Intro
Do it: the mindset enabled by and direct translation of YT Industries' downhill offering, the Tues. This is the second bike Mtbr has reviewed from Cam and Howie Zink, YT Industries' North American representatives. Like the Capra, the Tues (pronounced, "two-ezzz") has received stellar reviews, holding its own against significantly more expensive bikes. Both YT bikes have a similar confidence inspiring and playful feel while descending, with the Tues preferring the meatiest trails.
This article will cover the bike's specifications, build options, assembly and ride. A one-bullet summary for each of those items are:
- Carbon 27.5" downhill bike
- Loaded builds
- Fast and easy assembly
- Very capable bike, fun ride
With YT's direct sales model, cresting the driveway and seeing a massive YT box at the front door is an excellent way to arrive home. After about 30 minutes of wrenching, you've got a DH bike ready-to-ride!
Geometry
The Tues is a bike that feels instantly familiar, putting the rider in a relaxed yet active position that is very comfortable. Its head tube angle is 63.5 degrees, yet doesn't feel quite that slack while riding - steering is more responsive than expected. The riser bars provided in the stock build increase the upright feel, which makes the bike very easy to control through the rough stuff. Chainstay length is 435mm, when combined with the reach, really lets the bike rip out of turns. The seat tube is fairly steep, at 74 degrees. The bottom bracket height is moderately low, sitting about 5mm higher than my Demo8 26" bike. This might not sound like much, yet I experienced far fewer pedal strikes than with my Demo8, running the same crank length with much stiffer springs. Sizing recommendations for the Tues are similar to the Capra. I'm about 6' tall, so chose the large and found the dimensions to fit me quite well.
Frame Details
The Tues is available with two different frames - carbon and alloy. Our test sled was the carbon Comp build. Alloy removes about $800 from the price tag and adds a little over two pounds. The suspension uses YT's V4L suspension linkage, which keeps forces linear during mid-range, and quickly ramps up deep in the travel. This allows for running less high speed compression damping, while reducing bottom out for large hits. Pairing this progressive geometry with a linear spring seems like an excellent idea, so we were anxious to take a ride. The carbon frame is paired with carbon seatstays, while using alloy chainstays for durability. The frame is fitted with a PF30 bottom bracket and has a tapered head tube. The frame, chainstay and seatstay have integrated protectors to reduce damage from chain slap and roosted rocks.
Frame, chain stay, seat stay protectors & cable routing (click to enlarge). Photo by Christopher Berthiaume
Cable routing is mostly external, with the derailleur cable routed inside the seatstay.
Builds
The Tues has three different builds and two frame options. The middle build tier is available in both carbon and alloy. We will focus on the two carbon options here. The Pro build uses BOS air suspension with 208mm travel front and rear, while the Comp build uses Rockshox coils with 200mm front and 208mm rear travel. The other differences between the builds are mostly component details.
Mtbr's test bike is the Comp, which includes: RockShox Vivid R2C 208mm coil shock and BoXXer Team 200mm coil fork, e*thirteen LG1+ chain guide, SRAM X9 derailleur, SRAM PG-1050 10spd 11-28t cassette, SRAM Guide RS brakes, SRAM Truvativ cranks, SRAM GXP pf30 bottom bracket, DT Swiss YT2020 wheels, Maxxis High Roller II 27.5"x2.5" tires, Race Face Atlas DM 35 stem and 800mm bars, Sensus grips, weighing in at ~36.5lbs.
Upgrading to the Pro build changes the following items: BOS DH Void 208mm shock and Idylle RaRe 208mm fork, SRAM X01 DH rear derailleur, SRAM X01 7spd 10-24t cassette, SRAM Guide RSC brakes, e*thirteen LG1r cranks and wheelset, e*thirteen PF30 bottom bracket, Renthal Intgegra II stem and Fatbar Alu bars, weighing in at ~34.8lbs.
Both of these builds are very capable, with primary differences being suspension manufacturer/spring style. Personal preference would be the Pro build with Rockshox suspension.
Prices for the carbon builds are, Pro: $4,895; Comp: $4,295; with alloy builds at, Comp: $3,495; and, base: $2,695.
Full build-outs and up-to-date pricing can be found on the YT website: https://us.yt-industries.com/cat/index/sCategory/261
Continue to page 2 for assembly, riding impressions, plus an extended photo gallery »
Assembly
This was largely a no-brainer. The packaging is exceptional, with very little chance of components rubbing together. Instructions are better than most, starting with the primary one, appropriately titled: RTFM. Acronym translation is left to the reader.
That said, the assembly instructions are available and easily found on the YT website. That brings up one interesting item - YT actually provides direct links to the component manuals from the bike's webpage, making finding and accessing those MUCH easier than other brands. Thank you YT!
Some basic tips are not mentioned in the instructions - such as how to properly set items like headset preload, b-tension, etc. These are items many cyclists know already, yet less mechanically knowledgeable riders will be purchasing these bikes too. If there is any uncertainty about proper setup, an experienced bike mechanic should inspect the bike before riding to avoid unnecessary damage and ensure rider safety.
Mtbr's assembly experience:
- The cable zip-tie under the shock needed to be removed to set preload, cable rub is present.
- The steerer was either slightly too long, or one too few spacers was included, creating slop in the headset. I added one spacer and it was resolved.
- A plastic top cap was used, which cracked when preloading the headset - replaced with metal one.
On the Trail
Those scary features suddenly seem like a good idea. Instead of rolling into nasty root sections, I took a few extra pedal strokes and jumped in. Do it. The Tues allows the rider to remain calm in the nastiest terrain, providing control at traction's limit, while remaining flickable and responsive. Many times the ride didn't feel fast, yet I'd tend to overshoot landings and enter corners hot, telling a very different tale - the bike is fast. Fortunately the drifts were easily controlled, and became the norm.
Author twisting through the family tree and into the roots (click to enlarge). Photo by Christopher Berthiaume
Silence. That's a wonderful aspect of riding the Tues. The only accompanying sounds are tires shredding, wind flying by and a rapid heartbeat - the bike is nearly silent.
My weight is on the heavy side for the stock springs (205lbs), so I was interested to see how the geometry helped out. The numbers would hint I'd actively use most of the travel, and was hopeful bottoming out wouldn't be an issue. In order to achieve sag of ~33%, I had to max out the preload (based on the max RockShox recommendation of 5 turns).
Initially, during larger hits, my weight was getting tossed forward. The lighter spring definitely got down into the travel quickly, so once I slowed the end stroke rebound, bucking was tamed. The ride became much more controlled and I started boosting into the chunky sections instead of tapping the brakes. Fortunately the Sensus Disisdaboss grips made the bars easy to retain while exploring the settings. If I could make one modification to the setup, it would be heavier springs to provide a bit firmer ride, especially through the mid stroke for pumping turns. That being said, my times were comparable to or faster than on my personal bikes (Demo 8 and Enduro29).
The Tues is ridden by multiple athletes competing at Red Bull Rampage, so we made sure to test its flight characteristics. How was it? Well, I hit larger features on this bike than anything else. It provides a level of comfort and control that enabled me to explore new riding territory. Then, once you feel how to do something in a controlled manner, transferring that skill to less capable bikes was much faster and less incident prone. I'll touch upon why later. The Tues is very confidence inspiring whether its wheels are on or off the ground.
Jumping the Tues, then headed up for another run (click to enlarge). Photo by Christopher Berthiaume
Surprisingly, the Tues did not require much thought about pedal clearance. It actually caused me to get lazy when switching back to my normal DH bike (Demo 8), having a few pedal "experiences," until remembering when to sneak pedal strokes in. While the bottom bracket is relatively low, it did not mandate special treatment.
The larger 27.5" wheels (versus 26") definitely smooth out the rough stuff, riding higher through roots/rocks and reducing the angles of impact. The rider can feel that you sit a bit higher on the bike though, yet the bike feels really nimble, transitioning quickly side-to-side. It does not feel as ground-hugging mid-corner as the Demo 8 does, but the smoothness offered by the larger wheel size was worth it. Exiting berms on the Tues is almost always via manual, as well as most rolls on the trail, which it makes quite easy.
The Tues puts a smile on your face whenever it's headed downhill.
One gripe: one of the suspension pivots requires two 6mm hex keys, plus removing the crank (10mm required), to tighten it. This ended one ride.
Why a DH Bike?
Do I need a downhill bike? If you're near a resort with lift-serve, the answer is obvious. I'm not, so it's a question I've asked myself a few times. It's not something I ride very often. When I do, it's most likely pushing laps, where only ~5% of the time will actually be riding the bike.
And that 5% is absolutely glorious. Kind of like a magic carpet ride. However, that's still not much time.
The real reason for me is about margins. Downhill bikes allow a rider to descend steep sections with more control due to their geometries. Also, the components are designed to regularly handle the large forces encountered while aggressively riding rough terrain. While jumping they have more stability, plus the strength and travel to help mitigate rider errors. The key is staying realistic, realizing the bike is doing some of the work, while leveraging what the bike lets you do.
So, as rider skills progress (and trail bikes become more competent), I find myself riding the downhill bike less, yet it has been and will continue to be a valuable tool in the quiver.
Summary
If a downhill bike is something you're considering, the Tues is a great choice. If a downhill bike is something you've talked yourself out of, consider the Tues. Watching what the YT athletes accomplish on their bikes is quite amazing, and realizing the same bikes/builds are available at this price point would have a Tues on my short list. The YT Tues is a very competent downhill bike that invites you to explore traction's limits.
For more information visit us.yt-industries.com