Buy now or wait - Decoy Pro 29

[E_S_Blofeld]

Hi. So I'm looking to buy a Decoy Pro 29. Took a Decoy out the other week from YT Mill. Loved it. I'm now in a dilemma. I want to get on and buy a bike and get out there and ride more through the winter. However, the EP8 will no doubt be put in the new Decoy early next year I assume?. Firstly do you agree there will be a new Decoy Jan 2021 with an Ep8. Secondly do you think the new EP8 is worth waiting for or would you by a Pro 29 now? Your thoughts and feedback much appreciated folks.

 

[GMLS]

You've probably seen this but just in case, worth knowing

Decoy Warranty Fail.

Hi, I posted in another thread about my Decoy warranty issue. Nearly 10 weeks ago I had a battery failure. The battery was completely dead out of the bike so no ambiguity about the problem or complex diagnosis needed. I raised a warranty claim and was told I would have to return the whole...

www.emtbforums.com

 

[Dmh_875]

I was in the same situation. I held out for ages for the new bikes that came out with the ep8. And wasn't overly happy with a lot of them!

And considering that no one will get them from the end of this year to I have heard march next year.

Yes it is now "old tech" but it is definitely proven. It will still have the warranty as the ep8 (given you live somewhere that yt help out)

I ended up going for the elite. To me I was more interested in the suspension side more so than the motor. This is my first ebike so anything the motor does is going to be amazing.
Plus I have had some good rides on decoys and had a lot of fun on them.

One day they may release the new battery and then thats a decent upgrade for the future.

 

[E_S_Blofeld]

You've probably seen this but just in case, worth knowing

Decoy Warranty Fail.

Hi, I posted in another thread about my Decoy warranty issue. Nearly 10 weeks ago I had a battery failure. The battery was completely dead out of the bike so no ambiguity about the problem or complex diagnosis needed. I raised a warranty claim and was told I would have to return the whole...

www.emtbforums.com

Just read the thread, thanks for sharing. YT service in Germany seems appalling. No excuses for the way he was treated.

However, YT UK team seem very different. I’ve met James at the UK Mill when I tried a bike. He seems a very good guy, determined to provide a quality UK service centre. The showroom is secondary to the main aim, which is providing quality UK customer service. It’s early days, and only time will tell, but I have a feeling James could turn things round for them in the UK. No doubt best to keep an eye on the forum / FB page to see if things improve / see how the UK Mill pans out.

Aside from customer service my other concern is the issues Shimano has had with the new EP8. Perhaps it’s better to stick with the E8000 bikes as dont fancy being a EP8 guinea pig?

 

[leocompositing]

Same with me. I’ve ordered the decoy elite. Fox 38 and X2 plus crank brothers synthesis carbon wheels. Those 3 made the wait for a new motor unbearable. My first ebike. Can’t wait to get my hands on it.

 

[Strive77]

I couldn’t wait, got a pro race shipping tomorrow. E8000 is a proven workhorse with no annoying rattling or belts snapping and enough power. Ep8 will probably turn out to be a good motor but will have its issues for a while and shimano aren’t saying that the rattle will be completely solved.
I say just get one ordered now.

 

[E_S_Blofeld]

I'm starting to think I should go for the current e8000 bikes. It's proven. I agree new motor will no doubt be great, but could be 12 months of teething issues given its shaky start. Also it will be early next year before they update the Decoy with EP8. The only issue now is stock. Want a Ghostship Green Pro 29, non available in my size sadly. Will email YT to see what they have coming. Should be interesting to see how quickly they respond when you want to respond money with them compared to warranty issues!

Enjoy your new bikes boys. They sound very nice indeed. What's the delivery time on a stock YT Decoy generally, 1 week, more?

 

[Yorkshirelad]

I'm starting to think I should go for the current e8000 bikes. It's proven. I agree new motor will no doubt be great, but could be 12 months of teething issues given its shaky start. Also it will be early next year before they update the Decoy with EP8. The only issue now is stock. Want a Ghostship Green Pro 29, non available in my size sadly. Will email YT to see what they have coming. Should be interesting to see how quickly they respond when you want to respond money with them compared to warranty issues!

Enjoy your new bikes boys. They sound very nice indeed. What's the delivery time on a stock YT Decoy generally, 1 week, more?

I bought a pro race mullet in June and a couple of moths later the new shimano motor is announced, do I regret it?.... no chance!!
The bike is awesome and everybody comments on it, even the ebike haters love it, whats the point waiting when such awesome bikes are available now? Get one bought mate ????

 

[Strive77]

I'm starting to think I should go for the current e8000 bikes. It's proven. I agree new motor will no doubt be great, but could be 12 months of teething issues given its shaky start. Also it will be early next year before they update the Decoy with EP8. The only issue now is stock. Want a Ghostship Green Pro 29, non available in my size sadly. Will email YT to see what they have coming. Should be interesting to see how quickly they respond when you want to respond money with them compared to warranty issues!

Enjoy your new bikes boys. They sound very nice indeed. What's the delivery time on a stock YT Decoy generally, 1 week, more?

I ordered mine on the 19th august and being dispatched tomoz. Bit of a delay with the chargers but shipping it with an EU charger and forwarding UK one when back in stock.

 

[leocompositing]

Oh

I ordered mine on the 19th august and being dispatched tomoz. Bit of a delay with the chargers but shipping it with an EU charger and forwarding UK one when back in stock.

oh that’s interesting. Is that for the elite? I thought the reason for the delay was because of the Carbon frames not being ready because COVID-19 not a plug issue. If you check online now the small frame is available which tells me is frame related.

 

[Strive77]

Oh

oh that’s interesting. Is that for the elite? I thought the reason for the delay was because of the Carbon frames not being ready because COVID-19 not a plug issue. If you check online now the small frame is available which tells me is frame related.

No, it’s a pro race not elite. I hadn’t heard anything about the carbon frame thing. The bike showed in stock when I ordered it.

 

[jk-]

I bought my Decoy pre-covid, delivered start of March but I had to wait 5 weeks for that. , Within that time I did rack up 500 miles and I did have a bad crash but that was on my Canyon Strive.

Yes u see the warranty failed on Lee Doves thread and that is a not good. But thats all you hear on forums is about failures. Rarely hear about whats good etc. Always on forums issues etc. Just look on motor issues with levo's

 

[E_S_Blofeld]

I bought my Decoy pre-covid, delivered start of March but I had to wait 5 weeks for that. , Within that time I did rack up 500 miles and I did have a bad crash but that was on my Canyon Strive.

Yes u see the warranty failed on Lee Doves thread and that is a not good. But thats all you hear on forums is about failures. Rarely hear about whats good etc. Always on forums issues etc. Just look on motor issues with levo's

Agreed. There could be a poll thread on here listing all the emtb brands. Each member could then answer a set of questions about their brand. That would then determine overall brand satisfaction for each brand. I'm sure the results would be interesting. Not sure how to do it, but perhaps Rob could set something up?

 

[ebnash]

Whatever model you choose, you should just pull the trigger now. If you think the wait times are bad now, wait till EP8 gets sorted and more bikes get released with that spec. Find he solution that gets you sitting on the bike sooner than later. There are some reviews on EP8 by people who have actually ridden them for some time. If any of us say whether it's worth the wait or not, it's our thoughts based on those reviews.

I can only say that I feel like my E8000 is more than adequate for trail use and I'm 240 lbs.

 

[bertschb]

I actually ordered the Decoy Elite a couple days before the EP8 was announced. I cancelled the order and looked for EP8 bikes. Couldn't find anything available so I reordered the YT. I sold my daily ride Stumpjumper not knowing that e-Bikes are like unicorns. Now I'm sitting here getting fat while I wait for the YT to show up. It's supposed to be available 11/11/20. I figure if I want an EP8 model later when they become available, I'll sell the "old" E8000 bike. No way I'm waiting around until next year for a bike.

 

[ebnash]

I actually ordered the Decoy Elite a couple days before the EP8 was announced. I cancelled the order and looked for EP8 bikes. Couldn't find anything available so I reordered the YT. I sold my daily ride Stumpjumper not knowing that e-Bikes are like unicorns. Now I'm sitting here getting fat while I wait for the YT to show up. It's supposed to be available 11/11/20. I figure if I want an EP8 model later when they become available, I'll sell the "old" E8000 bike. No way I'm waiting around until next year for a bike.

Shit, that sucks. Sorry to hear you are currently without bike. I'm sure if you looked hard enough you could probably find something in stock as bike inventory is on the rise again, but you are going to pay a premium directly from a shop, when comparing to the pricing for a YT.

 

[bertschb]

Shit, that sucks. Sorry to hear you are currently without bike. I'm sure if you looked hard enough you could probably find something in stock as bike inventory is on the rise again, but you are going to pay a premium directly from a shop, when comparing to the pricing for a YT.

It's my own fault for selling my analog bike before looking for an e-bike. I had no idea e-bikes would be hard to find. I'm also interested in a Levo. If I can find an S-Works Levo in XL before the Decoy arrives, I'll buy it.

 

[leocompositing]

It's my own fault for selling my analog bike before looking for an e-bike. I had no idea e-bikes would be hard to find. I'm also interested in a Levo. If I can find an S-Works Levo in XL before the Decoy arrives, I'll buy it.

Or Buy 2 Decoy Elite for that price! £12k ?

 

[bertschb]

Or Buy 2 Decoy Elite for that price! £12k ?

Hah! Yeah, the Specialized Levo isn't cheap. They are overpriced and under spec'd. But, I rode my Stumpjumper HARD for four years and had no problems with it. Just typical maintenance items. That reliability has made me partial to Specialized. Plus the Levo seems to win every shootout. I just hope the Decoy is half the bike my Stumpy was. If it is, I'll keep it for a couple years.

 

[E_S_Blofeld]

So after a lot of consideration, I decided not to wait for the EP8, I went ahead and bought the Decoy Pro 29. Just been out this morning for my first ride. Wow, what a bike. It's epic! ?

 

[leocompositing]

So after a lot of consideration, I decided not to wait for the EP8, I went ahead and bought the Decoy Pro 29. Just been out this morning for my first ride. Wow, what a bike. It's epic! ?

Wow. How long it took you to get your bike? That seemed pretty fast? Where are you based? Enjoy!

 

[E_S_Blofeld]

Thanks. In Surrey Hills. It's an awesome bike. Going out riding now (aka working from home!).

 

[westcoastmtbr]

I'm waiting for the 2021. Sold my 2019 and got over my investment in the bike. Not happy that it's taking so long, but now I'm committed to just waiting for the 2021. I do believe a larger battery and ep8 will be the way to go, plus better bits of parts to boot. It's not ideal, and I'm not happy to be waiting, but at this point it's like buying the old corvette vs. the new one. Once the new ones come out, and I finally get one, it will erase the large amount of pain I'm feeling. lol. Also, I am considering the new Commencal Meta 29. At $7100 US and no CA sales tax, I can get into a superior build bike for $900 more than I sold my old bike for, so guess I got choices. My prediction, the new 2021 Decoy Mullet or 29 will simply be sweeeeeeet! Waiting sucks

 

[Strive77]

Old corvette. That’s what I’ve done n not looked back. Could be a while until that ep8 is sorted properly. My opinion man.

 

[leocompositing]

Life is too short. I’m going for the old corvette as well. Happy days!

 

[Strive77]

Life is too short. I’m going for the old corvette as well. Happy days!

Nice one. Good choice. E8000 proven work horse. ??

 

[westcoastmtbr]

You all are right in so many ways. Yes, the e8000 is sorted, and working well, so Life is short, but I'll get by just fine on my Yeti and will be happy to ride my new 2021 Decoy for the next 3-4 years. Honestly, it does hurt to wait, but having the larger battery will be key with my Levo friends and the Fox 38 will be a nice upgrade. Until then, I'm on the Yeti to get in shape. lol.

 

[leocompositing]

It sounds to me the only benefit you would be getting for playing the waiting game is the motor. The 700w batteries will fit the current models and the fox 38 are already supplied with the elite and shred models. But fair play Yeti do great bikes I wouldn’t mind waiting if I had one. Either way I think the outcome is great for both. Suspension kinematics are more important to me at the moment than the latest engine tech. The current engine will keep me going for a while. And it climbs fine. The noise doesn’t bother me, the cut off is gentle, etc I’m not sure what much more I could ask from an engine. The devaluation on these bikes are massive after a few years anyway so I suspect it’ll be harder for owners of the old motor but that’s what you get when you try to keep with the trend of having the latest tech.