Currently riding a Whyte T130RS..which I really like ..when I say riding due to work commitments we haven’t actually been together for over 3 months ..
I’ve been a fan of electric mountain bikes since riding a Haibike S-Duro over 4 years ago and always knew that one day I would buy one ..I like Whyte bikes but as yet haven’t had the chance to test ride this particular bike ..anyone out there got one and if so how do you rate it ?
My reason for buying is that at 63 years old this year I feel that I’ve done my time over the course of the last 24 years on rigid / hardtail / full -sus to not feel too guilty about a little bit of power assistance..besides which they are bloody good fun …

I looked long and hard at this and ended up with an Orbea Wild FS. The Whyte was a bit too downhill focussed I reckoned, the Orbea being just about as good down the way and a lot more agile climbing.

That said, I only rode the Orbea once and had a horrible crash…

This is timely – I’m nearly 65 and I’ve been thinking about an E-MTB. The Whyte and the Orbea are the two main contenders, although I haven’t ridden either.

Go try a few, you’ll not look back ! I’m a bit younger, at 53, fairly fit but some heart issues. I had a few demo rides, in particular half a day on a Focus Jam2 in Cairngorm, and was totally hooked 😀

Oh, and if you’re near central Scotland my Orbea is for sale from the shop who supplied it, with full warranty and a healthy discount and no waiting list 😜

I’m off the bike for at least another 6 months…

Appreciate that online sellers might not be first port of call for e-bikes but the new Radon Render looks pretty good, and always thought same about the YT Decoy…

hodgynd

My reason for buying is that at 63 years old this year I feel that I’ve done my time over the course of the last 24 years on rigid / hardtail / full -sus to not feel too guilty about a little bit of power assistance..besides which they are bloody good fun …

No need to have to explain to anyone on here mate and good luck with the hunt.👍

Very timely. Had 2 procedures on my back this year and currently looking at the Whyte E-150 RS so I can get back out with the group. Going to try one out from Pedalabikeaway at FOD. They do half day hires. Only thing I’m a bit concerned about is how low the cables hang below the bb due to the motor being turned. Looks like they might get crushed/caught/severed as bb is low due to design of Whytes to keep weight low and centred on bike.

Iainc – how much are they asking for it?

failedengineer

Member
Iainc – how much are they asking for it?

I think they have it around 10% off – which given that it has been ridden for half an hour is pretty good. It has a few upgrades etc too, Wolftooth remote, Ergon grips etc

(all in around £800 reduction on what it would cost RRP)

Dave at Sprockets in Kilmarnock is your man if interested.

I have one and I bloody love it. I’ve ridden xc for 30 years and the Wyhte is perfect for xc and bike park stuff too. It’s incredibly agile and great for all day rides as well as tech trails. The cable routing has been changed for new bikes, I had mine re routed foc by the dealer. BB is quite low, but no worse than many FS Spesh bikes I’ve owned over the years. I’ve done 875 miles on it so far and loving it.

Cheers Sparky ..that’s just what wanted to hear ..👍

Looking this thread, and willing my shoulder to get better sometime in 2020 …

Loving even … 😀

The Whyte e180 was top of my shopping list until the long haired general saw how much it was…

I rode it, and both the e150’s at FoD on the demo day they did last year. I initially thought the 150RS would be the bike for me but it wasn’t better enough over my Powerfly to justify the money, the e180 on the other hand was a revelation but unfortunately even more expensive.

If I was buying from scratch an e150RS would be very high up the list.

I’ve actually ended up with a Trek Rail after I discovered two hairline cracks in my Powerfly frame and Trek offered me a stonking deal on an upgrade. I can’t offer a direct comparison with the Whytes because I haven’t had and decent weather rides on the Rail yet.

Very interested to hear your views on the trek rail, I’ve got that top of my list for possible next bike, that or the orbea wild

sparky – how do you find the Whyte on more long ride xc stuff and climbs ?

hmm. Whilst it’s aimed more at Bike Park/shuttle stuff, I got mine for mainly XC. It seems ideally suited to this as well. I’ve done quite a few 5-6 hour rides. Climbing wise, it really is a revelation for me. Not in terms of the assistance, but how stable and planted the front end is. On really steep stuff I can still stay seated whilst on other xc bikes I’ve had in the past, the front end would be flapping around and I’d have to move around the bike to keep it going in a straight line. It really is that good. Also that front end is unflappable in DH turns, the grip seems never ending, even with the saddle slammed and weight back. You can tell I like it though. The only downside to mine is the draggy WTB tyres( mine is the ‘s’ version.)

oh and there’s a good write up on it in MBR this month. Confirms what I’ve been telling everyone. It’s an Ebike for mountain bikers.

^^^^ good to hear. If I can get fit to ride later in year, and my Orbea Wild FS sells in the meantime, this could well be on the list !

Why not just keep the Orbea ?

^^^^^ I’m off the bike due to a smashed up shoulder from a crash in October and reconstruction surgery and probs off for best part of a year or more. The Orbea had only been ridden once so I felt I could cut my losses and ask the supplying shop to resell it as it is hardly ridden and as new. FFS the battery still had over 90% from it’s very first charge !

Yeah i get that, i saw the accident stuff… .but why sell the Orbea to buy something else in 8 months ? Why not just store it for 8 months and then you don’t have to worry about buying another bike ?

Have a look at Saracen Ariel-E’s
I got one and think it’s a great bike. They are on reduction at a few places, £3000-£3300 depending on size.

weeksy – I may end up doing that, however there remains some uncertainty on whether I will be physically able to ride MTB again, and also mentally whether I will want to..

I’d get a load more selling it now than when it’s a year old as the shop can sell with workshop warranty backup etc