2019-05-01_Mountain_Bike_Rider

£2,650

For 2019 theT-130S

getsrevisedgeometry,

2.6intyresanda

140mm-travel fork

Nowavailable

infiveframe

sizes: XS to XL

Verdict

Fastanddirect,thelatestWhyte

T-130S is anamazingtrailbike.It’s

packedwithcutting-edgetechtoo,

likethesuper-shortoffsetforkand

single-ringframedesign.

Yes,it’stheshortest-travelbike

here,buttheT-130usesevery

millimetreofitstraveloptimally.

It neverfeelstoosoftoractiveunder

power,buthammerintoa rough

sectionoftrailandtheredO-ring on

theshockwillindicate

fulltravel,without

bottomingout

harshly.Canyon’s

keenpricing,

though,pushesit

into second place.

whyte t-130 s

specification
Frame 6061 T6
aluminium,
130mmtravel
ShockRockShox
DeluxeRT
ForkRockShox
RevelationRC,
140mmtravel
Wheelssealed
110/148mmhubs,
WTBSTpi29
rims,MaxxisHigh
RollerII/Rekon
27.5x2.6intyres
DrivetrainTruvativ
Descendant6K
32tchainset,SRAM
GXEagler-mech
andshifter
BrakesSRAM
GuideT, 180mm
ComponentsWhyte
alloy780mmbar,
WhyteGravity
35mmstem,KS
LEV-Integra150mm
post,WhyteDual
Densitysaddle
SizesXS,S,M,L, XL
Weight14.92kg
(32. 89lb)
Contactwhyte.bike

Geometry
SizetestedL
Headangle65.3°
Seatangle68.3°
BBheight320mm
Chainstay
432mm
Frontcentre789mm
Wheelbase1,221mm
Downtube732mm
Toptube635mm
Reach 480mm

i

twouldbeeasytotakea quick

glanceatthe 2019 WhyteT-130S

andassumeit’sthesameaslast

year’sbike,albeitwithfatter2.6in

tyresanda 140mm-travelfork.

Thatwouldbea massivemistake,

becausethisis a completelynewframe

withtweakedsuspensiondynamics

andrevisedgeometry;geometrythat’s

designedspecificallyforforkswithultra-

short37mmoffsets.

Butbeforewediveintoallofthe

changes,therearea coupleofsignature

Whytedesignfeaturesthatcarryover

toitslatest27.5intrailbikeplatform.

TakethesymmetricalSCRrearstays

andultra-widemainpivotthatimprove

thestiffnessoftherearendbyusing

spacefreedupbythenowredundant

frontderailleur.

Thenthere’sWhyte’sprogressive

approachtosizing.ThesizeL T-130

boastsa generous480mmreach

measurement.That’s20mmlonger

thantheequivalentsizeCanyon,which

is actuallythesecondlongestbikein

the27.5incategory.AndWhytehasn’t

ignoredshorterriders,expandingthe

size range down to include an XS option.

Whytehasalsoreducedthestackheight

oftheseattubetomakeit easytoup-

size.Notthatyou’llneedto, given the

lengthofthesebikes.

suspension

Lastyeartherewasa batchofRockShox

Revelationforksthatsufferedfrom

undersizedbushings,resultinginan

overlyharshride.Thisyearthat’sall

beensorted,andthe140mmRevelation

ontheWhyteoffersamplegrip,good

complianceandgreatsupport.

Withthe37mmoffset,Whytehas

slackenedtheheadangleontheT-130to

balancethesteeringresponse.Andeven

thoughtheforkhas10mmmoretravel

thantherearend,thesuspensiononthe

T-130S is perfectlybalanced.

With 25 percentsagontheRockShox

DeluxeRTshock,therearendfelt

verystable,evenforout-of-the-saddle

pedallingefforts,butyoucouldstilluse

thefull130mmtravelonroughertrails,

andthat’swithoutyourwheelsever

havingtoleavetheground.

components

ThecontactpointsandfitoftheWhyte

T-130aredialled.Gripsandsaddleare

well padded without numbing the ride,

andthe35mmstemand780mmbar

complementtheframeproportions

perfectly.Granted,theGuideT brake

leversdon’tofferthesamelightaction

orsnappyreturnoftheGuideRsfound

elsewhere,butthere’snofaultingtheir

stoppingpowerandmodulation.

Oneaspectofthespecificationthat

wewouldchangeis thereartyre;the

harder-compound60aMaxxisRekon

2.6inlackeddriveonslipperyclimbsand

steppedouttooabruptlyonwetroots

androcks.Infact,we’dusethe3CHigh

RollerII fronttyreontherearthen get a

3CMinionDHFforthefront.

performance

Swappingtoourcontroltyresboosted

rear-endgrip,andeventhoughour

2.5/2.4intyrecombohadlessvolume,

thesofterrubberanddeepertreadon

therearmeantthattheWhytewould

sticktooff-camberlinesmoreeasily

whileprovidingextradriveonthe

climbs.Andboydoesthisbikeclimb

well.Inoroutofthesaddle,the

suspensionis steadfast.

Changingthetyresalsohighlighted

thatthegeometry,specificallytheBB

height,reallyis optimisedfor2.6in

tyres.Witha smaller2.4intyreonthe

rear,theresulting320mmBBheight

wasborderlinetoolow,andwestarted

brushingpedalsonrootsandrocks

whileclimbing.

Also,becausetheWhyteonlyhas

130mmoftravelontherear,theextra

cushioningofthefatter2.6incasingis

welcomeonroughertrails,asyou’llreach

thelimitsoftheavailabletravelbefore

thegeometryorsizingholdyouback.

That’ssimplybecausethegeometry

ontheWhyteT-130S is thelongest,

lowestandslackestinthe27.5in

category.Somuchso,we’drecommend

thesizeM,especiallyif you’reupgrading

from a bike with old-school geometry.

2 7.5in trail bikes

62 mbr M ay 2 018

in association with