Whyte's Wessex SE is designed to be the ultimate British road bike. Engineered to meet the challenge of Britain's highly changeable weather conditions and often difficult road surfaces, the Wessex SE presents a unique philosophy to being the best bike in Britain. The Wessex SE is distinct from the competition with its wider tyres, weather-proofing, geometry and general philosophy on how to achieve performance in Britain. Despite this difference in approach the Wessex SE only utilises components of the highest class, putting it firmly in the super bike category and making it a very special proposition indeed.
Wider tyres make perfect sense on Britain's often wet and seemingly always potholed roads. The extra surface area provides reassuring grip for increased control and confident cornering in all conditions. Wider tyres roll over bumps and dips on the kind of rough road surfaces we ride on much better, meaning they preserve speed better, with the added bonus of improved comfort for all round better performance. The Wessex SE comes with Schwalbe's Pro One 28C tyres, which measure closer to 30mm, as standard, giving you the confidence and ability to hammer down rough sections of road at blistering speeds. The tyres and carbon Easton EC90 SL rims are also tubeless ready. Tubeless technology removes the need for inner tubes, with the tyre and rim being specially designed to hold air on their own. Puncture protective sealant is injected into the space between tyre and rim, ready to clot around and block any small punctures that do appear in the tyre. Not just improving puncture resistance (a useful advantage in our flint strewn area), going tubeless means the tyres can be run at an even lower pressure for even more grip, comfort and control. The Wessex SE even has comfortable clearance for tyres up to 35mm wide, so you can choose from a very wide range of tyre styles and sizes to meet your riding needs.
Not just relying on wider tyres and tubeless technology for superior handling characteristics, Whyte have put a great deal of thought into the frame of the Wessex SE. Much of Whyte's success with their multi-award winning mountain bikes comes from their attention to detail with geometry. It's safe to say they know how to make a bike that handles. Mirroring the aims of their mountain bike philosophy, the Wessex SE is designed to provide an often elusive blend of stability and manoeuvrability for optimal control. Perfect for fast long days in the saddle. Standing shoulder to shoulder with other high performance competitors, the Wessex SE frame is made from high quality carbon fibre with a multi-modulous filament layup, making it both lighter and stiffer than the standard Wessex frame. The Wessex SE frame works in perfect synergy with the wider tyre concept to provide fast flawless performance all year round.
With wet and damaged roads comes grit and dirt, all with the potential to wreck anyone's bearings, drivetrain and clothes, whilst also compromising rim brake performance. Whyte have taken every step possible to make the Wessex SE notably more weather-proof, and therefore Britain ready, than its rivals. Every precaution possible has been taken to protect the frame from water ingress, with sealed internal cable routing, a weatherproof seatpost clamp and a threaded bottom bracket. Similarly beneficial for wet rides the Wessex SE has the mounting points and clearance for full mudguards. As well as keeping you dry, an added bonus of full mudguards is that they help to catch a lot of the road detritus that would otherwise be coating your drivetrain. Hydraulic disc brakes retain good braking performance in adverse conditions, making them the best choice for a whatever the weather bike. Not using just any hydraulic disc brakes, the Wessex SE is equipped with SRAM's top level Red disc brakes for the best performance and aesthetics on the market.
Clearly designed for fierce performance, Whyte have finished off the Wessex SE with all the trimmings you'd expect on a market leading super-bike. Vision's integrated carbon fibre Metron finishing kit doesn't just look stunning, it keeps the weight down and provides a wonderful interface between yourself and the Wessex SE. The Wessex SE's Easton EC90 SL carbon disc wheelset is new for 2017/18, encompassing all the best attributes of carbon rims, being lighter, stiffer and stronger than their alloy equivalents, making them a perfect choice for the Wessex SE in terms of performance and practicality. The saddle is a Fi'zi:k R1 Arione, presenting the best balance of comfort and lightweight available in the saddle world. Excessively carbon shod the Wessex SE is a lean mean speed machine, but thanks to its other design features this does not come at a cost to comfort or reliability.
Closing the spec out with aplomb is SRAM's incredible Red Etap groupset, a groupset we are particularly fond of here at Flat Harry's. Currently the only wireless electronic shifting groupset available from the big 3 groupset producers, Etap is unique in its approach. There are many benefits of a wireless approach. Shifting cables can be the cause of issues in other electronic shifting systems, removing them from the equation improves reliability and reduces weight. It also makes the groupset more appropriate for all-weather use, with no physical cables to worry about or maintain. Arguably the most significant benefit is the simplification it brings to shifting. Press the left lever to select an easier cog, or the right hand lever to select a harder cog. Click both together to shift the front mech up or down. Super simple and a pleasure to use. The hardware is equally impressive as the clever shifting engineering. Made from lightweight materials, including a fair bit of carbon fibre on the levers and cranks, for additional stiffness, SRAM Red Etap has hallmarks of quality from top to bottom. Reliable, lightweight, logical, intuitive and simple, it's a perfect match for the Wessex SE's ambitions. It is business owner Cris Towner's groupset of choice for his own bikes, for the same reasons it works brilliantly on the Wessex SE. Cris recently had this to say about Etap “ETap works brilliantly. Every shift. No fuss. No questions. Simply confidence inspiring. The lever shift buttons are unique in function and design and brilliantly executed. It's uncanny how effortlessly it works and how naturally logical it is to operate.”
Simply superb the Wessex SE is a formidable challenger to the established favourites of the upper echelons of the cycling industry with its uniquely British design features and rarely found sense of practicality. A different take on performance that works with both head and heart to produce outstanding results. Take your best form to the roads all year round on this jaw-droppingly beautiful next level machine.