Hi
Impossible to get a local demo so probably going to order one blind.
Whytes website sizing chart puts me (at 6ft) bang in the middle of Medium or Large.

Any owners a similar size with any comments please?

Thx

Andy

Try asking here

Hi Andy, see me post on the link that dickie put up. Per the size chart on the Whyte website, at 6 foot you’re actually too large for a medium t-129/s.
http://www.whytebikes.com/2013/article.php?xArt=56
Unless you’ve got really short legs, I’d go with the large. Thats what I did. Rode better in my view.

Be sure to post a review if you do go for one. I like the look of this bike!

Having ridden the bike, they do come up long. At 6ft I’d definitely go for the medium. I’m 5ft 10 and the medium felt a little on the long side, not enough to warrant going for a small, but worth considering shortening the stem by 10mm anyway.

Superb bike by the way, every bit as good (and then some) as the reviews are saying.

They do come up long Mboy, but seeing as they come with an 80mm stem as stock I’d be happier knowing I can drop to a 50mm stem and get a similar length to small than having to get a 100mm stem to make the medium as long as the large. if that makes sense? I prefer a shorter stem if possible too so will prob be going straight to a 60mm.

Top tube medium 616mm
Top rube large 631mm

Again its all down to the individual. Short stem long t tube for me.

I rode a stock T192S in medium at the weekend, it was the right size for me. I’m 172cm (a tad under 5’8″) tho have a little more reach and inseam than average for my height. (My limbs are too long or my body is short, you choose).

I’d imagine a 6-footer would be happy on a large unless they really wanted it to come up short.

Hope that helps. Rather than causing further confusion that is!

I’ve just got the t129. I’m 6ft and have the large and it feels just right to me.

I demoed a T129 at Cannock a couple of weeks ago, large was perfect medium would be way toooo small

I’m also 6′ with 33″ inseam

http://www.whytebikes.com/2013/article.php/8/

go to one of these demos ?

I’m 5ft 10 and the medium felt a little on the long side

at 5’7″ (and 3/4!) I was happy on a medium with stock stem, I wouldn’t have wanted it shorter.

IMO height is a fairly crude indicator for frame size, reach and desired handling make a big difference.

Thanks for input everybody.

Badger – all too far away from me I’m afraid.

I have a large coming tomw and though I havn’t paid for it yet, can see myself buying it after only a few moments of sitting on it in the shop and car park – with fingers crossed I like it after getting used to it.

Don’t forget your credit card Andy, I suspect you have already decided!

Mine landed on Tuesday, only had one chance to go out for a quick ride on it so far. Will be out both sat and sun this weekend though to give it a good thrashing. First proper impressions are its amazing. Just begs to be ragged everywhere! Came with a reverb and 200mm and 180mm rotors too. the finish looks a bit darker than the demo bikes i tried too. Just been helitaping tonight. ballache to say the least but want to keep it looking svelt for as long as possible! The large is a perfect size for me. The only thing i might change initially are the tyres, the rear ikon is especially crap in any form of mud. Nice power slides though! Tempted by a Hans Dampf on the front. not sure one will fit on the rear. maybe nobby nic. Trying to find out if the rims came with tubeless tape installed, as just have the valves in a bag?

I’m sniffing around one of these too. At 6‘ my perfect ETT length is about 24″. Even the medium is longer than that. Sure, it has a fairly long stock stem, but I’m still thinking medium. I think it’s quite a short Reverb tho, so that could be an issue.

I have to say though that my lbs got the last medium available from atb (whyte distributor) and they were told that there would be no more available in medium this year! sold out. So unless you can find one in stock at a shop, i doubt you’ll get a medium. I was a bit worried the top tube would be too long but it feels great, loads of room to move around and throw the bike about.

I have to say though that my lbs got the last medium available from atb (whyte distributor) and they were told that there would be no more available in medium this year! sold out.

That sounds like a pretty awful business model if they really sell out of bikes in March! Plenty of other options for folk to spend their money on before next year.

Presumably Whyte think carefully about how many to make, and would sooner sell out than hold unsold stock. Good reviews have presumably pushed demand up much higher than planned too. I’m sure they wish they had a few more though!

I guess that’s one advantage of making your frames here in the UK. You can basically make as many as you can sell (within limits). Presumably Whyte can get another shipment in, but whether the demand will still be there once they arrive is a different matter. Giant seem to go through this cycle every year, where they sell out of popular models in March/April, but are then selling the same models with large discounts in August.

roverpig – Member

That sounds like a pretty awful business model if they really sell out of bikes in March

They’ve probably got most of their manufacturing capacity tied up in warranty replacement 146s 😉

I guess Whyte and Giant are opposite ends of the spectrum financially, Giant probably have whole factories working for them and can keep pumping them out. They still have to ship from the Far East though, I was told Trance in medium was sold out with no more coming for a few weeks.

I reckon Whyte will be dead chuffed to have sold out (ie matched their best financial projection). They’ve got the cash in the bank, best-of-breed reviews, no unsold stock slopping about and messing up next year’s margins. They’re got riders on bikes out on the trail, every one a rolling advert.

Good on ’em I say.

Fine, but it looks as though they could have sold a lot more. Surely good business is all about maximizing profit. I’m not having a go a Whyte. Good on them, as you say. It’s just interesting to see the downside of the offshore manufacturing model.

Who knows, I guess they did a spreadsheet and decided the risks of unsold stock were a bigger downside than the potential upside of ordering more and selling more. Maybe they goofed, or maybe they were limited by cash/credit, or the manufacturing capacity, or shipping capacity. I don’t know, but it’s interesting.

It’s not necessarily a bad thing to have demand outstrip supply, it keeps the margins high and can create more demand in the pipeline for future product, and can push the product to a perception it’s at the premium end of the market.

There was an article about Orange somewhere, who do manufacture in the UK, but even so they prefer to make a set number of bikes each year (4,000 I believe it was), and sell them, rather than have to guess at meeting elastic demand.

(Yes I know you weren’t disparaging Whyte).

Oh balls there goes my idea of waiting to buy discounted stock at the end of the year…

I have a T129S coming by the weekend.

I’m having pangs of buyers-doubt and wondering if I should have gone for the M109x.

Which is daft because a) I already have a nice XC bike, I want something different not overlapping b) if I was dropping that kind of money on an XC bike I’d probably buy a bling carbon HT anyway, I don’t see the need for FS for that job.

But I still can’t quite shake the feeling. Help me here boys before I call the LBS in a dither!

Ignore the above. I’m being a tart, take no notice!

Believe me mattjg, you won’t regret it. Absolutely love mine. Just loves to be ragged everywhere. Up down and across! Back tyre is rubbish though.

Thx RR, I’m good with it, that was just a early morning wibble.

In fact I’m a bit of a mincer on my bike at times, hopefully it’ll help de-mincify me a bit.

Ragging here we come.

What have you put in the back? Running tubeless yet?

Not changed it yet. I had nobby nics on my old bike in 26’s and I rated them highly. Going to get one of them and see what clearance is like with it on the front and put the ardent on the back (front at the mo) then probably get a hans dampf for the front and put the n n on the rear. ( clearance is tighter on the back).

Tried seating the ardent tubeless but had no joy so I’ll prob wait till I get tubeless ready tyres.
Tried track pump and co2 to no avail.

Regarding de-mincing, I did my first proper ride on it on Saturday on a usual route and got an achievement on every segment on strava inc 5 personal bests. Tis a monster truck.

LBS told me the stock tyres didn’t work well tubeless, Nics it probaby is for me too. A 29er Hans Dampf is a big old boy by the way, they take some effort to keep moving.

Tyres work really well tubeless, just an absolute pain to get up!! Rims are already taped, but i put an extra wrap of stans tape to get the tyre to seat!

I had a demo of a large last week, loved it and pick it up on thursday, apparently Whyte are sold out of large as well. I will agree back Tyre is not much cop in the mud or wet roscks, but does slide in a nice controlled way mind :-). Any tips on converting to tubeless, do I need to buy the stans rim strips as ive done before ? I have some rim tape out of a no tubes kit I used on a 26er can i use this with valves and sealant or am i better getting the complete strip, also will they seat with a co2 cartridge ?

I don’t have the bike yet but the shop I’m buying it from said their experience is the Maxxis beading stretched after a little use, needed air each ride and overall it wasn’t a great experience, and they suggested either running the stock tyres tubed or using different tyres for tubeless. They say the rims themselves are good and not very different to Crests (technically, they seemed to have a good depth of product knowledge, much more than mine, I’m happy to take their word for it).

My tubeless experience has always been with either Schwalbe tyres (or Bontrager Mud X or Maxxis Beaver) on Crest rims (26 & 29), I’ve never needed co2 to get them seated, a track pump did the job, and it’s always been pretty straightforwards.

If the Maxxis are any hassle at all, I’ll try with Schwalbes rather than take on a fight I’m not going to win.

I’d likely put a Nic on the front and a Nic or snakeskin Ron on the back.

I have decided not to purchase this bike despite all the top reviews. Apparently there are very few left in the country, but if anybody wants a large ebc have one.

I had an evo nobby nic on the front and evo racing ralph on the back of my hardtail, I found the nobby nic good in the wet stuff, not so good on loose gravel etc, then again when is it ever dry :-)I did like the racing ralph as a back tyre so might get one of those for the back, i may as well try seating the maxxis tyres as ditch them, just need to find out if I need the full rim strips or not. I wasnt keen on the icon at all in the wet/mud, I think its the cheaper compound one maxxis do make a better version however, so maybe that would perform better

jesus all these replies and not a one single pic of the said bike!

quite like whytes so please feel free to show your ‘live’ pics!

So, andyxxx, what put you off ?

There are pics on other threads.

Yeah Andy, I’m curious too, change of heart?

So, andyxxx, what put you off ?

Nothing put me off – if the large bike had been in stock when I went in store or it had come the day it was supposed to (3 weeks ago ) I would probably have bought it.

All along my first choice was the tallboy – but I didn’t want to spend that much! – I still don’t – but will!

If anyone tries a Hans Dampf on the back I would love to know if it fits. Currently running a Smorgasboard rear and Chunky Monkey front on mine, which work well, but there aint much space left at the back end!

Just about to go and pick mine back up from DC Cycles where the rear wheel has had new bearings (not the stock wheel, my Kore Durox which decided to fail on me after 2 months).

I never tried the stock tyres… they just didn’t look up to the conditions, though I may give them a go in the “summer” if such a thing ever happens!

18th February 2013 by Rob Sutherland, on Flickr