Whyte E 150 - Two Years On...

[Kilham5]

Two years on

Well my £3.3k Whyte e150S is now two years old and out of warranty.
3,300 miles utterly fun packed miles. (£1 a mile, so far )

Warranty Issues - NONE
Breakdowns - NONE
Faults - NONE
Issues - NONE

Upgrades.
Original rear shifter cable rerouted.
I upgraded the Original Yari fork internals to Lyrik Ultimate spec with RCT damper etc.
Chains and cassette wear was dissapointing compared to my other bikes.
So after 3000 miles ditched the SRAM groupset for cheap as chips Shimano 10 speed Deore/Zee which I actually consider an upgrade
Swapped out the SRAM Code/Guide RE brakes for Shimano M420's at the same time, again cheap as chips, and I love them.
Nowt wrong with the original WTB Verdict/Vigilante tyres but can't get them now so running narrower Maxxix Aggressor tyres which provide a good grip/rolling resistance/cost compromise.
And that's about it...

I don't have unrealistic expecations of battery performance.
My battery has been abused in the context of others paranoia, always charge to 100% ready for the next ride
and left on the bike in an unheated garage all year round.
There is a slight discernable degree of battery deterioration, but by no means serious.
Any actual deterioration far outweighed by my improved fitness and ability to contribute more myself.
In real terms I am probably getting improved range than when new, overal.
I have no reason to doubt I will get at least another 3,000 miles out of the battery and motor.

I don't have unrealisic expectations of weight either.
It is a 25kg full fat e-bike and performs exactly as a full fat e-bike should.

The Whyte is probably as versatile and robust an eMTB as you are likely to find.
One bike can do it all, but you have to accept compromises somewhere if that is your unrealistic expectation.
When I want a full fat power ride, I take the Whyte in Tour or EMTB mode and have an absolute blast.
When I want lightweight agility, I take the 10.5 kg hardtail.
When I want lightweight speed on less demanding terrain, I take the 8.5 kg gravel bike.
And then put 200 miles a week on a sub 7kg road bike (I am lucky to have lovely quiet roads to ride on).

The Whyte e-bike rekindled my enthusiam for cycling and my fitness returned.
So much so, I am putting most miles on my unassisted bikes these days.

But the Whyte has been nothing short of outstanding and continues to be so.
Best £3.3k ever spent.
Despite being now out of warranty, I do not have any concerns.
The bike still feels just as capable and current as it did when new.
The battery and motor still feel strong. In the unlikely event of an issue I have no doubt it will be diy repairable, or at reasonable cost if not.

Looking forward to the next 3,000 miles

 

[Hobo Mikey]

That’s great news, mine is also two years old but no where near as many miles as yours. They are great bikes.

 

[The EMF]

My Whyte E150RS is also coming up to two years old and 1800 miles and I love it…….I’ve had issues with wheel hub and freewheel hub bearings and had the battery replaced under warranty. I recently serviced my dropper post and fitted a refresh kit and it operates as new. I also rerouted the gear cable as per @Kilham5 tutorial, RaceFace Next carbon bars and Code RSC levers are the only upgrades.
A great bike which I hope I can ride for years to come.

 

[Kilham5]

Although I didn't have any problems with the rear free hub, when I changed to Shimano Deore I needed a Shimano compatible freehub body and thought it would be appropriate to put new bearings in, while I was at it.

New freehub body £50, bearings £25 to fit to an otherwise cheap wheel with 3000 miles on it.
No brainer.
New bargain Nukeproof rear wheel £65 from Wiggle clearance, job done.

 

[Mikerb]

My Whyte E180 RS is not far short of 2 years old now. It was used less than my Levo as it is a full on Enduro bike and a lot of my local riding is more trail oriented .........but the Levo was stolen just before Xmas so the Whyte does it all since then. Quite limited mileage therefore but as a bove it has been faultless apart from a rubbing front brake which just needed bleeding, and I changed the pads at the same time. The brakes are Code RSC and they get heavilly used and have been brilliant but do need regular cleaning.

My only upgrade ( to make it a little more trail friendly after my Levo was stolen) was a set of Deity riser bars and the only maintenance cost has been a new chain at 600 miles once the original exceeded 0.5%.
Just out of courtesy really I have removed the cassette to check the ratchet driver and rear hub bearings but they were all fine, and when I changed the bars I took the opportunity to check the headset bearings..again all fine.

I hear quite a few whinges about removing/refitting the battery. Admittedly I do do not need to remove the battery to charge since the bike is kept indoors but I have no trouble when I do take it out and I think the system Whyte use is the best on the market in terms of keeping the battery and electrical connections well protected from water or mud...hope they dont change it.

My next bike will also be a Whyte!

 

[Jamze]

2 years old in a couple of months, 2k miles, no major issue, they are great bikes.

Still on my original SX/GX transmission I bought replacement GX chains/NX cassette/chainring a while back ready for when the shifting gets sloppy, but not needed it yet. Mech is pretty beaten up as it drags through everything, but still works. Snapped a spoke in the rear wheel, done the usual suspension maintenance.

Just treated it to a 2,000 mile clean and service, doesn't look bad if you don't look too closely

Agree on the battery + connectors. I've only removed my battery once, I take the cover off now and again and it's perfectly clean and dry in there.