Whyte 19 Trail 631 Steel

The absence of a steel bike in the Whyte line-up always seemed a little odd – it is, after all, a UK brand pitched at enthusiasts, and nothing says “UK enthusiast” like a steel frame. Yes, it’s a stereotype, but as is so often the way there’s a grain of truth in it. Anyway, here it is, and it’s certainly not a run-of-the-mill frame.

Whyte has chosen Reynolds 631 tubing for its first steel frame, and has managed to persuade the notoriously-conservative Reynolds to do some custom butting. 631 has the same composition as 853 but does without some heat treatment. It still does the air-hardening magic that makes the tubing get stronger near the welds, though, and it’s the same density as 853 so if you use the same amount of it you’ll get the same frame weight. On paper, 631 isn’t as strong as 853, but the 19 Trail 631 passes the new (and fairly onerous) CEN tests, prototypes haven’t broken in the real world and it weighs 2.1kg (4.6lb) so it looks like it’s strong enough. Which is what counts.

Geometry is carried across from the aluminium and titanium incarnations of the 19 Trail, designed around 120mm travel forks. You also get the trademark bolt-on swinging dropouts that allow for chain tensioning if you go singlespeed or subtle chainstay length adjustments if you’re sticking with gears. This is also the first time we’ve seen a BB30 bottom bracket shell on a production steel frame. While the bigger shell inevitably adds weight to the frame, the Whyte crew reckon that the benefits of the oversized BB spindle are worth it.

The complete bike, with a Maxle Light Reba SL fork, SRAM X-5/X-9 transmission, FSA Afterburner cranks, Hope hubs and Avid Elixir R brakes will cost £1,599, or there’ll be a frame-only option at £649.

Whyte E-120

The popular E-120 carries on largely unchanged but with a couple of subtle refinements. There’s now a little more volume at the front of the swingarm, the hinged Big Gripper dropouts have been ditched in favour of a rear Maxle setup and the top tube has sprouted threaded bosses into which cable clips for a remote-adjustable seatpost may be bolted.

At the top end, the old XTR bike is gone in favour of a full SRAM XX setup (including the Reba XX hydraulic-lockout fork), Fulcrum Red Metal 1 wheels and Easton finishing kit for £5,499. There’s also a new “entry level” E-120, the S. This has a SRAM X-9 transmission, Shimano SLX cranks and Avid Elixir brakes along with a RockShox Revelation fork. Most importantly, it’s all white and looks ace. £2,699 will get you on board.

With prices for 2010 going up all over the place (or staying the same but buying you less), the E-120 XT represents something of a coup. It’s essentially unchanged from the 2009 bike we tested earlier in the year but the price has only gone up by about £65 to £2,999.

Whyte 19

Also getting a shiny white entry-level interpretation is the carbon fibre 19. The 19 C uses the same 1,150g carbon fibre frame as the top-dog 19 Works (which, like the E-120 Works, gets a full SRAM XX group for 2010) teamed with a RockShox SID Race fork, Fulcrum Red Metal 5 wheels, SLX/XT transmission mix (plus FSA BB30 crankset) and Hayes Stroker Carbon brakes. It’ll be £2,399, with the mainly XT 19 Race coming in at £2,799 and the Works at £3,999.

Whyte 901

The 19 Ti, aluminium 19 Trail and 905 all move into 2010 with some spec changes. There’s an all-new entry-level hardtail, though, in the shape of the 901. Like the steel bike, the 901 has the same geometry as the other Trail frames but with a simplified (and hence cheaper) hydroformed 6061 aluminium frame. Spec on the £1,099 bike includes a 120mm RockShox Recon fork (with Maxle Light), SRAM X-5/X-9 transmission and Avid Elixir brakes.

Find out more at www.whytebikes.com.