Whyte e-160 RS
Take your pick from a selection of popular MTB components, bolt them to a swoopy aluminium frame and add a Bosch electric drivetrain, and you have the Whyte e-160 RS
There is no denying that at over £6k the Whyte e-160 RS is an expensive bike, but look closer and it’s easy to see where the money goes, and none of it is wasted.
At first sight, the frame Whyte has deployed could be mistaken for carbon fibre it is so sinuous. It is only the chunky welds around the head tube that give it away as being built from aluminium. How does it achieve this chameleon- like trick? The tubes are hydroformed and then butted to take material away from where it is not needed. Whyte then manages to slide the battery into the down tube just ahead of the 4th generation Bosch Performance Line CX motor. In doing so, the bike’s designers have managed to keep the heaviest components on the bike as low and central as possible to help keep the handling neutral.
To get the most out of the frame package the Fox Float Performance DPS rear shock provides 155mm of rear travel, well matched to the 160mm of travel from the e- bikespecific Fox Float 38 suspension fork. Fox may not be one of the originators of mountain bike suspension components but the company’s years of experience in motocross suspension packages has certainly been put to good use creating the package used here.
Similarly, Sram may not have been among the first generation of MTB groupset makers, but it is a company at the forefront of pushing new ideas and ways of thinking. The 1x drivetrain, for instance, was brought to market by Sram and is now almost universally adopted. The e-160 RS’S drivetrain comprises an EX1 chainset turning the chain over a Sram XG-1275 Eagle, 10-52t, 12- speed cassette to give a ridiculously wide spread of gears to make the most of the 250W of power from the Bosch motor and long- lasting 625Wh battery.
Add in the 27.5in wheels that feature WTB rims, built onto e- bike- specific hubs, shod with Maxxis tyres and you complete a bike that can tackle any off- road ride, with the power to keep going when you run out of leg muscle.
► £6,250 whyte. bike