Newborn, the YT Capra is fresh and it’s got a lot going for it.
There have been more goat puns going round than you can shake a wattle at recently, but what’s all the fuss about?
The latest issue of the mag covers Steve’s recent trip to Israel for an exclusive ride of the new Capra from YT. Having burst on to the bike market in the last few years YT are doing things differently. This year they signed Cam Zink to their team and along with a bunch of other riders aboard their bikes we will be seeing more of the brand in 2014.
Here’s what Steve thought about the new Capra and if you want to check out the intro video then hit that up here.
Words: Steve Jones
Photos: Steve Jones & Johan Hjord
Good angles, solid components and great suspension. The perfect combination?
Over the past few years I have met many happy YT bicycle owners. These people have been pleased with both the service and the performance of their new pushrods.
The Tues range of downhill bikes have been exceptional from the German company, twice winning ‘downhill bike of the year’ in the Dirt 100. Their Wicked enduro bike was always a good bike too but the 27.5” version didn’t quite hit the heights of the 26” bike and suffered from being slightly too high on the bottom bracket and a bit too short on the wheelbase.
Game changer?
Today YT launch the Capra, a 170mm carbon Enduro bike. The 150mm to 170mm travel market is a crowded space. Whether you are a consumer or product manager it’s a tricky business in the heavy traffic of marketing and hype that comes with many bikes or indeed the philosophy of Enduro. People now believe they NEED an enduro bike. It could be argued in the same way as they did ten years ago when ‘freeride’ bikes became available. In truth, there never really was much of a freeride thing in the UK and such bikes were only marginally lighter than their downhill stable mates, and certainly not for all day riding. The Capra is no such bike, it changes the rules.
BOS up front and out back, responsible for 170mm travel both ends.
Are we still fooling ourselves over our real needs? 160mm travel bikes are the current mindset when 140mm is more than enough for general riding. Whilst it’s easy to lose perspective of what you are riding you cannot argue that if presented with two bikes of similar weight and price the temptation to take the one that offers wider horizons is no bad thing.
What if you are presented with 170mm travel front and rear, hanging off a light chassis with components that combine to form a light build? This year’s Scott Genius LT Tuned countered any argument that long travel Trail and Enduro bikes were always the cart horse rarely the race horse. When long travel crosses the 30lb buffer however things begin to change. It’s no longer the fat pig, it’s no longer too much bike if done correctly.
XO, Crossmax and BOS, enough said.
Of course you have every right to love the black, white and yellow of this new bike from YT. Or maybe scratch your head over a specification that reads Sram XO1, BOS Kirk and Deville, Mavic Crossmax, E13, SDG and Renthal. This is a who’s who of product after all, but don’t take too long to marvel at the price tag of a bike thousands of pounds cheaper than many other pretty carbon rivals.
He doesn’t care about hype, but should you?
Dodging the bullets of hype is no easy task, so many people are seduced by colour and promises but taken down on performance. The new Capra delivers on almost every count from angles through to specification and pricing and most importantly, performance. It can take immense hammer but is still sensitive enough, buoyant enough for long rides without the pain associated with bikes from the past. Before riding this bike I did have thoughts that YT had slightly overcooked it with their new flagship Enduro bike, not any longer. There’s still the matter of some heavy Welsh mud, putting the Capra head to head with the other top industry Enduro and working out what else is on offer. It has to be said though the Capra simply has to be a significant milestone.
RockShox version from £3199
