Comparing the Aeris120 & T130S?

Hi!

I’m a long time reader, but first post on the forum. I know similar thread’s been up before, though I haven’t read anything from someone that has tried and compared them both.

Anyhow, I’m about to upgrade my Canyon Nerve, which I’ve found not optimal for my riding. 90 % of the time I ride in pretty technical terrain with lots of steps, rocks and roots. Up and down, but not that often at very high speeds. There will also be a couple of rides to the mountains every year.

As I se it:

Bird Aeris 120
Plus: Plenty of options when ordering
Plus: Lighter than the T130S (approx 1 kg)
Plus: Fast email response from Bird/Ben
Plus: Slightly better warranty than Whyte
Plus: Probably a little more bang for the buck

Plus/Minus: External cable routing (probably more negative for me = less visible cables looks better)

Minus: Maybe a bit too long
Minus: Less playful/poppy/agile than the Whyte (pretty important fact)

Whyte T130S
Plus: Bike of the year + 5/5, 10/10 etc.
Plus: Supposed to be more playful than the Bird (18,5 mm shorter wheelbase and 10 mm shorter chainstay for example)

Plus/Minus: Internal cable routing (probably more positive for me = less visible cables looks better)

Minus: No lifetime warranty on frames
Minus: Not possible to transfer warranty in case of me selling it
Minus: Heavier than the Bird (Not sure it’s possible to lighten the bike to, say 13-13,5 kg without too high cost, is it?)
Minus: No options to chose components on website
Minus: Mailed Whyte 3-4 weeks ago, still no response

It’s not as easy to try these bikes in Sweden as it seem to be in England, but this weekend I had the opportunity to try out the Aeris in, what seems to be, the right size (= ML, I’m 183/86-87). It really felt good, although it was pretty long/low compared to my Nerve.

So… is there anyone here who has tried them both and can share some thoughts? It would be very helpful! Other comments on the subject are also very welcome.

I’m also thinking, how big is the risk that I wouldn’t like the Whyte if I bought it unseen/untried since it has almost the same geometry as the Bird? (Whyte’s L is very similar to Birds ML).

Cheers//Peter

Fit some plastic Nukeproof pedals to the Whyte, and save a few lbs. So I’ve heard anyway.

Minus: Less playful/poppy/agile than the Whyte (pretty important fact)

I haven’t ridden the Whyte but my Aeris 120 is 100% playful/poppy/agile. Wants to fly off everything, is a joy to lean over hard in corners and scampers like a rocket at soon as you put the foot down

What BB ^^ said.

And the external cables aren’t really an issue. In fact they way they’ve placed the cable guides is genius and will pretty much guarantee no cable rub. And the only internal cable guide on the Aeris for the dropper post is way better positioned than on my 2016 Enduro. On the Enduro, if I want to replace the dropper post I have to remove the chain, cranks and BB in order to get the bloody cable past the BB shell and up the seattube 👿

I’ve demoed both in my recent search for a new trial bike. I really liked both of them and there wasn’t a lot to choose between them to be honest.

I rode the M in the Whyte and the ML in the bird at 5′ 9″. In hindslight I’d like to have tried the bird in M as well as ML. The ML is very long and this made the bike very stable and confidence inspiring but I did find it lacking a bit in the handling and I struggled a bit to unweight it so it lost some liveliness. That’s why I wonder if the M would’ve been better for me. I suspect if you’re an aggressive rider who throws the bike about then this very long geometry would work better, but I wanted the bike to encourage input rather than demand it if that makes sense? There was a lot I did like about the bike though. It looked great, the team were very friendly and helpful. The ability to spec it to your preferences was a big plus for me.

The Whyte felt heavier to lift but actually when riding it this wasn’t too noticeable. It does ride lighter than expected based on just the numbers. I would say the Bird climbed better (this is where the stability and weight was noticeable and positive) but I felt the Whyte maybe handled better and felt more fun and engaging downhill.

My suspicion is, if I’d tried the bird in M rather than ML, it would’ve regained some of the liveliness and manoeuvrability I felt was missing in the ML (and that I found in the Orbea Occam I ended up with). It’s difficult though as they were relatively short demos with weeks between them. When they’re both such good bikes you’re really just splitting hairs and going on perceptions and gut feelings to separate them and those will obviously be very personal.

If you can find the right size Bird for you and your riding style, my feeling is that you’ll be able to spec it better (lighter) than the equivalent Whyte and it would probably be my choice of the two but there really isn’t a lot in it. As mentioned, someone else looking for something slightly different might just as easily feel the opposite! They’re that close.

I have ridden both and found that the bird was more fun, it could not wait to fly over jumps and rail berms. I found it really confidence inspiring on the decents and it climbed better than the t130. Bought one and I love it. Also really nice to spec it out how I wanted.
That said don’t think you can go far wrong in this choice.