Australian Mountain Bike — December 01, 2017

http://www.ambmag.com.au - 77

ESSENTIALS

BRAND Whyte
MODEL S-150C RS
RRP $6,999
WEIGHT 13.5kg (as tested)
FROM Carbuta

AVAILABLE SIZES M, L and XL
FRAME MATERIAL Carbon
FORK RockShox Pike RC,
29”, 150mm Travel,
custom offset
SHOCK RockShox Deluxe
RT Debonair
SHIFTERS SRAM GX Eagle, 12 spd
DERAILLEUR SRAM GX Eagle, 12 Spd
CRANK SRAM Descendant
Direct Mount 32T
BOTTOM BRACKET SRAM GXP XR, 73mm
CHAIN SRAM GX Eagle, 12 Spd
CASSETTE SRAM XG-1275 Eagle,
10-50, 12 Speed
HUBS Whyte Custom
Boost XD Driver
SPOKES WTB 2.0mm,
Brass nipples
RIMS WTB ST i29, 32 hole
Tubeless Ready
TYRES Maxxis High Roller II
Minion SS, EXO
BRAKES SRAM Guide RS
STEM Whyte Gravity 40mm
HANDLEBARS Whyte Custom
760mm, 31.8mm clamp
SEATPOST Rockshox Reverb
150mm
SADDLE Whyte

three per cent pedalling efficiency over a standard

hoop and that’s something you definitely feel

while out on the Whyte in this configuration. The

ascents are even more laid back and you’ll feel

the need to explore new gear options in the lower

end of your SRAM Eagle cassette. Even bombing

the descents is an all new experience.

There is traction everywhere, anywhere and on

anything. No joke. Stuff up a line, no issue. Cut

a turn late, no issue. With the 27.5 plus wheels,

the S-150 felt like a completely different ride.

Now obviously there are some geometry trade

offs with the switch - the bottom bracket drops a

steady 6-8mm depending on the psi in your tyres.

For me, it was about 10 psi. It also felt slacker,

as if the the front was just that little more raked

out. The offset fork left the steering a little more

sensitive compared to the 29” wheeled iteration

and it certainly took a couple of rides to get used to.

I’m not a big fan of fat bikes, or semi-fat bikes

for those who want to be particular. And I won’t

say my mind was changed dramatically by this

bike. I couldn’t, for example, see myself riding

the S-150 with 27 plus tyres as my primary set

up. But putting all that aside, dropping in and

railing the descents with seemingly endless

traction beneath me was a lot of fun. And while

I wouldn’t reach for the wheel set on a weekend

Stromlo, if I was heading somewhere like

Thredbo or Bright then they’d be going straight

in the car for use on a few runs. This 27.5+

package costs an additional $1,199

OUR TAKE

The Whyte S-150 is a strong contender for

any enduro rider. In its stock configuration it’s

built to tap, tap, tap up through transitions and

smash stages. With a little bit of modification,

though, it can fulfill that role of the hallowed

quiver killer, ‘all day, any day’ bike we’re

all after. It’s supremely balanced, it pedals

efficiently and - most of all - it’s a hell of a lot

of fun on the descents. If the price of the C RS

version doesn’t quite suit, the alloy model slots

in at $2,000 cheaper.