Whyte 146 – Riders comments

Anyone riding one of these bikes in the Works or S version.

I’m interested to hear your feedback on how it rides, any issues?

Thanks in advance.

Hi,

I took delivery of my 2012 146S on Wednesday, and it’s had 3 outings so far, and my opinion is a very satisfied one. My only issues so far were quick fixes, like a strange cable routing causing the fork to switch to lockout all the time, and again a cable issue where the rear mech cable was frighteningly close to the chainring! Other than that it’s so far so good.

I’ve only just joined so pics are to come and I’ll update as I go. Personally I would say get a good test ride, as it’s not to everyone’s riding style in terms of geometry, but I love it.

I Got mine in May & love it. I have the s model which is more than enough for me.
I have been around ladybower & done some local trails where its performance has been flawless. My favorite thing about it is the balance.

As above some small fettling may be needed from new. Where the front mech cable passes under the bb on mine, the cable was almost touching the frame, as the guide wears the cable would have cut in to the frame eventually, so I passed the cable over the mech the other way giving it a few precious mm. The front brake hose comes stupidly long, so I have shortened it. I have also gone tubless, and now don’t expect to change a thing spec wise.

Note the long brake cable from new on this pic, as above, deffo needs a trim.

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Any issues with the chain coming off? I’ve come accross a couple of review comments concerning issues with the SRAM double chainset.

That bike is fugly… and having seen how one of the guys on the first T-P got on with the Whyte 120 they’d really want to have improved things.

No, never had a problem with the chain coming off. I live on the edge of the peak district & the trails I use are fast & rocky, the chain will get shaken a lot, but has never come off.

I have read (on singletrack) someone having problems with chain jump on a 146, but only 1 so far. It is the usual forum(s) problem though, no one starts a thread “Whyte 146 my chain stays on!” Maybe I should?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

rode behind one of those a while back, damn it was loud.

Hi, yep I have had a few problems with the chain coming off. Got mine 2nd hand on ebay at a cracking price. Three rides so far and it’s awesome. Dunno how you could call it fugly either – even my gf thinks its sexy (but then she thinks I am too…) Last ride it came off 3 times. Part of the problem I think is that I have come from a Whyte 46 which has a much higher bb and I’m not used to the low bb on the 146. The chain seems prone to jumping off if you get a pedal strike. Doesn’t have to be a massive one either. Had the same Sram X9 2×10 set up on the 46 and no problems.
It`s a bit niggly but the bike is so good it’s forgiveable. Finding myself climbing a gear or two higher and it descends far better than I can.
I did upgrade to the Reverb and that improves the ride too but apart from that it’s a totally sorted bike.

Cheers for further updates.

It’s good to get some real rider comments on the bike. Magazine reviews seem to be
positive overall.

Does the bike perform well on the climbs & pointing down…

Like I said previously, it’s better than me. Drop the post on the downs and it feels far better than the 46 ever did, and I tried it on one of our tougher climbs around here last weekend and for such a slack bike it was fantastic.

Try one!

I find it goes down better than up, but that could just be me. I also had a 46 with the maverick forks, on that you could lower the front end for climbing which I did find a bit better. Set the suspension up right on the 146 though and and it climbs very well.

I am roughly 75-80kg and have 75psi in the forks & 160psi at the rear, should any one want to compare.