Test All Mountain E-Bikes 2023: YT Decoy 29 Core 3

We tested these five all-mountain bikes up to 6300 euros:

• Canyon Spectral:On CF8
• Conway eWME 6.9
• Scott Patron eRide 920
• Radon Render 10.0 750
• YT Industries Decoy 29 Core 3

Although the Decoy 29 Core 3 is almost the cheapest bike from YT Industries, the front is already fitted with a Fox fork with the high-quality Grip2 cartridge. Real high-end goods that clearly show the downhill-orientated focus of the bike supplier from Forchheim.

However: Even Our test bike is convincing on the climbs, at least in terms of riding dynamics. Whether it's the steepest ramps or nasty uphill trails: the YT Decoy All Mountain E-Bike masters everything with ease. Especially the Rear suspension is hard to beat. Even on steep ramps, the rear end hardly sags, but remains extremely sensitive even under chain tension and gives the Decoy first-class traction on the rear wheel. The handling uphill is intuitive and also scores top marks. No wonder, given the rather low front end and moderate steering angle.

YT Decoy 29 Core 3: Loud motor, moderate range

There is clear criticism for the loud motor. The Shimano EP8 also had a negative impact on our last YT Decoy 29. The frame seems to amplify the motor noise unfavourably. With only 1106 metres of altitude range with full support the YT with its small 540 battery lags well behind the rest of the test field, but despite its small battery, it can't really set itself apart in terms of weight. The winner of our comparison test, Canyon's Spectral:On CF8, is only 300 grams heavier with its huge 900 battery, but has almost twice the range.

Update: In the meantime, YT has introduced a larger battery. The new model with 720 watt hours fits in the same down tube and is said to be just under 900 grams heavier than the 540 battery. Unfortunately, the large battery will initially only be available as an 899 euro retrofit option and cannot be selected for new bikes for a small surcharge instead of the old 540 battery.

Lots of points for suspension and downhill handling on the YT Decoy 29

The YT Decoy also gets top marks for downhill handling. The Top fork from Fox with adjustable high and low-speed rebound and compression damping naturally scores points here. But we like the rear triangle even betterwhich, despite nominally only 145 millimetres of travel, can hardly be rattled even on nasty and fast downhills. The more affordable Core 2 model with cheaper Rockshox suspension from EMTB 3/2022 was completely different. If you can spare the extra € 700 for the Core 3, you should definitely invest it for the better suspension alone!

With moderate steering angle and low front the YT Decoy 29 remains quite manoeuvrable despite its long chainstays. After all, there is hardly any noise from the motor and battery on the descents. Only the Maxxis Minion DHF front tyre is something all testers would like to swap for the Maxxis Assegai from Canyon or Schwalbes Magic Mary on the Radon competitor in slippery conditions. The aluminium rear triangle on the YT is also quite wide and not very well finished. The heel sometimes bumps here. It's probably due to the chunky rear triangle that the YT All Mountain Bike can't set itself apart from the rest of the test field in terms of weight, despite the very small battery.

Adrian Kaether's verdict on the YT Decoy 29 Core 3:

With its fantastic suspension and intuitive handling, the YT Decoy 29 can almost make up for its lack of range in the practical test. Meanwhile, a larger battery can also help with the range. However, this is only available as a retrofit option and therefore drives up the price quite a bit. On the other hand, the handling characteristics of the YT are the best in the test - both downhill and uphill, no other bike comes close. Attention: The YT runs very small. Our test bike in size L looks more like an M and is only recommended by YT for riders up to 1.82 metres. If in doubt, go for a larger bike.

EMTB judgement: 8.4 points (very good)

The EMTB judgement reflects the subjective impression of the testers, the results of the reach measurement and the laboratory tests. The EMTB judgement is independent of price. EMTB judgements: super (from 9.0), very good (from 8.0), good (from 7.0), satisfactory (from 6.0), with weaknesses (from 5.0), below insufficient.