Whyte prst-1, is it retro?

[TheBaron38]

A little but you adjust your riding style. Not so much that it bothers me anyway. I remember when front suspension came out I had to adjust but I know what you mean
What I like about it is that it was a break from the norm at the time and still is a "looker" although ugly as well. I rate it as my favourite xc full sus bike ive owned. Still notquite up there though with my old DOGS BOLX which some low life nicked.

 

[Cyclopunk]

Never owned one, rode one once

In about 2001, I decided to ride from Essex to Land's End and back as you do. Along the way, I went through Barbary Castle down Wiltshire way and met a chap with a brand new Whyte PRST-1. We got chatting and I discovered that he was mad when he allowed me to have a go on what was then a piece of high-price exotica while he looked after my horrible old sub-200-quid Marin.

Now, I've got to say that I've always thought the PRST bikes were among the ugliest MTBs ever produced - but that's often the case with machines designed purely with efficiency in mind, rather than looking how we think they should look. As an example, a Suzuki Hayabusa looks a bit like a cow.

But by the Holy Mother of Merckx, that PRST-1 was a good bike. I blatted the thing for two miles and it took everything I threw at it, lapping it up and begging for more. The frame was stiff as a scoutmaster down the kiddies' paddling pool, the suspension so responsive it felt like it could see what it was going to have to deal with in advance, the steering direct and accurate - and hell, was that thing fast. The only thing I didn't try was a bit of dirt-jumping, 'cos - well, you don't do that on a kindly stranger's new XC bike nah do yer?

If it's not a classic, it bloomin' well ought to be - and a bike that good will be, given enough time. I hope you bought it.

 

[KeepItSteel]

theyve always divided opinion. probably because the looks are so Marmite, but also due to opinions on its handling.

some say they dive terribly under braking/downhill, some say they handle great.
they probably will never be held in much higher esteem than as they are currently