[Closed] Whyte 905 owners. Sizing for a roadie - XL or L

Go for the L size, the 905 is a pretty long hardtail, the xl has a reach of 501 which is VERY long, the size L will be a bit more manageable, fun, and less of a shock to ride coming from a short road bike.

XL

Same height as you, test rode the XL and it fits fine. Long but loads of standover and the tiny stem makes it feel right.

Large would be too small unless you want to be all poppy and stuff, but as a roadie, you'd get on better with the XL i'd suggest.

Definitely go XL. I'm 5 11 and running a lot of post on a L. The amount of standover is ridiculous because the frame has no strengthening tube coming from the top of the seat tube down onto the top tube, like many other hardtails.

Im 6-2 and ride a xl its just a perfect addition to my large G160 .

I can’t comment on the exact bike - but you’ll have to ride something that long and slack (particularly the xl)differently than you did 10 years ago. You’ll need to be more in the middle of the bike and low to weight the front wheel enough in corners (ie don’t hang off the back as soon as you go downhill).

It might work differently on a full suss with sag and stuff but I’m 5’9 on a bike with a 481mm reach and it’s on the limit of how long I’d go. I have quite short arms / long legs for my height. So it sounds like you’d prob get away with either size.

Can you test ride them?

Cheers all for the info. Looks like the XL may be the way to go.
Tried to test ride one but all the demo bikes seem to be mediums so no luck there. Seems to be a popular bike at the moment. Was originally going for a so der but the spec for the price won on the whyte.
Found a shop however that i can order one and ride it around the car park at least and then swap it if its wrong.

Cheers again, hope everyone has a great new year!

I am 5'11 and ride a L which is fine for me so at 6'2 the XL would seem like the ideal choice. It is a great bike and you will not regret buying one.

Dogsby

I’m similar height, touch taller, definitely go for the XL. I have a 905.

In the shop I bought it from I questioned this as the Whyte website suggests either would be fine, but I think anyone over 6 foot would be better in the XL unless they have particularly out of the ordinary ape index or suchlike.

XL.

I’m 5’7 and on paper the bikes look really long in comparison to a lot of other bikes but I’m on a medium and it doesn’t feel so at all.

I'm 6'3 but got short legs. The L is perfect for me on more trailly trails but would be a wee bit small on a full on XC type day

I'm 6'2" and have an XL but would go for a L if I was buying again.

Given the mixed response I'd certainly head of for some demos

6’1” here and I’ve got a large, feels spot on. It also feels like a bigger bike than the Extra large Transition trans am 29er I had before it.
Alpine bikes at Glentress knocked £150 off of the price no problem just for me asking for a discount.

Genuinely surprised at some tall folk saying L, but shows how individual the decision is. Whereabouts are you OP, someone here may be close by if you want to try it for size? Frame hasn’t changed from 2018 to 2019 so you’ll get a good idea.

I'm 5'11" and gave a large. Saddle height from bb is 47cms, and whilst it is a longish, slack bike it's also a good fit for me.

6ft2 here and sell whyte so have thrown my leg over a few. I'd go large, they have very long TTubes. the standover on the XL would be non existent

the standover on the XL would be non existent

Really RD? I’m an inch taller than the OP and could fit a longer dropper than standard, masses of standover?

All of you above 6ft recommending a large must be running a shit-load of post.

^^ what Jim says

I have a L 2018 model and am 5'11". Agree with the above, if over 6' go XL.

I am 187cms and ride an XL and loads of seatpost - standover will not be an issue!

I was looking at a 905 a year or so ago, I demoed an XL 903, not quite the same frame as the 905/909 but good enough in terms of sizing and was available. I'm 6'5" and for the demo the seat post needed to be beyond the limit (just a little bit) loads of standover on the XL. As will all this long low and slack stuff the actual distance from saddle to bars is not that different to the older geometry. On this Whyte was only 5mm different to my XL 29er Giant Anthem.

So would of thought for you XL would be the best option. What can feel different though is though the saddle to bars length is not much different die to the longer front centres the bikes do feel different dynamically.

Pic here to show how much seat post was out on the XL. https://photos.app.goo.gl/fnwKiyJXF7RqRjB5A

Cheers all. I’ve ordered an XL, but the shop is fine about swapping it for a L if I feel its too big once of pootled about the car park. Will be interesting to compare it to the Crush ive ridden recently. Not quite so worried about the reach, anything feels short and upright coming from an agressive roadie. Will have a go and find out.

Interesting reading the replies

I'm 6'2" 34" IL and bought a size L 901 in September. The shop had M, L and XL 900s in stock. The XL was probably the biggest bicycle I've ever sat on it felt like something Orange County Choppers had made. The front wheel was out there, man.

The L was at least as big as my other HT which is XL but the 900 was slacker and had more standover. The M was pretty similar to my old school HT size L but not ludicrously small.

The 900s are long low bikes and if you're used to riding something with a bit more ground clearance you'll need to watch out for ruts and steps of any kind. Bus on a hump-back bridge effect.

otherwise the clever geometry works well everywhere.

For me at 6'4" a large 905 that I tried would have been plainly too small - felt like my knees were going to hit the handlebars.

Just my tuppence ... I'm 6' 3" and ride a 58 road bike, a 56 gravel bike and an XL 901.

The latter is, like the 905, fairly long on the reach side of things. It's a nice perchy place to be for sure. Not sure I could get away with a L. Which makes me wonder why I find the 56 Friston absolutely perfect.

Just to extend the original question a bit, because I'm interested in the bike myself...

OP states he's not a technical rider and suggests he's mainly interested in getting out in the hills...

The Whyte is a classic 'trail' bike (or so I read), which I understand to be something of an all-rounder with an emphasis on a bit of trail centre type fun. Is it a good bike for 'getting out into the hills'? I mean, can you happily spend all day out on it slogging up hills, through meadows, all before the trails come alive on the descents? Is it really that good, or more of a fun machine?

For me it's not a fast bike but it is very easy to ride and quite flattering in situations where a traditional HT might struggle. The geometry is great for descents but at the same time it's pretty nippy uphill & the slack front end doesn't feel like I'm pushing a wheelbarrow.

I guess what I'm saying is that it is versatile. I can ride it around hills all day but it has performance in the bank if I need it. it also has a certain character and stance that makes me want to ride it.

Just picked it up and set it up. I went for the XL, and with my optimal sadle height, ive 32cm of post out (including dropper, about 12cm below the dropper). Seems to fit quite well, bars are mega wide and at slow speed feels like steering a super tanker, much like every modern bike ive tried. Looking forward to getting it out on the trails. Seems to be a fairly comfy position so far, not XC low but also not sat at the bar high. Feels much more natural a position however. Felt like I was sat on the Crush, rather than ‘in’ the Whyte!

Based on a couple of uphill sprints, despite its length, i reckon i’d be kneeing the bars on the large! Will report back once its gotten muddy!

Cheers!

Great stuff. Enjoy. A great bike

I think the bars are 800s on the XL and 780s on the L, so room to chop them down a little, once you get used to it. The feeling of being in the bike is pretty obvious from day one and you'll also find you rarely need to shift your weight back. Your position will feel natural whatever the gradient. I found it felt a bit sluggish on tarmac climbs to begin with, but you soon forget that as you get used to it. Enjoy, I promise you'll want to ride it at every opportunity!

I’m based in Australia and have been waiting 3 months for my 905 on back order (we get forgotten down here). I have ordered a L on the advice of the bike shop who were pretty adamant that L would be big enough - I ride an XL Trek Fuel as my other ride, although Trek do tend to have slightly smaller sizing. I took a L 901 on the shop floor for a spin around the block and it felt fine, but its such a differnt rig to my current ride, its hard to tell. I’ve often been told if you’re in between sizes go for the smaller option, but I think this comes back to personal preference. Wait and see...

Peter, how tall are you?

187cm. I just checked the geometry numbers for the 905 in L against my Fuel. The reach is only 4mm shorter on the Whyte, and the wheelbase is actually longer by about 15mm. The Fuel is very comfortable so I’m thinking I have the right size. This bike was meant to be a playful option for something different, so XL might be a bit big for what I’m after.