YT DECOY - The loam wolf shredder winner

[MTB_MIKE]

I'm going to looks through my boxes for the lower top cap this evening. 5mm lower would be good for me!

I bought a Nukeproof 31.8mm Carbon bar on sale at CRC for about $64 that has a 12mm rise. They have 12mm and 25mm options as well.
I really like the lower bars over the stock 30 or 35mm riser bars especially when upforking the bike to 180mm like I have.

 

[Fx1]

I think I saw that in the box. At the time I didnt notice what it was. Post some photos fitted.

 

[Martinintirol]

Weird, but for me the performance of an Emtb is really based on does it have range? Does it have torque for long climbs, can it perform reasonable manouvres, can it manage a reasonable downhill performance and brake exceptionally well...(not balls out WC performance). Otherwise, these things are too expensive, too high maintenence, just buy an analogue mtb if its all about out and out handling when things point downwards.... Or have I missed the point somewhere...

 

[squeegee]

Weird, but for me the performance of an Emtb is really based on does it have range? Does it have torque for long climbs, can it perform reasonable manouvres, can it manage a reasonable downhill performance and brake exceptionally well...(not balls out WC performance). Otherwise, these things are too expensive, too high maintenence, just buy an analogue mtb if its all about out and out handling when things point downwards.... Or have I missed the point somewhere...

I feel the opposite to you apparently, to me entirely too much emphasis is put on motors and integration like apps/looks of displays/NM of torque.

Yes motor/range/torque is important but not the most important factor as long as reasonably good. I got an ebike so I can spend more energy having fun down the hill because to me that is ultimately why I ride.

In other words, what is the point if bike itself is mediocre but has the most watts and most NM of torque?

 

[Martinintirol]

I feel the opposite to you apparently, to me entirely too much emphasis is put on motors and integration like apps/looks of displays/NM of torque.

Yes motor/range/torque is important but not the most important factor as long as reasonably good. I got an ebike so I can spend more energy having fun down the hill because to me that is ultimately why I ride.

In other words, what is the point if bike itself is mediocre but has the most watts and most NM of torque?

The point is you dont need a motor to ride skilfully downhill ....

 

[Fx1]

I feel the opposite to you apparently, to me entirely too much emphasis is put on motors and integration like apps/looks of displays/NM of torque.

Yes motor/range/torque is important but not the most important factor as long as reasonably good. I got an ebike so I can spend more energy having fun down the hill because to me that is ultimately why I ride.

In other words, what is the point if bike itself is mediocre but has the most watts and most NM of torque?

The point is you dont need a motor to ride skilfully downhill ....

I want a built in lift service so I can do more downhill and trail.

Fuxk pedding up hill.

 

[squeegee]

The point is you dont need a motor to ride skilfully downhill ....

No you don't and I agree with you. On steep grades the motor offers no advantage, but for returning to the top several times in a row, there's a distinct advantage. Who doesn't want 5X runs without 5X climbs??

Also trails with repeated undulation are fantastic on ebikes. Personally have come to find many old trails become new trails for example the ebike can give punches of speed in places or or situations where analogs cannot.

 

[Dax]

Weird, but for me the performance of an Emtb is really based on does it have range? Does it have torque for long climbs, can it perform reasonable manouvres, can it manage a reasonable downhill performance and brake exceptionally well...(not balls out WC performance).

Good news, any modern emtb is perfect for you. Pick your favourite colour.

 

[Dan63]

Except the Levo design is based on the Stumpjumper frame and for all intensive purposes is a TRAIL bike … not an enduro bike. The Decoy uses the Capra frame and geo. Two completely different bikes.

The Specialized Kenevo is built off the Enduro bike platform, making it the best "apples to apples" comparison for this group.

If YT had an e-bike version of the Jeffsy, this would be the platform to compare to the Levo.

A reasonable guess that you own a LEVO by chance

I had this same "ohh boy, not this again" facepalm moment when reading that post. Your response has pretty much nailed it i think.

 

[Martinintirol]

Good news, any modern emtb is perfect for you. Pick your favourite colour.

I'll have a black one thank you ???

 

[Sapientiea]

Love the outcome, because well we own Decoys 'Testing' pretty much sucked monkey balls Decoy 2019 is bad but 2020 is super.....

 

[nativeracer]

Especially, considering it’s the same bike but with a 170mm fork.

 

[JonasH]

Check out the Loam Wolf soon as they are releasing a second video that will include the Levo, Rocky Mountain, Trek, Devinci, Bulls, Norco, and more. It will be nice to see where to Levo lands on this review. I'm sure it will land at or near the top. The problem I have with the Levo is it's geometry. It just doesn't fit me well. Geometry is changing for the better, but a 455 reach on a Large is tight, along with a slack seat tube and taller head angles. It just didn't fit, and I'm not going to pay top $$ for older geometry. Just my 2 cents. It will be great to see how the review does. Levo is dialed in every other detail.

And here it is, no medal for the Levo:

 

[Fx1]

Check out the Loam Wolf soon as they are releasing a second video that will include the Levo, Rocky Mountain, Trek, Devinci, Bulls, Norco, and more. It will be nice to see where to Levo lands on this review. I'm sure it will land at or near the top. The problem I have with the Levo is it's geometry. It just doesn't fit me well. Geometry is changing for the better, but a 455 reach on a Large is tight, along with a slack seat tube and taller head angles. It just didn't fit, and I'm not going to pay top $$ for older geometry. Just my 2 cents. It will be great to see how the review does. Levo is dialed in every other detail.

And here it is, no medal for the Levo:

Ouch buuuuuurrrrrrrrnnn

Hurt egos commence in 3 2 1.... now

 

[Fx1]

If they included the Levo in the enduro category, it would win. I mean, it only has 1 millimeter of travel less than their 151mm minimum travel requirement. It blasts through rocky chunk just fine.

I'm sure if they did a trail bike category test, the Levo would also win.

Simply the best package. Best integration, best feel, least ebike looking, it also looks sexy, fantastic app w mode tunability, etc. Good to know that one guy in the test liked the Decoy.

Well done sir.

Today you won the internet.

Out of a total of 6 awards...

How many did the levo win?

It takes a special kind of person to come to a different forum and make a claim that the Levo would win in a shootout in a category that it does not even fit in but then to go on to not even win 1 out 3 possible chances in it's own category.

Can you seriously imagine someone doing that with any other bike or brand.

 

[Doomanic]

Im 5`8 ish and just under 5'10 with shoes, would the large be a good fit ? the 455 levo felt good

I'm 5'9"(and a quarter) and I tested the 2019 Decoy in Medium and Large. I tried the Large first, based on YT's size chart and geometry chart and I felt like I was perched on top on the bike. Then I tried the Medium and it was a much better fit for me and I was faster than the Large and my Powerfly on the same trails. In fact, the Large Decoy was actually slower than my Powerfly, even on the downhills. I rode the route (all trails I know well) 4 times over 2 days, with a decent rest between rides and my times went, from fastest to slowest; Med Decoy Pro Race, Powerfly LT7 2017, Large Decoy Pro Race, Large Decoy base model. I rode the Base model in Large because it was all that was available and was the model the I was planning to buy if I like it. I didn't.

 

[Paul Mac]

Its amazing how the Trek Rail has come along and completely crushed the Levo.







3, 2 , 1 GO!! ?

 

[Fx1]

Its amazing how the Trek Rail has come along and completely crushed the Levo.







3, 2 , 1 GO!!

Looks like a good bike but I hate that rear shock location. I have a policy of never owning a bike with that rear suspension design.

 

[Paul Mac]

Looks like a good bike but I hate that rear shock location. I have a policy of never owning a bike with that rear suspension design.

FX1 you'll have to do better than that, far to measured a response ?

 

[Fx1]

Looks like a good bike but I hate that rear shock location. I have a policy of never owning a bike with that rear suspension design.

FX1 you'll have to do better than that, far to measured a response

Lol

I only do measured

 

[#lazy]

I’m Adidas tall and would like to try the large

 

[MTB_MIKE]

Looks like a good bike but I hate that rear shock location. I have a policy of never owning a bike with that rear suspension design.

The Rail’s suspension design (and Trek’s other Full Suspension Mtn bikes) is extremely Active with low anti squat figures. On their acoustic bikes, you need to use a climb switch or Trek’s Re-Active shocks to give you a better pedalling platform.
On an Emtb application, the suspension is going to be just fine. I like the short 447mm chainstay (for a 29er) and I think the Decoy 29 should have been closer to the Rails geo than aim to be a Levo.
If i didnt already have a Sweet Decoy,
I’d be good with a Rail 9.7 ($6500 but you can get them for 15-20% off) and upgrade the damper on the Yari to become a Lyrik Ultimate (~$340), and upgrade the air shock for an X2 or a Coil shock and call it a day.

 

[Fx1]

Looks like a good bike but I hate that rear shock location. I have a policy of never owning a bike with that rear suspension design.

The Rail’s suspension design (and Trek’s other Full Suspension Mtn bikes) is extremely Active with low anti squat figures. On their acoustic bikes, you need to use a climb switch or Trek’s Re-Active shocks to give you a better pedalling platform.
On an Emtb application, the suspension is going to be just fine. I like the short 447mm chainstay (for a 29er) and I think the Decoy 29 should have been closer to the Rails geo than aim to be a Levo.
If i didnt already have a Sweet Decoy,
I’d be good with a Rail 9.7 ($6500 but you can get them for 15-20% off) and upgrade the damper on the Yari to become a Lyrik Ultimate (~$340), and upgrade the air shock for an X2 or a Coil shock and call it a day.

I'm sure it works well I just dont like the design. Out of all the rear setups I think it's the most ugly of the bunch. Plus I like to switch the rear lockout sometimes when moving and its impossible when down there.

 

[Changleen]

Trek once gave a bike to George W. Bush for being ‘awesome‘.

I mean, that was a long time ago, and they are now really pretty, apparently very nice bikes now, but, fuck. Come on.

That’s pretty awful for a bike company especially, all things considered.

I’d like to know their board has changed entirely before I would consider giving them my money.

 

[b45her]

Well done sir.

Today you won the internet.

Out of a total of 6 awards...

How many did the levo win?

It takes a special kind of person to come to a different forum and make a claim that the Levo would win in a shootout in a category that it does not even fit in but then to go on to not even win 1 out 3 possible chances in it's own category.

Can you seriously imagine someone doing that with any other bike or brand.

It's the bike that marketing built, why a bike that is 2 grand overpriced and very unreliable gets so much praise is beyond me.
it's the iphone of ebikes. inferior in lots of ways but the drones that blindly buy them only see the shiny adverts and marketing gibberish.

 

[Changleen]

I don’t think iPhone is an appropriate metaphor for Specialized. Actually I think maybe it’s hard to make a good metaphor.

Specialized do spend immense time and money in ‘perfecting’ their frames and geo compared to others. Their R+D budget is more than some other smaller companies entire cashflow, and let’s be clear, this is good for all of us. But, what they come up with these days is good, but somehow sort of the ‘best average’ IMO.

This works for a lot of people, and no doubt they are great bikes. The Stumpjumper is and was one of the loveliest all-round (there you go) rides going. However in recent years, and especially with these ebikes, the ‘cost benefit‘ seems to have slipped a bit too much. The bikes are nice but there are many bikes with an actual measurable personality orbiting all around the dead centre of a Specialized black hole of average awesomeness that come with significantly better kit at any given price.

The Brose motor itself is maybe a better metaphor. One-off and exclusive, higher torque spec, nearly silent and smooth, but actually a weird, lower mid range power curve when you really get into it, and an odd, disappointing time when you exceed it. It’s your nice, well presented, but ultimately shallow friend.

It’s ultimately always nicer to hang out with someone who really gets you even if they aren’t the most normal person out there.

 

[zaykay]

I'm sure it works well I just dont like the design. Out of all the rear setups I think it's the most ugly of the bunch. Plus I like to switch the rear lockout sometimes when moving and its impossible when down there.

It might look ugly for some, but climb switch is actually really close to reach.

 

[R120]

Why Specialized have done, and lead the market with, is EMTB design and integration.

Whether you like them or not, there is no other brand out there building bikes with as much synergy and integration, both in terms of the motor and bikes, the software, and the user interaction.

I am no massive fan of the brand, but they are years ahead of anyone else in terms of the products they are putting out.

They may not be the most reliable, offer great value, or be everyone’s cup of tea, but they are the benchmark.

 

[Fx1]

Why Specialized have done, and lead the market with, is EMTB design and integration.

Whether you like them or not, there is no other brand out there building bikes with as much synergy and integration, both in terms of the motor and bikes, the software, and the user interaction.

I am no massive fan of the brand, but they are years ahead of anyone else in terms of the products they are putting out.

They may not be the most reliable, offer great value, or be everyone’s cup of tea, but they are the benchmark.

They are not years ahead any more. Bosch and shimano will surpass them easily very shortly. There is no benefit to proprietary integration. All it adds is cost and unreliability which is exactly what specialized have right now.

When your shifter and dropper and motor and battery are all connected and customised through an app with options to customise and mix and match the whole setup then this is far more useful than what specialized can ever achieve on it's own.

The bosch motor is already beating the brose in shootouts and comes 625wh fully integral

 

[b45her]

Why Specialized have done, and lead the market with, is EMTB design and integration.

Whether you like them or not, there is no other brand out there building bikes with as much synergy and integration, both in terms of the motor and bikes, the software, and the user interaction.

I am no massive fan of the brand, but they are years ahead of anyone else in terms of the products they are putting out.

They may not be the most reliable, offer great value, or be everyone’s cup of tea, but they are the benchmark.

true 3-4 years ago but since then they haven't really moved on, the brose motor is still as unreliable as ever and power wise the weakest of the big 3.
most brands now offer just as much integration as they do but importantly lots dont use proprietary parts, which to me have always been a massive no-no.