Whyte Wessex review

Gear Mech Derailleur Hanger WHYTE 901 905 905 Friston Gisburn Wessex 2017 models

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This review first appeared in Issue 51 of Cyclist magazine

With no professional team giving regular TV airtime to the brand, or even that pro endorsement cachet, it could be easy to overlook Whyte.

But that would be a huge mistake, for this British brand knows better than most what it takes to make a great bike for our roads and the adventure that is any sportive event on these shores.

Hitting the tarmac for the first time, its relatively light weight of 8.6kg is immediately obvious.

In fact, it feels lighter than the scales indicate in the way that it responds to steering adjustments and those initial surges needed to get up and rolling. The first impression is most definitely impressive.

The model we have on test is the second step in the Wessex range, with the One below it, and above it the Di2 and SE, which tops out at £6,750, so it’s clearly a frame that’s capable of big things.

Our bike came with an intriguing mix of components – Shimano’s superb Ultegra R8000 for the shifters, rear mech and hydraulic disc brakes, while the front mech is 105, albeit the latest R7000 version, and the cranks are RS510.

These lower-grade components obviously help keep costs down, which is fair enough but do lose a little something in terms of visual impact.

Fortunately, that all falls away when on the road. The components work well together and the whole is harmonious.

Not that you’ll notice as it’s such a stunning bike to ride. It strikes such a good balance of being positive and direct to inputs without ever falling into sharp or unstable.

With 30mm Schwalbe G-One Speed tyres, we wondered if the Whyte would be at a disadvantage battering along the roads but our conclusion was a definite no.

They rolled well and gave stacks of cornering feel, and being 30mm wide, dealt well with poor road surfaces. They could even tempt you off the tarmac too.

Easton tubeless rims are laced to Whyte’s own-branded hubs that match the bars, stem, saddle and seatpost.

With built-in mudguard mounts, the Wessex can do double duty through the winter should you need it to.  

Ratings

Frame: 9/10
Wheels & components: 8/10
Versatility: 8/10
The ride: 9/10 

Verdict: The Wessex was a surprise in the way it combined disc brakes and 30mm tubeless tyres with a frame that is quick-handling and confidence-inspiring. While arguably compromised when the pace really lifts, it’s more than able to keep up before that and at this price we can’t think of better.

Spec

Whyte Wessex review (2017)

3rd March 2017

Stu Bowers, Cyclist magazine

As road bikes go, the Whyte Wessex seems to be a bit of a paradox.

Dressing what appears to be a fairly aero carbon frame up with full mudguards, disc brakes and 30mm tyres suggests it’s a little confused about its identity.

But is it confused, or are we? After all, us road riders are the ones fixated on categorising bikes and unable to make up our minds about what we want to do on them.

According to Whyte, the Wessex is simply a bike built to cope with our indecisions about riding.

‘It’s never been our thing to worry about getting nine blokes around France in July,’ says Whyte’s chief designer Ian Alexander.

‘We’re more about aiming for the middle of the bell-curve, appealing to a big chunk of the UK’s riders who don’t necessarily want to own more than one bike and therefore need something with more capability – something they can train on, commute on, race on, do a sportive on or whatever else, really.

‘We believe it’s probably what most people need. It’s not a gravel bike, it’s not a race bike, it’s not a sportive bike – it’s a road bike. A very capable road bike.’

Home grown

Whyte is a British brand and Alexander was himself an accomplished Elite-level road racer, so he knows well the rigours of putting in the miles at the mercy of UK roads and weather.

As such, the Wessex’s contemporary design was born from a very pragmatic approach. ‘It’s a year-round bike with a focus on British conditions and road surfaces,’ Alexander says.

‘That’s its primary design element and why we added features like the weather-sealed seat clamp and designed the frame around mudguards with clearance for 30mm tyres.’ 

Far from being a slack and sloppy steed, the geometry is classic road – 73° head and seat tube angles, with a 570mm top tube (size 56cm frame).

Only the 175mm head tube length adds sufficient generosity to the front end to keep this from being firmly in the race-bred camp.

For me, the plus side of the tall head tube was being able to run with the stem totally slammed (no spacers), which not only looked pro but also ensured maximum stiffness for fork and front-end stiffness.

The result was a truly solid feel whenever I wrenched on the drops to eke out a few more watts. 

The frame was equally sturdy at the rear when it came to out-of-the-saddle efforts on the flat or attacking a steep incline, and further evidence of its solid build quality was the absence of disc rub.

Only its overall mass – a tad porky at 9.73kg – tempers the Wessex’s agility.

I found it took a few more seconds of effort than I’d have liked to get the bike up and running, but beyond that the speed came easily and the Wessex cruised with a smooth and surefooted disposition.

The wide tubeless tyres (the Schwalbe S-One 30mm measured closer to 32mm on the wide Easton AR-21 rims) may have been responsible for sapping some of my energy under acceleration, but they undeniably paid back with a sublime road feel once I was up to speed, with oodles of grip when things got slippy.

Taking the tube

Alexander speaks candidly about how current new road technologies are at the heart of the bike’s success:

‘It simply doesn’t ride the same without the tubeless tyres. We’ve taken full advantage of the new wheel and tyre dimensions [Easton’s AR-21 wheels are 21mm internal width], which means the 30mm tyres sit with an optimal profile for lower rolling resistance but also improved comfort and grip.

‘Disc brakes too were crucial, as you simply couldn’t achieve this bike with calliper brakes.’

Out of curiosity I switched the wheels for some lighter Zipp 303 Firecrests, shod with 25mm Schwalbe Pro One tubeless tyres – a lighter and considerably pricier substitute.

Although there was a tangible improvement in initial acceleration, any performance benefits beyond that were much less marked, suggesting the Easton wheels and 30mm tyres were a very capable combination to start with.

Most significantly it was evident the wider tyres were not heaps slower than a much racier 25mm set-up, but were much more stable, grippier and more comfortable. A 28mm tyre might well hit the sweet spot, if you can’t decide between speed or comfort. 

Having the Wessex undoubtedly motivated me to head out a lot more in adverse weather, and it flawlessly dispatched each and every mile.

Whether it was a two-hour blast, my club’s 100-mile reliability trial, or even a gravel excursion, I always returned feeling positive about the experience.

It certainly hammered home the benefits of disc brakes in wintry conditions, where their predictability and performance was as good after six hours as it was the moment I rolled off the driveway.

If I were to suggest a way Whyte could improve the Wessex it would be to look at increasing seatpost flex, as my experiences on bikes such as the Canyon Endurace and Cannondale Synapse have shown that a compliant seatpost can make for a more forgiving mount without compromising performance.

It’s not that the Wessex was overly harsh – the tubeless tyres take care of most of the vibrations and bumps, especially run at around 80psi – but any additional comfort that’s not at the expense of performance seems like a no-brainer, and would also maintain comfort levels irrespective of your tyres choice.

In the context of a pure road bike the Wessex is unique. The carbon chassis is stiff enough to race, so if your ride home from the office is when you plan to do your training and maybe even some Strava bashing, the Whyte definitely has a lot to offer.

If you threw on some well-considered component upgrades over time, mainly to shed a bit of weight, and maybe had a second set of racier wheels, it would be simple to convert the Wessex from day-to-day commuter into Sunday best.

Whyte has been extremely successful in delivering its one-for-all concept. But let’s be honest, one bike is never enough…

Verdict: The Wessex could well be the only road bike that most British riders need.

Spec

BIKE WE LIKE: Whyte Wessex

WHAT IS IT?

‘This isn’t a gravel bike or a cyclocross bike just because it has disc brakes,’ Whyte’s Chief Designer Ian Alexander told us when we joined him in the Cotswolds for a test ride of the new Whyte Wessex.

‘The Wessex is a 21st-century British road bike built with utility and winter riding in mind.’

Unlike many other bike brands, it’s also built specifically to be ridden in the UK’s particular weather conditions rather than designed for multiple climates and the international market.

The mudguard system, for example, intentionally covers the wheels fully, to combat the amount of surface water we get on roads in this country.

DOESN’T WHYTE MAKE MOUNTAIN BIKES?

That’s certainly where the firm started out, but over the years it’s shifted its focus increasingly to road bikes with remarkable success.

The Whyte Dorset, for example, won Cyclist’s best-value bike of the year award in 2015.

In our experience, the firm’s MTB know-how gives it an interesting edge over more traditional road-bike manufacturers and the Wessex is no exception.

It’s crammed full of the latest tech from hydraulic disc brakes through to tubeless-ready rims.

AH, THOSE FANCY WHEELS. TELL US ABOUT THEM

Here’s Alexander’s take on them:

‘Originally, the Wessex was going to have 25c tubeless on 17mm internal width rims but halfway through development, Schwalbe offered 30mm tubeless tyres and Easton came out with the AR21 disc rims, with a 21mm internal rim width.

‘We realised that combination would give a completely new level of comfort and performance.’

And he’s not kidding. Being tubeless, those tyres can be run at much a lower pressure (we had ours at 70psi) without increasing rolling resistance.

And being tubeless, they won’t suffer from pinch punctures, which again is handy because nobody likes having to fiddle about at the side of the road especially if it’s chucking it down.

COMFORT I GET, BUT HOW DO FAT TYRES IMPROVE PERFORMANCE?

The science behind it shows that because of the low pressure they achieve a much larger contact patch against the road due to the rubber’s deformation under a rider’s weight.

This allows the rider a lot more control, especially when it comes to riding in the rain.

Which is especially useful for winter riding. It keeps rolling resistance to a minimum because with no inner tube, the tyre experiences no internal friction and so no energy loss as the wheel turns and compresses.

AND HOW DID THAT WORK OUT IN PRACTICE?

Perfectly. The comfort was staggering when we took the Wessex down pot-holed roads.

We found it absorbing everything in its path, dulling even the roughest of road vibrations.

‘And because the supple 30mm tyre contact patch is absorbing all the resonance and vibration as well as impacts,’ Alexander told us, ‘we were able to develop a very stiff frameset, too.’

OH YES, THE FRAMESET. TELL US ABOUT THAT… 

‘In terms of geometry, it’s quite traditional,’ Alexander revealed before admitting that the Wessex actually has a slightly longer rear than most road bikes – a design lick nicked from mountain bikes.

It certainly showed, too, when we were out on the road. When holding our line through fast sweeping corners and on long descents the bike felt calm and controlled.

The longer wheelbase guided us smoothly through where a more compact ‘race’ bike might have felt more twitchy.

SO IT’S SLOW BUT SURE?

Not at all – in fact, the sheer speed of the bike will take you by surprise. But the Wessex’s true strength lies in its mix of innovation and practicality.

With a premium carbon frame and full-carbon fork, a tapered head tube, thru-axles front and rear, conservative geometry yet big tyres, disc brakes, internal cable routing, concealed mudguard eyelets, and a round seat tube post ‘so people can attach their light as normal,’ this may be a great winter bike, but it’ll also serve you well throughout the rest of the year, too.

(Originally published in Cyclist issue 28, January 2017)

Spec

Gear Mech Derailleur Hanger WHYTE 901 905 905 Friston Gisburn Wessex 2017 models

eBay

£7.99

£7.99