Just bought a Whyte 19 steel
Happy Harry
Posts: 345
Thanks to those of you who helped me decide on a steel frame for my new bike, a Whyte 19 Trail steel. I picked it up on Saturday and had a couple of good rides, so I thought I'd share my experience. I only ride off-road, mostly on bridleways with plenty of hills (up ones and down ones!).
It replaced a '07 Kona Kula so that's what I'm comparing it to. Although only a couple of pounds lighter than the Kona, the Whyte feels much more nimble and precise and I can tackle most hills on the middle chainring where previously I'd have to go down to the bottom. On rocky descents where the Kona would be shaking my teeth out, the Whyte soaks up the worst of the impacts and is more comfortable for longer. So I'm extremely pleased with it. Not to mention that it looks absolutely gorgeous and is beautifully engineered.
My only criticism is that the advertising plays on its Britishness and suitability for British riding conditions - there's a discreet Union Jack on the back of the seatpost and the use of Reynolds 631 tubing is highlighted. But turn it upside down and there's a 'Made in Taiwan' sticker :roll: The Maxxis Aspen tyres are totally useless in British mud - I spent much of my energy at the weekend in spinning the wheel and going nowhere. Today I put some proper rubber on and found that the original inner tubes were Taiwanese 1.50-1.75 for the original tyres of 2.25! I'm sure the Aspens will be fine in Wiltshire come August, but the rubber and tubes don't seem to share the same high-quality, thought, design and finish as the rest of the bike.
I'm not sure how much of it is actually British. I suppose it's just the design and tubing which is shipped out to Taiwan, welded up and shipped back to have the Union Jack proudly stuck on it by a Romanian migrant
And I'm not sure about the SRAM freewheel with the clickety ratchet. It sounds like a Sturmey Archer hub gear and reminds me of when I was a kid. It also scares the hell out of pheasants when you suddenly stop pedalling and they think you're attacking them with an AK47. But these are only minor criticisms and I love it dearly! More than the wife, in fact 8)
Cheers for now
Harry
It replaced a '07 Kona Kula so that's what I'm comparing it to. Although only a couple of pounds lighter than the Kona, the Whyte feels much more nimble and precise and I can tackle most hills on the middle chainring where previously I'd have to go down to the bottom. On rocky descents where the Kona would be shaking my teeth out, the Whyte soaks up the worst of the impacts and is more comfortable for longer. So I'm extremely pleased with it. Not to mention that it looks absolutely gorgeous and is beautifully engineered.
My only criticism is that the advertising plays on its Britishness and suitability for British riding conditions - there's a discreet Union Jack on the back of the seatpost and the use of Reynolds 631 tubing is highlighted. But turn it upside down and there's a 'Made in Taiwan' sticker :roll: The Maxxis Aspen tyres are totally useless in British mud - I spent much of my energy at the weekend in spinning the wheel and going nowhere. Today I put some proper rubber on and found that the original inner tubes were Taiwanese 1.50-1.75 for the original tyres of 2.25! I'm sure the Aspens will be fine in Wiltshire come August, but the rubber and tubes don't seem to share the same high-quality, thought, design and finish as the rest of the bike.
I'm not sure how much of it is actually British. I suppose it's just the design and tubing which is shipped out to Taiwan, welded up and shipped back to have the Union Jack proudly stuck on it by a Romanian migrant
And I'm not sure about the SRAM freewheel with the clickety ratchet. It sounds like a Sturmey Archer hub gear and reminds me of when I was a kid. It also scares the hell out of pheasants when you suddenly stop pedalling and they think you're attacking them with an AK47. But these are only minor criticisms and I love it dearly! More than the wife, in fact 8)
Cheers for now
Harry
Canyon XC 8.0 '11
Whyte 19 steel '10
Whyte 19 steel '10
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Comments
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How much is British? Absolutely... none of it (unless has Hope bits)
Designed here sure, maybe even the bolted together here, but certainly sourced and welded in the far east. Which aint a bad thing.
I don't get this whole 'British conditions' thing either. Most bikes have decent mud room, can have mud guards attached and full length outers. And our weather is not unique...0 -
Whyte. Best bikes in the world. Simple.
I'm doing a E120 build to compliment the 905...can't get enough of Whytes!Whyte 905 (2009)
Trek 1.5 (2009)
Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Comp (2007)0
