German direct-buy brand YT Industries is arguably one of the most exciting bike brands right now, and it's about to upset the apple cart once again with the release of its new carbon downhill bike, the Tues CF.
The Tues CF is an updated revision of YT's hugely popular 26in-wheeled alloy Tues. This fresh-off-the-production-line 650b downhill bike looks set to do to downhill what the Capra did to the trail and enduro market in 2014…
Tues CF Team and Pro
YT Tues CF Pro (top) and CF Team (bottom) colour options
There are two models in the Tues CF range. The cheaper (€3,499 / US$4,595 / AU$5,299) CF Comp comes with a RockShox Boxxer Team fork and Vivid coil shock, SRAM X9 10-speed transmission and Race Face finishing kit. The crowning glory is the Tues CF Pro (€3,999 / US$5,195 / AU$6,099), which comes with a tuned BOS Idyll RaRe air fork and Void air shock, SRAM X01 7-speed transmission and RSC Guide brakes, Renthal finishing kit and e*thirteen LG1R wheels and cranks.
Both bikes sport 200m travel at the front and 208mm at the rear, and will each be available in two distinct colourways. The Team comes in white/black or green/black and the Pro comes in blue/black or red/black.
Serious bang for your buck!
The spec is impressive, considering this carbon downhill bike retails for approximately £2,970, yet comes with a fork and a shock that would cost more than £2,000 in the UK.
YT’s head engineer Stefan Wilared – the man behind both the Capra and Tues – worked with BOS's Olivier Bossard to deliver a bespoke suspension tune for the Tues CF Pro.
The custom tuned BOS DH VOID air can of the CF Pro is rather special
The marginally cheaper Team is also race-ready, and neither bike presents any obvious immediate upgrade needs. They both come with suspension tunes designed to maximise performance, leaving you to focus on smashing out the runs.
Plastic fantastic
SRAM's DH transmission system, the X01 DH, sports a 7-speed XD block with a bespoke gear range designed for gravity riding and racing
The new Tues CF frame retains the V4L suspension system and overall silhouette of its predecessor, sporting all the lines and curves we’ve come to expect from a carbon main frame. Its livery is similar to the Capra's, and it has a carbon seatstay and an alloy chainstay and linkage.
Our size Medium CF Pro weight approximately 36lb, which makes for one seriously light downhill bike.
First ride impressions
Having been impressed by YT Capra and the balance and composure it offered, we were hoping to be equally impressed by the Tues CF. We weren’t disappointed.
The Team model was first up, and although the excessively wide (you can cut them down) 800mm Race Face bars took some getting used to, the ride was instinctive and addictive.
The bike is well balanced – once the suspension is set up for your weight and riding style, you can just jump aboard and be off down the hill. We started our test ride on a fun track featured jumps and a fairly forgiving gradient, then moved to the more intimidating SRAM track, which SRAM previously used to test prototype RockShox suspension.
The track was rough, loose, steep, dry and fast, and the limitations of the RockShox dampers became apparent, but not to the point where it set of any alarm bells.
BikeRadar’s Olly Forster ignoring the stunning views and having too much fun on the BOS equipped YT Tues CF Pro on the B-Track in Malaga
The Tues CF Pro handled the rough track more ably though. This bike puts professional level suspension performance within a balanced, light and well-speced package, backed up by impressive geometry.
For more info on both these bikes, head over to www.yt-industries.com.
