E-BIKE
SPEC
£7,135.90 (INC SHIPPING, IMPORT DUTIES AND VAT)
Frame ‘Ultra Modulus’ carbon fibre, 165mm travel
Motor/battery/ controller Shimano STEPS EP8/Shimano 80350, 504Wh/Shimano EM800
Sizes S, M, L*, XL
Fork Fox 38 Factory GRIP2 EVOL, 170mm travel
Shock Fox Float X2 Factory
Wheelset Crankbrothers Synthesis E-MTB Alloy I9 1/1 wheels, Maxxis Assegai 3C MaxxTerra EXO 29×2.5in WT (f) and Maxxis Minion DHR II 3C MaxxTerra EXO+ 27.5×2.6in WT (r) tyres
Drivetrain Shimano Deore XT M8100 (1×12)
Brakes SRAM Code RSC, 200mm rotors
Bar/stem Renthal Fatbar 35, 800mm/Renthal Apex 35, 50mm
Seatpost/saddle YT Postman dropper/SDG Bel-Air V3
Weight 23.09kg (large, without pedals)
The Core 4 MX tops out YT’s Decoy enduro e-bike range. Like the Saracen, it uses Shimano’s EP8 motor, with 85Nm of max torque. But here it’s powered by a custom-made battery with a slightly higher 540Wh capacity. The frame is designed around a ‘mullet’ wheel set-up and a four-bar back end that delivers 165mm of rearwheel travel. It’s made from carbon fibre, with neat details including inbuilt chain-slap protection, full-length internal cable routing and an integrated headset with steering angle limiters to prevent damage to the fork crown or down tube. A custom 600ml bottle fits under the rear shock.
You get a great spec, including a Factory-series Fox 38 fork and Float X2 shock, Shimano XT drivetrain and e-specific Crankbrothers Synthesis alloy rims on Industry Nine hubs, wrapped in Maxxis rubber. However, we found the EXO+-casing tyres to lack the carcass support or puncture protection needed with the extra weight of an e-bike (here, 23.09kg).
The slack-feeling 75.5-degree seat tube angle and long top tube, combined with a 50mm stem, give an aggressively stretched riding position, making the Decoy most at home when pushing harder on climbs or flat sections, where you instinctively want to lower your chest towards the handlebar. When seated, your feet feel quite a long way in front of your hips, giving the impression of being quite far back over the rear wheel. On one hand, this makes grip easy to access, but it also causes the front wheel to lift on steeper ascents, where we ended up running the saddle lower than usual to steepen the effective seat tube angle.
In the ‘low’ geometry setting, downhill performance is dominated by the Decoy MX’s playful ride feel and poppy suspension. Although some of its geometry figures – such as the 64.5-degree head angle and 469mm reach (large) – look conservative on paper, the bike works well as a full package. Its hand-to-feet relationship and supportive suspension (with 32.25 per cent progression) are a perfect match, allowing you to confidently flick and throw the YT across the trail and into corners. It’s a seriously fun bike.
This natural-feeling and highly intuitive ride makes it easy to hop onto the Decoy and feel right at home, but its conservative geometry does limit its potential for outright speed. On some bikes, you can simply go up a frame size for more reach, but the YT’s long seat tube (470mm, large) means that won’t be an option for many. It’s a bike that suits riders with longer legs.
A poppy and playful ride that offers addictive fun, at the expense of outright speed and stability