whyte e-lyte 150 rsx ?

Anyone got one ?

Anyone test ridden one ?

Any better or worse than a Specialized Levo SL ?

I know we’re in the realms of e-bikes – but that looks expensive for the spec at £8k. No piggyback shock / only select plus suspension / no name hubs and cheap spokes / bottom end Codes (I think) etc. on the flip side GX t type is quite an expensive drivetrain. But I’d rather have a lower end mechanical one and better suspension personally.

The Bosch SX motor is meant to be decent and I think with 55nm that’s a good happy medium between the original lower power Levo and Kenevo and a full fat 85nm e bike.

They look good, but expensive.

Heckler sl looks better value for money (can’t believe I’m saying that about a santa cruz) , still pricy though, but the fazua motor is a bit of a reliability concern.

Specialised kenevo sl 2 or Levo sl 2 is probably a fairly solid choice in the lightweight e enduro bike world

Or a trek fuel exe looks a decent buy (at current sale prices) if you can live with slightly less suspension travel than the above.

That’s the sort of bike I want to replace my Rise with but at £8k I think I’ll carry on eyeing up the Haibike Lyke CF.

What’s it actually weigh with and without the range extender? £8k is £1500 more then my e180RS cost in the middle of covid and that was littered with top spec components (the only thing they hid as cheapo was the cassette and chain). 

I have demoed one and was very impressed. I’ve also demoed the heckler sl and the Bosch is definitely the better motor and interface. It rode all the DH tracks at Inners with ease. I personally have a kenevo sl which is also brilliant. It definitely doesn’t have the oomph of the Whyte or heckler though so not as good for power hour rides. All great bikes that ride like normal trail bikes. All very expensive

Saw the price of these recently and thought Whyte might not have got the memo about ebike sales not being that great just now and big discounts available, 8k for bang average build is taking the mickey a bit

I’m looking forward to trying the 400w full power giant reign option. Ideal for my usual 2hr blasts

@Speedstar what did you think of the Heckler SL ?

several people on ETMB forum who’ve had a SC ebike and sent them back as not fit for purpose.

Cast my eye over these online but haven’t seen much by way of review yet.  They do look pretty pricey and I’m assuming that once stock is good, there will be some discounting.  For me, the front runner in the lite ebike is the fuel eXe with the T transmission. Some decent discounts on that (still spendy mind) and it Matt Keswick colour, looks tidy and understated.

Fazua motors going pop or dead on arrival ?

Binman it rode really well. Tbh I preferred the Whyte but that’s because of the interface which is really important on an ebike IMO. But riding-wise really neutral and capable. One day I might be able to afford either!

I had a sit on a large ELyte in the shop and it did feel a little cramped compared with my Orange Five XL.  Is this the effect of having a steeper seat angle and slacker head angle in that the bars and seat are closer together?

Ps. The Heckler SL felt more comfortable.

Might as well add in here. Demoed both the whyte e-lyte and the heckler sl. Both at FOD.

The rsx model and the equivalent heckler sl. THe heckler came out 800 more than the rsx. The rsx also has carbon wheels the heckler doesn’t.

The fazua motor says it has 5Nm more than the bosch but 200w less. The bosch motor feels light years ahead of the fazua. Fazua also has terrible reliability (Know a few people on them). Fazua controls and top tube interface feel extremely cheap.

Wireless controller on the Whyte is great.

Both had decent battery life. Fazua was noisier. Going down, whyte is quicker but still fun and poppy. Very agile for a full 29er.

Weight, on the same scales Heckler was 19.6. Whyte was 20.5 with the extender attached. 19.3 without it.

No chance I would go the heckler over the whyte. Whyte is a fantastic bike. Yes, 8k seems a lot but everything has gone up. Its pretty standard now. Should get my whyte tomorrow 🙂

I have a bronson so I tried the heckler and I tried the E-lyte.

The heckler was just a slightly heavier bronson and it rode really well, but the motor is the bit that put me off.

I have had whyte’s previously and my OH has an E160, the e-lyte felt good to ride nice geo etc, but you have to up the cadence to keep up with a full fat

Anyone test ridden one ?

Any better or worse than a Specialized Levo SL ?

Yep – test road a Rise SL, Rise LT, Whyte E-lyte, Levo SL

Of them all the Whyte looked the least desirable in the flesh, and also looked the cheapest. Spec wise though pretty good.

I found it a weird bike. Front end felt high to me, but could be because I could only just fit on the medium, prob should have been on a small. I found it the least engaging of all the bikes I rode. It set off feeling like it wasn’t going to be competent, but then weirdly was very competent, just not that engaging if that makes sense.

The Rise LT and Levo SL are definitely more fun to ride and more engaging IMO, some people might see that as more twitchy etc but I much prefer it.

The Bosch motor feels mechanically the best out of them all, but did make an odd noise when stopping pedalling, and was the only one I rode that went in to limp mode for no reason. The Whyte people said that its something the Bosch motor does if you ride it down bumpy DH sections!

The Levo SL is the better bike IMO, but the battery and motor feel very old compared to the competition. Definitely needs an update to make the Levo SL competitive as a package.

It is true the cadence has to be kept high to keep up with full fat ebikes, but the fact it can keep up with them is amazing.

I rode mine down all the FOD DH tracks and haven’t seen a limp mode come up. Maybe loose connection on yours?

I rode mine down all the FOD DH tracks and haven’t seen a limp mode come up. Maybe loose connection on yours?

To be clear I was on a demo bike, not my own bike, Ive ordered an Orbea Rise LT 🙂

The Whyte bloke said that the motor senses the vibration/knocking and sends it in to limp mode to protect it, and its happening on all brands using the new Bosch motor. Something that will be updated by firmware. Whether that’s true or not I don’t know.

He also tried to say it went in to ‘Amber’ mode but the 3 settings were still working and it was me psychologically not feeling the difference in the 3 settings ! (trollocks)

So take your pick 🙂

I’ve test ridden the elytes, that one and the top 2 in the range, twice, and a load of full phat ebikes from Orbea, yeti, trek, Merida and Marin. The elyte is great but I’d choose a full phat any day of the week because if I was going to have an ebike I’d want it to be fully e and not “you have to pedal at a high cadence to get similar results” e if you know what I mean. The elytes I tested were all fitted with an optional extra battery because the standard battery doesn’t last as long as one on a full phat bike. So add an extra battery into your costs. The elyte and the best of the full phats were all great descenders. For full phat, the Trek and Merida were both amazing, but the Marin stood out above them all for bang for buck (less than 4k currently inc extra battery makes it tempting). Easily as good as the bikes twice the price, unfortunately it’s not a great looker tho imo (sanity Vs vanity 🙂 ).

I could go on… So I will

The elyte’s weight meant it handled more like a normal bike, whereas the full phats smashed thro everything and were a real arm and upper body workout due to their bigger mass. I’d be happy with either there, no preference either way, it’s the available power and the way it’s presented that would make me choose a fully 100%

ebikes is all personal preference / need

I want to still work on my ride, and be able to lift the dam thing. Speaking to alot of the sales staff at the demo day I went to, many people who have ridden bikes from childhood (lets face it most people who can afford an ebike are middle aged) prefer light weight. Most people who are coming straight to MTB prefer full fat. Yes I know thats a sweeping statement, but its what they think they are seeing.

I never thought I would want a full fat, but riding the rise with 85NM was something else. With the Rise it will be nice to go out on some rides and work for it, others just stick it in full fat and have a quick blast.

Exactly personal preference. Had a full fat ebike for 2 years. Mostly stays in eco and sometimes.trail mode. Never use boost.

Lighter weight ones handle so much better.

I thought the elyte range was fantastic. 4800 ft climbing and 20 miles on the internal battery with around 10% left. So a decent ride. Lots of climbing. Used the two lower modes and found it easy enough. I’m 96kg and far from the fittest person.

Tried with the extender on and struggled to notice any difference in weight. It’s so low down in the frame.