YT CAPRA UNCAGED 6
£7,799 (+ £100 shipping, £16.90 bike box) High-tech enduro bike that uses every trick in the book to up its performance
The Capra Uncaged 6 is an expensive bike for this generally good-value, direct-to-consumer brand, but that’s because you get the latest high-tech wizardry, in the form of RockShox’s Flight Attendant electronic suspension adjustment and SRAM’s X01 Eagle AXS wireless shifting. This adds up to a lot of bike for your cash.
THE FRAME
YT claim that the ‘ultra modulus’ carbon fibre the Uncaged 6 is built from delivers their lightest but highest-performing frame to date. Redesigned tubes and an asymmetrical member called the ‘wing’, which connects the down and seat tubes, add stiffness and strength, while allowing space for the brand’s 620ml Thirstmaster water bottle (or most other 625ml bottles). The four-bar V4L rear end provides 165mm of travel. According to YT, this is 33.22 per cent progressive, making most suspension designs look linear in comparison.
While the Capra has had some geometry tweaks, the figures aren’t extreme. A flip-chip adjusts the head angle between 64.5 and 64.2 degrees, and the bottom bracket height between 354mm and 349mm. The 467mm reach on our large frame is on the shorter side, and the seat tube length (here, 445mm) will prevent some riders from ‘sizing up’. On the plus side, the seat tube angle is decently steep, at 77.9 degrees in the ‘high’ setting and 77.6 degrees in ‘low’.
THE KIT
RockShox’s latest Flight Attendantequipped, Ultimate-spec ZEB fork and Super Deluxe shock headline the spec, with their wireless, terrain-sensitive, on-the-fly damping adjustment. The ZEB also gets an updated DebonAir+ air spring and vibration-absorbing ButterCups bumpers. Continuing the theme of electronics, the Capra 6 boasts a Reverb AXS wireless dropper post and SRAM X01 Eagle AXS drivetrain. It rolls on Crankbrothers’ Synthesis Enduro Carbon wheels shod with Maxxis Assegai and DHR II rubber.
THE RIDE
The Capra climbs impeccably, defying its long travel and ‘enduro’ design focus. This ascending prowess is a sum of all its parts – its bob-free suspension, great component spec and well-proportioned geometry combining to extend its ‘pedalability’ beyond the winch-and-plummet style of riding usually suited to bikes with 160mm of travel or more, especially when combined with the Flight Attendant system.
While the Capra is no slouch without RockShox’s latest suspension tech, the speed at which it switches modes (with its ‘bias’ set to zero) when it detects changes in terrain makes the YT feel closer to a 130mmtravel trail bike than an enduro rig. Plus, its already steep seat tube angle grows steeper still once the electric
servo switches the rear shock to the locked setting, propping the rear end up in its travel and causing it to sit higher than the sag point. This centres your hips over the bottom bracket, making winching up long, smooth fireroad drags or tackling steep singletrack climbs relatively comfortable.
Descending ability isn’t similarly defined by the electronic suspension – and that’s a good thing. Changes of direction are pleasingly fast and responsive, with a small flick of the hips and dip of an elbow and shoulder making the bike dive into turns with confidence, and the massively progressive rear suspension refusing to gobble its mid-stroke travel unnecessarily. The new ZEB Ultimate Flight Attendant fork works well, too, with increased initial-stroke sensitivity even at higher spring pressures, but also improved mid-stroke support when run with less air.
However, when the trails got steeper and faster, the Capra’s relatively short reach meant that the hand-to-feet relationship felt quite cramped and we began to feel ‘perched’ rather than ‘at one’ with the bike. This reduced confidence and made it trickier to find and maintain the central sweet spot of weight distribution and avoid overweighting the front or rear wheel, although it was only an issue on more extreme terrain. Generally, the Capra is consistent and predictable to ride, without any surprise quirks.
If you’re the kind of rider who never wants to find themself under-biked on a shorter-travel rig for the occasional uplift day, trip to the Alps or bike park visit, but also spends plenty of time riding flatter trail centres and enjoys cutting-edge technology, the Capra Uncaged 6 is a great option – if you can afford it. Just make sure you understand that it isn’t the rowdy enduro thrasher its travel figures would have you believe. Alex Evans www.yt-industries.com
One bike suited to enduro, all-mountain and trail riding, with performance enhanced by RockShox Flight Attendant