YT CAPRA 29 CORE 4
Can it scale mountains like its namesake?
Launched in 2014, the YT Capra was one of the first long-travel enduro bikes. Named after a mountain goat, it received massive praise for its performance and price. Is the latest version still up there with the best?
THE FRAME
The third-generation Capra is made from YT’s top-spec carbon fibre. New tube profiles lower its centre of gravity. The distinctive stiffening ‘wing’ from down tube to seat tube remains, but on the driveside only, giving space for a water bottle. There’s a top tube tool mount, improved bearing sealing, and new chainstay and down tube guards.
This new carbon frame is available with 29in wheels or mixed sizes (29in front, 650b rear). We opted for the 29er version, which has 165mm of rear wheel travel. Geometry has been updated for 2022, the biggest change being a much steeper effective seat tube angle – 77.6 degrees in the ‘low’ position (a flip-chip changes the angles by 0.3 degrees and BB height by 5mm). YT have shaved almost a degree off the head angle, now an aggressive 64.2 degrees. There’s a subtle 2mm of extra BB drop, and reach figures are 7mm longer across the board, ranging from 427mm to 507mm. The chainstays are 438mm on the smaller sizes and 443mm on the XL and XXL.
THE KIT
Bar a limited Launch Edition Capra, the Core 4 is the top-spec model. It boasts Factory-level Fox suspension – their hard-hitting 38 fork and Float X2 shock – a SRAM X01 Eagle drivetrain and Code RSC brakes, and rolls on Crankbrothers Synthesis Enduro Alloy wheels shod with Maxxis rubber.
THE RIDE
The steeper seat tube angle puts you in a comfy position for all-day pedalling and the bike’s weight balance is good, too. There’s more suspension bob than on rivals such as the Propain Tyee, but with the shock’s climb switch flicked to firm up the rear end, it ascends well, aided by its competitive weight.
Point the Capra downhill and it uses a decent amount of its mid stroke when charging through rough terrain. This means it carries speed well, and also helps to keep the tyres digging into the dirt. There’s enough progression that bigger hits are dealt with in a controlled manner, too. Riders who prefer a firmer platform to push against may not love the YT’s ride character, but if you like to feel the bike doing a lot of the work to smooth out the trail you’ll appreciate it. Our only issue was that the Capra 29’s tall stack height and headset cap stopped us from lowering the bar to our preferred height. We could still pilot it through the turns with gusto, though, thanks to its predictable ride. LUKE
VERDICT
One of the most sought-after long-travel bikes, for good reason