Whyte E180 Service: Impressive!

[Mikerb]

Just finished a complete service on my Whyte E 180 after 15 months of riding including the winter of 20/21 which was particularly wet.
I am impressed! I found nothing that needed to be changed and nothing that was even dirty!

Wheel bearings ( DT Swiss H350)..........all clean and running free. Just cleaned the end caps.
XD driver and 32T ratchet...................... ditto.....just renewed the special grease.
Headset....................................................ditto.. no dirt no rust, bearings are good.. (ref below)
Fox 38s and Float X2..............................all good...........need professional service soon.
Crank Bros dropper................................ no problems
Motor electrical connections.................clean and dry....just a little dust in there.
Tyres ( Assegais)....................................signs of wear but will be fine for a few months yet
sealant topped up. I have a set of Michelin Wilds when
they need changing.
Derailleur ( X01) .....................................cleaned and lubed....jockey wheels running free but stripped and lubed. Gear change still sweet.
Cassette/chainwheel/chain................. all still good. Chain still showing no wear. These items are however
serviced after every ride.
Callipers (Code RSC) ................... cleaned and lubed. Pads and rotors cleaned/rubbed down.

Overall I am impressed with all the kit on this bike. The headset is well sealed and the headset cap works as it should to pinch up just enough to remove play ( same cannot said for other bikes I have had!). The Dt Swiss 350 hubs are well sealed as is the freehub driver so no dirt gets in there. Rims ( DT Swiss H1700) and spokes have been totally reliable. The brakes are brilliant and the suspension platform the best I have ridden.
The frame is invisiframed........not something I am a big fan of and will probably remove most of it in the summer ..........I would rather clean and protect a good paint finish than try to work with a plastic film all over the bike! Fork lowers, face of the downtube, and the chainstays/chainstay cross member, rear of seat tube, are all that I would choose to protect, and most bikes have protection fitted on those locations already.
The only slight gripe I have found with the bike...which is a DT Swiss gripe rather than Whyte... is that the front wheel ( 15mm axle) rotor side end cap can only be removed once the rotor ( direct mount) is taken off, and for a 15mm DT Swiss 350 hub the rotor securing nut requires a 16 point bottom bracket type socket ( Park Tool BBT 69.2).....which I did not have so had to order up one.

For reference: Headset bearings are : Top TH MR040 1 1/8 36 degrees/ 45 degrees BO
Bottom TH MR019 1.5 ditto AO

 

[Doomanic]

How many miles has it done?

 

[Peter1979]

10

 

[Peter1979]

I'm sure I should be loving my Whyte E180, but I've had some mixed experiences up to now. I've got the 180s so not as good spec as @Mikerb. Mostly it's the brakes that are shite. Code R, multiple issues and even now after having them rebuilt under warranty they have lasted 3 rides and are pulling to the bar again. Surely brakes shouldn't need bleeding every few rides?
The bike is a beast tho, and I love riding it when the brakes are working properly!

 

[Mikerb]

Both brakes?? It would be weird to have the same problem on both brakes so it sounds like they have not been bled properly? No problems with my Code RSCs and I have not bled them yet. What did the shop do under warranty?

 

[Mikerb]

How many miles has it done?

mileage is a bout 550 miles..............mileage shared roughly equally with my trail bike before it was stolen.

 

[Peter1979]

Both brakes?? It would be weird to have the same problem on both brakes so it sounds like they have not been bled properly? No problems with my Code RSCs and I have not bled them yet. What did the shop do under warranty?

Back brake. But front brake is not exactly impressive. For reference I have a set of guide RSC on my other bike and they are great. Need bleeding once a year or something.

 

[Mikerb]

Back brake. But front brake is not exactly impressive. For reference I have a set of guide RSC on my other bike and they are great. Need bleeding once a year or something.

back brake is harder to bleed. The hydraulic line is longer and the bike needs to be angled to make the lever a lot higher than the calliper to get the air out. The line is also more likely to get kinked or damaged. I think the only difference between code r and code rsc is enhanced brake lever materials and contact point adjustment. Maybe bleed the brake yourself. I use an Epic bleed kit and follow their instruction leaflet.

 

[GANI]

mileage is a bout 550 miles..............mileage shared roughly equally with my trail bike before it was stolen.

Honestly I don't mean to sound cheeky, but after 550 miles I would hope that all the things you posted weren't an issue ! 550 miles isn't that much! I was waiting to see you posting something like 2000 miles!

 

[Mikerb]

Honestly I don't mean to sound cheeky, but after 550 miles I would hope that all the things you posted weren't an issue ! 550 miles isn't that much! I was waiting to see you posting something like 2000 miles!

I dont mind cheek! I write as I find! For me mileage is less relevant than conditions its ridden in. All my mileage is offroad and most of it in the same sort of forest terrain if local and largely consists of sessioning downhill runs rather than long single track a to b type rides. My other bike was a Levo, and much as I loved that bike, it required much more regular TLC and hubs/freehub/headset/ motor connections all suffered from water and dirt ingress over less time, to the extent that hub and freehub bearings had to be changed. That is probably the main reason I was surprised to find all of those elements clean and dry on the Whyte. Those areas are either properly sealed against the elements or they are not. My Levo was my 19 and I think the hub design has improved on the Roval wheels since then so hopefully they are better sealed now.

 

[Doomanic]

For me mileage is less relevant than conditions its ridden in.

I've got about 3000 miles on my Rail and it gets ridden all year round whatever the weather. At 550 miles it still looked like new as you'd expect and it was bought in December, so those miles were through the worst of the winter. At 3000 it's looking used, but not terminally so.