Whyte t160/t140, Vitus escarpe or something else?

For me the Vitus has a better frame - and looks a lot nicer than the Whyte.

Suspension units front and rear seem to the same.

Vitus has better wheels - no name hubs on the Whyte.

Tyres are about the same quality

Brakes / mechs / shifters all on a par.

Whyte have sneaked a lower spec cassette in there which is a chunk heavier on an older style freewheel and only 11-50 rather than 10-51.

That said, I think 29er is a touch faster having converted in December from 650b to 27.5. Plus going forward 650b seems to be being phased out but by bit and availability of stuff might get more difficult possibly.

So it’s a difficult one between those two. If the Vitus was 29er I’d go for the at without a moments hesitation personally.

How tall are you?

Also - are both bikes only below £3k when on sale? You might find retailers charge full rrp if using bike to work as I think some schemes take a % of the bike value from the retailer and only use full rrp.

thanks for the responses guys, much appreciated. I'm not up to speed with the latest spec's so i thought i'd double check, I'm 5ft 8, i've been siding with the vitus and fancied the 29ER version but unfortunately its over budget at 3199, i have asked if its possible to pay the 199 by debit card but it seems theres no flexibility with that now.

Typical recommend what you own but…
If you can get bird on c2w (can you?) it’s possible to spec an aether 9 for £2900 by opting for a fixed seat post instead of a dropper. Pike ultimates, shimano 11 speed etc.
add a brandx dropper for £120 and Bob is your mother’s brother.

Plus going forward 650b seems to be being phased out but by bit and availability of stuff might get more difficult possibly.

Is this genuinely a consideration? (Not having a dig at all its a genuine question (spot owner of 26er, 27.5er and 29er)) Has the same not been said about 26ers - but parts, wheels, forks etc still all available?

polygon Siskiu T8 might be worth a look, not sure if possible to get on cycle to work though?

Seems like a good spec for the money, SLX 12 speed and Fox 34.
My partner has one and she likes it. I've ridden it a few times and although it's on the small side for me it rides well.

Modern geo and gets good reviews - probably more trail than enduro though.

Looks like it's only available in 27.5 in a medium at the moment though.

If you can get an aether 9 (or AM9 if you want more travel) in budget that’s probably worth a look too. I’d take that over a Whyte if spec wise it’s close.

On the availability thing I’d argue 26er stuff is harder to come by - tyres in particular are quite limited for decent stuff and suspension forks also quite limited. 26er wheels also limited.

At 5’8 I think 27.5 or 29er are fine. I occasionally buzz my behind with the 29er back wheel but it’s quite rare. Normally just where I’m doing a bigger drop on something steep I think - other than that it doesn’t feel too much different to 27.5 other than being faster in a lot of places. The 29er wheels seem to keep momentum going better mostly.

i've pretty much ruled out the whyte now to be honest, but as a bit of a curveball also considering the vitus sommet crs, possibly in the 297 version, whats the thoughts on this? i'm just a bit sceptical as to how well it will climb in comparison to the escarpe. i know you lose on one and gain on the other depending on whether ascending or descending.

At that price, I'd be looking at the sonder evol

https://www.mbr.co.uk/reviews/mullet-mx/vitus-sommet-297-amp-review
They liked the mullet version

I have a 2019 Vitus Sommet CRS - its 27.5. Climbs OK (for someone as unfit as I am!) Not sure how the mullet version would work. Overall its a great bike.

T160 is on sale and currently in budget at Leisure Lakes with no fee to pay when using cyclescheme.
Balfes bikes don’t charge a fee on their sales bikes either when using cyclescheme and they had some T160's in at a similar price the other day (or even a G-180 of you're considering a Sommet).

A lot will charge 5% or 10% on top of the sale price so bear that in mind.

The Escarpe comes in 27.5 or 29

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/vitus-escarpe-29-crs-mountain-bike-2022

Lot of bike for the cash they are.

How about a Cotic Jeht?

Their bronze build went online the other day and comes in at £3049 with Hunt wheels. I'd rather deal with them than a lot of the big mail order brands.

The Escarpe comes in 27.5 or 29

If I was buying now, I'd probably be looking at an Escarpe as it suits far more the riding I do when I want the full sus. Especially with the spec on them. I live the Sommet but in reality it's probably too much bike. But, it was cheap (relative) at the time

Just bought a Status 140. It rides better than the reviews say. Heavy going uphill, but no worse than my Whyte 901. Obv faster coming down again. Can't say I notice the mullet aspect.

I had a go on an escarpe a few years ago and liked it so much I very nearly bought one. Different forks etc compared to the one you are looking at. For my trail riding it was all the bike I needed, I rode a Sommet at the same time and felt it was too much bike for my riding.