Whyte E-Lyte 150 RSX Review - BOSCH SX eBike - what do we think?

[@marauder7412]

The sub 20kg ebike market is heating up. Great to see more and more options out there. In my opinion these bikes make the best riding ebikes especially for those who don't mind putting in some effort on the climbs and are wanting a more natural feel.

[@schuylercrippen8778]

Unless I missed it, you didn’t state your average range with or without the range extender. Could you share? And how it relates to the Fazua?

[@lee.j7077]

Nice bike but being in Australia I’m waiting for the new norco fluid vlt,same motor,hopefully you guys can review that one soon

[@TheLoamWolf]

We're on the list for one, just waiting for Norco to get their review batch in. We're excited to put some miles on it.

[@lee.j7077]

@@TheLoamWolf looking forward to that

[@marauder7412]

What about a Focus Jam2 SL?

[@lee.j7077]

@@marauder7412 I prefer shorter chainstays and want a mullet setup

[@pho_bowler]

Geometry seems about right for me. I will buy one to replace my KSL. Can’t wait to rip it!

[@TheLoamWolf]

Hope you enjoy it, it's a very fun machine!

[@enriquee.k3329]

Does the motor rattle when down hilling or in technical downhills like the Bosch CX? Thanks

[@bfranco1519]

I believe it comes with the range extender too if it wasn’t already mentioned.

[@reddofly]

The Works does, the RSX does not. They are available for about £400.

[@philiphawkins4684]

Lot of money. I like it but bought a haibike lyke 11 on sale for £4k... I know this bike is "new" but definitely not nearly twice the price.

[@TheLoamWolf]

It is indeed quite pricey, but is put together very well at least.

[@vanssssssss]

Comparing uncomparable. Fazua vs Bosch.

[@bfranco1519]

This bike is in a whole different league than a Haibike!

[@mtb_3930]

​@TheLoamWolf hi, is this bike going to be in your SL shoot-out? One reviewer on KZbin has it winning their SL shoot-out.

[@rockandchilimtb]

Im curious about something. A while ago you tested a mondraker crafty, which holds very similar geo to this bike (maybe 10mm longrt wheelbase and chainstay), and you choose to ride an M because you felt it was too long "we tend to size down on mondraker bikes as they tend to have overly long sized front ends", however in this review you choose an L size and made no comments it having the same reach (480mm reach) as the Crafty in L size. Has the newer longer geo trend presented firstly by mondraker finally convinced you? Or is more related to the Geo/weight ratio of these two bikes that makes the difference for choosing one size over the other? Im seeing more ebikes having geos closer to mondrakers and people not complaining about then being too long for their liking.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Hey thanks for the question. We have many riders on staff who test different bikes. Each of us have our own height, preferences and terrain to ride. We try to share that info in our reviews, usually on the written/website reviews even more so. Robert rode this bike here, whereas Drew tested a couple Mondrakers. Drew is 5'11 and Robert is 6'2 however he has a very short torso and long legs, so he likes a shorter bike, which is actually about where Drew's sizing sits. We are big fans of eBikes having a 475-480 reach with 485 being the max, and non-ebikes being 480-485 with 490 being a bit too much but manageable. Where we're finding ourselves at these days is struggling between a bike that is longer than we'd like, or a bit shorter than we like. M vs L. So, we'll try to find which size is closest to that 475 and go with that. Perhaps we've slightly adapted to a little bit longer reaches, but we're still 5'11 to 6'2 riders and for the first time in decades riding Medium bikes as much as we're riding larges.... Hope that helps.

[@rockandchilimtb]

@@TheLoamWolf Thank you very much, it clears some questions but raises others. Do you preffer as a team riding bikes that behave on the nimble side or on the stable, monster truck everything? As of today, for example, would Drew (same height as me), ride an L mondraker ebike and be more confident on its geo or still choose an M? Considering an XR model would have 460mm reach vs 480mm on each size?

[@yofoo138]

Is this bike available in the USA?

[@TheLoamWolf]

Not currently, sadly.

[@Dontbesogullible11]

Top speed?

[@twitchbook-1]

didnt like the pod shifter?

[@sgtkurry]

I hate the pod shifter and I have a lot of the older AXS system. The older axs shifter is just better.

[@xav_1029]

When USA distro?

[@TheLoamWolf]

Currently unsure, but we believe they are working on it!

[@rantingwrench]

I love this bike, but £8k for a low to mid-level spec and potentially fragile rims is a bit of a joke, really. I've spent almost 10 years working in the industry and defending bike pricing on the whole, but honestly it seems indefensible at this point.

[@lakayshredsmtb447]

Thats a lot of dropper post showing 😳

[@TheLoamWolf]

Long leg problems...

[@link6032]

for something with the mid power motor the bike is really heavy, that's full fat weight with the downsides of a lower torque motor - odd. Maybe the range extender battery added a load of weight ?

[@bfranco1519]

Robert, bring back the baby blue kit. NASA wants to track you from space lol. JK bud. Always liked Whytes never see them in the states.

[@TheLoamWolf]

Haha, He got self conscious and threw it away after someone made fun of him.... 😉😂

[@brianbathgate4944]

Looks decent - no way it’s value for £8k. £3-4k is more realistic.

[@jordanmackay3568]

A santa cruz frame is £4500 without a motor or battery. What planet are you living on. This is brand new technology

[@brianbathgate4944]

@@jordanmackay3568 Have you not seen the sales on Santa Cruz bikes at the moment? The industry is struggling. I sold my Nomad at a huge loss.

[@mightywallaby]

Less motor, less battery, average components. If it was an electric car it would be the cheaper model, not the more expensive one.

[@bfranco1519]

Leas motor and battery can be an advantage not a disadvantage if you’ve rode a good SL ebike!