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The Capra's less glamorous sibling now comes in 650B, but I can't find much in the way of reviews and opinions about it. For £1700 the base model looks like an absolute steal and I'm seriously thinking about taking the plunge, so I'm interested to hear anyone's views.
The bike I'm looking to replace is a 2009 Marin Wolf Ridge. I ride a size large and TBH I find the WR way too short in the top tube for me, so getting the right fit is absolutely critical. I've read some reports stating that the Capra is quite a short bike, which would definitely put me off.
I have a wicked pro 650b and it's an amazing bike, love the way it rides and YT were very good through the whole purchase process......
I replaced my specialized Enduro with the YT and so far it has impressed me, climbs very very well, rides down much better than he Enduro so it does everything that it should do.
You have to pay either by bank transfer or paypal (the fees are big so I went with the transfer) and then once payment clears it's about a week for delivery fully tracked.
I have a size large and I'm 6ft 3in, loads of space on the bike and it certainly don't feel short in the top tube, all of the geometry is on the YT site so you could easily compare but remember that the numbers will be slightly different anyhow In comparison due to the bigger wheels although not the top tube length
Over all a very good experience for a top spec bike for way less than the big boys
Just a note... I believe the base model is sold out in all but small... I am after one, trying to gather funds!
Go mid and get shiny xo1 😀
Thanks guys.
Really interested to hear the thoughts on the Wicked vs the Enduro in terms to geometry and top tube length - an Enduro is the only other obvious option on the table right now.
I'm in no rush...I've two FS bikes at home to play with, so waiting for the right bike is no big deal.
One other thing that counts against the mid-range Wicked (and the Enduro for that matter) is the 1x11 drive train. The idea seems reasonable to me, but surely it won't have the same range as a 2x10 setup (assuming a 22T/36T front and 34-11T cassette)? Plus the cost of replacement cassettes and chains are massive (more than 3x the cost of XT) which is a definite minus in my book. I want a bike I can afford to maintain.
My mate has the Capra and it is very short (albeit in a medium).
My Enduro SL (so not current model) in large is huuuuge in comparison. In fact, it's the longest bike out of all my riding mates
I much prefer the YT to the Enduro, the YT is far more stable when flat out and feels like it climbs much better however I was running my Enduro on a coil shock so that of course did hinder it a little, I will say my Enduro felt too long and the YT perfect and I ran the same bar and stem specs on both bikes. I'm almost certain the the YT feels slacker than the Enduro too but that could all be in my head as they are pretty different when you factor in wheel size.
The 1x11 feels perfect to me, just low enough to climb and high enough for flat out blasting with plenty mid range, I have come from 2x10 and can certainly say I prefer the 1x11.....your dead on the head about cost of parts at current however like everything else it only so long before the price begins to fall.
Any more questions and I can do my best to answer 🙂
As far as I know there's always been a 650 option?
No not in base models I don't think, the pro was first with 650b and now all models, no 26 option now
Thank you Tim, that's very insightful.
I run a Camber as my xc bike, I find the top tube a teeny bit on the long side, but this has been addressed with a 50mm stem. Frankly, it's an absolute blast on the descents and feels extremely stable unlike my Marin which can feel like a twitchy beast when descending. My feeling is that you can always opt for a shorter stem on a long bike but if the frame is too short to start with then you're pretty much screwed.
Next step is to take a trip to the Spesh concept store around the corner from the office and to try and Enduro for size.
@Tim - what size was your Enduro? I assume L and not XL?
My Enduro was large and I found it pretty long, the YT is certainly more comfortable. I don't feel the need for a change in stem, have you done the sizing thing on the YT website?? It's about the best way to get a good idea if it will suit you.
The one thing that has shocked me compared to the Enduro is the pedal efficiency, it climbs like its a HT!! Not sure if that's also helped by the boss shock though??
Iv'e got the 26" wicked LTD edition with full BOS and carbon seat stays, no idea how it compares to the 650b version but I love mine its a few years old now but still going strong and don't feel the need to update yet but I would definitely buy another bike from YT.
Racingsnail who do you use for boss service and what sort of prices are you paying? Didn't realise the 26 ltd had carbon stays 😀
I have just received a wicked 650B. I have only been out on it once so far and it certainly rode well.
Dealing with wicked was fine too, apart from taking about 8 weeks from order to delivery which really dragged. I had transferred the money so the wife was starting to think I had been done by a dodgy german company. I paid just under £1900 for the base model, plus spare hanger and e-thirteen pedals plus taxes. the only thing to do when it arrived was to fit the wheels, pedal, turn the bars and then swap all the controls to the right side.
Tim, I sent them out to Mad Elk Cycles in Rep o'Ireland, was a bit pricey but they had parts in stock, did a good job and fixed the clicky noise in the Vip'r. Cant remember the exact price for a service (It's on their site) but I remember posting fork and shock out was £45! slowest post and insured to £50! And post back was £6.
ok mate thanks for that :-)havnt experienced a clicky noise in my rear shock, what is it and how long did it take for yours to start doing it? Sorry for the slight thread hijack PJM 🙂