Sorry to inflict this on you all, but theres only so much you can drive yourself around in circles trying to decide the best thing to do, so in this case certainly the best thing to do is bore a load of strangers on the internet.

Been after a new hard tail for awhile, ideally wanted to build myself up a nice Cotic Soul, but have struggled to get one in my budget without sourcing everything online (I like shops). In the end, settled on a Whyte 905RS as the spec has everything I want in a replacement hardtail (Yari, dropper, 1×11 etc). Look, it looks lovely, if your OCD can deal with the model name being on the down tube rather than top…

Anyway, been waiting for it for a couple of months and in the meantime I was wasting some time in my local most excellent bike shop (I’ve had to try somewhere I’ve never used before to source the Whyte) and they’ve put me onto the 2017 Orange Crush…

Very similar spec, fork travel jumps up and its all Shimano rather than SRAM (which would be my preference), it lacks a dropper but then it is £150 cheaper so theres a bit of room to work there.

I now can’t decide. Help.

Tough choice! I’d go for the Orange but you need to be sure that you wouldn’t alway be hankering after the Whyte.

But just to make your choice harder… if your original choice was steel, would a P7 not fit the bill? That’s what I’d get. 🙂

To be fair its a bit of a dull discussion as neither is a bad bike (we assume on the 2017 Crush, but the 2016 was well reviewed).

I know the Whyte will be a great bike, but I can’t say that if I got something else I’d hanker after it. I can’t quite put my finger on it, the spec is perfect, the ride is great, but theres a pull to Orange I’ve never felt before.

The P7 was originally getting a look in, but I discounted it as its £100 more than the Crush and including a dropper starts to put the bike into the £1800 mark where Soul builds become possible. Essentially this is a second bike so trying to keep it sensible!

Current Crush is great and the new one – on paper at least – even better. I have the new P7 and love it – it’s amazingly fun to ride and very, very capable. Won’t go wrong with any of these Oranges. Can’t speak for the Whyte I’m afraid.

I ride a 2016 905RS and love it. The only thing I would wish is for a proper rear axle which I believe the 2017 model addresses. I hate QRs. That said I’ve installed a hope QR and it’s been faultless.

Great bike.

I’m sure the orange will be a superb ride too though.

I love the way whyte design bikes. I think they just look right… however that orange is a really pretty bike. On looks alone I’d pick the orange. Never thought I’d say that.

Never mind the model name being on the downtube, what’s messing with my OCD is an orange Whyte and a blue Orange. It’s like bizarro-singletrackworld

All day long the Whyte, colour coded hubs and fork decals and stem. I dislike the seat tube to top tube junction on the Orange and it isn’t as nicely finished in those pics as the Whyte.

Get a Bird

Get the Whyte………… or a Bird.

andywoodall – Member

The P7 was originally getting a look in, but I discounted it as its £100 more than the Crush and including a dropper starts to put the bike into the £1800 mark where Soul builds become possible.

Cotic do a Soul as a full bike starting at £1649

Had a similar debate and got a bird. Then a whyte FS.

I’m an idiot.

The Orange wins by having externally routed cables.

https://www.evanscycles.com/pinnacle-iroko-4-2016-mountain-bike-EV244135

Qwerty puts a good bike in the mix…..

Depending on the size you need Edinburgh bicycle have 2016 905rs in the sale for £1299. The prices are not on the website but there was a couple on display in the Newcastle store today.

get a bird

Thanks for the replies, I still change my mind every day even though I’ve technically decided. Have settled on the Orange, but to be honest I could end up with either and be happy.

I love Bird’s (ooh er) but I like local shops, so that’s out.

To whoever mentioned Cotic builds starting at £1600, this is true, but factor in 1×11 and a dropper and they are £1800 bikes, trust me, I’ve tried and tried to make the maths work. Next hardtail, but not this time.

I do appreciate the colour coding effort that Whyte put in though, I agree there.

Just hope the Crush pedals ok as an everyday do it all bike, which I’m sure it will.

If you add £200 to your budget to get a Soul, will that cost you less in the long run because you won’t want to upgrade and also be more satisfied with your purchase? Sometimes a budget can cause a false economy.

I love Bird’s (ooh er) but I like local shops, so that’s out.

missing out TBH

Depends what size you are but cycle surgery has the 909 for the same price as the 905 rs in M.

Not sure if you prefer the rockshox fork over the fox but the fox does have a decent damper in it and the rest is better specced.

I’d rather be speccing down a Soul than swapping bikes again, tbh.
Factor in buying one of these, plus what you’ll lose selling it on, & probably would have been better off buying a lower spec Soul now.
It’s the alloy hardtail thing that is a mental block for me…

I doubt either of those off the shelf would dissapoint though.
Of the two, I’d go with the Whyte.

Theres some exceedingly sensible posts right there. Another LBS that I normally use (who do a lot of Cotic’s), pointed out that I was likely going to be in there for a frame swap to a Soul at some point.

This is probably true, but my excuse for not going for the Cotic is that it still doesn’t come with stealth routing (doesn’t the recent Bfe update include this?) and the dropper I have spare is stealth, so I’d have to flog and rebuy.

Anyway, I have still agonised about this, Crush looks ace but I’m still somewhat reluctant having not ridden one, but then the same goes for the 905.

However, I have a plan, going to check out the P7S, which I had a good look at earlier in the year when they arrived in shops and liked the look of.

Whyte! Good guys behind the company with fantastic geometry.
They also emphasize value for money, whereas Orange do not.
Tough powder coat & you can support an LBS too.

I’d go for the Whyte out of those 2, on spec. and looks, they’re really well rated.

But, I’d probably go for a Bird Zero, for £1600 you could have something brilliant. Better spec. than both of the above.

Or, I’d cut back somewhere else for a month or 2, up the budget and get the soul. If you compromise now you’ll only spend more long term.

Whyte 905 RS 2016 model can be had for good value. Im still swaying between FS and HT and that 909 at Cycle Surgey is tempting!

Bird re-doing their shop so I’m also seeing how much a 1×11 zero with dropper will be!