Australian Mountain Bike — December 01, 2017

72 -AMB

DARING BEAUTY

PHOTOGRAPHER: TIM BARDSLEY-SMITH TESTER: ROBERT CONROY

THE WHYTE S-150C RS

ROBERT CONROY

RIDER BIO

Riding Experience: From downhill to trail

and back again. No garmin, No rules.

Generally Rides: Whyte T-130 (modified)

Height: 178cm

Weight: 74kg

Bike Test Track: Royal National Park, Menai

MTB Park and Wollongong

Whyte often slip under the radar, with just a small

international racing presence and only a handful of

continental racers with a passion for going fast. Yet they

remain the darling of the world’s mountain bike media,

their bikes often highly praised, and also making their

way into the garage of an editor or two.

Not to miss out on such a trend, I bought a T-130 a year

ago and I love it. The geometry is spot on, it’s fast, it’s

sleek and it’s a lot of fun. But, like many T-130 owners,

I’ve Frankenstien-ed my ride. Wider bars, 140mm

forks, grippier tyres, beefed up rear suspension.

“Why’s that?” you may ask. Well, there is no 150mm

option within the Whyte range, and there hasn’t been

since the 27.5 G-150 was bumped up to 160mm (now

170mm) - and for the bulk of Australian trails it was

decidedly too much, at least for me at that time. So

with the announcement of the S-150 I searched out the

distributor to get a hold of one.

Whyte have a long-running pedigree with 29ers and here

at AMB we’ve tested most of the fleet along the way. That

includes both the T-129 (120mm) trail bike and even the

more marathon-inclined M-109C (100mm), but sadly both

those models no longer exist. However, the knowledge

attained has moved on into the more All Mountain line up

that exists today.

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

The Whyte S-150C RS hides its enduro inclinations

beneath a stealthy dark matte grey bodywork, matched to

luminous yellow logos. Its simple lines are aesthetically

pleasing and a large carbon front triangle gives way to

a stylishly re-designed alloy rear end. Durability was

at the front of mind when designing this frame. It’s not

the lightest enduro frame, but Whyte have settled on a

competitive carbon weave that has allowed them to add

extra strength to the front triangle. The rear end has also

been updated over its trail counterpart, with a new clevis-

type suspension main rocker. This is a two piece rocker

that replaces the main single piece pivot point that existed

in the four bar suspension setup previously. The new

design better supports the swing arm shafts and features

over sized bearings (which have a lifetime warranty) for

extra durability and better weather sealing.

The ‘Single Chain Ring’ mentality remains with single

rings spec the only option throughout the range. It does

have its benefits, allowing crisp lines down the chain

stays to the boost spaced rear end for extra strength.

Bonded rubber protects the stays and another

thick panel protects the carbon down tube.

Routing is all internal, with special care given to

the new grommets for better weather sealing

against the elements. The moulded rubber seat

post collar has likewise been improved with

the sheath partially entering the frame. There

is ample room for a water bottle and for the