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This is the all-new Whyte 19 hardtail, or at least the frame thereof – it’s designed around Maverick’s forthcoming single-crown upside-down fork and will only be available as a frame-and-fork package or a complete bike.
While the name of Whyte’s 46 referred to the range of suspension travel available, the rear suspension of the 19 is fixed firmly at zero. So “19” refers to the range of possible gears at the back – one or nine. It achieves this with a very tidy adjustable modular dropout system. You’ll get two right-hand dropouts with the bike, one with a derailleur hanger and one without. Both are adjustable over a 20mm range, giving effective chainstay lengths between 415 and 435mm (16.3 to 17.1in). If you’re running a derailleur this feature can be used to tweak the geometry of the bike to your taste. Designer Jon Whyte explains, “When adjusted on the longer chainstay lengths the rear of the bike runs at a slightly lower ride height giving a slightly more relaxed feel that,
when combined with the long chainstay length, really helps stabilise the bike on those long technical descents.”
If you’re running the bike as a singlespeed then the dropouts are used to tension the chain and you’ll get whatever chainstay length you end up with. The dropouts have laser-etched gradations so you can get both sides the same, and the three bolts thread in to steel inserts that can be easily replaced if you manage to strip one.
The rest of the frame is built from a completely custom AN6 tubeset. AN6 is a magnesium-enriched aluminium alloy, and Whyte has manipulated every tube on the frame. The front end features bi-ovalised tubes, vertically at the front and horizontally at the back. The rear end gets all sorts of swoops and squishes to get the tubes out of the way of the rider’s legs, chainrings, tyres and so on – we’re promised “acres” of mud clearance.
Geometry is described as “UK-specific enthusiast”, which means lots of standover and a nimble singletrack ride. UK-friendly features include continuous cable routing, front-facing seat clamp slot and the aforementioned mud room. It’s a disc-only frame.
Prices and availability are yet to be confirmed, but a finger in the air suggests a ballpark price for the frame and fork kit – frame, Maverick fork, Cane Creek headset, Maverick hub – of around a grand, and something in the region of 2k for the complete bike. Bike spec is broadly similar to that of the 46, with XT transmission, Easton carbon bars and post, Hope Mono Mini brakes with Goodridge hoses, Conti tyres and so on. Early indications are that the full bike will hit the scales at about 23lb. More details as we get them.
46 returns
Other news from the Whyte camp is the return for 2005 of the Whyte 46. Whyte only made 500 46s in 2004, all of which were snapped up. If you missed out, fear not – a slightly tweaked version will get another run of 500. The refinements include a stiffened swingarm, a bearing kit instead of shock bushings and a slightly lower top tube to improve the standover height.
Spec is mostly unchanged save for the introduction of an oversized carbon bar from Easton. And the suggested price of £2,700 stays the same too.
Keep an eye on www.whytebikes.com
for more details.
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