How would you contact whyte direct? on there web site it only lists a abt email address and I’ve already spoke to the boss there.

Cancelled my order on a fully paid 146 Works last week due to endless delays.
Been on order since mid October. Retailer has been very apologetic, even offered a meeting the next time the Whyte rep. visits.
ATB couldn’t give me an answer on a delivery date or even reply to an email.

On a 3k bike I’d expect perfection. I bought a carbon roadie frame from a chinese seller on ebay recently for £200.00 and it was in great condition when I opened the box. Top cosmetic carbon coat has visible joins but they are very well laid up, symetrical etc., but no filler or blemishes at all in the paint.

Pawsy: Lapierre’s are better finished? Really?. My Zesty carbon rear end snapped behind the main pivots and the alloy extrusions the bearings sit in came away from the carbon….oh and the top and down tubes parted company!!!! The carbon rear end was far from blemish free. Mine wasn’t the only one either. Bad example there i’m afraid.

Well sorry, yours sounds really bad but mines trouble free and would buy another without another thought. Sounds like a lot of damage. My etsx broke on me after many years (not carbon) was disappointed to as I felt it was pot design issue. All bikes break, plenty on forum. Did they replace the damaged frame?

Yes they did replace it….i sold it soon afterwards.

As you can see I decided to keep it, notice reverb post which is a nice piece of kit.

Well things haven’t gone to smoothly to the start of our relationship, On fist ride of my local route which is a mixture of steep tight twisty single track and fast rocky tracks, the bike felt a little harsh on the rear but was super stable and turned nice.

I put it down to bedding in of the bearings but I’ve dropped a little pressure from the rear shock for good measure. Several rides later and things have improved but it still harsh on the rocky tracks.

What is more annoying is that the chain keeps dropping off when descending, it was okay at llandegla but on my local trails it doesn’t take much and its off and its wrapped around the crank arm and mangled around the rear mech (already bent it)

The bike is now back at the shop after 5 rides , it has also got some play in one of the bearings so a tech is coming from whyte to sort that and the chain problem hopefully.

Out of interest what would you reckon the frame complete with bb and headset would be worth?

I really feel for someone who spends a load of hard earned cash on a bike and has problems from day 1. You would expect a new bike to just work, Especially a bike like that!

My mates 7 month old stumpy elite is currently out of action, the fox forks collapsed and the rear wheel fell apart at Dalby last weekend.

As for the chain, I have the same problem on my 5 mostly OK but hit something really harsh and it’s off. I’m no expert on this stuff but have been thinking that a chain device is the solution.

Really hope you get things sorted, it looks like a great bike, be a shame if you got rid so soon.

Hi Moonhead are you running 2 x10 on your 5? I really wish I got the 5.

I’ve done a bit of research on it and also tried a stinger as well to no avail. the problem is I need a chain device and a bash and the X9 crank won’t take a bash ring.

Hi gb1m,

Well I bought the Five S due to lack of funds. Decided I would upgrade the bits I didn’t like as I intend on keeping it for a couple of years.

Got a 3×9 at the mo.To be honest it isn’t a very nice drive train, Deore and Raceface….totally trash BB. Thinking about a SRAM 2×10 groupset with chain guide and bash….if I can find it!

I came across a company called MRP that might just do such a thing but haven’t had time to research propperly.

Found this….not sure how much help it is tho!

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=6944061

[Makes a mental note, Whyte = pretty bikes, knobs to deal with]

I’d be pretty pissed off if I spent 3K on a new bike and then it was damaged from day 1. After that, personally I’d get a refund and spend my money else where.

MRP one is no good as I keep loosing the chain off the outside, I would wait a while Moonhead until sram have addressed the problem (as it seems to be common).

Unfortunately I won’t be able to give the bike back because I’ve used it hence the question whats it worth ,I’m sure there’s a good bike in there somewhere as its rapid on the ups so hopefully this whyte tech can come up with something or sram will pull there figure out and find a solution.

[Makes a mental note, Whyte = pretty bikes, knobs to deal with]

Not in my experience (I currently have 4 Whyte’s) ATB Sales/Whyte customer service is second to none, this very Monday I noticed a crack on my son’s 10 year old Rift Zone, I spoke to my dealer and Wednesday afternoon a brand new 2011 Rift Zone XC8 frame arrived in time for him to race at Mayhem. As said above 146’s have been in short supply all year and it seems unlikely there’ll be another production run before the end of the year. It’s sounds like the OP is looking for reasons to not like the bike, I’d be in the dealer’s sorting the problem not posting about it on the internet.

He has been. You did read the rest of the thread didn’t you?

My understanding is that they offered him a refund and he turned it down and now he’s moaning that the chain came off, something I’d sort out myself, but maybe a dealer problem in this case.

Play in the bearings after 5 rides sounds poor, but not as poor as 5 rides in a month. The OP must be dissatisfied with his purchase if it doesn’t drag him out of the door to ride it.

There’s nothing worse than the shine coming off a new bike, except for a bike that didn’t shine in the first place.

Specialized wouldn’t treat you like that.

Your comments about the chain falling off and harsh back end are both comments made by MBR in their latest review!

The play in your bearings is probably nothing to worry about. I have a mount vision (quad link sus) and had the same problem after a month or so. Turns out the bottom link bolt had worked itself loose and needed nipped up. No problems since.

Not had the issue with the chain comming off but would recommend swapping to a 2×9 setup with bash ring as clearance has been an issue for me.

It’s sounds like the OP is looking for reasons to not like the bike,

Why would I want to do that? I’m not on a test ride its my bike now 😕

I’d be in the dealer’s sorting the problem not posting about it on the internet.

The bike was dropped off at the dealers last Saturday and the week before it was in another bike shop (the reason I haven’t ridden it that much) who was trying to solve the chain problem with the Blackspire stinger. This didn’t work as its dropping off the outer ring.

So that’s 2 weekends without it, and I was surposed to be going to CyB this weekend.

And I’m sure you would be moaning Dibbs if you had just spent 3k and on most descents you have to stop and spend a few minutes putting the chain back on.

Its not specifically a Whyte 146 problem but they specced it so surely its a warranty issue.

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=669708&highlight=drop

A quick update-

Pick my bike up today and the bearings have been replaced under warranty 😀 but unfortunately the Whyte tech has no answer for the chain drop problem.

Sram knows about this problem so I now got to wait for them to come up with something 🙁

Looks like I’ll have to stick with my rockhopper for local stuff and use the whyte for the trail centres.

I’d like to update my comment in light of Dibbs’ comments.

146 – insanely pretty bike, Whyte = knobs to deal with.

I’m not being funny but all that stuff about using filler? Really?

Any ideas on what is happening with the chain drop?

Lots of pro roadies who use SRAM Red (top end roady gruppo) spec a steel low end SRAM front mech as the red ones are not reliable, too flexy, or rather their mechanics sort it

Just a thought, good luck with it

Just to add balance to this, I’ve had cause to test the warranty on a Whyte frame several times in the last 4 years. Every time, I can’t fault them – a replacement frame +/- shock with any necessary hardware has been sent to my lbs within the week, no questions asked. I do agree that some of the faults suffered by the op are unacceptable and quality control Is perhaps an issue but chain drop on rough trails is surely a hazard on any bike, especially a FS, easily rectified with a chain device?

Edit – just read the post re trying to rectify the problem with a stinger. I’m not going to try and fix a problem on a bike I haven’t seen so I won’t comment further. I still stand by my comments re Whyte though.

I’d like to know if you (OP) got your bushes sorted. Reason I ask is that I had mine just over 2 months before it went back needing suspension bushes. (it also needed new fork internals and a new rear wheel bearing/freehub) This took a loooong time to sort out. (nothing to do with whyte/atb/lbs mind) I have had 2 rides out on it since all bushes replaced etc. It is now back with lbs with a cracked swingarm mount (same point where play developed) and a sloppy BB.

However, since I replaced the chain with a Mavic one, it has never dropped off the big ring. (it did initially)

Great bike to ride, but I feel somewhat dubious build quality.

Hey mrlugz yes I had the bearings sorted and all seems to be well (touch wood) but I don’t like the sounds of a cracked swing arm , I’ll give it a good check over next time I clean it . My fork is superb and bb is still tight but my front wheel has been making a clicking sound every rotation. lbs said it was something to-do with the join so I’ve squidged a load of silicon in but have yet tried road it.

Nice one with the advice on mavic chain I will give that a go . Have put the stinger back on and it has improved but it still drops when it gets really rough. LBs has told me that sram was testing a solution at whistler but I’ve heard no more for a couple of weeks.

I’m still not getting on with the bike as much as I would like, as it keeps spitting me off when I’m pushing hard. Its defo not as good as descending as its competition but hey it weighs **** all and I suppose its a trade off.

Glad you got it sorted.

I ended up handing mine back for a refund.

Long story, but I felt a bit let down with whyte customer service.

Shame as it was quite a nice ride.

Are you still up for selling your bare frame (frame, shock, seatpost collar, headset)? If so how much you looking for? I might be interested. Also the dropper seatpost perhaps.

Realise this is an old thread and probably all sorted…but just found it!

Chain drop to the outside of the ring? Set your mech up properly as it sounds like the stops need adjusting.

I’ve got a Whyte 146S – owned it for about 8 weeks now – ridden it about 5 times due to work issues…the chainset kept coming loose but after tightening up the bolt to the right torque it hasn’t worked loose since.

I’ve been unable to get the chain to drop and suspect it’s because the mech stops are tight so there is no room for the chain to move off the ring and drop.

My bearings were loose and I was told that ‘that batch’ of bearings weren’t correct and they got replaced FOC and upgraded to the new bearings (some fancy ones of some sort)…actually Whyte asked for the bikes to be sent to them so they could replace the bearings (the shop had 2 or 3 Whytes in at the same time with the same issue).

Have to say, compared to my 09 Marin MV, it isn’t much different – it climbs well, descends superbly and seems to go across stuff well as well…I’m the weak link in the bike as I’m riding like mince…but the bike itself has been superb.

It sounds like the OP may have had some real issues with his particular bike as well as some ‘normal’ issues that probably are around on all carbon bikes but given the price the expectation is it is exceptionally well finished (it probably is but the OP’s expectation isn’t the same as the factory and Whyte). Hopefully it’s going to be fixed and he’ll discover how utterly brilliant the bike is and not worry any longer as he’s too busy riding it.

I test rode a 146S at my local DH track for an afternoon and I managed to drop the chain. I think it really needs to have a chain guide of some sort on it.

It rode amazingly, though. It really is a very impressive bike!

Hmmm…sounds like I’ve been lucky then (or probably not ridden it enough over the kind of stuff that others are dropping the chain on)…I’ll shut my gob until I ride it a lot more.

DickBarton – It was dropping the chain from the first ride out, the fr mech was checked and all was fine. Its a sram 2x 10 problem not a whyte one specifically although maybe the progressive suspension is not helping.

The blackspire stinger did help but the chain still managed to drop off the outside as I could not fit a bash ring to the sram chainset. I have now put on MRP chain device and all is well. Only managed the one outing so far but not one single dropped chain and also it runs noticeably quieter.

You can see in the pic the state of my crank arm from the chain dropping to the outside but the mrp has a cover over the jockey wheels that over laps the outer chain ring. Also has a half bash on the in side to stop it dropping that way and offers some chain protection from rocks.

As I’ve already said the bike is a looker and the geometry is spot on so sorry auldain I’m going to keep it for a while.
The frame has cracked around the seat tube however so am waiting for a new front triangle (5 weeks already). Whyte have seen the pics and say that its not structural but is probably in the filler (yeah but I thought it had no filler )

Next job is for a bigger aircan for rear as the 2012 have got , I’ve read that it improves the progressive suspension, I also need to put it on a diet as I’ve somehow managed to get it up to 30lbs .

I had a massive chain dropping issue on my Whyte 120. I’ve just upgraded to the 146 works (not arrived yet) and am worried about this being an issue again. What model MRP did you get qb1m and is it still working?

I had bearing issues too and they were replaced ROC from the dealer as all Whytes have a life time bearing warranty. However, after about 200 miles it started rattling again. I found that this was not down the the bearings and is a case of the quad link bolts coming loose after a few hard rides. Locktight sorted this issue. I checked the original bearing and and found that they were fine.

Finally got my replacement frame and Whyte kindly supplied it with a sram ceramic bb 😀 . While I was having the suspension serviced I got a bigger air can on rear shock as well as kashima coating and boy has it made a difference , no more harshness or choppiness.

The only problem I have now is it keeps jumping from the big chainring to the small when pedalling fast over rough terrain which is doing my strava times no good, have got a x9 type 2 with clutch thingy on order so hope that will cure it.

Pretty happy with it now so treated it to carbon bars and easton stem. 8)

Lets hope it all stays together

Jeezo, did it take 6 months or have you had it for a while?

got it at the start of June I think but was at the shop for a while getting everything serviced and sorted. I’ve only ridden it 3 times in this guise.

Was good to chat to you on Sunday at llandegla and hope the bike is more sorted now.
We were there on our pair of 146’s at the end of the day.
Will keep an eye out for you there again.
Have to say, we haven’t had any of the finishing issues with the pair of 2012 bikes we have and service from the dealer has been excellent.
The only issue we have had (apart from her chucking herself off hers all the time!) is my front mech destroyed itself on the first ride.
I’m still not sure if I like the sram stuff though…

Was good to chat to you on Sunday at llandegla

Likewise M8, I have to add that this frame is perfect , not a single blemish on it. The factory have obviously sorted out there quality control.
As I said before , lets hope it all stays together and I can start enjoying it.

Just a quick one, I have read through and can sympathise with a lot of what people are saying, I,m on my third rear triangle (still not perfect), second front triangle, 2nd headset, 2nd BB and 3rd set of bearings…. Whyte QC aweful, Bike… a dream. I just wondered if anyone knows what size and make of bearings go in the Quadlinks. I don’t want to send it back as last time they came back with 3 different makes of bearings, one of which didn’t fit properly… Very annoying!!

If anyone could help that would be great!!

P.S The bike in black looks stunning!!

Bearings are lifetime warranty so keep sending back until they are right. Halfway through last year the bearings were improved so you may have a mixed batch. The shop either orders the replacement bearing kit and fits it or the bike is sent to Whyte to do.

Was yours sent back? If not, did the shop do a quickie and used whatever kit they had readily available? Just asking…