YT Izzo Review - 2020 Bible of Bike Tests

[@calebwonhas5557]

I own a YT IZZO Launch Edition. I find some of their opinions on the bike quite strange... - First of all, this bike is not an XC bike... It has 130/130MM of travel. It's a proper trail bike whereas my Jeffsy Pro Race is more in the all-mountain/mini-enduro category. Maybe they're attributing it to the fact it has a longer stem or I don't know what they're attributing it to... I just slapped a $100 35MM stem from Deity on there and it improved the handling much more for me (I'm 6'2 and ride an XL). - Second, the bike climbs like a rat up a drain pipe.I don't know what they were talking about with always having to use the Twistloc. I took mine off and added some Sensus meaty paw grips which fit well, look stylish, and are a perfect size for my ape hands. It's not sluggish whatsoever on the climbs (amazing pedaling platform) and it's also not afraid of the descents. You just have to get it dialed in. - Third, I don't think it's necessary to comment on the tires. Tires are not super expensive and the fact that you're receiving such amazing components for $5,300 (plus tax) compared to all of the other bikes on the market (and in this BIBLE) eliminates what issues you may have regarding little things that can be changed out fairly easily. - Just go look at the spec sheet on their website and compare it to all of the other bikes in this category. Even if you end up spending $200 or more, you are still paying $2,000+ less than what the other brick and mortar bikes have to offer in terms of value. - If you cannot afford the Pro Race build, their other builds are also phenomenal for the price. - Yes, they may have an issue with keeping the bikes in stock, but they're amazing bikes and there's also a reason they're out of stock (excluding possible supply chain issues) - YT's available date is pretty accurate. My Jeffsy was available on a Wednesday, shipped on Thursday, and arrived on Monday the following week. The IZZO was also available on a Wednesday, shipped on Thursday, and arrived on Tuesday the following week. - It's a very beautiful bike: sleek, sharp, and sexy. - It's damn fast and you will have a blast on the trails with it! - Go check out some of the other reviews on the bike and you will also find some opinions opposing the ones made in this video. I'm not trying to rag on BikeMag, I actually enjoy a lot of their videos, but I just had to voice some of my opinions! - Hope I could help with some personal experience! :)

[@Advlifenet]

As an owner of the launch edition, I feel the same and completely disagree with Bikemag review about a crutch. When i got this bike i had to look down to see if my shock was open because it was stiff and efficient. The lockout works and it feels like a burst of speed on top of the speed you have. Oh I traded my Evil Following for the Izzo LE. Price point wise no bike can't get closer.

[@Jacob99174]

Thanks Gents for the info!

[@kevingorzny]

Caleb Wonhas great insight.

[@aadgbe]

to the two gents with LE Izzos - is there be a space for a shock with a piggyback or even a coil? because it doesn't look that way. thing is - I have a Jeffsy, and I ride proper enduro stuff with it, but also love doing huge multi-hour loops - so the thing is - if Izzo can take coil/piggy, I'd sell Jeffsy and get Izzo with two wheelsets; one for touring, and one for trailstruction. if not - I'd get a better hardtail than I have right now, probably slacker and longer one, that I could use for touring and winter months/bad fall weather days in the woods. thank you in advance.

[@Advlifenet]

@@aadgbe From what I read, there is not enough space for a piggyback shock.

[@axial27]

Izzo is 100% a trail bike.

[@AndZzo101]

Thats totally not a XC Bike.. too slack and clearance. It's a Trail Bike.

[@burnum5433]

Maybe we can just call them "trail bikes" again. Thanks for the BoBT reviews of these cool new steeds!

[@johnlaw5762]

But then how will the industry explain going complete circle?

[@huntermcpherson8399]

Is it that mind blowing to try to sub-catagorize things? Why call it a burger? It's just another sandwich?

[@leonklei6393]

Are you sure this isn‘t just supposed to be a regular old trail bike?

[@johnlaw5762]

I’m pretty sure it is

[@NoBrakes23]

They sure are doing a lot of mental gymnastics to avoid calling this a trail bike.

[@chrish3329]

130/130 with this geometry is a trail bike in my book

[@royaltykidstv]

What height of drops etc..can a 130/130 get by without breaking anything?

[@AbdulDobreia]

@@royaltykidstv i would say 5-6 foot is where it starts to get tricky, but when do you for normal trail use need to ride a 5-6 foot drop, never.

[@popoypoop]

I love mine! I Installed a 40mm stem, took it to a double black diamond trail, and it shredded like an enduro bike. Yes tires was a minus but if installed with the propper tire izzo is a beast!😁

[@rickyhill5263]

The Izzo is a superb bike, way more capable than an xc bike. Confused about the climbing comments, it's awesome even when left open, I'm actually beating uphill times compared to my HT. Descending requires grabbing it by the scruff and giving it some boot. It's not a sofa and requires rider input, which in my opinion makes it an absolute blast. Over sprung bikes can be so dull. For UK trails it's a hoot. Definitely engaging and smile inducing. Value is out of the park by today's standards.

[@hughieross]

Totally agree!

[@gregoryvierra6114]

I bought this TRAIL bike (Pro Race version) and have zero complaints. It’s a blast both up and downhill.

[@PredatorDK]

Interesting. A lot of other reviews has commented on how it pedals so well that the lock out is almost not needed.

[@hughieross]

And I would agree with that. I have the Pro Race - climbs amazingly well with the shock open

[@mikeg8777]

That's because it is. I ride with the shock open ALL the time. It really isn't needed.

[@Advlifenet]

Coming from an Evil Following i have to disagree with Bikemag on a couple of things: Izzo is not an XC bike, its a trail bike and very effecient pedaler. There are many times when I am seating that I have to look down to see if I accidentally close the shock. The bike is stiff but when you put that dropper down and the suspension is open the fun begins. It climbs better than an Evil, no lockout needed. The Izzo goes down so fast that in a couple of instances almost gets me in trouble. The Izzo has to find the line not to feel chattery. It favors flow. It loves flow. You can not disregard the price. You won't get anything with the same specs for the same price. Launch Edition AXS is 2 or 3k cheaper than any other brand. Change the tires and cockpit and you are still ahead on price. The Izzo is a trail bike with some XC dna. You are not beating the Lycra dude, nor the enduro trailers.It is trail bike for all of us not having huge mountain trails nor drinking the enduro coolaid.

[@sztigirigi]

I ride on most challenging trails in the world. Austria and Switzerland. This bike should survive even here. It all comes down to speed. If you want to be fast on rock gardens and such, this is just not a tool for that.

[@Hardcaslte]

Going to go ahead and stop at 0:38 and close this video. Any bike review channel that calls 130mm an XC bike has no idea what they're talking about. Even skipping that, any reviewer that calls the Izzo an XC bike apparently never even went to YT's website. Nowhere on their website, or marketing, are they calling it an XC bike. It's a Trail Bike. This 130mm Trail Bike category isn't new, it's been around a long time now.

[@03BigBear]

Love mine. I agree with REB4, it responds very well pedaling, and Is capable enough downhill for most riding. Also, YT's "available" date was accurate for me, actually a few days early surprisingly, and well worth the two month wait.

[@notquiteanexpert74]

What a strange review. I’m not sure they rode the same bike literally every other person who’s ridden or owns this bike did

[@bsrhoad]

I took my race pro to Saalbach on Saturday, it was amazing. Everything is stock, except I set it up tubeless with xc cushcore. Wouldn't change a thing.

[@nick-knock]

To your point of YT mentioning an estimated “in stock” date... it is very accurate. I ordered a back order YT Capra this year and the date it arrived at YT was the date that it said it would be there online. So no worries there for anyone considering a YT 🤙

[@CuanL]

Now we wait for a comparison to the Transition Spur :) We got one already, would be interesting to hear another opinion :)

[@jasongriffis4148]

If it has a lockout , doesn't that make it an upcountry?

[@manfromanotherland]

Loving my Izzo so far, only thing I really had to change was the twist grip as it kept locking on me going downhill - which was pretty sketch! Ah, I also changed the tires for more grippier ones 😄

[@rickyjojo8600]

What'd you swap the twistloc out for?

[@kevingorzny]

I really wish that if you collectively don’t like a bike, don’t be afraid to just say it and say why. That’s journalism; it’s your job. I enjoy your reviews but they’re almost always 98% positive which dilutes the value.

[@desmomille79]

Great and super sexy bike! Question to owners: can it be also ok on long marathons, like 90km or more, with 3000m / 4000m ? (Hero Dolomites). Thanks!

[@51249ca]

anyone know which general area this was filmed at?

[@mihaelfacey]

Read the written review which compares it to the likes of Evil and Santa Cruz. I feel like value for money should play a more significant role in these tests. In the real world its about striking a balance. All of YTs offerings are amazing value when compared to pretty much any boutique or big label brand. I ride a Jeffsy which I love, and yes an Evil or Santa Cruz is definitely up there, money no object. But I struggle to find any bike that even comes close in terms of bang for your buck - maybe Canyon.

[@ShredQuest]

I have the Twistloc on my Cube Stereo 170 and it’s a garbage part. It starts off well but it doesn’t wear well, and eventually will release unexpectedly and intermittently while engaged on climbs. This isn’t a huge deal since it’s a grip shift design, but rather an annoyance. Small adjustments to the lock mechanism position with the short grip can sort of compensate, but the limited serviceability makes this part a bust. Plus, you’re pretty limited on replacement grip selection, although admittedly, and luckily, the Sram grips are OK. Warranty replacement with Sram, if your Twistloc starts failing, is super dumb, since you have to work with a shop to warranty claim, and the shop will insist on and charge you in most cases to remove the part, plus a cost for submitting the warranty claim. They may even require you to leave the bike for a couple weeks, with extended COVID repair waits, if insisting on removing the part themselves. Furthermore, the intermittent release problem is almost impossible to test unless you’re on a ride climbing uphill. It’s an easy removal and replacement of the part, so time and effort to go to a shop to coordinate all this is more of an expenditure than just purchasing a replacement for $100 on Jenson, which is far easier and overall cheaper. Trust me, I’ve done all the horrible research for you - including trips to shops and phone calls with Shops and Sram.

[@GHinWI]

aram schum : I’m with you. It came on my top fuel and I really hated it. Just never could stand having that contraption on the bars where I need to hold on. Also, getting the setup/tension just right on the rear cable is a matter of microns (I guess yt solved it with the barrel adjuster). Not sure whether YT’s “twist to open” is better than trek’s “twist to lock”. On the top fuel I found it to be totally unnecessary...I had the suspension converted to manual compression damping and, honestly, they just stay in the wide open position. It’s a mountain bike, not a gravel bike.

[@scottlink1693]

Thank you for not calling it down country!!!

[@weizenobstmusli8232]

Horst Link suspension was only patented in the US. That is why many European bikes had it for ages and are now comming to the US.

[@briangarner]

I love lock outs, you own a bike for 3 years, it becomes second nature, of course people that get new bikes every 6 months will probably find them clunky.

[@StraightLine_MTB]

Liking the idea of this bike as a fun go getter. Great review!

[@southernaccent]

It drives me nuts trying to figure out categories of bikes, just because of the fact will it handle what I want to do. I'm a Clyde that really likes short travel bikes (Have a Kona Process 111 currently) but wondering if this could kinda fill the gap and let me go fast on the XC trails and be more enjoyable on The Whole Enchilada than my Specialized Enduro.

[@edgarm2036]

guys you should try the capra shred it would be nice to see how the coil shock works with that bike and how the fox 38 performance shock works, everybody reviews just the fox 38 factory.

[@miketerry6992]

Izzo is 100% awesome!

[@area4race]

Where can i get this light blue cap?

[@maxfish2301]

You keep saying XC. Not sure why.

[@DM-hw4cr]

That lockout grip shift means you can only use the grip shift combo. No choice of different grips.

[@colemitchmtb]

Hell yeah! this will probably be my next bike!

[@christophkrennmair8542]

what shoes is the biker wearing?

[@kroozctrl6284]

Ultra capable XC bike.... How would you define a trail bike then? XC = 90 - 110. Efficient at climbing Trail = 115 - 145. Daily rider. 50% up and 50% down Enduro / free ride = 150-185. A downhill bike you can climb DH = 190 - 250. Strictly down hill Dirtjumps, fat bikes, gravel also have their own niche. But for mountain bikes there are only 4 categories. No one ever had a problem with calling it a trail bike. The community sites cough Mike Levy cough thought it would be cool to pull a new phrase though of no where. It’s as bad as Trek creating boost space or press fit bb. Creating so many different standards just creates more of a mess.

[@mc540flip]

Would love to hear Mike Ferrentino’s take on the Izzo!

[@Jacob99174]

Ditto

[@RequiemDead]

Not sure how the scott twin loc is so hard to get along with, it's literally setup like a shifter and the dropper lever is right there ready to access by the thumb. This system required a twist and a button, no thanks!

[@gpearce11]

130mm travel does not an XC bike make. This is most definitely a trail bike, even almost too big to be considered a short-travel trail bike like the other bikes in this test (after all, Yeti's mid-travel trail bike, the SB130, has 130mm rear travel).

[@rickyjojo8600]

Twistloc is very, very likely to fail. Mine didn't work straight out of the box. Waiting for weeks for a reply from YT that is more than a link to the instal video on the sram website. Their customer service quality can't be properly described without youtube removing the post, it's that bad. Steer clear unless you're a competent mechanic with spare cash for replacement parts to keep riding during the months it will take YT to sort you out.

[@Cmilofeq]

YT says and markets this bike as a trail bike. I don’t understand why to call it XC or anything else. No need to invent another segment. Is a trail bike!

[@mikeg8777]

I really don't understand why you call it a XC bike when it isn't. I wouldn't even call it downcountry... It's literally just a short travel trail bike. The lockout works well, but really isn't necessary as the bike pedals pretty efficiently. The only time I used mine was for the very rare pavement climb, so I ended up removing the remote lockout and swapping to a 3 Position switch; which is what I think this bike should have shipped with to start.

[@cheut]

130mm is very much a trail bike

[@michaelm1481]

This “downcountry” category is just a more complicated way to label short travel trail bikes.

[@Oper8or]

Its just another way they can spin it and make more money. Slap a fancy label on it for the category and cash in. I'm sticking to what i know and love. Yeah its great to see new stuff but you are right. Adding another category is just flat annoying.

[@NoBrakes23]

And 130 isn't even short travel trail.

[@dimitrithomas]

that is a classy lookin bike

[@GKHNGKR]

This is a good trail bike 🤙

[@kirkland0074]

I like the Asian guy, seems very knowledgeable.

[@robsnow2099]

120 is the cut off for XC 🤷‍♂️, if you guys can wake up and create unwritten rules and new terms for bikes that already exists (down country). Then that's my totally made up rule lol

[@octodadmtbmartyrichards2862]

Down county!

[@sztigirigi]

Horst Link is a simple? Not capable? Dude. I started to watch your channel but your knowledge and opinions are horrible. 29 are superior in every way? What are you talking about. There is no leverage ratio, no anti squat, no anti raise values that Horst Link cannot reproduce. It's all design decision what will you choose. And please please please. Shut up about 27,5 already.

[@NoBrakes23]

I used to bag on Horst links, (My current 5" bike is a Horst link,) saying I would never buy another one. Then I rode a Norco Sight a couple of years ago. I couldn't believe how well it climbed and descended. Almost as good as Weagle magic. There are lots of yawn inducing or lame Horst bikes out there, but it's surprisingly capable with the right design.

[@sztigirigi]

New Sight looks like a total beast when it comes to linkage design. linkagedesign.blogspot.com/2019/11/norco-sight-carbon-29-2020.html?m=1

[@devdotexe03]

who else is her after seeing their fire comercial?

[@mustafacalikan8741]

ümit bikes > izzo bikes change my mind

[@LucianoSilva-rk6vw]

Vídeo hoje está top mano.bike ♥️👌

[@duaneverde9879]

I bet they tape measured their 6 foot separation. Surprised they are not wearing masks.

[@subodhathenuwara8346]

👍👍👍👍👍🚲🚲

[@justh4195]

Please beware YT Bikes Customer service. See PB Manufacturer forums

[@GF-cb8rr]

In my experience, U.S. YT in San Clemente has great costumer service.

[@jonathanangieri153]

Whats up with all the poop?!?!?

[@CptMooney]

Weird how you still keep saying it ALL THE TIME. Stop shilling out already. Its disgusting.

[@blombardo83]

Only if they had a threaded bb,I would be all over this 😔

[@sztigirigi]

Just use the correct part. Without me wanting to I got a frame with press fit. My alloy Intense Tracer broke and they only had new model. With press fit. I bought this: www.hopetech.com/products/drivetrain/bottom-bracket/press-fit-pf41-bottom-bracket/ Works like a charm. It's do it and forget it kind of job.

[@BMfins]

Eh lockouts are dumb imo.

[@rickyhill5263]

It doesn't lock out completely and it's great for fire road or tarmac sections.

[@jeremiah-lo-mein]

Is it me or Are they standing in horse shit?

[@AmateurAtBest]

Why are y'all so far apart? Lol

[@Ilovethisaccount500]

corona

[@samaldacamel8003]

Sandals-dude needs to practice his public speaking before being on another review video.

[@petelincek1]

boring coments

[@gregoryvierra6114]

Just like yours

[@tinshield]

This bike just doesn’t make a lot of sense in some ways. 🤷‍♂️