2018 Whyte T-130C RS Lime

Whyte's T-130 series has been hoovering up bike of the year awards and highly rated reviews for a couple of years now and its easy to see why. Devised to give you the chance to conquer every aspect of off-roading, they are both light and efficient enough to hold pace with the fastest on race day, but also tough and disciplined enough to tackle the gnarliest runs. Delivering such balanced, composed and fast bikes, the series rewrites what you would normally expect from a 130mm full suspension trail bike. In 2018 Whyte have continued to polish the spec on their T-130's, making them even more refined and further cementing their place as one of the best trail bikes going. For 2018 both of Whyte's flagship carbon T-130C bikes, present awesome propositions that should wet the appetite of any off-road rider. The T-130C RS equips a high level spec to Whyte's breathtaking T-130C frame, but manages to do so without completely breaking the bank, meaning the dream of owning a carbon T-130 is a reality for most.

When you take a multi-award winning aluminium T-130 frame and make it from lighter, stiffer and stronger carbon fibre, you're onto a five star frame that's ludircrously good. The main reason for the frames universal acclaim is Whyte's efforts on geometry, which really separate it out from the rest. Starting with the front and working back Whyte push the front wheel out on the T-130's and slacken the head angle to 67 degrees, creating a very stable front end predisposed to self correcting and maintaining its momentum. A low bottom bracket increases stability further, making for pin-point carving on bends. These efforts to improve stability don't compromise agility however; Whyte equip the T-130's with a short stem and wide handlebars, so that close handling of the front wheel is retained despite its extra relaxed geometry. The rear wheel of the bike is relatively tucked in for tight rear end control. The additional stiffness of carbon fibre gives the T-130C's an edge in the handling department. Thanks to Whyte's clever geometry the T-130C's are immensely stable and efficient at eating up the terrain, with the lightweight carbon helping you achieve absurd speeds, with the sharp and responsive handling keeping your confidence in the bike when you're trail shredding.

Whyte open up further possibilities with their T-130 geometry by designing them around the single chainring concept. Firstly taking the front mech and additional chainrings out of the equation makes for a simpler more durable mountain bike with better weight distribution and lower overall weight. Secondly not having to accommodate a front mech means the T-130 frames can be designed with symmetrical chainstays, which are lighter and stronger than the asymmetrical chainstays required to make room for a front mech and chainrings. Thirdly it means the rear pivot span can be increased for improved stiffness and therefore handling and power transfer. Nothing less than the widest range of gears makes sense on this all-round off-road powerhouse and SRAM's 12spd GX Eagle groupset fills this requirement nicely. With a SRAM carbon crank on a 34 tooth chainring turning a 10-50 cassette the T-130C RS has an excellent low range for tricky climbs and a great top end for powering along trails and down descents. With a bike capable of such speeds a good set of anchors is imperative and SRAM's Guide RS hydraulic disc brakes will give you the excellent modulation and control needed for technical descents and twisty trails, as well as great stopping power when you suddenly need to come to a halt.

Consistently equipped to the T-130C RS for the last couple of years, the RockShox Pike RC fork is well versed in eating up the worst a trail can throw at it and making it into a ridable surface. Similarly the RockShox monarch Debonair RT has a rich history with Whtye's top T-130 bikes, thanks to its easy adjustment and consistent performance. Working in sweet harmony with Whyte's innovative mountain bike geometry this high spec Rockshox rig works like a dream on the T-130C RS, providing excellent ride characteristics for getting aggressive and having a blast on trails. Keeping the RockShox theme going strong Whyte have equipped the T-130C RS with their Reverb Stealth dropper post, a long term favourite with the T-130 series.

The T-130C RS rolls on RaceFace Arc 30 rims laced onto Whyte's own hubs, with their 6 pawl micro engagement freehub making the T-130C RS extremely responsive to the power you're putting down. The T-130C RS uses Maxxis' very best 3C tubeless ready tyres, providing brilliant grip and traction necessary for any mountain bike to shine. The T-130C frame is wonderful both in terms of performance and aesthetics, it only makes sense that it be equipped with a high tech 12 speed groupset and RockShox high level suspension to do it justice. Taking the already brilliant aluminium T-130 bikes to another level, the T-130C RS will blow you away with its impressive versatility and speed and composure when taking it to the trail.