British brand Whyte is renowned for its mountain bikes - both unassisted and electric - and while it has explored hybrid/urban analogue bikes in the past, the RHeO range launched late last year features its first urban electric offerings. The Whyte RHeO 2 ST tested here sits between the unassisted RHeO 1 (£999) and the RHeO 3 (£2,299) - which is much the same as the RHeO 2 but with the addition of a dropper seatpost, mudguards and a rear rack.

The range seems enticing on price alone. You also get get a choice of either a step-through (ST) or diamond-shaped frame for each RHeO model. I’ll admit when the box arrived and it said "women’s" on it, that did irk me a little. Surely as an industry we are past using gender to indicate a step-through frame?*

I trialled a size small, which is said to fit riders between 157 and 168cm (5ft 2in to 5ft 6in). I’m 5ft 5in tall and it fit like a glove. I also still had a bit of seat post left, which is rare for me and my ridiculously gangly legs.
 

Motor and battery

Not only is the RHeO range the first hub-motor e-bike from Whyte, it’s also the first time they (and I) have used a Kynamic branded drive system. It’s actually manufactured by KMC – yes, the bicycle chain people – and it offers up to 45Nm of torque.

I felt it was more than sufficient for casual riding, even in strong headwinds or in hilly-ish areas. I say 'ish', because the battery is just 252Wh and so the bike isn't designed to be ridden for miles and miles. The overall look of the bike doesn’t scream ‘e-bike’ and I suspect that’s part of the reason for such a small capacity battery.

Whyte reckons you'll get 20-65km (12–40 miles) from one charge, depending on rider weight, terrain and the like. That seems reasonable as I managed to get just over 30 miles from one charge, on reasonably flat terrain but in very strong winds and using the highest assistance level (out of three) whenever I wasn’t riding over the 15.5mph assistance limit.

The power delivery is super smooth and incredibly quiet. It is in fact very similar in feel to the Mahle X35+ system, in that it’s quick to activate and the bike is still enjoyable to pedal over the 15.5mph assistance limit.

The bike’s drive system is operated through a small display unit on the handlebars. It is very subtle, but still displayed enough information to satisfy my inner data geek. I did find that if you run the lights during the day, it dims the screen so much it can be hard to read in bright sunlight, but I understand why it does that – to protect your eyes from glare if you’re using the bike and lights in darker conditions.

Otherwise, it’s simple to use and to understand. The charging port is in a somewhat interesting place. It’s above the bottom bracket, so could be vulnerable to water ingress in heavy rain – but, if Whyte do know one thing, it’s how to weather-proof their bikes, and I found no reason to suspect they haven’t done the same with the charge port.
 

Components and accessories

At £1,999 the RHeO 2 ST is never going to be world-beating when it comes to the spec. But, for the price, I’m impressed. It comes with a 9-speed Shimano Cues groupset. I did feel like once or twice it was difficult to find the perfect gear for cruising along, but that’s the beauty of electric bikes – you can always get close enough with the gears and then alter the assistance levels to suit.

The Tektro T3020 hydraulic disc brakes with 180mm rotors were more than sufficient for the leisurely riding I’ve been doing, and the accessories like the kickstand and built-in lights were very useful. The frame is also compatible with Whyte mudguards – which you can buy from the brand, but are not included with the RHeO 2 as standard.

Where the RHeO might look like it’s been built to a price point is with the finishing kit. The bars and stem are a one-piece unit, with a 720mm wide bar and 50mm stem. I didn’t have any issues with the fit, but you can play around with saddle position if you need to adjust it somewhat.
 

Ride quality

The RHeO is positioned as a sort of urban/hybrid/leisure electric bike, which is a pretty broad spectrum of needs, but I think it meets them quite nicely. It’s light weight (a claimed 15.5kg in size medium) makes it easy enough to carry about if you need to - or in my case, to manoeuvre through narrow Victorian-sized corridors without taking paint off the walls (or bike).

It uses 45mm Maxxis Reaver tyres, which I found to be super comfortable without being slow rolling. They’re also just about knobbly enough for you to take on some compact gravel and bridleway with confidence.

The overall ride quality of the bike is pretty good. I did a few longer outings on it (around 15 miles) and didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. I did, however, make a point of wearing some padded undershorts to save myself from any potential saddle discomfort.

The position on the bike is sporty enough without feeling like you’re on a race bike, and upright enough without feeling like you’re on a sit-up-and-beg bike. The handling is excellent, and it feels planted through corners and when you need to whizz through traffic and tight spaces.
 

Conclusion and value

The Whyte RHeO is an excellent first hub-drive urban bike from the British brand. It not only comes in at a competitive price without compromising on performance, it also looks pretty good.

If I had any qualms with it I’d perhaps like a bigger battery – but I completely understand the reasons why it doesn’t already come with one. It’s such a lightweight bike that anything bigger might compromise the design as well as the handling. Plus, it’s actually one of those rare e-bikes that is decent to ride once you get above the 15.5mph assistance cut-off.

There are other similar bikes around this price point if you’re not sure on the Kynamic brand name. The Raleigh Trace is £2,099 for a Mahle X35 hub motor offering with the same sized battery, while the Estarli e28.9 is a little cheaper at £1,850. We haven't actually tested that one yet, but we liked its predecessor, the Estarli e28.8.

For the same money (£1,999) you can also pick up a mid-drive motor in the form of the Ebco Urban 3R. It’s a big weightier but comes with a rear rack and mudguards already installed. The Yamaha Crosscore RC (£2,200) is another urban mid-drive offering, this time powered by Yamaha's own drive system.

Another step-through option might be the Tenways CGO800S (£1,899) a single-speed with a carbon belt drive and a slightly bigger battery.

Overall, the Whyte RHeO 2 ST is a smooth and fun to ride flat-bar e-bike, with plenty of potential as a commuter or leisure option. The wider tyres offer some confidence on towpaths and the like, and the Kynamic hub motor is responsive and powerful enough for most riding. 

*Edit: Whyte actually contacted me after seeing the review and specifically my note about the 'women's frame' label. The bike was delivered in a non-factory box, and as such wasn't how typical consumers would receive it. Whyte's comment on this is below, and I think you'll agree it's refreshing for a brand to take ownership of a genuine mistake but also labelling bikes as gendered (unless they are specifically 'designed for women' like Liv bikes) is not something that need to occur in 2024.

"It's not our policy to define any of our bikes by gender - we don't list or label any of our bikes as 'women's'  (or 'men's') online, on product, on our systems, on factory boxes or anywhere - as we feel that being prescriptive adds a needless barrier. Some people may or may not want a step-through frame regardless of gender or height (for aesthetic reasons, or for more practical ones, such as clearance and so on). It doesn't help anyone choose the best bike for them which is, after all, what every bike brand should be focused on doing. In this specific instance, the bike was delivered in a blank box after it had been built and checked in our workshop and one of our team had hand-written a note on it to confirm what was inside before it was sent out. We're working with the team to ensure that the model's name is correctly noted in future."

whytebikes.com