. Surprisingly there is a lot of bikes that have similar cable routing and I have yet to see a single instance of someone actually damaging the cables that way or having them stuck on anything.

And to be honest unless you ride your bike sideways all the time I can't really imagine anything going absolutely wrong.

Tend to agree that it will be OK for most people, however my Capra has the gear cable loop below the BB in a similar way but obviously quite a but higher because of the motor housing. I have had to replace it 2 times in 3 years due to it getting crushed/damaged so giving bad shifting. Not a deal breaker for me but I would look to add some protective wrapping as a cut speed sensor or split brake hose will suck whilst out riding.

 

[Skrix]

Tend to agree that it will be OK for most people, however my Capra has the gear cable loop below the BB in a similar way but obviously quite a but higher because of the motor housing. I have had to replace it 2 times in 3 years due to it getting crushed/damaged so giving bad shifting. Not a deal breaker for me but I would look to add some protective wrapping as a cut speed sensor or split brake hose will suck whilst out riding.

but how do you crush it ? do you just hit the bb on a rock or something?

also, I feel like changing cable 2 times in 3 years is normal but that might be just me

 

[Rob in a field]

but how do you crush it ? do you just hit the bb on a rock or something?

also, I feel like changing cable 2 times in 3 years is normal but that might be just me

Yeah mostly crushed by flying rocks/sticks, I tend to ride lots of non manicured rocky chutes also with lots of large bits of tree fall wood about. Just Monday night I had a large piece of flint rock get launched by the front wheel hitting my bikes frame (also why I don't want a carbon frame!) and giving my shin a nice bruise as well! Fully accept that this is probably quite specific to me!

Still very desperate to get a E-180 to have a play on soon!

 

[Skrix]

Yeah mostly crushed by flying rocks/sticks, I tend to ride lots of non manicured rocky chutes also with lots of large bits of tree fall wood about. Just Monday night I had a large piece of flint rock get launched by the front wheel hitting my bikes frame (also why I don't want a carbon frame!) and giving my shin a nice bruise as well! Fully accept that this is probably quite specific to me!

Still very desperate to get a E-180 to have a play on soon!

I see what you mean it seems like you ride in some very demanding conditions (rock on btw)
I would be more worried about frame damage than cable damage

I have my 150rs ordered already and I also can't wait to throw the thing around. also as a Whyte dealer i am lucky enough to get it very soon.

and i would probably wrap them in some cable protection for the piece of mind.

 

[R120]

When are you expecting yours - my LBS who is a Whyte dealer is saying realistically 4 weeks from now for their stock to come in - I am tempted to place a deposit on a 150rs, but they would have to order it in, as they are focusing on stocking the cheaper model, and only getting one RS in a medium, whereas I would want a large.

 

[Hasse Birkmose]

I see what you mean it seems like you ride in some very demanding conditions (rock on btw)
I would be more worried about frame damage than cable damage

I have my 150rs ordered already and I also can't wait to throw the thing around. also as a Whyte dealer i am lucky enough to get it very soon.

and i would probably wrap them in some cable protection for the piece of mind.

"as a dealer" what is very soon? I am split between cancelling my forever wait on at YT and going with the Whyte. Desperat...

 

[Skrix]

When are you expecting yours - my LBS who is a Whyte dealer is saying realistically 4 weeks from now for their stock to come in - I am tempted to place a deposit on a 150rs, but they would have to order it in, as they are focusing on stocking the cheaper model, and only getting one RS in a medium, whereas I would want a large.

i will know for sure on Monday when everyone is back from vacations but as far as i understand i will have mine by the 8th

i don't really understand why they only stock the cheaper version.
i do think that RS makes way more sense with the upgraded damper and better brakes
we are almost not stocking the cheaper version.

 

[R120]

i will know for sure on Monday when everyone is back from vacations but as far as i understand i will have mine by the 8th

i don't really understand why they only stock the cheaper version.
i do think that RS makes way more sense with the upgraded damper and better brakes
we are almost not stocking the cheaper version.

I think its because most of their customers are not hardcore MTB riders, but more those looking to get an EMTB for general riding. They also stock Specilized, and have constantly sold lots of the base models but the higher end ones have been left sitting on the shop floor. They also stock Giant and same story there.

 

[R120]

I would go for the cheaper model too, as I have a full suite of fox factory components that fit and I could swap over, but the problem is the Whytes use different offset forks to my Fox forks, (42mm vs 44) and my understanding is that the fork offset on the Whytes is a key part of why they handle so well (normal and Emtb bike in their range) so I would be concerned about putting a different offset fork on.

 

[Skrix]

I would go for the cheaper model too, as I have a full suite of fox factory components that fit and I could swap over, but the problem is the Whytes use different offset forks to my Fox forks, (42mm vs 44) and my understanding is that the fork offset on the Whytes is a key part of why they handle so well (normal and Emtb bike in their range) so I would be concerned about putting a different offset fork on.

i see we are located and the trail entrance so we don't really have that many adventure riders.
i understand the offset dilemma as i also have a good fork laying around but i decided to sell the fork and go for the RS. Lyric is an amazing fork and having better tires just adds to the value.

 

[R120]

I have Lyrics on my other bikes and I prefer them over the fox's anyway, and now we have the detailed specs from Whyte going for the rs is a bit of a no brainier imo

 

[conman]

Anyone know if you could put 29" wheels on an XL E150-RS or if you shouldn't even if you can?

 

[Skrix]

I have Lyrics on my other bikes and I prefer them over the fox's anyway, and now we have the detailed specs from Whyte going for the rs is a bit of a no brainier imo

dropper, brakes, SRAM X01, maxxis tires, lyric, and ofc. the colour makes you at least 15% faster.

 

[Skrix]

Anyone know if you could put 29" wheels on an XL E150-RS or if you shouldn't even if you can?

i don't think its a good idea and i really doubt there is enough clearance in the rear to do it.

 

[iainc]

Local dealer here (Scotland) reckons it’ll be December before the 150RS is in stock to buy, in which case I’ll be back to my original plan of a Focus Jam2 6.8Plus.

 

[seamarsh]

These were the negatives I also noticed. Really need to try the new Bosh motor, but the lack of a bash guard and cable routing seem like glaring mistakes, hopefully easily rectified. The frame welds aren’t that aesthetically pleasing either.

I noticed welds as well and commented on guys video asking if it was a pre production frame, to which he responded it was, I’m hoping that the welds will be better on actual finished bike in shop. I’d be surprised if they weren’t because the welds in the video look horrible!!

He also said the space by the motor was there for cooling, on video I thought it was just a sloppy mounting job.

 

[seamarsh]

I would go for the cheaper model too, as I have a full suite of fox factory components that fit and I could swap over, but the problem is the Whytes use different offset forks to my Fox forks, (42mm vs 44) and my understanding is that the fork offset on the Whytes is a key part of why they handle so well (normal and Emtb bike in their range) so I would be concerned about putting a different offset fork on.

Difference in 42mm vs 44mm should be pretty minimal and I’m sure you would be fine with a 2mm difference in offset.

 

[MattyB]

I noticed welds as well and commented on guys video asking if it was a pre production frame, to which he responded it was, I’m hoping that the welds will be better on actual finished bike in shop. I’d be surprised if they weren’t because the welds in the video look horrible!!

I am not so sure on that - the welding on the alloy Whyte's has never been super smooth, I know when I was considering their Glencoe gravel bike last year I was surprised by how utilitarian they looked - not Orange levels of ugly, but definitely not super smooth. They do have a good rep for durability, though.

EDIT - Ok, fair point; I had not seen that hideous job around the motor when I first watched the video! It looks like it's been done with Polyfilla and a wet thumb....

 

[Jezzer]

Mine is ordered and due Mid September. RS as well. I have always loved Whyte bikes and the T130 CRS was just amazing.

 

[Doomanic]

A friend of a friend has tried to order an e150-RS and been told 15th December!