whyte g-170 s-150 909 t-130

Are These The 4 Best Looking Bikes From The 2018 Whyte Range?

First Look

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It was June when Whyte announced its brand new S-150; a long travel 29er designed for fast trail riding and enduro racing. With 150mm of travel, an asymmetric 1x specific frame with masses of tyre clearance, the S-150 also happens to be compatible with 27.5+ wheels, which is where the ‘S’ in the name comes from (Switch). We were invited to test out the bike back in June, where Andi gave us his first look of the new S-150, as well as a detailed report on the monstrous G-170.

As it turns out, those weren’t the only new bikes in the 2018 range, with Whyte rolling through a few other tasty options both of the hardtail and fully suspended variety. To give us a hands-on look at some of the highlights in the range, we were paid a visit this week by Whyte’s Sales & Training Manager, Neil Halcrow, who also helps to manage much of the British brand’s demo fleet. And because Neil loves being on camera, we stuck one in his face and hooked up to Facebook Live to give you a look at two of those bikes;

While Neil spends a lot of time with customers, much of his job is involved in training shop staff in Whyte dealerships across the country. Part of his role is to educate staff about the bikes, and the reasons behind any specific design features and frame technologies. Neil trains up the staff on how to setup bikes correctly (getting the correct frame size, setting up the suspension, tyre pressure, saddle height, cockpit setup etc), which he sees as being vital to ensuring each rider gets the most out of the bike they’re riding. We agree with that – poor setup can absolutely ruin your experience with any bike, no matter how expensive it is.

As Whyte has grown as a brand over the last few years, the small British company has doubled its demo fleet. There’s now a separate fleet for the North and one for the South, with demo days organised through local Whyte dealers. If you’re interested in any of the new Whytes and you’d like to try before you buy, then head to the events page on the Whyte website to find out the nearest demo day near you.

With his van chocked-full of bikes, Neil rolled up to Singletrack Towers with four 2018 models in tow; the 909 plus hardtail, the T-130 trail bike, the S-150 29er and the G-170 enduro bike. So lets have a bit of an ogle shall we?

whyte g-170 s-150 909 t-130
The 909 is Whyte’s plus hardtail for getting rowdy on.

Whyte has three 27.5+ hardtails for 2018, including the 901, the 905 and the 909. The 909 is the top-end model, with a lovely hydroformed alloy frame, a 130mm travel Fox 34 Float fork, and WTB alloy rims with a 35mm internal width. Those are wrapped with 2.8in Maxxis rubber, with a High Roller II on the front, and a Rekon on the back.

2018 Whyte 909 Features

  • 6061 Hydro Formed T6 Aluminium Frame
  • 27.5×2.8in Maxxis High Roller II & Rekon EXO Tyres
  • Fox 34 Float Fork w/130mm Travel
  • 65° Head Angle
  • 73° Seat Angle
  • 430mm Chainstay Length
  • 1x Specific w/SRAM GX Eagle 1×12 Drivetrain
  • Boost Hub Spacing Front & Rear
  • RRP: £2150
whyte g-170 s-150 909 t-130
Curvy S-bend stays aim to deliver a comfortable ride with superb mud clearance.
whyte g-170 s-150 909 t-130
35mm inner width WTB rims provide a broad platform for the 27.5+ rubber.
whyte g-170 s-150 909 t-130
The Fox 34 Float fork dishes up 130mm of smooth travel with the FIT Grip damper inside.
whyte g-170 s-150 909 t-130
The matching details on this bike are so nice – even the stem face plate matches!
whyte g-170 s-150 909 t-130
£2250 gets you the new T-130 SR, which still sports Fox suspension, a 1×11 drivetrain, tubeless wheels and tyres and a dropper post.

The T-130 isn’t a new bike for 2018 – the one you see here uses the same frame as the T-130 S that we tested, reviewed and recommended last year. However, the ‘SR’ is an all-new build for 2018, and it brings with it a throughly impressive price tag too. Whyte has still been able to squeeze in Fox Racing Shox suspension, quality Maxxis tyres and a dropper post, though by smart spec choices including a SunRace 11-46t cassette and TRP Slate T4 brakes, they’ve kept the price well within the realms of everyday riders.

2018 Whyte T-130 SR Features

  • 6061 Hydro Formed T6 Aluminium Frame
  • 27.5in Wheels
  • Four-Bar Quad Link Four Suspension Design
  • 130mm Rear Travel w/Fox Float DPS Performance Series Shock
  • 130mm Fork Travel w/Fox 34 Rhythm
  • 67° Head Angle
  • 73.2-74° Seat Angle (size dependent)
  • 420mm Chainstay Length
  • Shimano SLX 1×11 Drivetrain w/SunRace 11-46t Cassette
  • Boost Hub Spacing Front & Rear
  • RRP: £2250
whyte g-170 s-150 909 t-130
Quad-Link Four suspension design is plush, neutral, and poppy when you need it to be. Like every Whyte full suspension frame, the bearings come with a lifetime warranty.
whyte g-170 s-150 909 t-130
The TRP Slate T4 are great brakes, and you can see our recent review of the G-Spec model right here.
whyte g-170 s-150 909 t-130
Threaded bottom bracket shell with that wide SCR main pivot and stealth dropper post routing. AND with room for a bottle cage inside the mainframe. Choice bro!
whyte g-170 s-150 909 t-130
New-school, long travel 29er from Whyte.

In effect, the S-150 is the spiritual successor to the Whyte T-129 trail bike. It’s pumped up the travel to 150mm at both ends, and it comes with a much longer and slacker geometry set that is oriented around a custom 42mm fork offset. This shorter offset increases the trail figure, which is kind of the opposite to what many brands do with their 29ers (most run a longer 51mm offset to decrease trail). Whyte wanted to give the S-150 a nice calm and stable feel to its handling, and that’s the theory behind the custom 42mm fork offset. Throw in big 29in wheels (with clearance for 27.5in plus rubber), and you’ve got a steam train that’s ready to rumble over anything in its path.

2018 Whyte S-150 C RS Features

  • Carbon Fibre Mainframe & Alloy Rear
  • Designed for 29in or 27.5+ wheels
  • Max Tyre Clearance: 29x26in or 27.5×3.0in
  • Four-Bar Quad Link Four Suspension Design
  • 150mm Rear Travel w/RockShox Deluxe RT Metric Shock
  • 150mm Fork Travel w/RockShox Pike RC
  • Custom 42mm Fork Offset
  • 65.6° Head Angle
  • 74.3-74.7° Seat Angle (size dependent)
  • 435mm Chainstay Length
  • 1x Specific Asymmetrical SCR Rear Triangle
  • SRAM GX Eagle 1×12 Drivetrain
  • Boost Hub Spacing Front & Rear
  • RRP: £3850
whyte g-170 s-150 909 t-130
Standing for ‘Switch’, the S-150 has 150mm of travel and will fit 29in or 27.5+ wheels.
whyte g-170 s-150 909 t-130
Bigger bearings, wider placement and an asymmetric rear end with the SCR design offers maximal stiffness, with minimal chainstay length.
whyte g-170 s-150 909 t-130
Chunky clevis pivots connect the short rocker link to a shock extender. It’s all about stiffening up the back end, and keeping that shock moving nice and smoothly.
whyte g-170 s-150 909 t-130
While the S-150C RS has a carbon mainframe, the rear remains alloy.
whyte g-170 s-150 909 t-130
Big Blue!

If you want big travel for proper enduro racing and alpine schralping, the G-170 could be your ticket. This is the longest travel bike from Whyte, with no fewer that 170 millimetres of front and rear travel. The Quad Link Four suspension design is updated to similar specs found on the S-150, but a bigger shock and more raked-out geometry give this bike a real monster truck vibe about it. Of note is that while the G-170 comes with regular 27.5in wheels and tyres, there’s room for up to 3.0in tyres if you want to go full plus.

2018 Whyte G-170 S Features

  • 6061 T6 Alloy Frame
  • 27.5in Wheels
  • Max Tyre Clearance: 27.5×3.0in
  • Four-Bar Quad Link Four Suspension Design
  • 170mm Rear Travel w/RockShox Deluxe R Metric Shock
  • 170mm Fork Travel w/RockShox Yari RC
  • 65° Head Angle
  • 74.9-75.83° Seat Angle (size dependent)
  • 430mm Chainstay Length
  • Enduro TM Main Pivot Bearings
  • Boost Hub Spacing Front & Rear
  • RRP: £2399
whyte g-170 s-150 909 t-130
UK brand Whyte has delivered its longest travel full suspension bike to date; the G-170.
whyte g-170 s-150 909 t-130
Neat hardware and huge sealed cartridge bearings keep everything tight through the back end.
whyte g-170 s-150 909 t-130
Even with all that travel, the rear stays remain at 430mm short, which aims to keep the handling playful.

And here concludes our visit to the 2018 Whyte Zoo. If you like the animals you’ve seen on display, let us know your thoughts in the comments section. You can get more information on the wider 2018 range on the Whyte website, though stay tuned for a detailed rundown and ride report of the 909 hardtail, which we somehow managed to reef out of Neil’s stone-cold hands to keep for a little longer. Expect a full review on that one coming at ya in the early new year.

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