Whyte 146 S

Whyte’s 146 takes up the mantle left by the E-120 as Whyte’s only full-carbon full-susser. But it’s certainly not a natural successor to Whyte’s XC-trail classic; for this bike owes its heritage to the long-retired Whyte 46, their previous attempt at pairing DH-bike attitude with XC-bike weight. Here we take a look at the 146 S, the entry level model in a three bike range.

If you’re a fan of the Whyte Quadlink 2.0 look then you’ll feel right at home here, the linage couldn’t be any more obvious. The big sculpted swingarm intruding into a monocoque front triangle that’s equally shaped and molded. The twin links making up the virtual-pivot type design inside the main triangle, despite it looking like, and having the kind of practicality of a good old single-pivot. As with Whyte’s previous carbon bikes, tube profiles are a mixture of square and triangular forms, and overall it is a bit of a looker.

The gravity credentials of the 146 continue with ISCG 5 tabs for chain device and 1x10 versatility. Modular dropouts allow for you to run whatever axle standard you please and you get 12x142 as standard.

First impressions are somewhat dominated by how long it is. Not in the top tube, but in the wheelbase. You see Whyte are on something of a mission when it comes to progressive geometry. The 146 is slacker than a slack thing, and even when you compare it to 160/170mm travel bikes, it’s still pretty slack being 66 degrees in the head. And it makes for a really long feeling bike out on the trail.

At £2999 the 146 S isn’t a small amount of money but it’s a rather tidy selection of kit that you get in return. Whyte’s carbon frames are always really top-drawer and the quality of construction always shows. If there’s anyone that makes frames from the ‘black-stuff’ where you’re not afraid to ride them hard, it’s Whyte. Factor in the quality chassis and it all starts to look pretty good value on paper, and the 146 range only gets better value the higher up you go – the 146 X offering a blinding package for the money.

Our S spec came sprung by Fox’s 150mm Float RL FIT with taper steerer and 15mm axle. The rear being Fox’s excellent Float RP2. Easton XCT-70 wheels with Maxxis Ardent (2.25 Front) and Crossmark (2.1 rear) tyres make for a strong, tubeless ready setup. A full X9 2x10 group for assertive shifting in trail friendly ratios (36t cassette and 28-39 chainrings) is right on for the money.

The Avid Elixir 7 brakes with their 180/160mm rotors were more than powerful enough and proved faff free throughout the test, although it’s normally that first pad change where Elixirs are either going to go sticky or not. Finishing kit highlights include Easton’s Haven alloy bar in now standard issue 700mm+ width (711mm to be precise), and Fi:zik’s well loved Gobi XM saddle. Whyte’s own brand stem and seatpost complete the mix in an unglamourous but thoroughly decent, functional way.

Whyte promises that the 146 will, “climb like an XC bike, descend like a downhill bike” by combining, “unrivalled strength-to-weight and unmatched suspension performance”. We’re big fans of the Quad-link 2.0 platform and slinging the 146 up on the scales revealed a 26lb 5oz weight (no pedals), pretty sprightly for a sub-£3k 150mm trail bike. However, hitting the first climb it quickly became apparent that the Whyte doesn’t ride quite as light as you expect.

We’re used to Whytes feeling pretty sprightly with the Quad-link platform digging in for tons of traction, giving a taut pedalling platform in the early stroke. Even the more affordable and somewhat heavier T-120 felt way pokier uphill than it had any right to be! So the 146 was somewhat underwhelming in this respect. Despite being only marginally heavier than the whippet-like E-120, the 146 felt sluggish and lazy with the long, slack front-end flopping and wavering about, creating a really draggy ride despite it’s light, quick tyres. And this is just on fireroads! Singletrack climbs are a touch frustrating and at no point do you feel you’re enjoying a sprightly 26lb bike. To be fair it’s still mighty quick uphill for a 150mm bike, it’s just that you do expect it to be quicker.

It’s not like the 146 is running a silly short stem either, 70mm is about as long as you’d want to go on a bike like this, but you do really have to work hard to keep it inline. Things do get marginally better on the flat with the Whyte seeming a bit more eager to get up to speed, but the ride is still dominated somewhat by a tendency to always want to tip over. It’s that long front end again and in the turns you find yourself fighting with the bike to correct it.

Thankfully it’s an effect that’s minimised by two things: absolutely nailing the suspension set up and riding outrageously fast. We found the Whyte extremely sensitive to balancing shock pressures between the front and rear, specifically getting the fork right. We were setting what we felt to be appropriate sag for the fork but out on the trails we were coming up well short in terms of travel. The Whyte has a naturally rearward riding position and running the fork a little softer than anticipated brought a lot of much needed balance back to the bike. But even then you can’t help but feel that the sweet spot is a bit of a narrow window to find. Get the fork ever so slightly oversprung, your weight goes well back and the front becomes completely under-weighted and unresponsive.

whatever you like, just as long as it’s fast...

The other thing the Whyte needs is pace, and lots of it. There’s a definite need for speed with 146 and there’s a noticeable ‘switching on’ when you break a certain speed out on the trail. Keep it on the boil and the 146 starts to make a lot of sense, suddenly bullying its way round the trails; bouncing, crashing, whipping, whatever you like, just as long as it’s fast. That tipping over sensation suddenly vanishes to be replaced by bullish stability and a cornering ability that feels like it’s going to warp the frame! It’s easy to quickly overwhelm the fitted Maxxis tyres and the 146 definitely demands something bigger and grippier.

Speaking of which, the 146 doesn’t feel quite as stiff as you’d like. It doesn’t feel at all flexy during the ‘stand on one pedal and try and flex the BB’ test, but when you are riding in that speed sweet-spot and really chucking it about, you can’t help but wonder if the geometry and the way it makes you ride is just starting to ask too much of the construction…

Point it downhill and the 146 loves big, straight, steep, fast trails, the less you have to brake and the more speed you can carry the better – it’s like riding a bomb down the trail and it’ll have you grinning like a maniac as you hang off the back of it! However, the steeper, switch-back type stuff (where the Whyte’s geometry really should excel) is again plagued by that slow-speed inbalance.

Living with the Whyte should be a relatively painless experience. Tons of tyre clearance should mean you’ve got room for a big old carcass in there, or room for plenty of mud to build up if you’re more of the bog-trotting sort. Whyte are committed to their lifetime warranty on pivot bearings too so it’s a proper year-round British bike.

the ‘F1 car’ of light-weight enduro bikes...

There’s an awesome bike to be found in the belly of the Whyte. It’s a demanding mistress and if you’re super fit and have the skills to match, you’re going to find it one heck of a bike. However, if you’re not the above, you’re going to find the 146 a bit underwhelming; it just simply isn’t a bike for everyone, and certainly not one for chilling out on.

If we had to sum up the 146 in one, we’d have to say it’s basically the ‘F1 car’ of light-weight enduro bikes. If you get the setup nailed and ride it hard enough and fast enough to 'switch it on', it absolutely flies. In the right hands, this bike could easily be a race winner. But sit back and ride it passively and it’s rather unforgiving. The performance is there, it’s just not the most accessible; try before you buy and if you can make it go, enjoy!

A potential enduro racing monster, but as an everyday trail bike, it potentially asks too much of its pilot

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