So, how is it?" That's the first thing you hear from your colleagues when you come back from a bike presentation. We used to fly to Whistler, Crested Butte, Lake Tahoe or Madeira. Unfortunately, Corona has put a stop to this professional fun, no one invites us anymore, but if they do - like YT last year - our colleagues stand guard as if we had returned from the ISS.
Questioning looks with the request: "Spit it out, how's the new Enduro Capra?" - "Yes, it's great." - "Better than the old one?" I couldn't answer that, because only a direct comparison on our standardised test tracks exposes weaknesses and reveals differences. That's why we don't like doing individual tests. The Capra case was particularly explosive, because immediately before the presentation of the carbon version Capra Core 4, we had tested the 2500 euro cheaper aluminium Capra and were quite enthusiastic about it: full suspension, easy handling, feel-good character - what could be better than taking at least two kilos off the chunky 16-kilo bike? The YT engineers haven't managed to do that with the new bike. The top-of-the-range carbon fibre Capra with its luxury black gold wheels weighs less, but only 500 grams and still over 15 kilos. So what has been changed? The YT tinkerers around lead engineer Stephan Bax have done what all bike developers are currently doing with their enduro bikes - they have fully trimmed the bike for downhill riding, flattened the head angle, extended the reach and wheelbase and given the bike a smoother ride so that it can rush downhill even faster. Incidentally, we think this is a trend that should slowly come to an end, otherwise enduro really will soon become downhill.
Old versus new: practice shows!
Finding out instead of guessing - we pitted the two "mountain goats" (who are no longer mountain goats) against each other. To do this, we chased them up Alpine peaks, raced each other in bike parks and even rode on fairly flat trails (bad idea!). We admit it: In the end, there was damn little in our test log. Just one sentence: "The old one is more manoeuvrable, the new one is smoother. The differences? Marginal!" We've known that cheap bikes can keep up with expensive ones since our comparison test (FREERIDE 1/19). It was the same here. The new carbon Capra could handle more speed downhill than its aluminium predecessor - due to the more extreme downhill geometry. While the fork in the aluminium model still stretched the front wheel forward at a 64.6-degree angle, the steering angle in the new model measured a flat 63.7 degrees. However, in addition to the geo, the high-end Fox suspension with its thick shock also played a role. Surprisingly, the YT engineers reduced the suspension travel slightly. While the rear end of the predecessor still had a whopping 177 millimetres of travel, the new model only has a measured 164 millimetres, which should make the bike more reactive instead of sagging in its travel. In fact, we had to tune the aluminium Capra a little to tame the generous travel and make it more lively. We rode with less sag and dialled in the compression. This was particularly noticeable on jumps and in fast corner changes. When the trail swings to the left and right, the aluminium Capra is in its element. It is nimble in the turns and doesn't need a lot of support in
In contrast to its young carbon brother, it requires little physical effort. The new Capra, on the other hand, looks big, although the race geometry is not extreme and the YT developers carefully tweaked the angles. But if you don't work properly, you can lose the ideal line with the new bike in tight turns. Our tip: the MX model. In this group test, we rode the bikes in the all-29-inch version. However, YT also offers the bike as a mullet, 29 inches at the front and 27.5 inches at the rear. This makes the bike more lively without compromising the good rollover behaviour. Drops at the limit of the comfort zone are a good test of which bike you trust more. Here, we testers didn't care which Capra we rode into the depths. Both are brimming with confidence. It's a completely different story on the way up. That's where it gets tough - even with both. Heavy wheels, sticky tyres and a ready-to-ride total weight of over 15 kilos turn every climb into a slow ride. This is even more annoying on the flat than on the way to the summit. If you want to make progress on slightly undulating terrain, you won't have much fun with these bikes - but that applies to almost all "modern" enduro bikes. When I rashly took the aluminium Capra to cycle the 25 kilometres home after a day at the office, I almost got off the bike at some point to call a taxi because I couldn't manage to pedal the bike with enough propulsion.
Test summary of the YT Industries Capra duel
Both Capras are fun machines as long as the direction of travel is downwards. The affordable aluminium model is livelier on the trails than its carbon brother, which is smoother on the descents. In short: We recommend the aluminium model and would rather invest the 2500 euro price difference in a bike holiday to Whistler.
Technical data YT Capra Pro AL 29
- Material / Sizes: Aluminium / M, L, XL, XXL (Tested size L)
- Price / weight without pedals: 3499 euros / 15.6 kg
- Suspension travel: 167 / 177 mm
- Fork / Shock: Fox 38 Float Performance Elite / Fox Float DPX2 Performance Elite
- Cranks / gears: Truvativ Descendant / Sram GX Eagle
- Brake systemSram Code R
- Wheels: DT Swiss E 1900 Sline 30
- Tyres: Maxxis Assegai/Minion DHR II 29 x 2.5/2.4
- Reach: 457 mm
- Stack: 629 mm
- BB drop: -29 mm
Technical data YT Capra 29 Core 4
- Material / Sizes: Carbon / S, M, L, XL, XXL (Tested size L)
- Price / weight without pedals: 5999 euros / 15.1 kg
- Suspension travel: 168 / 164 mm
- Fork / Shock: Fox 38 Float Factory Grip2 / Fox Float X2 Factory
- Cranks / gears: Truvativ Descendant / Sram X01 Eagle
- Brake system: Sram Code RSC
- Wheels: Crankbrothers Synthesis
- Tyres: Maxxis Assegai/Minion DHR II 29 x 2.5/2.4
- Reach: 463 mm
- Stack: 639 mm
- BB drop: -28 mm
Dimitri Lehner
Editor
