[Closed] Whyte T129 s, Whyte T130, or Giant reign 2 ???

I like the look of the reign, it seems like a risk free upgrade from my trance which has been faultless. I'm not going to be the first one to say that you need to get yourself to a demo day. Spending 3 grand blind could turn out to be a little reckless

The T129 was the hot bike to have last year, but seems to be distinctly out of favour this year. I guess the world has moved on, 29ers are old news, it's all about the 650B and the T130 seems to be getting good reviews while MBR were pretty damming in their review of the T129 Works SCR recently.

Of course, this does mean that a T129 might be easier to get hold of than a T130. May even be able to swing a discount in a few months time.

MBR 'damning'? They gave it 8/10. Although they took points off for the rear suspension, whereas a camber carbon evo in the same test with the exact same shock and suspension system gets 10/10, and their long-term review of last year's t-129 which is mechanically identical, gets 9/10. Reminded me why I don't buy magazines any more.

For what it's worth, there's also this - [url= http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/category/bikes/mountain-bikes/full-suspension/product/review-whyte-t-129-works-scr-14-48826/ ]Bikeradar (ptoo!) t-129 scr first ride[/url]

OP, I'm sure they're all capable bikes so demo them. I rode last year's T-129s and it made me want to buy one.

MBR 'damning'? They gave it 8/10

Fair enough. I've long since given up with the scores in these tests though as they never seem to make sense. THe T129 did indeed get 8/10 and the Segment only got 7/10, for example. However, reading the text they seemed to really like the Segment and the only criticism of the bike itself was a lack of adjustability on the rear shock, which is easy to fix by selecting a different option when you order. With the Whyte, on the other hand, they didn't seem to have much good to say and as you say, criticised the suspension performance, which is pretty damning as you can't really change that.

Anyway, I wasn't trying to say that there is anything wrong with the T129. If it was a great bike last year then it's still a great bike this year. It's just that the mags and marketing folks have moved on to pushing something new, so it's old news.

Mbr reviews aren't worth the paper they're written on. I have a reign and it's amazing, but for the riding you describe I'd suggest a slackish 140mm bike.

their long-term review of last year's t-129 which is mechanically identical, gets 9/10. Reminded me why I don't buy magazines any more.

MBR have of course looked at all 3 of the above bikes in this month’s issue.

The T129 review did surprise me – I had assumed the rear suspension would be great with that fox shock, but not so. Maybe as above, it’s down to the change in frame geometry. Meanwhile, MBR praised the T130’s rear suspension, claiming it to be the best Whyte suspension bike to date, eclipsing even the G150.

The Giant Reign looks totally awesome for gnarly riding (more gnarly than I’ll likely ever do), so bear its intended use in mind. It’ll probably be a pretty uninvolving ride until you up the speed and difficulty of riding. But MBR’s comments regarding sizing really confused me. They tested a size Large. It’s a long, long bike, with a very slack head angle. Yet they say ‘’the size Large would be too small for anyone over 6’0”. Eh? They claim a size large YT Capra, which is about 40mm shorter in the top tube, with the same length stem, would be fine for riders up to 6’1”, then you get the Giant Reign, which is (substantially) longer, being too small for anyone over 6’0”.

For general playful riding, up, down and along, I’d recommend the T130. It’s a great do it all bike.

Think you mean Works SCR, which is a bit longer and lower? The S and Works are the same as last year.

glasgowdan - Member
Mbr reviews aren't worth the paper they're written on. I have a reign and it's amazing, but for the riding you describe I'd suggest a slackish 140mm bike.

+1, for the style of riding a burly 140/150mm bike is best. Both of the whytes are on the xc side of the spectrum and the reign is overkill for anything short of dh/enduro racing.

Staying with those those brands, a g150 or trance sx would be perfect. FWIW I have a banshee spitfire with a pike/double barrel air and it's great for xc epic's and uplift days. I'm often round triscombe or rowberrow if you'd like to try one for size (6ft1 on a large).

I have the T-130 Works SCR and it's been fantastic, I'm injured (non-bike related) so I've not ridden in the damp/wet yet but over the 100 miles or so I did get in since getting it it's been near faultless. Only issue I've had was that I was expecting to have to give it more steering input as it's a lot slacker than my XC hardtail but actually it's been fine and I'll sum it up as 'just wants to go fast'.

I thought all mbr reviews got 8/10? Unless it's a sepecialized, they are the best bikes for Surrey apparently. If you ride the quantocks you will want something that can climb!

Thanks for the info guys...gonna try out the 129 on the quantocks for a day and have a sit on the 130. I'll keep you posted

I've just bought a T129S. My initial blast yesterday while setting the bike up has highlighted it's excellent.

Mine is a 2014 spec bike with the Reba and RT3 instead of the Fox stuff.

Agree with Somouk. My 129 has been good so far, any issues with ghost gear shifting though on x7/x9 stuff.