BOTTLE ROCKET

YT’S MKIII Capra enduro bike gets mullet wheels, new carbon frames and an asymmetric brace to make space for a water bottle without sacrificing stiffness

The bottle cage. It might be the least impressive bit of technology on a new bike, but for some riders it really is make or break. You’ll be pleased to hear then that YT’S new version of its Capra enduro bike now has space for a full size water bottle. Hallelujah.

For many of us it was the Capra that really made YT the brand it is today, when the first generation launched there were few bikes that could rival its blend of big travel, 29in wheels and astonishing price. Roll forward seven years and the MKIII Capra now uses an asymmetric bracing wing to make space for that water bottle, features two levels of carbon construction – Ultra Mod (lighter) and Hi Mod (cheaper) – and still comes in two wheel sizes. It’s fair to say then the MKIII Capra builds on the foundations of its predecessors rather than burning the house down and starting afresh. Which, given how good the previous Capras were, makes complete sense.

Let’s start with wheel size. Or to be more specific, wheel sizes. The MKII Capra ushered in a 29er option that ran in parallel with the 27.5in bike. For 2021, YT still offers two wheel sizes but the 27.5in bike has morphed into a mullet, and to distinguish it from the full 29er, it carries the MX tag.

Both platforms share the same carbon front ends, but with bespoke carbon rear stays and the addition of a new extender yoke – previously the shock mounted directly to the seatstay assembly – YT can tailor the chainstay lengths and geometry to the specific wheel sizes. As such, the Capra MX sports 5mm shorter stays across all frame sizes compared to the 29er. That’s not to say the chainstay lengths are the same on all frame sizes though, as YT continues with its size specific chainstays to help balance weight distribution across the entire size range.

As we’ve already mentioned the Capra MX and Capra 29 share the same front end. Tweaks to the geometry include a 1° slacker head angle and a 3° steeper seat angle. The reach measurements have also increased by approx 7mm on all sizes, which means the size L 29er now has a reach of 470mm. The biggest change though, and one that’s barely visible from the driveside, is the ability to fit a full-size water bottle.

YT appreciates that fitting a water bottle can be a deal breaker for some riders, but it didn’t want to compromise on the stiffness that the wing bracing the seat and downtube provides. The solution was simple. Make the wing asymmetric, much in the same way that Specialized’s Sidearm frame design accommodates the shock. Not only does it look neat, but it means that YT hasn’t had to compromise on its suspension design just to fit a bottle.

It has manipulated the suspension on both bikes though. The 29er is less progressive than before, while the MX has slightly more progression than the old 27.5in version to make it work better with coil-sprung shocks. The end result is that the suspension response on both options is closer than before, which is a good thing as we always felt that the 27.5in Capra offered better small bump sensitivity and grip than the 29er.

YT has also added a flip-chip to both bikes, giving the option of high and low geometry settings. Other updates include the addition of the SRAM UDH (Universal Derailleur Hanger), double seals on all pivot bearings for reduced maintenance and bolt-on storage under the top tube for carrying all your junk.

A less obvious change is the introduction of a two-tiered approach to the carbon construction, much in the same way that Santa Cruz has C and CC levels of carbon. As such the Launch Edition and Core 4 models get Ultra Mod (UM) carbon which is stiffer and more expensive, and enables YT to build lighter

bottle cage

geometry settings, with flip-chip

1 2 3 4

degrees steeper seat angle

thousand pounds – price of the entry-level bike (well, nearly, it’s £3,999)

5 170

sizes now, thanks to a new Small in the 29er version

mm fork travel: on the back it’s 170mm on the mullet bike, 165mm on the 29er