Pete has been running the mid-range YT Capra Core 4 through the test mill over the last month or two to see what its all about.
Sporting a sensible weight, and a solid spec for the price, YT’s Capra Core 4 has an awful lot going for it. Does it all stack up on the trail? Pete has been finding out.
Photos by Pete Scullion.
Key features:
- Fox 38 Factory 170mm fork
- Fox X2 Air Shock
- SRAM XO1 Eagle 12-speed drive
- SRAM Code RSC brakes
- Crankbrothers Synthesis Alloy rims on i9 1/1 hubs
- YT Postman dropper
- £5,699.00
- UK.YT-Industries.com
First impressions of the YT Industries Capra Core 4 was that it was a light, long travel machine that went about its job with very little fuss. While not as cheap as something like the Vitus Sommet I have on test, the price is far from outrageous for what you’re getting. There’s pretty much nothing you’d need to change on this bike before giving it some serious licks.
The opening sortie showed that the Capra was light and lively with the dampers not struggling to make the most of the ample travel on tap, without feeling sluggish or diving when pushed hard. Just simply a case of setting sag, twiddling the compression and rebound to suit, letting some wind out of the tyres and getting after it.
Since then, it’s been a case of just getting used to how the Capra rides and making some very minor adjustments the dampers. Pretty straightforward really.
Geometry
The Capra Core 4 comes in sizes Small, Medium, Large, XLarge and XXLarge.
The size Medium sports a 447mm reach with a 420mm seat tube. Head angle in the ‘Low’ position is 64.2 degrees with a seat tube angle of 77.6 degrees. Chainstays are 438mm across the sizes and the Medium has a wheelbase of 1228mm.
Since then, the Capra has gone everywhere with me. Laps of the woods to big Munro missions and everything in between, the Capra has quietly gone about its business, feeling like a much smaller bike on the flatter, cruisier trails, then happily chewing up some serious hits and spitting them out when things got spicier in the mountains.
With the Capra being a fairly linear machine, you can easily fine tune the suspension to suit. With the dampers only a few clicks from fully open to suit my low weight, the Capra happily gathered pace until I ran out of talent, then the SRAM Code brakes did a solid job of getting the bike back in line.
One of the quirks of the Capra is pushing hard into flat turns, the rear end happily sits in the mid stroke and offers a perfectly balanced position and a slide starting with the rear and easily controllable until you’re going full broadside. On early rides, this definitely caught me out, and you do have to pay attention to what the bike is likely doing to not get spat out when things get too exuberant.
That mid-stoke support combined with a relatively short chainstay for this kind of bike does also mean that the front wheel comes up far easier than a lot of long travel bikes I have ridden recently.
The bike has been flawless reliability-wise from the get-go. I really can’t find anything to even grumble about. Even the grips feel nice. Perhaps I’d go for a Double Down casing rear tyre instead of an EXO+ just for a little extra security but I’ve had no issues with the current rubber.
While the Capra felt far racier than it should on the smoother, flatter trails, and excelling in the mid-to-low speed jank, I felt that it didn’t sing where I thought it might, namely the flat out big hill descents or the super steep stuff. I’m not sure I’ve got to the bottom of why this is though. Firming the suspension up for more support left it feeling harsh, so I think I’ve got the best out of the dampers.
The head angle isn’t particularly slack for this kind of bike, and that is likely the reason it does a good turn on most trails, that combined with the low weight and lively suspension. I don’t think though that this is the reason I felt I couldn’t crack on when the going got steep or flat out though… That’s something I couldn’t put my finger on.
What do we think?
The YT industries Capra Core 4 is a well-priced, well-specced long travel, big mountain/enduro machine that excels on the terrain you might not expect it to. The big blue bike put in a solid turn on pretty much every type of riding, but didn’t quite give the confidence to really push on when things get spicy. I’d be lost if I tried to put my finger on why though.
We love:
- Low weight
- Solid spec
- Not outrageous price
- Fast on all manner of trails
Could do better:
- Lacked confidence in the steep and fast tracks
