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All-new YT Szepter gravel bike suggests “grav-grav” also means “gravity”?

YT Szepter gravel bike being ridden off road
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When a press email for a new gravel bike starts with “As you know, YT Industries has always been a gravity orientated mountain bike brand…” and both trim levels come with a Rockshox Rudy fork, it hints at what’s to come.

The new YT Industries Szepter gravel bike gets a slack 69.3º head angle, with a 40mm travel Rockshox Rudy XPLR in there to handle the bumps. Both builds get wireless SRAM AXS XPLR drivetrains, too, with WTB wheels and tires keeping it rolling.

yt szepter core 3 gravel bike shown from drive side

A few special touches set the frame apart. Starting with mounts, there are two sets of two-bolt mounts under the top tube, plus multiple bottle cage mounting points and hardware on the seat- and downtubes. Surprisingly, there are none on the top of the top tube, though, and they left off rack mounts because it’s a bike focused on playful riding, not touring.

fidlock bottle cage mounts on yt szepter gravel bike

fidlock bottle cage mounts on yt szepter gravel bike

YT continues with their Fidlock appreciation by offering an optional bottle & mount to fill two of the three downtube mounts, either upper or lower position, or keep the cover plate to run a standard bottle. The seat tube bosses are standard bolts that thread into the frame.

yt szepter gravel bike integrated fender shown from multiple angles

A custom mud fender bolts into the back of the arched seat tube, creating a continuous arc that also provides splatter protection. They even made a matching custom fender for the Rudy forks, too.

yt szepter core 4 gravel bike shown from drive side

The bikes fit a 30.9mm seatpost and have enough insertion to fit up to a 150mm dropper seatpost on larger frame sizes. Or, use the included shim to run a compliant 27.2mm seatpost for a lighter build.

Cable ports are present, suggesting future spec options may come, but for now both the Core 3 and Core 4 trim levels get wireless shifting.

YT Szepter pricing, specs & weight

YT Szepter Core 3 gravel bike spec sheet

The Szepter Core 3 comes in at a claimed 9.8kg (21lb 10oz, size small) and will retail for €/$3,299 (£3,199). Claimed frame weight for a size Large is 1,400g, and both models use the same frame.

YT Szepter Core 4 gravel bike spec sheet

The Szepter Core 4 upgrades with a Reverb AXS XPLR dropper seatpost and higher end drivetrain for €/$4,499 (£4,399). Claimed weight is 9.9kg (21lb 13oz, size small).

YT Szepter gravel bike geometry chart

A dropped chainstay and curved seat tube help tuck the rear wheel in for a short-ish 425mm chainstay length. They say it’s snappy and pops forward under power, making climbs just as fast as the descents. Max tire clearance for the frame is 700×45, but the Rudy can take a 700×50.

YT-industries.com

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bob
bob
1 year ago

im surprised the prices aren’t even bad and the weight isnt either for having some kind of a real fork. but i dont know if i can get over the looks of a suspension fork on a road bike.

Booyah
Booyah
1 year ago

Very disappointed to not see rack mounts, would make this bike so much more versatile. Especially as it is specced with a dropper, making seatbags harder to manage.

Grillis
Grillis
1 year ago
Reply to  Booyah

“…they left off rack mounts because it’s a bike focused on playful riding, not touring.”

Joe
Joe
1 year ago
Reply to  Booyah

The reality is that most people buying a gravel bike these days have no intention of taking it bikepacking. Many want to race them and want them to have a clean look.

All day
All day
1 year ago
Reply to  Joe

Not so sure about this, in Europe at least the interest in these bikes for some time has been related to touring and exploring more than racing. Versatile bikes that get used to ride to work, overnight credit card tours, etc. Adding neat rack and fender mounts costs and weighs nothing and those integrated fenders shown are a waste of time really.

Grillis
Grillis
1 year ago

I like this. It fits my use profile more than others have. I only wish for a frameset option and double chainring compatibility.

HimTenderson
HimTenderson
1 year ago

Geo-wise, that’s practically a comfort bike.

Augustine
Augustine
1 year ago

When I see a bike like this I wonder why the manufacturer didn’t just go one small step further and put in mounts for fenders. It just seems like they are turning their backs on a potential market segment. It wouldn’t be much trouble, they wouldn’t need to change the basic bike they made at all, just have some way to add fenders. I’m not trying to single out this bike or this manufacturer, I see it from most manufacturers.

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