Whyte e-mtb

[Dirtnvert]

Whyte 180 would be amazing around here i bet. Looks like the US distribotor will ship to canada but thsn theres long distance service.Anyone have any beta on the cube hybrid 160. Ive seen a decent price at a shop relatively close to here. I dont see cube much so wondering how the company is as well. Local shop has trek and they look like a good option. Be nice to support local, especially now

 

[Vfour800]

Thanks Duncan brilliant piece of advice nearly there now just trying to get the best deal on the 500 PowerTube £580 pop to now, have swopped the tort bolts for standard Allen key ones for that purpose. thanks for the advice

Hi Simon,
I don't know if your still thinking of a spare battery but try here as I have bought quite a few things of them know and have been very reliable: Bosch battery Bike-Discount

 

[simonc]

Yes go a great deal on a levo battery however they have stopped sending batteries to the Uk but thanks for the recommendation

 

[Tribey]

A review, ....of sorts

 

[simonk]

Chain ring should be OK at this stage but the longer you run it the more likely you are to need to replace it... (ask me how I know... ?‍)
Best to replace the chain at .5 in future even if it means setting up a monthly chain direct debit with Wiggle.
Glad you’re liking the 150 as it’s at the top of my next bike shortlist.

 

[Tribey]

It would be good to find a Gen4 chainring tool at a reasonable price too!

 

[KennyB]

SRAM advise against the re-euse of a power link as it has a positive click on first use and this may be lost on subsequent use leading to the possibility of the chain coming apart if it loses tension (think law suits so SRAM puts the onus back on you). IM(H)O the link can be re-used if the positive click occurs. I would use proper chain pliers to install and remove the link. But, why? A PC1110 chain comes with a new one, so use that and keep the used one for trail side repairs. By the way there is a wee arrow on the side plates which is meant to point in the direction of travel of the chain, so backwards if you are installing the chain with the ends hanging under the chainstays (and why would you do it any other way). But the other link has an arrow pointing in the other direction so I worry not.

 

[R120]

It takes about 10 minutes to give the drive train a clean? Seems like a false economy to me, the more one part wares out the more it is going to effect the ware on other parts that interconnect, adding up to big bills. Also a smooth running drivetrain is going to be kind to your motor.

I too like an easy solution, and use the Fenwicks kit, dead simple and easy to do

 

[Maxb]

Surfex HD | Multi-Purpose Car Cleaner and Degreaser (APC) - Bilt Hamber

I use this stuff cleans the drive train off a treat.

 

[Doomanic]

Some gobshite once suggested using Cif Kitchen Mousse to clean chains.

He was right, it's da bom'!

However, I now use Putolene so my chain never looks shitty like it did using any of the other lubes I tried; Muc Off Wet, Muc Off Dry, Smoove, Squirt, Finishline Wet, Helfrauds (I was completely out and it was all I could get at short notice, OK? )
A hot waxed chain would do two shitty winter rides in FoD slop, which is about 1.75 more than any of the other lubes I tried, and was no bother to rewax; get home, turn on DFF, make cup of tea/open beer, remove chain, rinse under tap to get the mud off, shake dry and dunk in hot wax, wash bike, remove chain from hot wax and hang over DFF to drip dry/cool, make cup of tea/open another beer, attempt to refit chain, swear, make another cup of tea/open another beer while the chain cools, refit chain.
In the current conditions, which is 4 rides a week I've rewaxed once since lockdown and that was only because I washed the bike before taking it to the LBS for some warranty work.

 

[Maxb]

Will give that Surfex HD a go. Cheers

I like Bilt Hamber stuff, I have used their Hydra-Wax on the cars for years.

I
I bought it to clean out a fuel tank gave it a try on drive train I have never seen anything as affective apart from maybe petrol ?

 

[Willsv650]

Just wondering if anyone has hit that bottom cable. I managed to do it on the very first ride out. Gutted

 

[Sam E180]

Yep. I’m on my third gear cable in 1000km ? thinking of whacking a strip of old tyre over it.

The bike is awesome, just needs proper technique to get over rocks (I’m working on it ?)

 

[Willsv650]

View attachment 31661

Yep. I’m on my third gear cable in 1000km ? thinking of whacking a strip of old tyre over it.

The bike is awesome, just needs proper technique to get over rocks (I’m working on it ?)

Hells bells man. In a weird way you have made me feel better that it wasn't just me!! Looks like it takes a beating before failing though? Have you looked at the routing the cable or protecting it? I've also asked Whyte for an explanation but no one is replying because of Covid-19.

 

[Tribey]

It's not that hard, 30-60 min maybe.

The rubber you can get from Whyte. Mine is just there until I get some Kydex that I will shape and fit as a skidplate to cover the whole BB as it is so low.

I have bought that tool.

Matthew, I had a look at re-routing the gear cable, but was put off by the task of feeding it through the swingarm. How easy was that?

 

[Sam E180]

Hells bells man. In a weird way you have made me feel better that it wasn't just me!! Looks like it takes a beating before failing though? Have you looked at the routing the cable or protecting it? I've also asked Whyte for an explanation but no one is replying because of Covid-19.

Yeah it takes a beating, as soon as it’s wet then the cable will seize pretty fast. I will look at re routing it, frankly I’ll just get LBS to do it.

It’s worth looking at sag really carefully on these bikes. I’m on the limit of preload for the stock spring, will probably lift the bike up a few mm with a firmer spring. Not got round to ordering one yet.

Do I try the “fashionable” mullet set up??? I will borrow a 29er fork and wheel from a mate and give it a bash ?

 

[R120]

Hasn't someone on here routed their cables over the motor?

 

[Willsv650]

Yeah it takes a beating, as soon as it’s wet then the cable will seize pretty fast. I will look at re routing it, frankly I’ll just get LBS to do it.

It’s worth looking at sag really carefully on these bikes. I’m on the limit of preload for the stock spring, will probably lift the bike up a few mm with a firmer spring. Not got round to ordering one yet.

Do I try the “fashionable” mullet set up??? I will borrow a 29er fork and wheel from a mate and give it a bash ?

I was a bit hasty to try mine out and didn't set up the suspension proper before riding. Could well of been my downfall. I'll look at the sag again as you say.
I was in touch with a company called rockguardz today and they have a skid plate for the e150 on the way. It doesn't cover the cable though.

 

[Willsv650]

Hasn't someone on here routed their cables over the motor?

I'd love to see that. Good to know it's possible.

 

[R120]

How about putting the cables through something like this?

 

[Willsv650]

How about putting the cables through something like this?

You probably could. I can get 10mm stainless steel copex in work but its just annoying that you have to on a new bike. Why would Whyte route it that way in the first place.

 

[R120]

Totally agree, its doubly annoying on the Whyte because the put a lot of thought into making such a great riding bike, and then do the routing like someone who has never ridden rocky trails

 

[Sam E180]

It’s a big flaw that needs sorting. Maybe for MY21?? My other ride is an evil insurgent which I run in xlow. Never have any problems with that bike. (Evil is 334mm vs E180 336mm bb height)

The evil manuals for fun and I run the recommended 30% sag. I guess it’s always poor technique whacking the bb shell on anything, just a shame there is a sacrificial cable on the whyte!

The bb shell on my 180 is starting to look “lived in” ?

 

[Zimmerframe]

It will probably be known in the future as whyte 2020 hemorrhoids ?

 

[R120]

Yeah the heat shrink isn't that tough though in terms of impacts, you need something that dissipates a hit away form the cables, or at least takes the brunt of the force, and doesn't risk splitting though to the cables.

 

[Willsv650]

I tried the corrugated plastic tube, it was a short piece of split tube I had, secured with tie wraps, but lost it in a couple of rides. I then tried a short length of garden hose, which looked promising, but was bright (hozelock) green and yellow. Worked well but looked daft. I keep looking for black hose.

In the meantime I wrap it in multiple layers of black duct tape. It wouldn't offer much protection against a big hit. But acts as a sacrificial layer against lighter scrapes and general wear. You can tell its working by how scruffy it gets. I just top it up now and again. Working adequately for me, until something better comes along.

You haven't looked at the re routing for it? I found the other thread on here where someone has routed the gear cable out with the brake cable but I'm not sure if I have the skills for that.

 

[Doomanic]

With the heatshrink, there’s different types, usually categorised by shrinkage ratio. For that application I’d suggest using the largest 3:1 tube that will shrink down to the cable size as that will give the thickest coverage and then add several layers. Adhesive lined tube will stay in place better too.

 

[MattyB]

Not seen any detail of the routing short of a picture.
I was going to live with it until I either had to replace the cable, or had cause to take the motor out.
I was going to look at options then.
I am a little wary, as if it was that easy, I am sure Whyte would have resolved it.

Agreed. I think the issue is that in rotating the motor upwards at the front the exit holes from the motor casing are now pointing downwards rather than aligning with the chainstay. That means Whyte's only options were to drill alternative holes in the casing (unlikely to make Bosch happy!), route over the top of the motor (potentially tricky for maintenance and might result in poor shifting) or do what they did. Not an easy one to solve.

 

[Hobo Mikey]

Just joined the forum today and that’s it. My mind is now made up 100%. Have a big birthday coming up this weekend and that means a big present even though I have to buy it myself. Have been looking at getting a Whyte E150 RS and just looked at all 20 pages on this thread and my mind is made up. Just need to find one and hopefully get a bit of discount to soften the blow. Or do I wait for the 2021 bikes to come out.

 

[Doomanic]

Just buy one already!

It’s unlikely there’ll be any significant changes next year; it’s a brand new model with a brand new motor and brand new battery and who’s to say that next years will actually be better for you? A spec change could mean this years bike is better for example. Or they could go 29er. Who knows? All you know for sure is that the trails won’t get ridden until you get one.