Whyte T130 or something else? Please help me choose my next bike!

mm94210

I apologise in advance for posting another “what bike should I buy“ thread but I would be really grateful for some help and suggestions.

I have owned a HT MTB for just over a year (Giant Fathom 1 27.5).

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/gb/fathom-1

Currently my rides include fairly tame terrain, however, I am now starting to try out some more challenging stuff. Most weekends I go on a 3-4 hour XC style ride on Dartmoor/Exmoor/Bodmin in the south west of the UK. This involves a real mix of terrain including fields, bridleways and more technical tracks with big roots and rocks etc. I am lucky enough to live really close to a place called Haldon Forest in Devon and I have been on the their blue run many times (kiddens trail). As I progress I would like a bike that can handle tougher trails like their red and potentially black trails but one that isn’t going to be a pig for more XC country style longer rides that I tend to do on the weekends.

My budget is £2000 max (but ideally less if possible) and I am looking to purchase a used bike. My two main contenders are currently the Canyon Spectral AL 6.0 https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/mountain-bikes/trail-bikes/spectral/spectral-al-6.0/2230.html?dwvar_2230_pv_rahmengroesse=XL&dwvar_2230_pv_rahmenfarbe=BK.

and the Whyte T130 S

https://whyte.bike/products/t130s

I have seen both the 2018 and 2019 models of these bike sell well under £2000 used so I am happy to bide my time and wait until a decent local one comes up for sale. The question is am I missing anything that is particularly good value? I know there are tons of other options such as the Escarpe, Trance, Remedy, Jeffsy etc. I would really love to hear some more experienced members thoughts on my choices and in particular to hear some suggestions of other bikes that might fit the bill. As I said above, in order to maximise my budget I am going to purchase a used bike and I am happy to consider any alternative bike from the last couple of years.

Thank you in advance for your help and your suggestions.

steve_sordy

The Whyte T130 is a fantastic bike. I used to have one. It rides like it has much more travel than 130 (but in a good way). The whole bike was designed by a British company for British weather and you will have little problems with pivot points and wheel bearings going rusty. Whyte is also supported by a dealer network in the UK, so you will never be far from a dealer that will fix any warranty claims that may occur.

I have never ridden any Canyon for more than a few hundred yards, so I can't tell you anything about how they ride. But when I was considering buying one, I looked at the geometry and I thought they were all a bit short in the reach. The other thing about Canyons is that they have no UK dealer network, so it has to be an internet purchase. If you are confident about fixing stuff yourself, that may be no big deal, but it is for some.

I assume that you have been reading as many reviews as you can find?

mm94210

Thanks for that info, I really appreciate it!

Yes. I have read so, so many reviews that I am just confusing myself with it all really.

May I ask which year and model of T130 you had? Could you also give me your view as to how it handled longer less technical rides and XC stuff? While I’m going to be do a lot more proper trails I will still be churning across a load of open fields and bridleways etc.

Cheers again!

steve_sordy

mm94210 wrote:

Thanks for that info, I really appreciate it!

Yes. I have read so, so many reviews that I am just confusing myself with it all really.

May I ask which year and model of T130 you had? Could you also give me your view as to how it handled longer less technical rides and XC stuff? While I’m going to be do a lot more proper trails I will still be churning across a load of open fields and bridleways etc.

Cheers again!

I has the 2017 T130 C RS. It came with a 2.3" Maxxis High Roller II front tyre and a 2.25" Maxxis Crossmark II on the rear. The HRII was great but the Crossmark just had to go. It was fine in the dry but had no grip in wet and slippy conditions. I replaced it with a 2.2" Continental Trail King, with the black chill compound (V. Imp that bcc). I had to put three rings in the shock to firm up the mid travel to my liking, but the fork was fine as it came. The bike handled well I thought when I was on less technical rides, but it was probably a little bit heavier than the Canyon would be (not sure, you'd have to find out, if that is important to you). The Whyte is a proper trail bike and not an XC bike, so it has geometry to suit that. Therefore it will be better at descending and rougher trails than an XC bike would be, but the XC bike will be better at flat out, smoother trails and of course climbing.

I guess it depends upon what are your ambitions for the bike. If you want to do mainly open fields and bridleways with the occasional rougher trail then maybe an XC-oriented bike would be better for you, just put fatter tyres on it. But if you want to increase the aggro a bit and start riding some rougher terrain, then a trail bike is the way to go. I have had Enduro bikes with 165mm travel and I've had XC bikes with 100mm travel. In my opinion, if you want a do it all bike that will be good pretty much everywhere then I can recommend a good trail bike. The Whyte T130 is such a bike. OK, it will be slightly compromised at each end of the spectrum, but not by much. I would happily take that bike to all the red trails at Bike Park Wales. I'm not a good enough rider to do that with an XC bike. Some of my mates who are better riders than me would take it down the black trails, half of them at least! If my knee problems hadn't forced me to give up riding clockwork bikes and buy an emtb then I would still be riding that Whyte! I loved it!

mm94210

Thanks again for your comments. I really am grateful.

The way things stand, I am currently considering going for either this:

2017 Whyte T130 C RS

https://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/105136/products/whyte-t130-c-rs-650b-mountain-bike-2017-graniteorange.aspx

or this

2019 Whyte T130 S

https://www.cyclesurgery.com/p/whyte-t-130-s-2019-Q1224606.html?channable=e75528.MjM1ODE4XzE5MTk&colour=1919&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIieH11s-e5QIVTbTtCh2jfg1eEAUYASABEgKPn_D_BwE


Whichever I go for I will be buying used and I have the option of buying either locally for about £1750 (obviously I need to go and look at them but they both look to be in really good condition). I would be grateful as to your view on which would potentially be the best purchase at that price. I am aware that the 2017 is an older bike and has more cosmetic marks whereas the 2019 is almost immaculate. Obviously the 2017 bike is a better spec bike but I am wondering whether the age would compensate against it?

Thanks again.

steve_sordy

Those are two quite different bikes!
The Whyte T130C RS is a carbon framed high spec bike with 27.5" wheels and 130mm travel
The Whyte S150 is an alloy framed medium sec bike with 29" wheels and 150mm travel.

You have to decide which bike will suit your style of riding and your ambitions for the future.

The suspension on the T130 is top spec and very tunable. The suspension on the S150 is good but not as good. I have the same Revelation fork with debonair spring on my emtb and it's good fork. I've had it for 10 months and I'm still deciding whether to upgrade to the Pike by using a conversion kit (for £200 + fitting)! I also have the same shock and its fine, I would prefer the shock from the T130, but I can easily live with it. The S150 will be heavier, probably 2-3 lbs heavier than the T130. The 29er wheels will make a noticeable difference to the ride vs the 27.5" wheels of the T130. Whether you like that difference is up to you. The 29er really does roll over stuff better, but the wheels are heavier and slower to accelerate and yes, they will need some adjustment to your riding style on cornering. But once you are up to speed they can really fly (the rolling over stuff helps, as does the extra angular momentum built up).

My Whyte was a 2017 T130C RS, the exact as the one you are considering buying. My current bike is a 29er and with the same fork and shock as the Whyte S150. Given what you have written so far, I would recommend the T130C RS as I believe it will suit you better than the S150.

For the T130, do you know exactly how old it is? Yes I know its a 2017 model, but was it first sold in the latter half of 2016 or the middle of 2017. There is a year of use difference in those dates and it matters. It matters because you need to be sure that the fork and shock are working OK. What if they have never been serviced? A service for both items will set you back £200+ and then extra for any items that need replacing. Go to the TFTuned website for service costs.
https://www.tftuned.com/servicing

If the vendor says yes it has been serviced, ask for a the report that TFTuned (or whoever) will have produced - they all do it as art of the service. If he is not convincing, then budget for both items to be serviced, plus maybe extra for bits that need replacing. Check all the usual stuff, brake pads, shifters, gears. Look for burrs on the gear teeth (bad), shark fin shaped gear teeth (bad).

Ask the same questions and do the same checks with the S150. Because it's younger the potential for wear and tear is less, but it may have been ridden very hard by a big heavy guy.

mm94210

Thanks so much again for the response. I’m afraid that I stupidly posted the wrong link for the second bike. It should have been for a 2019 T130 s and not the 150. My bad.

billycool

The Whyte T-130 is a very good bike and I've ridden one down BPW and Cwmcarn.

150mm for me would be too much for what you will ride most of the time.

For me, weight is a big factor. My FS bike is only about 28lbs, so quite light. It's a 140mm Enduro bike but has lots of lightweight bits on it. You don't want a nice 140/150mm travel bike that weighs too much and needs draggin up most hills.

My FS is fine on bridle paths etc but it's not what it was designed for and 1x gearing limits it a bit on faster sections. I've just built up a new HT using most bits off an older 3x9 bike. I have bought new 140mm forks and it's great fun. Just did a 40 mile charity MTB ride on it that I've also done it on my FS and the HT was better suited and more fun to ride (even on a couple of bumpy downhill bits).

I've also done BPW etc on a HT - the blues are great fun but the more technical reds are less comfortable and a FS does make the whole experience more fun.

Wanting a bike that can potentially manage black trails but also manage day to day XC is asking a lot. XC, AM, Enduro and DH bikes all exist for a reason. They are good in their specific format.

It does depend what the majority of your riding will be. You do need room for improvement but if you end up of black trails in the future, I'm sure you'll be wanting another bike by then. You can future proof to an extent or just follow the N+1 rules.

I like my HT and FS options. It covers all the bases of the type of riding I do and both combined cost less than £2000.

Good luck with the shopping - there are literally so many to choose from.

mm94210

Thanks also for your input. I appreciate it. I totally get what you are saying in that I need to look for where I am happy to compromise in regard to XC/Trail and I need to think about that some more. My gut feeling is that I am going to be going for more aggressive trails now that I am getting more confident and with that in mind I would be interested in your view as to whether there are any other FS bikes that I should be looking at? As I said above I am going to almost certainly buy used in order to keep the costs down and I am thinking that I want it to be as lights as possible. I am only really in a position to afford one bike and the way I see things going is that if I don’t go for the T130 I may look at something a bit cheaper that I could potentially upgrade over time.

Thanks again

billycool

Yeah - I hear you.

In the nicest possible sense, you'd be fine on a £1000, £2000 or £3000 bike.

It's nice to have decent bike, but I've been at it since 1990 and I've yet to find a bike that I was too good for. I've run out of skill way before the bike does.

I've ridden mainly HT's and got my first FS about 3 years ago from Steve Sordy (never thought I'd need one). It's so much fun and I love it. Having said that, there is plenty of love/room in my life for a HT (I'm a firm beleiver that beginners should start on a HT - but that's cos I'm old).

I'm not expert on the brands, so can't really suggest exactly what to go for. However, the recognised cheaper brands were always Calibre (Go Outdoors), Boardman (Halfords) and Vitus (CRC/Wiggle).

Personally, my criteria would be a light'ish 130/140mm bike, maybe more Enduro than XC but as light as possible. A carbon frame might be an option 2nd hand to save weight but a sensible 2nd hand £3k alu bike should be c.£1500 to £2000.

With your budget and the time of year, you should be able to get a brand new £2500 to £3k 2019 bike reduced to just over £2k (c.20-35% off)

These guys do a lot of discounted `last year` bikes:

https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/

These are just to show the discounts that can be had:

https://www.rutlandcycling.com/bikes/mo ... ack_381427

https://www.rutlandcycling.com/bikes/mo ... rey_460885

https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/1797/prod ... arbon.aspx

https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/653/produ ... range.aspx

mm94210

Thanks again. You sum my situation up perfectly. The reality is that I have been riding properly for just over a year and have no need at all really for a new bike (I certainly don’t have the skill for one). Trouble is (and we’ve all been there) is that I have “decided” that I am going to buy a FS so the name of the game now is damage limitation. I almost bought a Whyte T130 S 2019 for £2049 the other day from Rutland as they are also running some voucher codes to get and additional chunk reduced. The more I mull things over I think I’m going to try and spend between £1000 and £2000 (ideally closer to £1000) on a used FS bike and then potentially “treat” myself in a few years and get a discounted new bike. I will certainly be keeping my eye on those sellers though as they have indeed got some decent deals and they do also sell off some ex display and hire stuff at what looks to be heavily discounted prices.

Thanks again

mm94210

So after lots of deliberation I have decided that I am definitely going for the T130. I now just need to decide between these two variants. One is the T130 S 2020 model and the other is the T130 CR 2019.

Here are the links:

https://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/328625/products/whyte-t-130-s-v2-275-mountain-bike-2020-matt-midnightoceanrose.aspx

https://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/310016/products/whyte-t130-c-r-275-mountain-bike-2019-petrollime.aspx

The way I see it is that it is a compromise between either having the better frame (on the 2019 bike) or what looks to be the better fork on the 2020 bike. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

steve_sordy

Both bikes will lose the same amount of money after three years of ownership. But the carbon bike will always have an older birth certificate!

The carbon bike is a lighter frame, but the components are not so I'm guessing that the bikes will weigh pretty much the same. See if you can find out for sure.

The alloy bike has the GX version of the Eagle 12 speed, but the carbon 2019 has the cheaper and heavier NX version. I have ridden the top-end Eagle on a Whyte T130C RS and a GX on a YT Capra and I could not tell the difference in shifting performance. (The GX weighed more though).

Carbon bikes have concerns with many about the robustness of the frame. I've had several of them and I can state with confidence that those worries are misplaced. But alloy is the safer option, especially if you have never had one before.

I would not worry about the Revelation fork. I have one on my current bike and it is much better than its rep. It can also be easily upgraded to a top of the range Pike if you find it necessary, or just want to!

Overall, my reading of you and your posts to date tells me that you would be happier with the 2020 alloy version. :?:

mm94210

Thanks again for the comments. After looking into it the reality is that the listed weight is only 190g less for the carbon bike with the components compared to the alloy 2020 model. I’m grateful for the info on some of the components that you mentioned as well as my knowledge of these details is fairly poor. My gut feeling is that the alloy would be the best option too. I’ve test ridden the 2019 T130 S so I am guessing that the frame on the new one is going to be pretty much identical.