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Whyte was at the forefront of progressive gravel design. As far back as 2011, with the introduction of the Saxon Cross, it debuted a progressive take on drop-bar off-road geometry. That original long front centre and short stem, which came from mountain bikes, were blended with the angles of a cyclocross bike.
Although much has changed in the intervening years, the original ‘total geometry concept’ remains. The Verro is one of two new affordable gravel bikes from Whyte, sitting alongside the Tourus, which, with its 2x drivetrain and smaller tyres, is the more all-road-oriented option.
The Verro, meanwhile, has huge 50mm tyres, with clearance to spare. It also has a 1x 12 SRAM Apex Eagle drivetrain and a TransX dropper post for when the terrain gets challenging.
The Verro’s off-road chops are what will sell this bike, but its practicality and affordability, at £1,799, make it a smart commuter bike, too.
- Read more: Best gravel bikes in 2025
Whyte Verro frameset
The Verro frameset is made from 6061-T6 aluminium, with the tubing hydroformed and multi-butted to keep the weight down and the responsiveness high.
The frame is matched to an all-aluminium fork. This is a rare sight on gravel bikes in 2025, which normally feature a carbon fork, but a sensible choice on a bike at this price. In theory, it leaves plenty of budget for better components to enhance the ride over the step up to a carbon fork.
The frame comes equipped with full mudguard mounts, along with two-position bottle mounts on the down tube. There are additional bottle bosses on the seat tube, under the top and down tubes, too, along with top-tube bag mounts.
The fork gets triple anything mounts on each leg, providing enough carrying potential for epic bikepacking excursions. With that capability, commuting duties should be a breeze.
The frame is smartly finished with full internal routing, keeping things tidy. The custom Whyte rear dropout bolts the derailleur hanger in place, but it isn’t SRAM’s Universal Derailleur Hanger standard.
Whyte Verro geometry
The Verro’s geometry combines a relaxed 70-degree head angle with a steep 74.5-degree seat tube angle. It also features a very long 436mm reach and a low 605.4mm stack. Long 445mm chainstays help provide plenty of tyre clearance.
The 1,105mm wheelbase is long enough to help with stability at speed, yet not so long as to make the Verro’s handling sluggish or unexciting.
| FRAME SIZE | Extra Small | Small | Medium | Large | Extra Large |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REACH (mm) | 398.5 | 413.5 | 428.5 | 436 | 448.5 |
| STACK (mm) | 563 | 577.3 | 591.4 | 605.4 | 619.5 |
| HEAD ANGLE (° degrees) | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 |
| SEAT ANGLE (° degrees) | 74.5 | 74.5 | 74.5 | 74.5 | 74.5 |
| BB HEIGHT (mm) | 283.5 | 283.5 | 283.5 | 283.5 | 283.5 |
| WHEELBASE (mm) | 1052 | 1072 | 1092 | 1105 | 1123 |
| REAR CENTRE (mm) | 445 | 445 | 445 | 445 | 445 |
| STANDOVER HEIGHT (mm) | 727 | 745 | 766 | 788 | 814 |
| SEAT TUBE LENGTH (mm) | 405 | 430 | 460 | 490 | 530 |
| HEAD TUBE LENGTH (mm) | 123 | 138 | 153 | 168 | 183 |
Whyte Verro specification
The Verro’s build is very well thought out, combining an excellent drivetrain and quality modern gravel wheels, shod with great all-round off-road tyres. It even has a dropper post.
The SRAM Apex Eagle mechanical drivetrain mixes gravel levers with a rear derailleur and cassette derived from mountain biking. That means a large 40-tooth chainring up front and a very wide 10-52 tooth, 12-speed cassette.
Whyte then doubles down on the off-road chops with the WTB ST i30 alloy gravel wheels. These have a big-tyre ready 30mm internal width and are shod with 50mm Maxxis Ravager tyres.
The Ravagers have an aggressive tread that looks like a scaled-down version of the Minion SS mountain bike tyre. It’s a smart design that combines a textured yet almost semi-slick centre tread with broad, chunky shoulder knobs to produce a tyre that’s designed to roll fast in a straight line yet grip in loose, muddy corners.
The contact points are well chosen, too. Up front, a signature Whyte short stem, 70mm on my size-large test bike, is tethered to a 46cm-wide flared ‘Control Tech’ gravel bar.
At the rear is a 90mm-drop TransX dropper post with a bar-mounted remote. The dropper is size-specific, ranging from 70mm on the smallest sizes up to 110mm on the XL.
It’s topped with a Whyte-branded Custom saddle, mid-length and slender.
Whyte Verro ride impressions
The Verros’ specification choices, from the big-volume tyres to the wide bar, short stem and dropper post, mark it out as a gravel bike with its sights very much set on getting off the beaten track.
Spec choices including a gear range more akin to a mountain bike and that dropper post show that someone at Whyte was paying particular attention to the needs of true off-roaders. I applaud these choices because they make the Whyte a seriously fun ride off-road.
The Ravager tyres are a great choice here. The textured centre strip, made up of closely spaced strips of parallel blocks, rolls well on the road, and quickly on gravel and fire roads, yet the prominent shoulder studs offer cornering bite and are made of a soft enough compound to spread and grip on harder surfaces.
They only come unstuck a little in wet, muddy conditions.
My favourite element of the Verro is the long front-centre frame, with its sloping top tube that gives masses of clearance. Match that to the wide handlebar, short stem and dropper post and it’s a bike that revels in fast, technical singletrack descents.
The confidence-inspiring ride position and quick yet forgiving steering responses are as good as I’ve tried at this price, and serious competition for bikes with far higher price tags, such as the Rondo Mylc and Wilier’s Adlar.
When it comes to versatility, the frame and fork are well-appointed for bags and racks, making it a useful commuter or bikepacking companion, especially for more technical terrain.
The bolt-on rear dropout is for a standard derailleur hanger, so it isn’t UDH-compatible, although Whyte tells us a switch to UDH is in the plans.
Whyte Verro bottom line
The Verro is a very well thought-out bike; the geometry and ride position are excellent, and the specification shows the product team has done its homework.
The tyres work superbly in mixed British conditions, and the wide bar and dropper post make it highly capable for the sort of mixed-terrain riding that much of British gravel riding encompasses.
Its frame is well-appointed for year-round use, and it would build into an excellent commuter bike equipped with racks and mudguards.
For those starting on their gravel riding journey, it’s a great option. And for those with space for only one bike, the Verro will see you through the working week and into big adventures come the weekend.
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