First look: Whyte Bikes’ Montpellier and Portobello

In a bit of a departure for what has traditionally been a high-end mountain bike brand, Whyte Bikes have announced they will be launching a commuting range in 2011.

The full line-up will be unveiled at BikeRadar Live on 10-11 July, but here’s a quick preview of two of the new models, the Montpellier and Portobello, which will sit at the top of the eight-bike urban range.

The Montpellier is built from 6061 hydroformed T6 aluminium, with custom Whyte dropouts. A carbon fork adds to the bling factor, as does the mix of SRAM XX 10-speed and Red Carbon parts. A Hope Pro III wheelset will keep you rolling, while the Lancashire company’s Race X2 brakes should stop you dead in a jiffy.

Whyte Montpellier

The lower specced Portobello shares the same aluminium frame as the Montpellier, has a T6 alloy front fork, Tektro Draco hydraulic disc brakes, Alex Race deep section wheels and Maxxis Detonator tyres – perfect for inner-city commuting.

Whyte Portobello

Whyte spokesman Keith Jepson, of Max Bikes PR, said: “The styling has a bit of the fixie fashion in there and the deep section rims add a little ‘now’ to the overall effect, but basically it’s a very, very technical bike, just understated to make it the perfect urban slayer.”

We’ll bring you more details, pictures and pricing information from the official launch at BikeRadar Live 2010.