The Return of the Goat – We Ride the All-New 2018 YT Capra 45

When YT launched the Capra in 2014, we called it a game-changer. While it can be hard to put your finger on exactly what makes a bike stand out from its peers enough to warrant such accolades, there was little doubt at the time that this German goat (“capra” in latin) was going to shake things up. Back then, it offered more travel, less weight, and better all-round capabilities than any other bike in that category – and since YT sell direct, the incredible pricing didn’t exactly hurt its chances for success either. Fast forward to 2018, and the game has certainly changed. Four years is an eternity as far as product life cycles go, and although YT has been very successful with the Capra, the competition has not stood by idly during this time. That means that the fun-loving crew from Forchheim had to set about completely redesigning their flagship enduro machine to stay relevant, and it was to enjoy the fruits of their labor that we were invited to Portugal at the tail-end of last year. Read on to discover what awaited us when we got there.

2018 YT Capra Highlights

• 27.5 or 29 inch options
• 160-180 mm of travel
• Carbon or aluminum frame
• Internal cable routing
• Metal frame guard inserts on carbon frame
• Metric shock length (250mm/230mm for 27/29 respectively)
• ISCG05 tabs
• ZS44/ZS56 headset
• Pressfit GXP BB (92mm)
• Boost 148 rear axle spacing

Initial Impressions

The new Capra has some big shoes to fill, both in terms of performance as well as aesthetics. Well, on the topic of shoes, it’s no secret that YT like ‘em big, so it wasn’t a complete surprise to discover that the new bike was in fact two new bikes – a 27.5-inch version, and a big shoe 29er.

It is easy to be impressed by headline numbers like “180mm of travel” or “65 degrees”, but the real game-changer for YT here is the geo and the sizing.

Making our way back up the hill proved to be pretty easy going. The new Capra is a good climber, certainly a far cry from the heavy, wallowing freeride bikes of times past. Sit and spin, and you’ll see the top of the hill sooner than you perhaps expected. Most of the builds on offer feature some kind of lockout switch on the rear shock, but this bike also makes do just fine without one. If your regular riding features some more mellow trails as well, you’d find more use for a middle (“trail”) setting perhaps, although once again we should point out that thanks to the progressive rear linkage, the Capra retains a fair bit of liveliness despite its ample travel.

On the topic of progressiveness, the original Capra was sometimes criticized for being too progressive which left it feeling a bit harsh over high-speed chop for example. YT has addressed this point by flattening out the leverage ratio curve on the new bike by a bit. While it’s still among the more progressive bikes out there, this change did appear to take the sting out of small- to mid-sized chunk, while still retaining that bottomless feeling when landing bigger moves.

So, has the game changed again? The new Capra has a lot more competition than perhaps the original did when it launched, and it arrives at a time when the single-bike quiver is becoming increasingly popular. It is easy to be impressed by headline numbers like “180mm of travel” or “65 degrees”, but the real game-changer for YT here is the geo and the sizing. With shorter seat tubes and a whopping 5 sizes to pick from, you are now free to pick the size of bike that really fits you, your terrain, and your riding style. Yes, this is a lot of bike, but it remains surprisingly fun and agile on mellower trails too. A good bike as a whole is always greater than the sum of its parts, and at that little game the new Capra is right up there among the front runners. 

Build Kits and Pricing

YT has never been afraid to take the road less traveled, and for 2018 they have decided to move away from the near-ubiquitous SRAM Eagle drivetrain in favor of a Shimano-e*thirteen combo on the entire Capra (and Jeffsy) range. YT says that they feel like this 11-speed drivetrain is more robust than the 12-speed groups, and since the e*thirteen cassette actually offers more range than the 12-speed Eagle cassette, the feel like this change is all beneficial.

For the rest of the components, it’s FOX suspension on the higher end models and RockShox on the lower end, with an assortment of e*thirteen and Race Face parts rounding out the builds. SRAM’s Code got the nod in the brake department, in different versions depending on the model.

A few observations on some of the parts:

• The new drivetrain is smooth to operate and worked well for us throughout testing. The e*thirteen cassette can get a bit creaky, especially in dry and dusty conditions, at which point it requires a bit of grease between the two main cog assemblies to go back to being quiet again.
• We’re big fans of the e*thirteen tires, which provide great grip in nearly all conditions. They are a little bit on the slow-rolling side, but overall they are a great match for a bike of this caliber.
• SRAM’s new Code brake is a winner, especially in the Ultimate or RSC versions. Ample power, great modulation, and a very solid feeling at the lever.
• We rode several FOX builds as well as a brief run on the RockShox version of the bike, and we enjoyed them all. In general, the RockShox Lyrik offers a smoother feel on small bumps, while the FOX suspension really comes alive when you’re charging hard. If we were buying the new Capra, we’d let budget and other preferences dictate which bike to go for, rather than the headline suspension components, as the bike is going to be up for any kind of riding with either of these squishy bits.

2018 YT Capra 27 CF Build Kits

2018 YT Capra 27 AL Build Kits

2018 YT Capra 29 CF Build Kits

2018 YT Capra 29 AL Build Kits

2018 YT Capra Pricing and Weights

More information at: www.yt-industries.com.

About The Reviewer

Johan Hjord - Age: 44 // Years Riding MTB: 12 // Weight: 200-pounds (90.7kg) // Height: 6'0" (1.84m)

Johan loves bikes, which strangely doesn’t make him any better at riding them. After many years spent practicing falling off cliffs with his snowboard, he took up mountain biking in 2005. Ever since, he’s mostly been riding bikes with too much suspension travel to cover up his many flaws as a rider. His 200-pound body weight coupled with unique skill for poor line choice and clumsy landings make him an expert on durability - if parts survive Johan, they’re pretty much okay for anybody. Johan rides flat pedals with a riding style that he describes as "none" (when in actuality he rips!). Having found most trail features to be not to his liking, Johan uses much of his spare time building his own. Johan’s other accomplishments include surviving this far and helping keep the Vital Media Machine’s stoke dial firmly on 11.

Photos by Daniel Roos and Johan Hjord