It feels like only yesterday we were admiring the superb handling and light weight of the Whyte ELyte electric mountain bikes. Well, maybe a few weeks ago for the full review, but the range has been out for a while now, and Whyte has seen fit to update their lightweight eMTBs with something new.
That something new? The Bosch Performance Line CX Gen 5 drive system and new batteries. And why is that a big deal? Well Whyte has managed to keep the lightweight platform of the ELyte, but utilise a full power system. It's not exactly the first of its kind, but objectively it's pretty impressive to keep the entire bike weight below 21kg including the motor and battery.
What's the deal with the ELyte Evo?
The main things to know about the new ELyte Evo are the use of the Bosch CX Gen 5 motor, that they offer the lowest centre of gravity of all Whyte's eMTBs, and that there are two models. The new models are the ELyte EVO RS, which Liam over on off-road.cc gave a great review of, and the ELyte EVO Stag Works.
Both make use of a combined 650Wh battery capacity. That is, 400Wh of internal battery and a 250Wh PowerMore range extender - which is included in the price so you don't need to buy it separately. Furthermore, they both use 150mm rear travel and 142mm front travel, keeping the EVO firmly in the trail category.
The EVO RS utilises RockShox suspension, while the EVO Stag Works gets the full Fox treatment. I won't bore you with the details, as you can pretty easily see the full specifications on the Whyte website, but the Stag Works is the top-end model, priced at £9,999 and the RS is still pretty high-end but priced at £7,250.
Low centre of gravity...why it is important?
Both use a full carbon fibre frameset, which is also subject to Whyte's new lifetime frame warranty. Any bike bought from 1 November 2024 onwards will receive a lifetime frame warranty for the original owner as long as they register the bike within 28 days of purchase.
But, the most interesting thing about the new frames is the claim from Whyte that the ELyte EVO bikes have the lowest centre of gravity of any eMTB they've made. Essentially, a low centre of gravity on the bike isn't the height from which the bottom bracket is raised above the ground, but instead, is the point from which the bike's mass is most evenly distributed.
Having a lower centre of gravity on an eMTB in particular will help riders to feel more confident, to keep the bike more stable and predictable and more agile and easier to turn. Whyte claims that the EVO RS has a 21% lower centre of gravity than their E-160 RSX, and the EVO Stag Works is 34% lower.
Both bikes are available to purchase from Whyte or a dealer now.
