Musing over changing my 2017 Anthem 1 to one of the above. Would have similar builds and the Bird would retail a chunk less though LBS would likely reduce the Whyte a bit.

I have a Medium Zero TR so know Bird and the benefits. My Anthem is a medium. Size wise the charts indicate I’d be on a medium Whyte and a ML 120, at 5ft 10 and a bit, with short legs (30.5).

Keen for comparisons and experiences. Will have a chat with Ben at Bird on sizing etc if I go that route.

I’ve ridden both – honestly; they’re similar bikes. I’ve ridden the 120 more and I found it less bouncy when climbing and more supportive when descending – the Whyte was probably a tad plusher but less efficient.

That could all be down to shock tune though.

It really depends on who you want to support – you’re going to get a great bike either way; if you want stellar customer service, great value and to support a growing home-grown brand then go for Bird, if your LBS is part of your community and you want to support them, buy Whyte.

Both bikes are enjoyable and confidence inspiring. I’d be happy to have either.

Maybe not the decisive answer you were looking for…

^^^^ many thanks, useful info.

Whyte are home grown too tbf, just not public facing like Bird.

Not sure if Bird have a lifetime bearing warranty like Whyte?

^^^ good point, and I guess for a FS it’s handy that LBS is on hand for bearing changes.

I have a Whyte T130 CRS, love it, have had 2 Whyte T129s previously.

The (suspension) bearing warranty is more hype, it shouldn’t swing it. Whyte customer service is good. The downsides of the Whyte are the spares (try getting new rear hub seals 🤔) though nothing inherently wrong with formula hubs they use. I understand it’s the wheels that are the weak point, (from Whyte forums) but I have not have any problems myself.

I know nothing of Bird firsthand, but like their brand.

Paul

We share similar dimensions and a M/L Aeris 120 is a perfect fit.If you were to find it a tad long(I’m confident you wont) you could fit a shorter stem.

Thanks for all the feedback, I also posted on the Bird owners FB page and the overall consensus seems to be ML for the Aeris 120 if I go that way.

Off for some more pondering and counting of pennies…….

Have the T130CRS, it’s a good bike, but there’s no such thing as a bad bike at these price points now, it’s just personal preference, for me i like the look and feel, i run the shock soft, which does mean efficiency up hill isn’t perfect, but just switch to the firmer setting on the shock, i did set the shock up firmer, but not a fan of getting bounced out on the ups and losing grip, so as above, personal choice in the settings.

One issue with Whyte’s though, their internal routing is an absolute nightmare, never remove anything without attaching some string or the likes to save a lot of hassle on any replacing.

Interesting re internal routing, as I have that on the Anthem and find it frustrating too !

Need to work out how much better either of these actually are than my Anthem and whether the itch is worth scratching .. !

If you want an hour or two on my ’18 T-130 CR (medium) up the Braes, let me know.

Very kind of you, will do a bit more thinking and come back to you on that 👍👌

No probs!

Mboy off of here has a very nice second-hand medium T130 sat in his shop if that might be of interest .

Very happy with my Bird 120LT, great service from Bird.

I had an early Whyte G150, loads of issues with the rear axle and pivots got f all support from Whyte….

Another reason to go Bird is the ability to configure the spec, they have a great range of options, their builds are good and tyres set up tubeless as standard.

Very happy with my 120 which was up-travelled to 130 with the LT linkage last year and run with a 140 fork. It loses a little pedalling efficiency but I prefer the feel. Size wise, similar height to you but 33″ leg, reach is spot on and I could fit a 170mm dropper if I wanted.

Some interesting info against Whyte on reliability – first i’d heard.

Not sure on bearing warranty with Bird, but their frames have a lifetime warranty, which from what i’ve read of peoples experiences is pretty quibble free.

I recently read a story on here where a bloke on an old mk1 Aeris cracked his chain stay, and Bird had a replacement made for him under warranty. Can’t say fairer than that!

Thanks for all the info, I had mailed Ben at Bird and he also reckons ML, so that’s that bit sorted.

for those with the Bird – how are the bearing for DIY swop when worn, or is it a bike shop job ?

I haven’t swapped the bearings on my 145 yet (had the bike just over 2 years so far) but I’m told they’re fairly easy to swap without many specialised tools. I’ve had the rear end apart to check the bearings and that just needs a couple of Allen keys and a torque wrench to put back together. Nice solid hardware compared to previous full suspension bikes and Bird provide exploded diagrams on their website with all the torque specifications per bolt.

^^^^ Good to know, cheers.

I am pretty much decided on the Aeris out of these 2, just need to do some sums, and also work out how much of an upgrade/more fun/able it is than my 2.5 yr old Anthem…

Sound a bit like me OP, Bird 120LT or Cotic flare for me though. What is it you don’t like about the Anthem? I stuck 130mm forks on mine to replace the shite forks it came with and its a really good trail bike. I need to save some pennies for the above though so I’m happy to keep hold of the Anthem for a while yet before I hand it over to Junior as he#s out grown his bike Lol 🙂

wors – good question, nothing really, Anthem has decent 120mm Fox 34 Elite with FIT damper, Fox Performance Elite trunnion shock with 110mm travel, xt groupset, Fox Transfer dropper, newish Hope xc rims on Pro 4 hubs..

an itch really, but a slight doubt that I will actually end up with a ‘better bike’…

for those with the Bird – how are the bearing for DIY swop when worn, or is it a bike shop job ?

I have changed bearings on a few Birds now and the only specialist tool is a blind bearing puller, and maybe a press. The puller is only really necessary for the horst link bearings, which are generally the last to go. The main pivot bearings by the BB are first to go and easy to change, can be knocked out

I press them in carefully with home made bearing press made from long bolt and a selection of alloy spacers.

I’ve heard good things about the Birds & they are on the long list for my next bike.

My current bike is Whyte T-130 (2015/2016model) & I recently spent the day with a 2019 hire t-130 & played on one at a Whyte demo day.
I hated it – whereas the early versions were like enthusiastic puppy dogs, the new one was like a old dog, it was a huge amount of effort to get it anywhere & I much preferred the ride of the G-170, the bigger bike pedalled better & felt more agile in comparison. This was especially noticeable riding them back to back on the same trail.