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The 2016 YT Capra AL Aims for Wallet Friendly Shredding

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CAPRA-AL-Comp-1_Front

If you’ve been looking for a seriously capable long travel Enduro machine, the prices of some bikes may leave you more breathless than the climbs. Now, let’s not kid ourselves – $2899-$3499 is still a big chunk of money, but compared to similar bikes that cost hundreds more, the YT Capra AL series is looking like a pretty good value.

For 2016, the aluminum goat is updated with new build kits with the Capra AL, and Comp 1 and Comp 2. I you’re looking for 160-170mm of travel with a smart build kit that won’t leave you wanting more, it might be time to check out YT…

CAPRA-AL-Comp-1_Side-view

CAPRA-AL-Comp-1_Rear-Derailleur CAPRA-AL-Comp-1_Crank

CAPRA-AL-Comp-1_Handlebar

Carrying the highest end build kit, the $3499 Capra AL Comp 1 also has the most travel with a 170mm RockShox Lyrik RCT3 fork and a 165mm travel rear with a Monarch RC3 Plus shock. The bike gets a SRAM GX1x11 drivetrain, DT Swiss E 1900 Spline wheels, Guide R brakes, Race Face Atlas cockpit with Turbine Cinch crank, and a Reverb Stealth dropper.

All of the Capra AL bikes feature a hydroformed aluminum frame with carbon seat stays and 165mm of rear travel, 27.5″ wheels, and PF30 bottom brackets with ISCG 05 tabs.

CAPRA-AL-Comp-2_Front

CAPRA-AL-Comp-2_Rear-Derailleur CAPRA-AL-Comp-2_Crank

CAPRA-AL-Comp-2_Handlebar

The Comp 2 drops to a 160mm travel Pike RCT3 fork with the same rear suspension as the Comp 1. Other changes include a SRAM GX1 2×11 drivetain with the same price of $3499.

CAPRA-AL_Side-view

CAPRA-AL_Rear-Derailleur CAPRA-AL_Crank

CAPRA-AL_Handlebar

The most budget friendly option is the Carpa AL which comes in at $2899. The bike includes a 160mm travel RockShox Yari RC fork, 165mm rear travel RockShox Monarch Plus R shock, a SRAM GX1x11 drivetrain and Race Face Aeffect components with SRAM DB5 brakes. Even with the low price, the Capra AL includes a RockShox Reverb Stealth dropper.

YT carpa al build sheet

YT carpa al geometry

YT carpa al geometry 2

All three bikes are available for pre-order now.

yt-industries.com

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15 Comments
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satisFACTORYrider
satisFACTORYrider
8 years ago

they lost me at pf30

Ck
Ck
8 years ago

Boohoo about PF30. Put a Praxis BB in there, problem solved.

I hope YT continues to grow and starts offering shorter travel bikes in the future. What they give you on the Capra 1 for the price is amazing and i’d like to see that translate to some XC and Trail bikes.

Dave
Dave
8 years ago

Nothing against YT but at $3499.00 I would rather have the new PIVOT MACH 6 alloy. With PIVOT I know I am getting a great bike and support rom my local PIVOT dealer. It would be something if that same YT was $2500 – $2800 but for pretty much the same price I find no reason not to support my local shops that do a great job already.

Colin
Colin
8 years ago

@satisFACTORYrider, with an aluminum frame you can just thread the BB to the new T47 standard, problem solved.

Nick
Nick
8 years ago

Yes Dave, I’d say the warranty and service package that you get with a new bike purchased through your local IBD would be well worth the couple hundred dollars you might save buying an online bike.

chris
chris
8 years ago

I think in XL they should offer the same builds they do on the carbon bikes. at least until they FINALLY bring out larger carbon bikes… Even their XL isn’t that XL considering today’s geo numbers.

ascarlarkinyar
8 years ago

Non 29er enduro?

Why bother. Unless you need to go slower…..

#betterthanyou
#betterthanyou
8 years ago

I didn’t read the article, just the comments. (deleted). By selling direct at nearly typical dealer cost they are hurting the local bike shop. Not only are they theoretically taking a sale but they are setting the customer up for a difficult experience and putting us in a tricky situation. Say your Reverb fails and you bring it to me, I have no profit or gain for taking care of the warranty. If I charge you, you are pissed because it is warranty. If I don’t charge you I am waisting my time and loosing money. If you had purchased the bike from me, I have already made money and part of the moneys is generally going to cover my time.
Lastly PF30 is a fine system, every bike with a Praxis I have ever worked on came in with a complaint of a squeak. I threw out the stupid frame stressing praxis crap and the problem was solved with proper BB installation on SRAM BB or using a wheels manufacturing conversion when needed.

Gillis
Gillis
8 years ago

I have no problem buying direct. I don’t particularly care about the IBD. Competing with online is part of the business climate. I wish the IBD well in business, but for the most part they offer little for me personally. That said, when I do, I don’t go in and try-on/buy-online.

@#betterthanyou – I think it’s short sighted to think that just because you warranty something that wasn’t bought from you means you can’t gain from it. They’re in the store, they’re looking around, they’re talking to you. That’s an opportunity to sell and/or gain a customer in another facet.
And if it’s such a burden, explain your position and charge $5 or $10 and give them a coupon. When they inevitably return for their warranty part they may just buy something else.
What if I just moved or started working nearby, and you’re the closest shop? You’re potentially losing a new customer with that attitude.

Antoine
Antoine
8 years ago

I have a friend who own a bike shop and he mostly stop selling new bike and bling parts. He is just only well organised to repair bike with a small competent and well equipped team. There are so many people out there needing to repair their bikes. For sure he charge for everything he does. If ppl want they bike repaired they pay end of story. If they don’t want to be charged for a repair on their online/canyon bike then they deal with the online service.

About the capra i’m not impressed, decent bike but the price is nothing near interesting. Buying a giant with a little end of season discount is much more interesting.

Retailer
Retailer
8 years ago

#betterthanyou’s handle says it all…the delusional sense of entitlement which many LBSs function & fail under.

As someone who has spent most of his life in retail, I understand the public has no interest in my success & appreciate that like myself (when I buy something) are ONLY interested in getting the best deal. Perhaps, it is because most LBSs are hobby businesses run buy enthusiasts with no business acumen & don’t understand the basic customer/merchant dynamics.

Naively, many LBSs mistakenly believe the public NEEDS them & somehow will set aside their own best interests to subsidize the bike shop. The buying public is selfish, fickle, irrational & not interested in the merchant’s problems. If you run a business with any expectations of a customer putting your interests over theirs…you are a fool.

Small business is brutal, unfair & will break your heart. When you succeed its a rush…just don’t ever believe you are entitled to it.

Mike D
Mike D
8 years ago

Valid points on the LBS, however I present a different take: Yes, people DO care about the shop. We have customers all the time that say they can get it online for cheaper (and it’s true) but spend with us anyway, because when they need us down the road, we’ll still be in business for them. So it’s not *only* the best deal they are interested in. Customers also feel like they aren’t just supporting a generic retailer, they are supporting a ‘scene’: all the promotion, advocacy, and trail work that shop employees often participate in doesn’t go unnoticed. If you have arrogant, unhelpful people at your LBS, that is a reflection on that shop, not the industry as a whole.
As it pertains to this direct-to-customer model that some manufacturers are using, I have no issue with it. I see benefits and flaws to such a model, but at the end of the day, if you need warranty work on something that I didn’t sell, it’s not my problem. @Gillis says above in one line “I wish the IBD well in business, but for the most part they offer little for me personally” and turns around later and states “What if I just moved or started working nearby, and you’re the closest shop? You’re potentially losing a new customer with that attitude.” You just said that the LBS offers little to you, so… what am I supposed to offer that person to make them a regular customer? They already buy online and see no value in my shop, except when they have a problem that they want fixed for free. “Would you like to try on some new shoes?” “Nah I buy them online for cheaper”. If as @Retailer states a shopper is “ONLY interested in the best deal”, why would I waste my time on this person?

I don’t feel that the customer owes me anything. That same customer should also understand that I don’t owe THEM anything. If they can see a benefit in doing business with me, I’ll gladly provide them with goods or services in exchange for currency, you know, because that’s how business works. If they don’t support me and then want a problem fixed for free, I reserve the right to tell them to pound sand.

Retailer
Retailer
8 years ago

Mike D says…”That same customer should also understand that I don’t owe THEM anything” & “I reserve the right to tell them to pound sand.”

Facepalm

Yet another example of the (thinly) veiled animosity felt by many LBSs & why the vast majority fail in a few years. My family business is celebrating 60 years this year & let me tell you, I HAVE NO ANIMOSITY for any of my customers because I OWE THEM MY LIVELIHOOD..get it?

There is no equality in the merchant/customer relationship..the customer has what the merchant wants..his MONEY & he can get whatever Mike D, #Beterthanyou or me is offering somewhere else. So if you have to swallow your pride & kiss butt…..you do it. Every person you tell to pound sand tells 6 of his friends, who tell 6 of their friends &..presto…bankruptcy.

Btw, the best deal doesn’t always mean cheapest, customer service is all part of why someone will choose one place over another.

If you are so thin skinned as to expect them to “support you” you better start thinking about a career change.

Calm guy
8 years ago

If you buy something from a shop and it requires warranty, then there should be no service charge. At the end of the year the shop will add the number of warranty items to the list of things to discuss with the affected brand and get a rebate or better pricing for future orders.

If you buy from elsewhere and try to warranty through a different retailer, then it seems logical that there will be a processing fee applied. How else would that shop make money to pay the staff that process the item? This is typically $20-$30, not including shipping and tax. If explained calmly to a customer, it shouldn’t be an issue. If the customer balks, then he has the right to shop elsewhere.

Tony
Tony
8 years ago

Obviously, there are broader advantages to supporting local businesses than just the immediate need to either purchase or repair. Local businesses are better for the community. The problem is that running a shop that only handles warrantee work or repairs that are beyond the home mechanic is that it’s not sustainable. I suppose there are those who prefer to see local businesses driven out by online sales (or big box stores) but I suspect in the long run they would complain when the locals actually vanish.

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