As the door slid open on the soon-to-be-retired, slightly battered Whyte Bikes van, collective eyebrows were raised and an eagerness to ride soon rippled through all the journalists standing nearby. The new T-130 C sports some seriously clean, lustworthy lines, well-considered, hard hitting geometry and an impressive spec that really packs a punch.
End-to-end rigidity with even longer and slacker geo
Whyte went through four carbon prototypes before settling on the final production frame. The new carbon T-130 chassis consists of a ‘unidirectional multi-monocoque’ front triangle, which is claimed to be 11 percent stiffer than its alloy counterpart, and a symmetrical alloy rear triangle. The carbon makeover didn’t just boost frame stiffness though; Whyte also claims it's managed to save an impressive 580g over the equivalent alloy frame.
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The wide lower pivot and bulbous bottom bracket area means there's plenty of stiffness when you put the power down
Importantly, the frame is designed around one chainring – just as we saw on other alloy Whytes last year – and has no provision for a front derailleur whatsoever. This in part allows for a broader and therefore stiffer main pivot just behind the bottom bracket, which is certainly noticeable when you stamp on the pedals.
The rear axle spacing has been given the Boost treatment, and now measures in at 148mm, bolstering stiffness even further. Whyte actually claims stiffness in the rear triangle has increased by six percent.
- The more affordable T-130C RS is equipped with a RockShox Pike RC 130mm travel fork, RockShox Monarch RT3 DebonAir shock and SRAM’s X1/X01 transmission for £3,499 / $TBC / AU$TBC.
- Up the price by a grand and you’ll get the T-130C Works which comes complete with a Fox Float 34 Factory 130mm fork, Fox Float DPS Factory rear shock and a Shimano Deore XT 11-speed transmission with a Race Face Next carbon crankset for £4,499 / $5,499 / AU$TBC.
Short on travel, long on confidence
You can read more at BikeRadar.com
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