Bike of the Week | Whyte enters the world of lightweight eMTBs with E-Lyte 150 Works

Released today, the E-Lyte 150 Works is Whyte’s first foray into the lightweight electric bike market and is joined by the E-Lyte 140 Works and E-Lyte 150 RSX in the brand's new range.

As the name suggests, this top-of-the-range model features a 150mm fork and 142mm of rear-suspension travel.

We spotted the E-Lyte platform earlier this year in camouflage guise at Eurobike, so let's dig deep into the details of Whyte’s first lightweight electric mountain bike.

Whyte's first carbon ebike

The E-Lyte range is Whyte’s first carbon fibre framed electric bike, with the front and rear triangle both made from composite, while the linkage is made from aluminium.

Both the E-Lyte 140 and E-Lyte 150 models feature the same carbon frame, with only shock stroke length separating the bikes' suspension travel.

The brand says it has paid close attention to the E-Lyte's centre of gravity by packaging the electronic components into the frame as low as it can.

This thinking extends to the PowerMore 250Wh range extender, which mounts low on the down tube and comes as standard with the Works models.

Whyte has partnered with Bosch for the motor and battery, with the E-Lyte 150 Works using Bosch’s new Performance Line SX electric bike motor, which provides 55Nm of torque and 600W of peak power. The German brand's Compact PowerTube 400Wh battery is integrated into the down tube.

The system incorporates four power settings including Tour , which focuses on economic power usage, and e-MTB, which automatically adjusts to power levels.

A Bosch System Controller is mounted in the top tube, paired with a Mini Remote on the handlebar that can be used for mode selection.

With an already busy front triangle, housing the rear shock and range extender, Whyte has managed to squeeze in a mount at the top of the down tube with enough space to fit a water bottle – though this is not available on the small-sized frame.

On the underside of the down tube, a protector extends down to cover the motor, similar to a motorcycle sump guard. This is designed to fend off rock strikes and act as a skid plate on those not-so-rollable drop-offs.

Whyte seems to have heeded the call from Luddite bike journalists and home mechanics alike in giving the E-Lyte 150 Works internal cable routing that enters the frame from the sides of the head tube.

The bike also features a SRAM Universal Derailleur Hanger on the rear dropout and ISCG-2 guide mounts should you wish to add a bash guard or chain guide.

Whyte has kept British winters in mind and has given the bike a rubber gator on the seat tube collar to keep water and grit from entering the frame.

Slack and steep

The E-Lyte 150 Works has very contemporary geometry, with a 64.6-degree head angle that's slack by trail bike standards and a relatively steep seat tube angle of 77.2 degrees.

The bike also features geometry adjust in the shock extender, which can slacken the head angle to 64 degrees and reduce the bottom bracket height from 342mm to 334mm.

To adjust the geometry, you need to remove the shock mount bolt on the linkage and the shock extender then rotate a brass bushing 180 degrees.

For reference, Canyon’s similarly trail-orientated Spectral:ON has a head angle of 65.5 degrees and a seat tube angle of 76.5 degrees.

A steeper seat tube angle benefits climbing, because it positions your weight further forward over the cranks, reducing the feeling of looping out off the rear of the bike.

Chainstay lengths are also comparatively long, with all-size frames said to measure 450mm.

Whyte offers the E-Lyte 150 Works in four sizes: S, M, L and XL.

British-based bike build

Alongside Bosch’s latest motor and battery tech, the Whyte E-Lyte 150 Works features drool-worthy componentry.

With a retail price of £10,000, that’s to be expected, though there is a less expensive E-Lyte 150 RSX at £7,999 for those whose pockets aren’t quite as deep.

Glimmers of Kashima glisten from the bike, with a 150mm Fox 36 Factory fork up front and a Float X Factory series sitting within the frame.

This build sees a collaboration with Hope Tech, with the bike featuring Tech 4 V4 four-piston brakes and rotors, E-Bike Cranks, stem cap and hubs from the brand.

The hubs are built onto Whyte’s own TeXtreme Innegra-infused carbon rims, which feature an internal rim measurement of 29mm and are booted in a 2.5in Maxxis Minion DHF at the front and a 2.4in Dissector at the rear

SRAM’s X01 AXS Transmission makes use of the UDH mount at the rear, moving the chain up and down a 10-52T cassette.

The bike has a carbon bar in the form of an 800mm-wide Race Face Next R, which is connected to the fork steerer via Whyte’s own CNC-machined Trail stem.

Whyte Lock-on Enduro grips and a Fizik Terra Aidon saddle complete the contact points.

Whyte says this build weighs in at 19.2kg for a size M.