Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Thoughts on the Whyte Suffolk

I know these sort of posts can be a bit repetitive, but I was just looking for thoughts on the 2015 Whyte Suffolk please...

I'm after a new bike as a C2W purchase. I don't want to call it a "winter trainer", as I don't race, it's rather intended as a commuter/weekend steed to better cope through the less pleasant months of the year, so disc brakes and ample clearance for wider tyres and proper mudguards are essential.

The Whyte seems to tick a lot of boxes, haven't ridden it yet but will stop by the LBS on a Saturday for a quick spin. It seems decent value too, although I'd be interested in opinions as to whether it's worth the extra £200 over the Dorset for what, so far as I can tell, appears to only really be an upgrade to an 11-speed 105 groupset from a 9-speed Tiagra/Sora mix.

Suggestions for any alternative bikes would also be welcome. A CX bike is not really what I'm after (unless it's got road gearing), and I've already got a Trek Madone, so am not looking for anything too similar to that either. Boardman is out of the window too as I can't use Halfords with my C2W scheme.

The £1200 price of the Suffolk is very much the top of my budget, which is the usual £1k C2W limit with a small top-up.

Cheers

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

Add new comment

61 comments

Avatar
parksey | 8 years ago
0 likes

I'm now 3 months on from picking up my Suffolk and I stand by my January comments. It's basically everything I want a commuter bike to be; fast, comfortable and capable, and mine is holding up perfectly well. I still wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

The issues above, from what I can tell, all seem to be with the 2014 model (the grey one), and have hopefully been resolved for 2015.

Avatar
Leodis | 8 years ago
0 likes

I would go for either the Canyon or Rose CX.

Avatar
parksey | 8 years ago
0 likes

Fair comment. The Inflite AL 8.0 S is a broadly-similar prospect to the Suffolk, but I'm still too much of a novice to comfortably buy a bike online, I'd rather have the LBS service of ensuring I get the right size and set-up for me. To anyone not fussed, it looks like decent value.

Oh, and I was buying on Cyclescheme too, meaning both brands were out the question.

Avatar
jonnyglasgow9 | 8 years ago
0 likes

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/LgMXo-p5pOeOdwvcdTH0E8XfkH94lOhf7B...

Follow up to my original post from 02/11/2014. My frame had just cracked and I was waiting to here back via my local Whyte bike shop. The link above shows the new spacing of the cable routing which is much further apart from the original frame. What really frustrates and worries me is that I had registered my bike and my details via their website to benefit from their free extended frame warranty. I suspect Whyte must have realised fairly early on that there was a problem with the frame. I also think that they are lucky no one has had a more serious accident stemming from these failures, which have the potential to be fairly catastrophic if the frame was to fail on a 30+ mph decent. They had the option to contact the resellers or in my case and probably quite a few others directly.

I bought this bike because it was one of the few bikes at the time that met my requirement list. I really wanted to like this bike . On paper it looked perfect, including some glowing cycling press reviews.

The reality has been a bike that has persistently let me down time and time again. This on at least 2 occasions have left me stuck quite far from home. This was bought as a "Winter" bike in the end I'm lucky if I've done 500 miles on it in the last 12 months. This is a result of the amount of time the bike has been rendered unrideable due to mechanical failures. In the end my "Summer" bike has been left filling the gap.

The failures include, Frame failure (replaced), Freehub (replaced but still does not run very free), bottom bracket failure (replaced) , several spokes ( more recently complete real wheel rebuild with all new spokes), replacement trp hy/rd brake set. This week I have been told that the rear bearings need replaced but the bike shop are telling me its wear and tear and not warranty. Not sure this is reasonable after around 500 miles and have never encountered it on any other of my own bikes. Already looking at some cheap mavic one disc replacements.

The only part that seems to be OK is the shimino groupset. This rest of the kit in my opinion is manufactured from a composite of papier mache and Swiss cheese. The UK based distributor have been good in replacing the parts quickly with the minimum of fuss, but that shouldn’t really be the case with a new bike. I have always felt since the problems began that I would eventually get the bike I wanted. It just doesn't feel reasonable that the bike was sold in its original form which in truth wasn’t fit for purpose.

Given the choice again I wouldn't buy this bike. To be honest I would put me of the Whyte brand completely. The bike will eventually be OK, but again that shouldn't really left to me to spend a year sorting it out.

0.5/5

Avatar
jonnyglasgow9 | 8 years ago
0 likes

ps. the brake cables should never be tightened without the lock screw being inplace. If they are tightened too much the pads will not "float" properly and as a result will wear unevenly. My new brakes fitted 2-3 weeks ago by the bike shop had been tightened well past this point. If in doubt check the trp website for more info.

My rear brake never worked as it should. Thought it was my fault with some careless Lube. Replacement pads and proper disc clean still didnt help. Bought extra fluid topped up reservoir . None of this helped. It was a fault with the original brakes one of the pistons wasnt moving freely. So after a year I have working brakes.

Avatar
Ynotmi | 8 years ago
0 likes

I've recently replaced the 2014 Suffolk with a 2015 model and have to say the later model is like a different bike. The 2015 has had changes to the frame and Whyte have fixed other problems that were apparent with the 2014 model. Although I've been happy with Shimano's 10 speed 105 set-up, the 11 speed shift action is so much better and adds to the enjoyment of the bike.

I also went down a frame size. Previously I had the 56cm frame, but I have changed this for the 54cm. At 5ft10, Whyte's sizing guide recommends the 56cm frame, but I have found the 54cm frame to be a much better fit. In size terms it feels much closer to my Boardman Team Carbon 56cm frame.

Like many others, I bought this bike as a winter commute. I wanted something with disc brakes and mounts for mudguards and racks. I have a daily round trip commute of 42 miles (into London) and wanted something tough enough to stand up to high mileage and winter.

The disc brakes do need to be set up properly. I also found changing to a sintered pad has improved braking performance. They work extremely well - so much better than my experiences with mechanical brakes.

Yes, I had problems with the 2014 model. Whyte's customer service has been fantastic. Which is why I decided on the 2015 model. I'm glad I did. In fact, I'm so pleased with the 2015 model, I'm going to use it through the summer as well.

Two words of advice when buying this bike: Get the 2015 model and be careful on sizing. Fantastic commute bike now that Whyte have got it right!

Avatar
Peowpeowpeowlasers | 8 years ago
1 like

Interesting thread. I have the Whyte Cornwall. Overall it's a good bike but it hasn't been without its problems.

Firstly, there were no frame protection stickers around the cabled areas. Carbon, even aluminium, will wear through pretty quickly if the cable rubs against it, so these are essential. Not putting them on is a stupid mistake by Whyte.

Secondly, the supplied tyres were rubbish. So I replaced them with 4seasons 28mm. These are very comfortable and suit the bike well. I've had only two punctures since fitting.

Third, the Whyte mudguards are crap. The front mudguard has only one stay per side, which means that if you ride one-handed, it rattles and wobbles like crazy. The rear mudguard is supposed to be fixed to the frame via its own hole but you have to drill that yourself and then find a suitable rubber spacer. And the bolts supplied with the mudguards corrode easily. Don't even bother, get some SKS mudguards instead. They're much better.

Fourth, I've had continual problems with the rear gearshifts, particularly changing to the smaller cog. The cable is very sensitive to grime and stiffness, fully enclosed cables would be a bonus here so the next time it fails that's what I'm going to do. I'm not going to continue with the internal routing.

Fifth, after 4,000 miles the freehub bearings sound like a washing machine.

Sixth, the chainslap protection thingy on the drive side chainstay came loose during winter. I replaced it with self-amalgamating tape. Not pretty but it won't fall off.

Seventh, the locking skewers are pointless and will land you in a lot of trouble if you suffer a puncture and forget the removal tool. I replaced them with Hope skewers.

Eighth, one of the Whyte labels on the downtube isn't straight. It's out of line by a degree or two. This annoys me.

Don't get me wrong, it's a capable bike and is very good around the corners, but I've had much better reliability from my previous winter steed, a Ribble winter trainer. The brakes are absolutely excellent and I like the way the bike looks - tough and purposeful. But I probably wouldn't buy one again.

Avatar
parksey | 8 years ago
0 likes

Still reading this thread with interest, although the "summer" bike is now coming out of hibernation and so the Whyte is finding itself on commuting duty only.

Ynotmi - interesting thoughts, but particularly encouraged to hear that the 2015 model is a much better bike. When you say you replaced yours, was that under warranty or did you just buy a new one?

peowpeow - my budget sadly didn't stretch to the Cornwall, but it certainly looked like a nice bike, ideal UK road bike almost. My cable entry points on the downtube are flared so the cables don't rub? Agree about tbe tyres, made the same change as you and it's vastly better. Mudguards too are a little flimsy, but do the job well and I'm not riding to work like Sagan anyway! Have been caught out by the locking skewer too (wrecked a set of cleats walking to be rescued, but it's a lesson I only need to learn once, and I'm thankful for the peace of mind when the bike is locked up outside the office all day.

Avatar
Piltdown_Man | 8 years ago
0 likes

I have now purchased one of these beasties. As far as I am concerned, it represents excellent value for money - but I think Whyte may have missed a trick or two. Firstly, the pedals supplied are rubbish. Quite why these pedals were chosen is beyond me - Halford's cheapest plastic would have been better. Secondly, it appears that there are no manuals with the bike. As set-up by shop, the gear change for the front derailleur was poor and the cable miss-routed though the clamp. I also do not think the tyres will last for very long.

My next comments must be put into context. I've just started riding so I know very little about the subject. I'm also very, very slow. Anyway, here are my impressions - My old bike, a 25 year old Ridgeback 605 allowed me to average just under 13 mph but the Suffolk blasts this up to 15 mph (over 60-90 minute rides). I can also say that the Suffolk feels secure to ride in so much that it goes where you point it. The brakes work well and are very controllable. The gear ratios appear to be well chosen and appropriate for my needs. The lowest ratio (34 tooth crank, 32 tooth rear on 700 wheels) is low enough for me to get up steepish (7.5-8.5%) hills with a little bit of puff. The highest gear is more than fast enough for my ability. But the bottom line is that I really enjoy riding it.

I think it's an excellent bike.

Avatar
parksey | 8 years ago
0 likes

Good to hear you're enjoying the bike Piltdown_Man.

Sounds like one or two of your issues are shop-specific rather than with the bike though, particularly as to the setup. It shouldn't normally come with pedals (supplied by Whyte) either, so if you didn't pay the shop extra for a decent quality set, or fitted your own, they will have probably just stuck on the cheapest pair they had so as to get you on your way. Once you get more confident on the bike then you'll inevitably switch to your own preference of clipless pedal system anyway.

Like you, I didn't get a model-specific owner's manual either. I had a general Whyte bikes manual and then a supplementary one specific to various models of their mountain bike range, but with no instruction relevant to road bikes. That reminds me that I raised this with the LBS several weeks ago now, as I couldn't otherwise find anything specific to 2015 model year bikes on the Whyte website. I'm particularly on the lookout for guidance with adjusting the brakes.

Agree that the standard tyres aren't great, my problem seemed to be with puncture resistance and so I ditched them before I was able to get a measure on durability. I've found Continental GP 4 Seasons to be a decent replacement on mine, so might be worth a look as a single tyre for year-round use? If you're not heading out in the worst of the weather then the 28mm Conti GP4000sII was reviewed very favourably on here only a day or two ago.

Avatar
elz.dad | 8 years ago
0 likes

I came across this thread recently and found it a bit alarming, but thought it
would be worth adding my comments as someone who has not had a bad experience.

I bought a 2014 Whyte Suffolk in December 2013, and as of the time of writing
(August 2015) it's done just over 10,000 miles, including LEJOG last year (and
I'm doing JOGLE on it later this month). I use it most days to cycle to
work (about a 30 mile round trip) and have ridden it year round - one of the
reasons I bought it was to have a bike I could use in the winter.

When I bought it, I had the original pedals swapped for SPDs, the original
tyres for Marathons, and added a rack and Whyte mudguards (which have been
fine).

The bad things about it are

  • the brakes aren't as good as I'd expected. I had the rear caliper replaced
    under warranty about 3 months after buying it because the hydraulic thing
    was leaking, but they've never been great. When I switch to one of my other
    bikes with rim brakes, they feel noticeably stronger.
  • I did have problems with the little torque bolt thing in the LH crank,
    which kept unscrewing itself. I lost one completely, but replaced
    it (they're only about £3 from wiggle) and the current one seems OK
  • Not mad keen on the colour scheme

The good things

  • I find it *really* comfortable to ride (especially like the wide
    handlebars). I find it more comfortable than my Felt racing bike or
    Specialized MTB.
  • It's kept going for 10,000 miles and has had relatively little go
    wrong (apart from stuff wearing out, see below)
  • I'm almost always using panniers (I bring my laptop and change of
    clothes to work) and I've had no problems here

In the time I've had it, I've had to replace

  • tyres (~7,000 miles)
  • bottom bracket (~8,000)
  • rear cassette, rear derailleur, freehub, big front chainring (~10,000)
  • numerous chains (I get through one about every 1,000 miles)
  • brake pads twice (4,000 and 8,000)
  • a couple of sets of gear and brake cables

(maybe I'm wearing things out at a shocking rate - I've never had a bike
that's done this many miles before so I don't know!)

I've checked pretty carefully (and anxiously) for cracks in the frame and
can't see anything. A lot of my journeys are on fairly poor surfaces
(including towpaths) so it has had a fair amount of battering.

Someone earlier said something to the effect of "all the 58cm frames crack".
Mine is a 56cm, if that makes any difference. Perhaps there was a batch of
bad 58cm ones? Or maybe I'm fantastically lucky and got an unusually strong
frame.

If my bike frame DOES crack, I'll come back and report it. But so far, I'm
really happy with the Whyte Suffolk and don't regret the purchase.

Avatar
ChrisFilter | 8 years ago
0 likes

A few months into owning the 2015 Whyte Suffolk and really pleased with it. It is markedly slower than my summer bike (Cube Agree GTC Pro w/ Dura Ace wheelset) but that's probably in part to me lazily dropping to the 32 ring on steeper climbs. It's comfy as hell, and feels very assured when cornering and navigating Kent and Sussex's crappy roads. Way more so than my summer bike. It looks shit hot too.

I'd definitely recommend it.

Avatar
wtjs | 3 years ago
1 like

Don't write off Sora! I deliberately stuck with 9 speed which I first experienced with a Merlin 20 years ago, when it was top-end. 9 is enough for me. I ended up with my best general bike ever - a Vitus steel gravel with cable discs which I've been using for all my bike trailer trips, cycling in the rain, general travelling to nearby towns within 12-15 miles etc., for over a year and about 5000 miles. now on 3rd chain, but I have a system where I reinstall them when the chain-rings and cassette become worn, so get about 4 chains per cassette- I want to change chainrings from 48/32 to 46/30 anyway, when I've worn these out. 

Avatar
elz.dad replied to elz.dad | 3 years ago
1 like

Well, five years later, and after 38,000 miles, the frame on my 56cm Suffolk cracked like some of the others mentioned here.  

I don't think I really can complain - I had a lot of use out of the bike and really enjoyed it.  I noticed the crack after having replaced the BB to fix creaking (it didn't).  I can only suppose the crack got bigger/worse quickly because I didn't see it when I first started investigating.  Not safe to ride now though.

 

Avatar
HoarseMann replied to elz.dad | 3 years ago
1 like

Good job you noticed that before it went pop. It's reminded me to go and have a look at my frame. I don't think I would spot it unless I was specifically looking.

Although you've had a lot of use out of it, it's still a failure that shouldn't happen, so perhaps worth contacting Whyte.

Avatar
HoarseMann replied to HoarseMann | 3 years ago
0 likes

I had a look at my frame and still looks ok 10,000 miles later.

The cable slots on mine look further apart than on yours, but not as far apart as some of the pictures on here. It makes me wonder how those slots are cut at the factory? If it's done by hand and mk1 eyeball, then perhaps there's some variability introduced in the production that will make some frames more prone to cracking than others?

Avatar
elz.dad replied to HoarseMann | 3 years ago
3 likes

Thanks HoarseMann. I did contact Whyte and they gave me a new frame! That was much more than I'd hoped - I had asked them if I could buy a new frame (but I'm not sure they sell just the frames). They asked that I take it to a dealer who charged me for moving all the bits off the old frame on to the new one and I was more than happy to give the LBS some business.  Just picked up the rebuilt bike at the weekend and have done 100 miles on it so far: it's lovely to have it back, and I was very impressed with Whyte customer care

Avatar
HoarseMann replied to elz.dad | 3 years ago
2 likes

Well I'm chuffed to hear that! That's a fairly quick turn around in the current circumstances too. Props to Whyte for excellent customer care and standing by their product.

After your comment caused me to inspect the undercarriage of the bike a bit more closely than I'd ever done before, I noticed that the gear cables were being pulled a bit severely to one side, almost rubbing against the braze-ons. I also noted there was another hole that the cable guide could be bolted to, so I shifted the cable guide over towards the chainrings. What a difference! The gear shifts are now much lighter and snappier - can't believe I'd ridden 10k miles with it like that!

Avatar
zedbedboy replied to elz.dad | 3 years ago
0 likes

Hi elz.dad,

Literally just today I've discovered my frame has a massive crack in it just like the examples above. I was cleaning it after getting back from this morning's ride and it was immediately obvious. But it wasn't a there a couple of weeks ago.

Having initially thought this might be a costly problem (new bike scenario) I've done some Googling and found this thread.

I wonder if you could offer some advice about how you went about getting a warranty frame replacement. Did you contact Whyte direct or go through the distributor (ATB?). How old was your frame? I heard this problem is on 2014 frames - which mine is. However, I've done 3800 miles on mine, not the 38,000 that you did. Had you registered for the extended warranty? I hadn't done that but I am the original owner.

I'd really appreciate any advice you could give. Many thanks in advance.

Avatar
elz.dad replied to zedbedboy | 3 years ago
1 like

I'd really appreciate any advice you could give. Many thanks in advance.

Sorry for the late response.

What happened for me was that I sent a mail to Whyte, with pictures and details, asking if I they could do anything. I included a reference to this post which contained details of other people with cracked frames, and said I'd be happy to *buy* a new frame off them if possible.  They replied and asked me to contact a Whyte dealer. 

The original shop I'd bought the bike from had closed down. I contacted another one near me: had no reply. Then tried another one a bit further away. They asked me to provide a bit more info including receipts (which I couldn't find, so I just sent pictures of the bike which I'd taken when it was in the shop!).  After I did this, the dealer said that he'd spoken to Whyte and Whyte would replace the frame for free; but that this was conditional on the dealer doing the rebuild.  Which I was more than happy with.  So then I took my bike to the dealer, and he rebuilt my bike by transferring all the components from the old cracked frame on to the new one.

I was super-pleased with this - I ended up being without the bike for a few weeks, and having to pay for the rebuild but I can't complain at all, and have since done about 3,000 miles on the new frame.  I confess I am checking for new cracks but none yet!

I had thought perhaps the new frame would be a "recent" one, but it seems that the new one is a 2013 vintage (at least - the colour scheme is the same).

Nick

Avatar
Mery Alex replied to elz.dad | 3 years ago
0 likes

laughThanks for this information. I am trying to figure out these kinds of problems as well.

Avatar
Al__S | 8 years ago
0 likes

despite one or two disastisified customers on here, I'm interested in it. My friendly LBS would like to sell me one, but are struggling to get them in stock as Whyte aren't making them fast enough!

Avatar
fenix replied to Al__S | 8 years ago
0 likes

Either that or too busy replacing the cracked frames with new ones...

Avatar
Jonomc | 8 years ago
1 like

Update from Dec 3rd on this horrendous bike: After owning this for 9 months now, I've had more mechanical issues than I wish to mention. However, after xmas I started developing leg and back problems down my RHS resulting in time off work and trips to the physio. -fun times  36 This all appeared out of the blue one day without any real explanation and has had me off the bike for 6weeks.

Today, I thought I'd have a look at my position on a few of my bikes to see if I could ease my back pain a little. Whilst tinkering I noticed that the drive side crank on the whyte is 175mm... Strange, I thought, I never usually use a crank that long, I turn the bike round and check the LH crank 172.5mm.

I reiterate: THE WORST BIKE I'VE EVER OWNED!

Avatar
jonnyglasgow9 replied to Jonomc | 8 years ago
0 likes

.

Avatar
jonnyglasgow9 | 9 years ago
0 likes

.

Avatar
parksey | 9 years ago
0 likes

Cheers for the advice re the brakes. Mine's going in the shop any time now for its initial once over, so the plan was to get them to give me a 101 on adjusting road discs. Failing that, YouTube!

Glad to hear you're enjoying the bike.

Avatar
olic | 9 years ago
0 likes

parksey - pretty much agree with all of that having covered a lot more miles since October

It's certainly nothing like as rapid as my normal road bike but for my 16km commute it does the job nicely. I'll certainly keep an eye on the frame but I've not had any issues so far with cracking on my 2015 model. One thing I would add is that before buying one make sure you understand how the TRP brake setup works - it's not very intuitive and it's easy to completely mess up. I'm not sure if mine wasn't quite setup correctly in the first place or whether I made a mess of adjusting them, but I suddenly realised I had no braking power during one ride! They're actually really easy once you understand how they should work

Avatar
parksey | 9 years ago
0 likes

Haven't been on here much in recent weeks, but I've been receiving emails with new comments on this topic which I've read with some interest.

I picked up my 2015 Suffolk about 6 weeks ago now. I can't have put more than 200 miles on it so far, but from what I have seen, I've been very impressed.

I'll admit now that it's not as "fast" as my Trek is, in fact, with mudguards, rack and other accessories fitted, you can certainly feel the additional weight in the bike, but then I didn't buy it as a race bike.

For the purpose of getting me to and from work, whatever the weather, it's a huge improvement over the Trek. I can actually now corner and stop when it's wet, and the mudguards keep both me and the bike mostly clean and dry. Ok, the coverage of the front mudguard could be better, but how many other road bikes out there will let you take full, fixed mudguards and 28mm tyres?

An early criticism though is perhaps the stock tyres, Maxxis "Detonators". The grip is actually alright, but for a tyre that's supposedly meant to cope with all conditions, the puncture protection is woeful. The front tyre was knackered within 100 miles, but they've both now been replaced with GP 4 Seasons.

I couldn't be much happier with it though. 11-speed 105 is pretty much flawless, it's got the right spread of gears for me, with the extra-low 34/32 ratio giving me that little bit of reassurance on bigger hills, particularly with the extra weight in the bike. I personally think it's a very nicely-finished bike, plus it's vastly more comfortable than my Trek too, the sort of bike you could do serious miles on without issue.

I'll definitely keep an eye on the frame though, especially around the cable exit points, as I'd be lying to say that the above comments haven't concerned me. I did mention it to the chap at the LBS when I collected the bike, who acknowledged that he did know of instances of frame replacements on 2014 models, but understood that Whyte had "addressed" this for the 2015 bikes. Worst case I've got a warranty with Whyte, and it sounds like they're pretty quick to deal with problems anyway.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Suffolk to anyone looking for this style of bike.

Avatar
aliring | 9 years ago
0 likes

Just been on the phone to cycle surgery and whyte are now going to get me a new set of shimano wheels to compensate. There customer service cant be faulted. Hopefully all the teething issues are in the 2014 model and the 2015 is the bike it should have always been.

Pages

Latest Comments