YT DECOY CORE 4
Say hello to the 2023 YT Decoy Core MK 1.35. OK, so the MK1.35 tag isn’t part of its official title, we added that ourselves. But seeing as YT has managed to increase the potential battery capacity from 540Wh to 720Wh (which is a
35% increase) without having to make wholesale changes to the frame, we think it’s a rather fitting addition.
How did YT squeeze in the extra juice without messing up the handling of our E-bike of the Year winner in 2021? It completely redesigned the battery, while maintaining the same fittings and mounting architecture. So yes, the new 720Wh battery is backwards compatible with all Decoy models, bar the size S. It’s currently only available as a standalone product for £899, which, as e-bike batteries go, is competitively priced.
Best of all, the potbelly profile of the 720Wh battery allows YT to up the cell count while keeping the extra weight as low and central in the bike as possible. On our scales the 720Wh battery weighs 4.57kg, which is 860g heavier than the stock 540Wh battery, and increased the weight of the Decoy Core 4 from 23.32kg to 24.18kg. Still pretty competitive, but not as light as you might expect from a full carbon frame and high-end build kit that wants for nothing.
Still, it’s a moot point, as all current Decoys ship with 540Wh batteries as standard, but we’re confident that YT will roll out the bikes with the new battery in the not too distant future.
Other than the bigger-battery option then, it’s business as usual since we last tested the Decoy. It’s still available in MX (170/165mm travel) and full
29in (150/145mm travel) options and it’s designed around the Shimano
STEPS EP8 motor, with the smaller, monochrome SE E7000 display.
The frame is available in five sizes from XS to XXL, and while the sizing on the Decoy isn’t the most generous – the size L sporting a rather demure 451mm reach – the Decoy feels all the more manageable and manoeuvrable for it. Also, the 50mm stem ensures that the fit never feels cramped, and even slows the steering response down a hair to make it easier to correct course mid-turn.
SUSPENSION
As the flagship bike in the Decoy range, the Core 4 gets Fox Factory-level suspension components, bling Kashima coating and all. The 170mm-travel Fox 38 fork and X2 shock both offer four-way adjustable damping, so if you want a flatter, more stable ride to the Decoy, it is relatively easy to achieve by simply cranking up the compression damping. However, we think the Decoy feels best with a lighter, more active approach to the oil flow, as it makes the bike feel really reactive and playful. And the cool thing about all of the adjustability on Fox’s top-tier suspension, is that you can have it either way, or somewhere in between.
We are not normally big fans of compression levers, especially on e-bikes, but the one on the Decoy’s
Fox X2 shock is actually pretty useful for climbing, primarily because the relatively slack 75.5° seat angle makes it harder to keep your weight forward on the steepest ascents. So being able to prop the rear suspension up easily is really helpful.
In our workshop, we could only squeeze 160mm travel out of YT’S fourbar suspension, which is 5mm less than claimed. On the trail, however, it offers a very composed ride. It’s not quite as pitter-patter as the Vitus, but the YT holds its poise slightly better so you can still charge really hard on it. It’s a slightly harsher ride too, maybe due to the extra stiffness of the full carbon frame, as it’s most noticeable when the bike is leant over in a turn.
COMPONENTS
Continuing with the Gucci build are Crankbrothers’s Synthesis alloy wheels, in an MX e-bike format. Freehub engagement with the i9 1/1 rear hub is ultra-fast and secure, and while Synthesis wheels typically have different rim widths front and rear, both rims on the e-bike hoops have 31.5mm internal widths. Tyre casings have been
£6,899
HIGHS
720Wh battery means more fun
increased over previous generations of Decoy, and it now sports Maxxis EXO+ casings front and rear, where previously an EXO casing front tyre was used to save weight, or possibly even money. Either way, it’s a good move, and hard chargers will probably want to increase the level of protection on the rear tyre to a Maxxis Double Down or similar to improve pinch-flat protection further. What YT offers with increased range in one hand it takes away with the other by adding a softer-compound Maxxgrip front tyre. Still, it’s a great option for wet and wild conditions. YT has also increased the drop to 170mm on the Postman dropper for the size L bike, and the post has a really smooth, light lever action. The icing on the cake is the wellpadded SDG Bel Air 3.0 saddle, with its subtle whaletail making it the perfect complement to any e-bike.
Fast bikes need good brakes and the SRAM Code RSCS with 200mm rotors deliver. Not only do they have a much nicer lever feel than the Code RS brakes on the Canyon – which is mostly due to the bearings in the lever pivots – but the power was noticeably improved too.
PERFORMANCE
The YT Decoy Core 4 offers a ride quality that’s every bit as peppy as the sharp, clean lines of the full carbon frame. And for a bike that’s three years old, it still looks and feels contemporary.
With so much available suspension travel, you’d half expect the Decoy to feel stuck to the ground like Velcro.
It’s not. Which makes it really easy to sack off a bad line choice and change direction in the blink of an eye. The flip side to that degree of reactivity is that it’s got an altogether tighter feel to the frame and suspension than either the Vitus or Canyon, so there’s more feedback though the bike and those oversized 35mm alloy Renthal bars. On longer descents this generates more fatigue in your hands, and it is why we recommend grips with a little more padding than the ODIS that come fitted as standard. Nit picking? Possibly, but it’s the only thing that’s wrong with the specification on the Core 4, so you tend to hone in on it, right?
Actually that’s not the only thing that annoyed us with the Decoy.
Even with the steering-lock headset, Shimano’s plug-and-play cables kept popping out of the SC-E7000 display every time we tweaked the bars. Eventually, one disconnected inside the frame, so we had to remove the battery mount to reconnect it.
The lights came back on for one ride, then the bike wouldn’t switch on again, probably because the bike was wet when we turned it upside down to reconnect the cable. It’s the same reason why you should never turn the Decoy upside down to wash it, otherwise you’ll end up with a sitting duck.