Skip to main content

YT Capra AL Comp


The Capra has impressed us since we first threw a leg over it back in 2014, thanks to its aggressive angles and the poise and composure delivered by YT’s progressive ‘V4L’ linkage. Considering that the AL Comp is the cheapest bike in the final six, the spec is hard to fault too – Maxxis rubber, DT Swiss wheels, SRAM 1x11 gearing and Guide brakes, plus a formidable RockShox Lyrik RC fork up front and Monarch Plus RC3 shock at the rear.

This great value for money is possible because YT – along with fellow top-six contenders Radon, Canyon and Commencal – sell direct to you, the ‘consumer’, from their website. That means you can’t just wander into your local shop for buying advice or to check the bike out for yourself, but if you’re confident in what you’re doing, it’s a way of buying bikes that’s well worth considering.

Without LBS backup, it’s fortunate that the Capra requires very little set-up time to get it feeling just right. We had to do little other than set the sag and rebound to achieve a good suspension balance, and could then just crack on. You’ll likely find yourself reaching for the low-speed compression lever on the shock when tackling really tricky climbs, but for the most part we ran it fully open.

Where the Capra really becomes grin-inducing is when the trail gets rowdy. The stable, composed suspension lets you drive hard through tyre-ripping corners and clatter through braking bumps with masses of control, and the bike feels playful and agile when carving from line to line or launching off lips and skipping up and over trail features.

Some of that liveliness undoubtedly comes from the fact that the YT isn’t particularly big, with our large sample boasting the shortest reach of the six top bikes here. While there is an XL in the range that’ll suit those around the 6ft mark, anyone much taller will struggle to find a Capra that fits.

The Capra offers impressively tuned, well-balanced suspension and a fantastic spec for the money, but be careful with the sizing because it’s not as long as it could be 

SPEC
Frame Aluminium, 165mm travel
Fork RockShox Lyrik RC Solo Air, 170mm travel
Shock RockShox Monarch Plus RC3
Drivetrain SRAM X1 with Race Face Turbine cranks (1x11)
Wheelset DT Swiss E 1900 SPLINE wheels, Maxxis High Roller II EXO 27.5x2.4in tyres
Brakes SRAM Guide RS, 200mm
Bar/stem Race Face Atlas 35, 780mm/Race Face Atlas 35, 50mm
Seatpost/saddle RockShox Reverb Stealth dropper/ SDG Fly MTN
Weight 14.6kg (L)

 Price $3600
Labels

Popular posts from this blog

KONA SHRED

With a reputation for no-nonsense ruggedness and a background in the always progressive and punishing riding of Canada, Kona have been building hardcore hardtails for longer than almost anyone else. The Shred is the most expensive bike on test but it’s a proper trail tank.

READ MORE >>

ENVE M50 29" Wheels

Utah based company ENVE have been making drool-worthy carbon components for some years now. Despite the fact that carbon rims are becoming more and more common on mountain bikes these days, you can guarantee that ENVE wheels will be a talking point when someone is eyeing off a steed. Instantly, the big bold logos on each rim scream "fast", "light" and to some extent, "expensive" The kids call this 'bling'.

READ MORE >>

Cannondale Trail SL 29 SS

The fat aluminium tubes are a constrast to the skinny items seen elsewhere in the test, but this rigid Cannondale uses them to create one of the most old-school - and lightest - rides here.

READ MORE >>

NS Bikes Metropolis bike

There aren’t many companies like NS Bikes, whose entire product range is designed around getting rad, ripping corners and boosting jumps. The Polish brand are passionate about freeride and have gained a reputation for building heavy-hitting,wellspecced and reasonably-priced bikes. This latest incarnation of their Metropolis dirt jump rig follows in this vein, with a doublebutted 4130 chromoly frame and an array of reliable kit. The frame mixes MTB and BMXtechnology, using a threaded bottom bracket and Race Face AEfect two-piece crankset in combination with horizontal dropouts and an integrated headset and seat clamp. A Manitou Circus Elite fork gives 100mm of air-sprung travel, with a 20mm front axle to maintain stifness. The Metropolis rolls on 26in NS Fundamental rims, fitted with Kenda Small Block 8 tyres. We reckon the combo of chrome frame and tan-wall rubber looks pretty rad too! The full build weighs a fairly robust 12.13kg , but it should have no problem shrugging of s...

READ MORE >>

CANYON NERVE AL 8.0

  S ince their entry into the UK market a few years ago, Canyon have made a name for themselves as purveyors of well-made bikes that exhibit often extraordinary value. The secret (or catch, depending on your point of view) is that the brand don’t have dealers – they ship bikes directly to your door.

READ MORE >>