For aspiring EWS riders or anyone who just wants a bike that can tackle the more extreme side of our sport, the Whyte G-160 (and the G-150 before it) is a popular choice for riders across the UK, but for 2018 the G-160 is gone and been replaced with the all new G-170.
While the G-160 was a highly capable bike, Whyte has decided to raise the bar for 2018 and with the help of its EWS team, the G-170 was born, with a new carbon frame, updated geometry numbers, and some important changes that should help keep it up to date for longer.
Like the S-150, the new G-170 is unmistakably a Whyte bike and still uses the brand’s QUAD 4 suspension system but now designed for use with coil or air metric shocks and with all new low-profile bearings with a lifetime warranty. And yes, the G-170 has 170mm of rear wheel travel too.
Suspension kinematics have been updated to work with new Metric shock standards, and even with more travel, the QUAD 4 suspension retains its playful, “poppy” feel.
As well as the bearings themselves the whole pivot mounting hardware has gone through an overhaul with a new “Collet” design using oversize hollow axles. This increases the overall stiffness the backend while reducing weight too.
Standover height has been increased using Whyte’s sealed InterGrip seat post clamp design, so like the S-150 riders can choose to buy the G-170 based on the length of the bike and make up the height with a longer dropper post. It’s also a very important piece of the puzzle too as the carbon version of this bike will only come in two size options.
Wheel sizing remains 27.5in has standard, however, the alloy backend of the bike has been designed to maximise clearance and some of the EWS riders we were out with were playing around with the S-150’s 2.6in wheel package with room to spare. In fact, the official specs claim that there’s room for up to 3in tyres on the G-170.
The bike that we got to see was an all singing, all dancing Whyte G-170C Works model with carbon fibre front triangle made at the same factory as the popular Whyte T-130C, dripping with all the top-notch gear you could wish for.
The redesigned carbon frame sees changes to the geometry. The head angle now sits at 65 with the seat tube angle varying from 75.5 on the medium and 75.19 on a large frame.
Whyte will only be offering the carbon version of the G-170 in M or L sizing if you need something larger or smaller you’ll have to look at the more affordable alloy version of the bike, or you could experienet dropper post lengths and effectivey size up.
As the G-170 was born on the EWS race circuit, the bike has been designed with long, aggressive riding in mind. So in addition to the stiff carbon frame being compatible with either coil or air shocks, Whyte’s designers have also made sure there’s also room for a full-size water bottle in the main frame too, even if you choose to run a shock with piggyback.
Pricing for the Whyte G-170C Works is £5,499, the mid-range carbon G-170C RS version will cost £3,799 with SRAM GX Eagle 12 speed, while the all alloy Whyte G-170S is a reasonable £2,399 with a 170mm travel Yari and SRAM GX 11 speed. Bikes will be available from Whyte dealers this month.
Whyte G-170C Works Specifications
- Frame // Uni-directional Multi Monocoque Front Triangle. Alloy Symmetrical SCR Rear Triangle, 148mm Boost Dropouts, 170mm Travel
- Fork // RockShox Lyrik, RCT3, 27.5in, 170mm Travel
- Shock // RockShox Super Deluxe Debonair, RT3
- Hubs // Hope Pro 4,, 110x15mm Front & 148x12mm Rear
- Rims // Whyte 30mm Carbon Hookless, 28H
- Tyres // Maxxis High Roller II TR, 27.5in X 2.4in 60TPI 3C Front & Maxxis Minion SS, 27.5in X 2.3in Rear
- Chainset // SRAM X01 Carbon Eagle GXP, X-SYNC 2 Direct Mount 34T
- Rear Mech // SRAM X01 Eagle, 12 Speed
- Shifters // SRAM XX1 Eagle, MMX Clamp, 12 Speed
- Cassette // SRAM XG-1295 Eagle, 10-50, 12 Speed
- Brakes // SRAM Guide RSC, 4 Pots, 200mm Rotor Front. SRAM Guide RSC, 4 Pots, 180mm Rotor, Internal Routing, Rear
- Stem // RaceFace Turbine 35mm Bar Bore, 40mm
- Bars // RaceFace SIXC Carbon, 35mm Bar Bore, 20mm Rise, 820mm Wide
- Grips // Whyte Lock-on V Grip
- Seatpost // RockShox Reverb Stealth 150, 30.9mm, MMX with X1 Remote
- Saddle // Whyte Custom Team, with Lightweight Foam, CrMo Rails, Triple Panel Design
- Sizes available // Medium, Large
