Whistle Patwin 1381D

Since this is my first proper mountain bike and my only point's of reference are budget bikes this review my be a little  obscured.

The Rider.
As part of my weight loss and get fit routine my beautiful wife purchased this £600 mountain bike to help me on my way. Back in the mid 80's I raced BMX coming second in the national finals with a broken knee. But almost 30 years of sitting on the couch had taken their toll and I needed to do something before I turned into a proper couch potato.

The Bike.
Whistle describe themselves as living the American dream, when the craving for adventure and high technology meet new products are born, a passion without barriers.
Whistle was originally called Colorado riders and as you have probably guessed, based on the banks of the Colorado river, the bikes are named after  Native American Tribes who made their homes along the river.

The Whistle Patwin is a 29er, that is the wheels are 29" instead of the usual 26" found on mountain bikes. There are lots of articles on the web arguing the advantages and disadvantages of the 26/29 debate which you can read at your leisure. Lets get on with the review.

The Frame.

Made of 7005 Aluminium the detailing of the hydro formed tubes and quality of welding is excellent, the high gloss paint finish is also superb and very easy to clean.
The frame offers a quick ride but does suffer from lateral flexing on high speed road sections which translates to a nice compliant frame when the going gets tough.

The Fork.

This is the Patwins Achilles heal, the fork is the lowest spec fork in the SR Suntour range, The ride is plush and there is minimum flexing but the rebound damping is non existent with the forks topping out when the front end is lifted.

Wheels.
The fast rolling kyte tyres offer plenty of grip when the going gets sticky, and their large volume casing takes the sting out of trail obstacles. The 6061-t6 rims attached by 32 spokes to the Shimano rm66 cup and cone hubs are very smooth and offer easy maintenance.

Drivetrain.

Smooth with a very light action, the 9 x 3 Shimano Acera shifters have never missed a beat, shifting quickly and precisely every time. There is a nice spread of ratios which never leaves you wanting more, low for epic climbs and high for road use.

Brakes.
With 160mm centre mount Discs and hydraulic callipers, the leaver shape is excellent and the action is not grabby but offers stacks of stopping power with beautiful modulation.





Components.

With a 700mm bar and a 90mm stem there is plenty of leverage available to help manoeuvre through the trees. the saddle is quite hard but is getting more comfortable as I lose the weight.









Per
Performance.
From the very first ride (well second after I had sorted the pedals ) it was clear that this is a well rounded bike, Inspiring confidence and encouraging me to push harder that I ever thought would be possible, as can be seen from the GPS traces I have regularly hit speeds of 50 mph through the woods such is the feeling of security offered by the 29er specific geometry and long wheelbase.

I would recommend this bike to anyone looking to start mountain biking or returning to cycling after a long break.