B ikePark Wales has a new trail called Boomslang. At the top there are berms and jumps, followed by bigger berms, while the bottom is proper off-camber roots and dirt. It’s the best trail there in ages, and ideally we’d ride the Torque up top, and have the Capra stationed halfway down for a quick bike swap. Now, we’re not telling you this to boost BPW’s numbers (although it is a great bike park, and an ideal testing ground), instead it’s a neat way of highlighting both bikes’ best characteristics. The Canyon Torque Mullet AL 6 is one heck of a responsive ride, you can sling it high and far off the smallest trail features, while the mullet set-up is great if you want to slash some cutties… which you will because it’s almost impossible not to. The YT Capra Core 2 GX is best for downright speed and composure though. Like an F1 car, it’s not in its element when you’re pootling along in first gear, but the faster you go, the better you and the bike respond. We genuinely nearly careered into the back of other riders while negotiating jank at speed, and its sheer cold-blooded composure in gnarly conditions is addictive. Of course things are a lot more fuzzy than this characterisation suggests and there’s plenty of crossover between the two bikes. So we need to emphasise that the Torque is also a fast bike, and the Capra can ‘do’ bike parks too. But it does at least show just how different to ride the two are. Which is all the more surprising given how similar they are on paper, from the overall weight to the suspension travel and design, the materials and even the components. Conclusion YT has builtasuperversatile bikethat’ll work wellon anyterrain 102 mbr AUGUST 2023 B I K E T E S T Ourtestwinner’s There is a Core 2 version of the bike we tested that gets an NX drivetrain and it’s £200 less. But the Core 1 slashes the price to £2,699, or £1,999 on sale if you get there quickly – you get the same great frame and cockpit, with savings made due to the RockShox Zeb Base fork and Super Deluxe shock, NX drivetrain, and SunRingle Duroc wheels. £ 2 , 6 9 9 YTINDUSTRIES CAPRA CORE 1 They could be twins, and not the DeVito/ R A N G E F I N D E R Schwarzenegger type. Which is the winner then? Before we get to that we’ve got to say we were genuinely shocked at how these bikes rode. In a good way. They’re not just good for entry-level enduro bikes; the Torque and the Capra can hang with the best bikes in the world, from the most exclusive brands. We’ve ridden the Fox Performance-level suspension on bikes before and not liked it, so the shock tune and frame design from Canyon and YT has to be recognised and applauded. Our pick is the YT Capra, it’s more expensive but there’s an NX version if you want to drop the price down £200. The fact is, YT has built a super-versatile bike that’ll work well on any terrain and that makes it more useful for more riders. You can add a volume spacer to the shock to give it more support for the bike park, flip it into the high mode for trail riding, or thumb on some gravity-casing tyres if you’re racing enduro. It’s silent to ride, there are five sizes to pick from, and the semi-size-specific chainstays really help the fore and aft balance. Now, all that remains is to try and get hold of one before the sale finishes... The Canyon’s so responsive it feels like you’re dancing down the trail
Make/Model Canyon Torque Mullet AL 6 YT Industries Capra Core 2 GX Price £3,099 £3,299 Weight 36.6kg 36.6kg Contact canyon.com yt-industries.com FRAME Sizes S, M, L, XL S, M, L, XL, XXL Size tested XL XL Frame material Aluminium Aluminium Rear shock Fox Float X2 Performance (250x70mm) Fox Float X Performance (230x65mm) Rear travel 175mm (175mm measured) 170mm (167mm measured) Suspension fork Fox 38 Float Performance, 44mm offset Fox 38 Float Performance, 44mm offset Front travel 170mm 170mm WHEELS Hubs DT Swiss 370 110/148mm Crankbrothers Synthesis Enduro Alloy 110/148mm Rims DT Swiss FR2070 Crankbrothers Synthesis Enduro Alloy Spokes Stainless Stainless Front tyre Maxxis Assegai 3C MaxxGrip EXO+ 29x2.5in Maxxis Assegai EXO DC 29x2.5in Rear tyre Maxxis Minion DHR II 3C MaxxTerra DD 27.5x2.4in Maxxis Minion DHR II EXO DC 27.5x2.4in GROUPSET Chainset Shimano SLX M7120 32t, 170mm SRAM GX 32t, 170mm Bottom bracket Shimano BSA SRAM DUB BSA Rear derailleur Shimano SLX M7100 SRAM GX Eagle Shifter Shimano SLX M7100 1x12sp SRAM GX Eagle 1x12sp Cassette Shimano SLX M7100 10-51t SRAM XG-1275 Eagle, 11-52t Brakes Shimano SLX M7120 four-piston SRAM Code R four-piston Rotor sizes 220/203mm 200/200mm COMPONENTS Handlebar Canyon G5, 800mm e*thirteen Base 35, 800mm Stem Canyon G5 40mm (31.8mm) e*thirteen Base 35, 50mm (35mm) Seatpost Iridium Dropper 200mm YT Postman 170mm Saddle Ergon SM10 Enduro SDG Bel Air 3.0 Rating Thelong and theshortofit TEST WINNER! AUGUST 2023 mbr 103 These are long bikes in size XL, with very little splitting the two in terms of the wheelbase. How that length is shared between the front and back of the bike is very different though. The Torque packs most of it into the front centre, leaving a super-short 425mm chainstay. The Capra is more evenly balanced, where longer chainstays help to enhance the bike’s stability on the climbs and the descents, while the Torque proved easier to manual. The reach measurements are interesting too. Size XL means different things to both brands, with the Capra 25mm shorter on paper. It doesn’t feel so small when riding though, with some extra room built into a longer stem, and YT also offers a XXL option for taller riders. stablemates The Core 3 introduces a full carbon frame, YT reckons it makes for a more durable and stiffer bike. The spec improvements are arguably more important though: RockShox Ultimate suspension with a Zeb fork and Super Deluxe shock, SRAM GX Eagle AXS for wireless shifting, and proper EXO+ casing tyres. The bike’s around a kilo lighter as a result, and it’s also on sale for £3,899. £ 4 , 5 9 9 YTINDUSTRIES CAPRA CORE 3 A L L T H E I N F O E C I F H J K D G B A YT Capra: point and shoot speed machine with a quiver full of capabilities Canyon YT (Low) A Head angle 62.9° 61.7° B Seat angle 72.1° 70.4° C Effective seat angle 79.7° 77.3° D BB height 348mm 342mm E Chainstay 425mm 442mm F Front centre 863mm 852mm G Wheelbase 1,288mm 1,294mm H Down tube 776mm 760mm I Seat tube 475mm 470mm J Top tube 647mm 630mm K Reach 505mm 480mm
NEXT MONTH SEPTEMBER ISSUE ON SALE WEDS 16 AUGUST Future PLC, Unit 415, Eskdale Rd, Winnersh Triangle Business Park, Winnersh, Reading, RG41 5TU Q [email protected] Q mbr.co.uk EDITORIAL Editor Danny Milner Bike test editor Alan Muldoon Front section editor Jamie Darlow Deputy digital editor Aoife Glass Contributors Paul Burwell, Sim Mainey, Roo Fowler, Mick Kirkman, Sean White, Andy Barlow, Andy McCandlish, Rich Butcher, James Bracey, Guy Kesteven, Innes Graham, Andy Lloyd, Fiona Spotswood PAGE FACTORY Group chief sub editor Dan Thomas Chief sub editor Jonathan Emery Sub editor Steve Shrubsall Group art editor Kevin Eason mbr art editor Ben Smith ADVERTISING Advertising manager Rob Last [email protected] Global Commercial Partnerships director Rebecca Hutt, 07572 116044, [email protected] Account director Natalie Adams, 07752 127014, [email protected] Account manager Nathan Watts, 07517 561185 [email protected] Account manager Sam Marsh, 07517 560177 [email protected] PUBLISHING Group managing director Dave Clutterbuck Content director Rob Spedding Assistant business director Kirsty Setchell Production Maaya Mistry Distribution 020 3148 3333 SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES Telephone: 0330 333 1113 Email: [email protected] INTERNATIONAL Mountain Bike Rider is available for licensing and syndication. To find out more contact us at [email protected] or view our available content at futurecontenthub.com Head of Print Licensing Rachel Shaw © Future PLC 2020. This periodical must not, without written consent of the publishers first being given, be lent, sold, hired out or otherwise disposed of in mutilated condition or, in any unauthorised cover by way of trade, or annexed to as part of any publication or advertising literary or pictorial matter whatsoever. © Future PLC 2020 ISSN 1367 0824. Printed by Walstead UK Limited. Registered at the Post Office as a newspaper. mbr is published 13 times a year on every fourth Wednesday. If you have trouble finding an issue at your newsagents, please call Distribution on 020 3148 3333. mbr incorporating Mountain Biker International, Bicycle Magazine, Performance Cyclist and The Bike Mag, a part of Future PLC, is published 13 times a year on every fourth Wednesday of each month by Future PLC, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP. Editorial Complaints We work hard to achieve the highest standards of editorial content, and we are committed to complying with the Editors’ Code of Practice (www.ipso.co.uk/ IPSO/cop.html) as enforced by IPSO. If you have a complaint about our editorial content, you can email us at complaints@ futurenet or write to Complaints Manager, Future PLC Legal Department, 161 Marsh Wall, London, E14 9EP. Please provide details of the material you are complaining about and explain your complaint by reference to the Editor’s Code. We will endeavour to acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days and we aim to correct substantial errors as soon as possible. 104 mbr AUGUST 2023 WALES AT ITS BEST Wesamplethe new Traws-Eryri trail PLUS Manon Carpenter: from world-class racer to mtb activist
Red Bull’s World Cup racing coverage wasn’t perfect, but Rob Warner alone was enough to give its broadcast wings. Picking similarly crazed French DH race icon Cedric Gracia as a replacement for Rob was a smart move, he’s certainly not short on passion and volume. With a background in magazine media and several years under his belt as the voice of EWS, Ric McLaughlin is an experienced commentator too. So, with the dust settled on several rounds of EWS and XCO/DH/XCM racing, how has the Discovery/Warner Brothers coverage been, after taking over the rights for the 2023 season? Not great, is the short answer. To be brutally honest, Cedric and Ric’s repetition, clichés and vagueness were certainly shown up by Rob Warner back on the mic for Red Bull at Crankworx. Bart Brentjens hasn’t upped his XC MC game for Discovery either and the insight, tech knowledge, explanation and engagement of Oli Beckinsale and Ian Findlay’s commentary on the Euro XC champs was in a different class to the World Cup coverage. The ‘on the spot’ reporters seem out of their depth too – I’ve never heard a whip called a bum whip before – which hasn’t been helped by some ‘so-comical-it-alsoseems deliberate’ editing, of which the Vali Holl “She said f**king” clip from Leogang is my favourite so far. After a wobbly start, the drone footage is getting better with 106 mbr AUGUST 2023 Why the post-Red Bull World Cup era calls for cautious optimism Voyageof Discovery S T R A I G H T T O R Q U I N G WHO IS GUY KESTEVEN? Guy Kesteven spent the ’90s thrashing hardtails round God’s Own Country before stepping up to bike testing. After four decades on the job he’s graduated to mbr. Most likely spotted shouting into his GoPro somewhere in Yorkshire That included full top-to-bottom, hot seat and podium camera exposure for sponsors that wouldn’t have had any live visibility last year. Coverage of qualifiers also means riders who we normally wouldn’t see are getting show time too. “I’m actually really positive about it! It’s exciting, engaging for spectators and outsider brands,” Jim Bland from Union said. UK XC Marathon champ and Scott UK racer Amy Henchoz has been racing the World Cup this year and told me: “The inclusion of XCM has totally changed the sport overnight. Before, the World Series only got half-a-dozen female entries, now the fields include 40 of all the World’s top-ranked athletes. I’m not sure that will carry over next year as other events have better coverage, cheaper entries and more cachet (like the Cape Epic), as well as having far superior prize money.” Even the biggest teams like Santa Cruz Syndicate are finding the new format hard, as Steve Peat explained to me. “The new format is definitely a lot more ‘extra’. Extra work, extra time on the hill and extra-fast runs for the riders. Tracks are being taped faster and straighter, which is tougher on the riders too. Injured riders like Nina have less time to recover too, but that’s just all part of it, I guess. Our approach has been to build speed slowly and save as much energy as possible. The extra coverage and races feels a bit weird as well. I feel like the semi takes a bit away from how big the final feels as well.” Overall, the amount of coverage, focus and new investment being put into our sport by one of the biggest global media corporations will hopefully be great in terms of attracting new riders and new interest. And while that potentially causes more issues on top of the Covid rider boom problems we’ve already seen, I’m still sticking to a positive view of this move. Or as Jim from The Union told me: “TBH I’m pretty over people moaning about it, I feel like we all just need to move on and make the best out of the new changes.” each event though, and some of the footage from Leogang was excellent, so hopefully the commentators will find their flow too. The fact we have a whole lot more coverage to watch in one place from EWS to XCM (although that’s only been one 15-minute highlight reel so far) as well as Junior DH and U23 XC for both men and women, plus the qualifying and new semi-final runs, is awesome. Changes to rules, regulations, qualifying limits and the introduction of semi-finals for DH and general late arrival of a lot of key information, made the season start more stressful for teams and racers, though. Event and registration costs have also increased dramatically alongside increases in fuel/ accommodation/food prices and pretty much everything else. Sharing the hill, pits, flights, and accommodation at venues where EWS and XCM are added to the roster, also causes extra issues. This puts already stretched teams and privateers under intense pressure to make the start line despite being on the breadline. But extended coverage has its bonuses. The Union – Forged by Steel City Media crew got off to a dream start when its junior rider Christian Hauser won his first ever World Cup race. “I feel like weall just need tomoveon andmakethe bestoutof the new changes”
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