Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2021 i Mountain Bike Rider

This month I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy back-to-back rides in proper mountains, both here in the UK and abroad. That’s right, for the first time in 18 months, I’ve been out of the country, to Italy and the beautiful Aosta valley. It was a strange and slightly nerve-wracking experience flying abroad again, hoping that all the necessary paperwork was in order and that my Covid-19 test in Italy didn’t come back positive. In the end the travel was unexpectedly smooth and well-organised, and getting back to the Alps was wonderful. More on the bike I was riding in the next issue, but preceding that trip was a schlep up the M6 (pre-fuel crisis) for a couple of days in the Lake District riding the new SRAM Flight Attendant kit.…

The Arrival by We Are One is about as exclusive a bike as you’ll ever see. Designed and handbuilt by a boutique rim and component brand from Kamloops, British Columbia, it’s a 150mm-travel 29in enduro bike with a carbon frame and absolutely standout looks. Buy one and you can pretty much rest assured you’ll never see another out on the trails. And here lies the problem: We Are One is fabricating 400 Arrivals this year but most will never leave North America. Luckily for us, Creation Cycles – the one lone UK bike shop acting as distributor–is selling the bike as a frame-only or rolling chassis from November, meaning a lucky few Brits can be those standout riders. Ride one or not though, we think the Arrival represents how high-end…

No two punctures are the same, so it’s still possible to get a puncture that doesn’t seal with tubeless sealant, and in spite of all of the above advice. Chances are it’ll be on the sidewall because punctures on the top of the tyre are more likely to seal themselves as that’s where the sealant gets flung to when the tyre spins. Most tyres only have dual-ply casing on the top of the tyres too, so the sidewall and the bead is the vulnerable spot. You may need to use a tyre plug to get a reliable seal. Tyre plugs (aka bacon strips, aka dog poos) are super-sticky strips of rubber that are usually 1.5mm or 3mm thick – push one into a puncture using the small metal fork tool.…

£7,250 / 27.5 in / whyte.bike As Whyte’s longest-travel electric mountain bike, the E-180 is optimised to handle the toughest terrain. That’s not to say it’s entirely downhill-focused, but it doesn’t take long with the powerful Gen 4 Bosch motor to rack up enough trails to realise this machine is most at home hammering down steep tracks before powering back up for another hot lap. Self-shuttling enduro bike, then? You bet. The full-alloy frame has a massive down tube to house the 625Wh battery, while the E-180’s modern enduro geometry means a sub-64° head angle and roomy reach that stretches to 505mm on the XL size. And, typically for the UK brand, the BB is really low slung, at 335mm, and is paired to (short for an e-bike) 444mm chainstays.…

£2,449.99 / 2 9 in / nukeproof.com I took the Scout to BikePark Wales a few weeks ago. Heading west on the drive there, my mind wandered to the evolution of the hardtail. It was sparked by the music I was listening to, an album released in the summer of 1990, one that stayed with me from my youth and stood the test of time. I soon realised that there were other constants in the last 31 years too – a road trip to Wales and a hardtail on the roof rack. But that hardtail I now had on board… just how different and evolved is it? And, more importantly, would it give me a beating at BPW? I’ve always been attracted to steel hardtails, shrugging off aluminium frames from…

£144.99 SPECIFICATION Weight: 228g (excluding rotor) • Contact: freewheel.co.uk Let’s cut straight to the chase: do these brakes have a wandering bite point? The answer is: they did, but now they don’t. To elaborate, my front brake has always been fine, but the rear brake quickly developed the infamous wandering bite point that upper-level Shimano brakes have unfortunately become known for in recent years. And my test bike was assembled by Madison, Shimano’s UK distributor, so I'd expect it to be correctly assembled and bled. The solution, no matter what you may read online, is a comprehensive bleed. The only way to do a wholly comprehensive air-ridding bleed of Shimano brakes is to completely remove the bleed nipple assembly from the caliper and do a top-to-bottom gravity bleed while cradling…

£279.99 SPECIFICATION Weight: 837g (M) • Sizes: S, M, L • Colours: black, sand, chilli, cactus • Contact: hotlines-uk.com Leatt’s latest convertible MTB 4.0 V21 Enduro helmet might not have the snappiest name, but it’s one of only a couple on the market with full DH certification, while still multitasking as a lightweight open-face trail lid once the chinguard has been removed. It ticks plenty of boxes by being pretty lightweight, packing a rotational impact protection system (Leatt’s 360° Turbine Technology) and also different polystyrene densities for superior energy absorption in a crash. The turbines are the little squidgy wheels inside that can twist if the helmet takes a glancing blow in a similar way to how a MIPS liner slides across the scalp in the event of an angular…

£89.99 SPECIFICATION Weight: 145g • Max lumens: 1,500 • Contact: zyrofisher.co.uk With its machined aluminium construction, the Blackburn Dayblazer 1500 is the lightest standalone light on test. It has twin LEDs, which result in a wide spread of light, but with a more focused centre area. To secure the light to any handlebar diameter, there’s a big stretchy rubber strap on the bottom, but also included in the box is a three-pronged, GoPro mount, so if you have a helmet with a clamp already installed, or one like a Bell that’s built-in, you can just bolt the Dayblazer 1500 straight on. Using the GoPro mount keeps everything low, so you’re less likely to catch the light on a branch, and it also eliminates the scratchy Velcro strap – we had…

£69.99 SPECIFICATION Weight: 148g • Max lumens: 700 • Contact: oxfordproducts.com As the name suggests, the Sigma Buster is a 700 lumen light with the battery and lamp contained in a lightweight plastic shell. It costs the same for both the handlebar or helmet mount options, and weighing under 150g it works great in either location, although we’ve been running it primarily as a helmet light for this test. The Buster 700 has four light modes – high power 700 lumens, a standard mode 350 lumens, a 170 lumens eco mode and basic flashing option. Charging is via a micro USB, housed under a silicone flap on the back of the light and there’s a cable included in the box. Run-time is a claimed two hours, but we found it’s…

£419.99 SPECIFICATION Weight: 500g • Max lumens 2,500 • Contact: freewheel.co.uk The Enduro shares the same four-LED lamp unit as most of the Seca family, but comes with a larger four-cell Li-ion battery pack. This mounts to the frame using a heavy-duty Velcro strap, but the casing doesn’t fit neatly round a tube, so can slip backwards when riding. The lamp attaches using a sort of rubber watch strap, which means it fits any handlebar diameter and it also has a unique breakaway feature. However, in all the time we’ve tested this light we’ve never seen one break away, but it’s there if you need it, and there’s a spare in the box. The Seca Enduro has two output modes – standard and Race – which you access by either…

£320 SPECIFICATION Weight: 100g • Max lumens: 3,200 • Contact: exposurelights.com Exposure produces two e-bike lights – the Flex and the Fuse. The former is designed for e-mtbs and consists of a machined aluminium lamp unit, tethered remote switch, a bar clamp and a long cable. You will need to buy the specific connector (this consists of a plug and short run of cable) for your bike, which costs an additional £12.50. This add-on means Exposure doesn’t have to produce dedicated lights for each system, but it does require users to attach the cable to the connector. You do this by simply inserting the cables into two gel-filled cable connectors and then crimp them together. The gel provides a waterproof seal. Once connected, you plug the light into the bike…

£2,399 Punch Specialized Status into your browser and the first official listing winds the clock back to 2012. Click on the link and you’re presented with the Status: a 200mm-travel bike park/DH shredder with 26in wheels that was designed as a direct replacement for Specialized’s original budget baller, the Big Hit. And it’s somewhat ironic that the Big Hit was one of the original mullets, albeit with a 26in wheel up front and 24in out back. Fast forward to today and the Status name is in circulation once again, even if there’s no sign of the new bike on Specialized’s website. A cryptic, underground Instagram marketing campaign with cool cats slashing turns? Possibly, but this too-cool-for-school approach makes it tricky to track down specifics on the new bike. In a…

Unlike the hairdo, mullet bikes aren’t just a passing trend. And while 29ers may ultimately be faster for racing, we’re convinced that the benefits of the smaller rear wheel for e-bikes and shorter riders in general will guarantee that mixed wheel size bikes are here to stay. If anything, it’s the pure 27.5in bikes whose days may be numbered. And just as we’re seeing more and more brands adopting size-specific stays, to better balance weight distribution across a broad range of sizes, the logical next step would be to have size-specific wheels. So rather than having one bike in five sizes with mixed wheels like the Bronson, while simultaneously offering the Hightower with 5mm less travel and 29in wheels, Santa Cruz could quite easily combine both platforms, where the larger…

Northumberland National Park, and in particular the valleys that spur off from the Cheviot Massif, are a unique proposition for mountain bikers. With a mixture of large forests and rolling hills, riders can blend high-intensity blaze-ups with mellow, big-view bridleway sections. The area, however, has some of England’s most protected habitats and wildlife, meaning that some trail access is restricted to certain times of the year. Scotty Laughland enjoys a classic Northumbrian late-summer evening before heading for a cool pint at the Rose and Thistle, Alwinton. Tommy Wilkinson Although overshadowed by Tom Pidcock’s gold medal, anyone watching the XCO at the Olympics closely will have noted Evie Richards’s strong performance in which she held third place during the early stages of the race. It was a telling precursor of what…

YETI 160E T1 £11,899 “Why did it take us so long to make the 160E?” Exactly the question we were going to put to Yeti about its first-ever e-bike, until it got there first. Yeti is famous for its Switch Infinity suspension design, Richie Rude, and its turquoise-blue bikes, but most recently its e-bike holdout status has been causing it the most notoriety. Now it’s joined the party with the 160E, a 160mm-travel e-bike with a radical suspension design and a host of new features. Why so late then, did Yeti think e-bikes were a passing fad? The brand says it wanted to address the particular demands of a powered e-bike, and to do so required a completely new suspension design called Sixfinity. So while the E160 doesn’t have Yeti’s…

How did you get into mountain biking? My mum put me on a bike when I was three years old, like all kids learn to ride. In Latvia, where I am from originally, BMX racing was quite popular, so somehow I stumbled into it all. By the time I was four, I was racing! As a kid I was dreamy, and always somewhere else in my head, so I wasn’t taking it seriously. I didn’t know what a competition was, I was just riding on a bike. In 2012, my family moved to Innsbruck and there weren’t any BMX race tracks nearby so I started mountain biking – because it was the alternative. It wasn’t love at first sight. I hated pedalling up! That’s probably why I was really into…

£5,599.99 / 29 in / moustachebikes.com For those not familiar with Moustache, the name might come across as a bit of a joke, but this French bike firm is a serious player in the e-bike market. To put you in the picture, here are the facts: Moustache has been making e-bikes for nearly 10 years, it produces five models – a hardtail, an adventure bike and three different-travel trail bikes. The Game is the company’s big-bike platform with 29in wheels, and features a 170mm-travel fork with 160mm rear travel. All the models in the Game range share the same aluminium frameset, Bosch Performance Line CX motor and integrated 625Wh battery. The Game 8 featured here gets a top-of-the-line Fox 38 Float Factory fork with four-way adjustable damping. Out back, the…

If the secret to going fast is being a confident rider, then the secret to confidence is control. Being in control on any trail will mean you have more time to react, get more satisfaction from your riding, and will be able to go faster and take on more difficult challenges without exposing yourself to additional risk. Quite often when you see an experienced rider go through a technical section it looks like they aren’t doing anything. They might not even be aware of the things they are doing in order to give themselves control over the terrain. Dig a little deeper, though, and there are some crucial control mechanisms going on here that mean the rider feels settled and prepared. Let’s dig a little deeper and find out what…

£9,999 / 29 in / konaworld.com It’s funny how the smallest of things can derail your ride. For the first half of this month the Kona was laid up in the garage with a faulty front brake. The tiny bolt that screws into the front lever pivot from below had dropped out and unknowingly I carried on riding. By pulling unevenly on the lever, it slowly crushed the bearing that the lever pivots on until I noticed the extra flop in the lever that had suddenly appeared. Fortunately I had another bike I could use while the Process was out of action, a Nukeproof Reactor – a 130mm-travel trail bike that should in theory have similar ride characteristics to the sickly Kona. First ride out on it though and I…

£581.94 SPECIFICATION Weight: 1,746g • Contact: freewheel.co.uk Just like Shimano didn’t rush with the release of XT M8100, I haven’t rushed this review. In this day and age, it’s fair to say that all drivetrains from Shimano and SRAM just plain work. Sure, some are heavier than others and some are a bit clunkier and some don’t offer multiple shifts from a single sweep of a shift lever, but hey, they all work just fine. What you really want to know, when you’re weighing up what drivetrain stuff to buy, is how well does it last? Well, I’ve put nearly 2,000km of riding into this XT 8100 set-up and feel it’s safe to reach some concrete conclusions. I’m still using the same cabling. I’m still using the same chain. It…

£89.99 SPECIFICATION Weight: 475g • Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL • Colours: black or orange • Contact: endurasport.com If you compare the material, features and build quality, the Endura Women’s MT500 Burner Pant is identical to the men’s pant, the difference is the colour (this one is cool paprika, if there is such a thing) and sizing. It’s made from a four-way stretch fabric, which means it gives with you when riding but fits snug in all the right places. It feels nice against bare skin and to keep that bold colour looking good for as long as possible, it’s also coated with PFC-Free, durable water-repellent finish. The MT500 also has a reinforced seat, is shaped to accommodate kneepads and also has a tapered leg to keep flapping…

£305 SPECIFICATION Weight: 238g • Max lumens: 3,200 • Contact: exposurelights.com In terms of size and weight, the Toro sits below the MaXx D and Six Pack we tested over the last two years, but it still packs a punch, putting out 2,000 lumens on full beam and 3,200 in Reflex mode. Like its bigger brothers, it’s self-contained, with the LEDs and Li-Ion battery all housed in the machined aluminium body. It attaches to Exposure’s erstwhile machined bar clamp, which requires the use of a thin rubber shim to work. It looks too flimsy to hold the light, but it’s rock-solid. Our only minor criticism is the bolt is underneath, so making adjustments on the fly is fiddly, although, to be fair, with this much power on tap we never…

£190 SPECIFICATION Weight: 346g • Max lumens: 1,300 • Contact: hopetech.com Although the Hope R2 LED Standard uses the two cell ES (energy status) battery pack, it’s just as bright as the R2 LED Epic we tested a year ago – it just won’t last as long. Like most Hope off-road lights, the R2 has two distinct modes that you access by a quick or slow press in the initial turn-on phase. Press the button quickly and it turns on instantly into the Trail mode which has high, medium and low settings. Proceed slowly, and you can access a secondary mode with high, low and flashing options. On high beam the R2 will put out about 1,000 lumens for around an hour. The beam pattern is narrow, so illuminates less…

£369.99 SPECIFICATION Weight: 605g • Max lumens: 8,000 • Contact: magicshineuk.com Magicshine’s Monteer 8000 should be renamed the Monster 8000 because it literally scares off any wildlife wandering around at night. It doesn’t quite have the 8,000 lumens claimed – you only need to compare the beam to the 2,500 lumens Seca Enduro to see this, but you can’t argue with the raw power. Set inside the aluminium lamp unit are five Cree LED units – the top three sit at a wider 32°, creating a lot of peripheral light, whereas the bottom two have a narrower 21° beam spread to punch the light down the trail. The clamp holding the lamp unit has a Garmin twist-lock attachment, which lets you mount other Garmin-compatible devices during the day. You get…

€ 400 SPECIFICATION Weight: 170g • Max lumens: 1,800 • Contact: lupine.de Lupine lights are some of the best off-road lights we’ve ever tested, and the SL X is no different. It has a lightweight machined body, with a remote switch and super-minimalist (31.8 or 35mm) bar clamp, allowing you to get it really close to the stem. Unfortunately, the back of the lamp did contact the faceplate on our Race Face stem, so the single clamp could do with being slightly longer. Lupine does offer a double clamp option for an extra €12, but we don’t know if it offers any more clearance. Due to the output requirements, the SL X is only compatible with Bosch, Brose and Shimano but not Yamaha bikes. It’s sold with a dedicated connector,…

As a result, most riders find it easier to initiate a turn on a mullet set-up than on a pure 29er Mullets aren’t just favoured by 70s football stars and hipsters, they are also the latest trend in mountain biking. From World Cup downhill racing to cool cats jibbing in the local woods, mixed wheel size bikes are catching on. And it’s not just at the cutting edge of the sport where the smaller rear wheels are gaining traction. Most e-bikes are mullet as standard and there’s a growing number of trail bikes maintaining a 29in wheel up front for a business like approach, while adopting a 27.5in wheel out back to keep the party alive. So this month we’ve got four party animals on test, two trail bikes and…

£7,000 Think Nukeproof and the iconic race that is the Megavalanche instantly springs to mind. It’s fitting then that Nukeproof’s first e-bike is based on its most successful platform to date, the Mega. Designed around the compact Shimano EP8 motor, the aptly named Megawatt shares a strikingly similar profile, right down to the counterrotating four-bar suspension, with the acoustic version that has racked up three consecutive EWS World Championship titles. The most obvious departure from the acoustic bike is the oversized down tube that houses the 630Wh Shimano battery, enough juice to summit Alpe d’Huez without having to set foot in a cable car. And just so there’s no confusion over Nukeproof’s preferred wheel size, the Megawatt sports a 297 tag in the model name, indicating that it’s running a…

Mention Nevis Range to anyone and they’ll likely think of the UCI Downhill World Cup, currently the second longest-running World Cup venue in the world. Mont Saint Anne’s top by the way. Every year since 2002 (bar the last two), thousands have travelled to Nevis Range, just north of Fort William, to watch riders do battle on Aonach Mòr’s lower slopes. We’ve always thought the iconic venue was missing a trick, though. Ride the brilliant gondola uplift to the top and there are only two ways back down (well, three if you count a dull fire road) – the DH track or Top Chief, now graded black. Less-experienced riders were effectively barred from most of the altitude on offer. Nevis Range obviously agreed, because last month it opened Blue Doon,…

BALLATER, SCOTLAND 2 1.6km (13.4 miles) The Cairngorms are the place to go for out-there epics. But it’s not all wild, wooly and worthy riding. Ballater on the east of the National Park is the starting point for some truly amazing singletrack, of which Heartbreak Ridge is the centrepiece. A tight heather-lined sliver of singletrack punctuated with granite slabs, the gradient is steep enough for you to effortlessly carry plenty of speed without it being a white-knuckle plummet. Needless to say, this being Scotland, the views are incredible but it pays to be vigilant and keep your eyes on the trail – there are plenty of gotcha rocks waiting to grab a misplaced pedal. GPS download bit.ly/Ballater DOCTOR’S GATE/CUT GATE, PEAK DISTRICT 57.9km (36 miles) Possibly the nation’s favourite singletrack…

TALENT BEATS TECH Preventing flats is as much about technique as it is about tech. Back when I started racing there was no tubeless sealant, no tyre inserts and definitely no dual-ply DH casing tyres – only inner tubes and thin (basically XC) tyres. So I’ve definitely learned a few tricks and techniques over the years. The biggest part of avoiding flats is by improving your riding style. Once you know the trails, you can use better lines to go around the hard edges, avoid braking in the rough stuff and pick your landing spots for a smoother exit. Keep your head up and look far ahead on the trail too, it helps you spot sharp objects and stops you having to brake aggressively because you’re on the wrong line.…

⋆ STAR LETTER ⋆ CYCLING FOR A CENTURY My name is Peter Seaward and I’m a member of Cheltenham & County Cycling Club. I know that sounds very roadie, but the reason I’m contacting you is that the club is 100-years-old this year and as we have a healthy mtb section I wondered if you’d like to mention this in your magazine? Originally founded as a section of the Cheltenham and County Harriers, 23 October 1921 saw the first club group ride. A mere two years later the club disaffiliated from the Harriers and became a completely separate cycling club. Our club has gone from strength to strength in all areas over the years. We have several successful racers across the disciplines and age ranges, one of them being a…

Countless hours on the trails make this the ultimate test of performance as well as reliability £3,199 / 29 in / focus-bikes.com The last few weeks with the Jam has felt like being plunged into an episode of Married at First Sight, having to get to know the little foibles of a new partner while trying to work out if we are completely compatible, all while trying to impress everyone who’s watching. One aspect of our new relationship I feel I’m unlocking is a loveable level of riding characteristics from the Jam and, despite an instant distrust of marketing terms, I’m really beginning to understand why Focus calls it a ‘playful’ bike. The riding position is bang-on for my gangly frame and I feel like I’m positioned within the bike…

£5,399 / 29/27.5 in / haibike.com After a blackout lasting several months, I finally heard back from Haibike UK about the accessories for the Modular Rail System. This is a two-part system consisting of a female component – a recess built in the down tube – and a male component, basically some aluminium anchors that slot inside the recess. This allows you to bolt on an array of official accessories like a bottle cage, extra battery pack or a cable lock. Haibike UK is getting some of these components in stock pretty soon and it’s planning to send me the bottle cage part, which is great news because I can have a drink mid-ride rather than chugging down a belly full of water at the start. While I had the…

PAUL BURWELL Spent the nights hanging out in a dimly lit car park, flicking his lights on and off and polishing his lenses. Still found time for the big lights group test though. JAMIE DARLOW Spent a soggy weekend in the Lakes, falling over on the fells and sleeping in the back of a van. Genuinely relaxing break from his three screaming kids. DANNY MILNER Spent a sunny weekend in the Lakes, riding choice singletrack and wallowing in five-star accommodation for SRAM’s Flight Attendant launch. Git. MICK KIRKMAN Been testing Leatt’s convertible helmet, ideal for keeping his lug holes warm this winter. Tried some mtb underpants too, images unfit for publication.…

£24.99 SPECIFICATION Tape size: 350x70mm, 10mm high • Contact: cyclorise.com There was a time when chainstay protectors were about as essential as handlebars. The clutch mech had yet to be invented, single-ring drivetrains were for downhillers or couriers, and chains were free to flap around like a spaniel’s ears. And while those tech advances have certainly helped, most bikes still come with chainstay protectors as a belt and braces approach to a quiet bike. Slapper Tape from Velocity Hucking Systems (VHS) is for those that don’t, usually at the cheaper end of the scale. Designed in New Zealand, Slapper Tape comes in a quirky package that looks just like a VHS tape. If you’re under 30, VHS was like a TV version of TikTok, just with fewer dancing teenagers. If…

£150 SPECIFICATION Weight: 259g • Max lumens: 1,800 • Contact: zyrofisher.co.uk We’ve tested Nightrider Lumina lights previously, but the 1800 is the first with two LEDs. It also comes with a new Collimator Lens that helps distribute the light evenly across your field of vision. It has a wide horizontal beam pattern, with no hot spots or dark patches. The Lumina 1,800 boasts five constant light levels and two daylight flash modes. When you turn the light on, you just get high, medium and low beams, but you can Boost the light to 1,800 lumens via a quick double press on the switch. And if you hold the button down as you turn it on, you can access a secondary mode, which includes these flashing options. Suffice to say, after…

£219.99 SPECIFICATION Weight: 515g • Max lumens: 2,000 • Contact: silverfish-uk.com In standalone form, the Knog PWR Mountain is £199, but for an extra £20 you can buy the PWR Mountain Kit, which includes a cable extension and six different modular bar/tube/helmet mounts. The extension kit lets you mount the light in a conventional way with the lamp on the bar and the battery on the top tube. However, you can also join the two parts and create an Exposure-style all-in-one light. A big plastic clamp mounts the headlamp to the handlebar and it extends quite far in front of the stem, which is good news for our Race Face stem. The cylindrical battery slides into an oblong-shaped mount, which is then lashed to a tube via two Velcro straps.…

£99.99 SPECIFICATION Weight: 121g • Max lumens: 4,500 • Contact: magicshineuk.com Magicshine sells five different e-bike lights in the UK, and when we initially received the MJ-906SE for test, it started displaying an error message. It turned out it was set in battery mode and needed a factory reset. Since then it has been working perfectly. At £99 the MJ-906SE is an absolute steal, although the price doesn’t include a Light Connection Cable, which costs about £11. Magicshine offers cables for the four leading e-bike motor brands, and because it uses a modular (two-piece) cable, you can actually move this light from a Bosch to a Shimano system by just plugging in another cable with a different connector. And it gets better; you can also hook this light up to…

£8,599 For the longest time, the Bronson has been the quintessential 150mm travel trail bike in the Santa Cruz line. Launched in 2013 and rolling on 27.5in wheels it has gone through several revisions, most notably the switch to a shorter rear end in 2016 followed by the introduction of the VPP lower link driven shock layout in 2018. And the Bronson’s metamorphosis continues, the latest round of revisions transforming it into a mixed wheel size mullet. One thing remains unchanged however, it’s still a 150mm travel ripper. In terms of geometry, the current Bronson is unrecognisable from the original. The 473mm reach on the size L the best part of 50mm longer than the V1 design. And it’s a similar story with the 64.3° head angle, it’s almost three…

£7,292.82 When we first tested the YT Decoy Shred back in the February issue for mbr’s E-bike of the Year 2021, we were pretty confident that it wouldn’t be long before YT switched from the older Shimano E8000 motor to the lighter, more compact EP8 unit. Well, less than six months later, YT has done just that, while bringing the Decoy range in line with the Core nomenclature, which runs from the entry-level Core 2 to the flagship Core 4 tested here. And while the names and motors have changed, the geometry and sizing remain the same. There are still two versions of the Decoy, where the mixed wheel size option now carries the MX tag and still boasts 170/165mm travel. For riders favouring bigger wheels, models, specs and prices…