[Closed] Canyon strive or yt capra

I have had a Capra and very much liked it. Although a few people seem to have had customer service issues, personally I have had no problems and more recently the feedback has improved.

It was an excellent bike, easy to get on with and adapt to. I found it quite versatile, it worked well up and down, although it shone on the downs.

I'm afraid I don't have experience of the Strive, reviews suggest it is very good although again there are customer service issues.

Given that you like the look of the Capra I would say go with this, although it's probably worth checking the availability dates on the site as they are sold out in quite a few sizes.

comparison of the very 2 bikes on enduromag

I have a YT Capra, the top of the range one with the carbon wheels from Swiss DT.

Recently rode it round the Forest of Dean on trails that Id ridden a few weeks earlier on my XC Scott. So a good comparison.

It went uphill as well as the Scott (you can tell it had more suspension, but it was the same weight and seemed to require the same effort)

It went downhill incredibly well.
It handled the techy stuff incredibly well.
It saved me from some big mistakes.
Its light enough to chuck about like a XC bike.

I could live with it all day long, but its way too much bike for a lot of my riding. Which is why I will keep the XC Scott.

I think weight is very important. My previous bike was a Transition Covert, much heavier. The lightness of the YT has made it faster both up and down hill but also made it easier to move about. So its more fun and easier to ride.

The quality of the components an the build quality is very impressive. I checked the torque settings on everything - they were spot on. That's the sort of attention to detail you may not even get from a LBS.

When I emailed them a question I got a response very quickly. I emailed them in English, they answered in English. Imagine speaking German in your LBS.

I've got a Capra, so I'm biased, but I was considering both and settled on the YT - slightly better VFM, Canyons CS is reportedly woeful and I quite simply prefer the look of the Capra. Very pleased with it.

I was considering the top model with Fox and carbon wheels, but the black being sold out helped my decision. I'd read a lot of reports about the new 36's being harsh on the small stuff and I'm not too gentle on wheels, so happy that I went for the RS Lyrik/Monarch equippedCF Comp in the end, which benefit from having a climb switch front and back.

buy the canyon if you like sh1t customer service with misinformation and no idea of delivery timelines, the strong possibility of failed components, 4 months waits for replacement parts and different answers every time you talk them.

I've had my Capra AL1 12 months and ridden 1,000 km on it according to Strava and it's great.

Light enough and comfortable enough to ride all day (ridden London to Brighton off road on it twice now, 110km each time) but burly enough to cope with a week in the alps last July (DH trails all week, got another trip this year).

It's day to day normal riding is around the surrey hills trail centre which it's perfect for.

I haven't ridden the Canyon but I've seen them, slightly different frame design with exactly the same finishing kit as the capra if i remember i.e. Pikes up front and SRAM groupset, brakes etc.

I don't think you will be disappointed in either.

I am looking to buy a new bike. After lots and lots of research I have got down to eIther one of the 2 above in the carbon frames but am struggling to make the choice. I would have liked to buy from a store but would be spending double for similar spec.

Did you consider the Vitus Sommet Carbon?
Bought from CRC your chances of better customer service improve I'd have thought.

The spec is fairly comparable with YT and Canyon.

I've just bought the CR model, slightly lower spec but with a demo day discount, I got it for a shade over £2300.

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One of the guys I ride with has a Canyon Nerve AL i think it is, he keeps trashing mech hangers (not Canyon's fault) but they want €20 per hanger PLUS €10 shipping PER HANGER - yep thats right, if you want 2 hangers then its €60...

Another Capra owner here. This bike is definitely growing on me to the point i've now sold my XC bike, i just like chucking this thing about. Had it a year or so and nothing other than normal maintenance. Just watch the sizing, they are a bit short.

Strive has the long geometry thing going on - for me, that takes it.

Did you consider the Vitus Sommet Carbon?

I've just been checking those out on CRC - I'd definitely be considering one if I hadn't just bought my Capra. Going to point my mate in that direction

I ordered a Strive this month, got it 9 days after being ordered

That Vitus is fantastic value!
£2250 (after BC discount) for a carbon-Pike-X1-dropper-gnar-machine.

Dont know where you live but there is a YT demo weekend at sherwood pines this weekend if you want to try one.

I will chime in on this... House mate has a 2015 YT Capra and has had the following problems, in order of how it happened.

2nd Ever Ride
Mavic Crossmax Enduro Cheese Wheels dented and buckled beyond repair, no warranty, bought LB Carbon wheels. This happend at BPW on first run on Terrys Belly, have no idea how it happened
Rear BOS Shock Lever stopped working, 6 weeks without a bike, it arrived back
Next Ride
Front BOS Forks developed the Capra Crack, sent back to YT
Headset bearings rusty, no grease, would not replace
2 Months with no bike and multiple emails to YT
Offered Rockshox Lyriks and accepted, BOS were not returning emails to YT
for progress reports and it had been 2 months of "we don't know when".
2 Rides Later, less than 30 miles total
Rear BOS Shock Lever stopped working again, lever just spins
Atlas Pedal bearings need replacing
BB bearing seized, no grease, it took 4kg on the pedal for it to move
Rockshox Reverb Stealth cable creased inside frame from poor fitting

He bought the bike in April or May, delivered in September, has only ridden it 6 times at the most, as it has spent most of the time in bits having bits sent back to YT.

He no longer emails YT as it takes too long for things to be sorted. His bike is currently at the LBS having a new BB & new pedal bearings fitted while the the Reverb is sent back to Fishers.

I would NEVER buy a YT, they didn't care that everything fitted to the bike has had an issue and even accused him of riding it too hard (this was when he emailed about the Fork Crack Sound and the Mavic Wheels - both of which are known issues). Things have been sorted, but it has taken multiple emails and phone calls to get the ball rolling, which end up being weeks. When the ball does roll, it rolls very slow. If you don't mind being without a bike for 1-2 months then it should be fine. People will say customer service has improved, it has, but it still takes ages for things to be sorted.

My Strive is everything I wanted, climbs well & descends well.
emails to canyon have been answered promptly and bike delivery was delayed by 3 weeks from initial delivery estimate.
I liked the longer top tube so went for the canyon over the YT and very glad I did as it fits and rides very well.

Thanks for all of the replies. Really appreciated. Swaying more to the yt based on looks alone. I know it's not everything but you have to love looking at your bike. Both seem very comparable across all fronts as well as service so guessing it's now down to me.i will let you know what I choose.
Thanks again

2nd Ever Ride
Mavic Crossmax Enduro Cheese Wheels dented and buckled beyond repair, no warranty, bought LB Carbon wheels. This happend at BPW on first run on Terrys Belly, have no idea how it happened
Rear BOS Shock Lever stopped working, 6 weeks without a bike, it arrived back
Next Ride
Front BOS Forks developed the Capra Crack, sent back to YT
Headset bearings rusty, no grease, would not replace
2 Months with no bike and multiple emails to YT
Offered Rockshox Lyriks and accepted, BOS were not returning emails to YT
for progress reports and it had been 2 months of "we don't know when".
2 Rides Later, less than 30 miles total
Rear BOS Shock Lever stopped working again, lever just spins
Atlas Pedal bearings need replacing
BB bearing seized, no grease, it took 4kg on the pedal for it to move
Rockshox Reverb Stealth cable creased inside frame from poor fitting

He bought the bike in April or May, delivered in September, has only ridden it 6 times at the most, as it has spent most of the time in bits having bits sent back to YT.

He no longer emails YT as it takes too long for things to be sorted. His bike is currently at the LBS having a new BB & new pedal bearings fitted while the the Reverb is sent back to Fishers.

I wouldn't ever buy BOS or Mavic, and the reverb sounds like user error. Everything else is a consumable. 😆

Can't be user error, when it is kinked inside the frame and he has never removed it from the frame. He won't ever buy BOS, Mavic or YT again and neither would I, shame as I wanted a YT, but their attitude and service has been poor.

It is a nice looking bike.. Looks are not everything, it actually has to work too! 😆

Was only having a bit of fun, but tbh, I've heard and experienced every bit as bad stories and lead times from bikes that aren't direct purchase and have came from bike shops, just yer luck at times, and there's bad service the world over.

Did he adjust the height of the seat?
Bet he did.
User error if he didn't ensure he either released the tube to allow if to move up or took slack in moving it down.

OP - Have a look at the YT Capra owners thread, and Strive owners thread on Pinkbike, literally thousands of postings to work your way through.

Only one of those has a space for a bottle cage. That was in large part the determining feature for me. Plus at the time I bought my Strive, YT were having lots of problems with dropouts lunching themselves.

Very happy with my Strive. Pedalling uphill is significantly more comfortable in XC mode and since the Capra doesn't have this feature, I can only assume it's not as versatile, though I've never ridden one. Geometry looks fairly similar and I doubt there's much to choose between them on the downs.

I'm not going to be an evangelist about my own choice though. If I was happy with a Camelbak on every ride I'd probably have bought a Capra.

Thanks again for the info. It's a difficult choice when buying direct as you can't try before you buy. Both seem to have good and bad experiences and I guess some of it is down to good or bad luck. The only thing marginally putting me off the capra is that apparently they are a little shorter and Annoyingly I am 5 10 which seems to be the cross over height between their medium and large according to other riders.

Cide, I know trimix was on the border and he managed to car park test a couple and ended up going for large rather than medium. I'm 5'10 and having ridden with him I'd get the large - they seem reminiscent of Santa Cruz in coming up a bit small.

I had a Sommet Carbon on order, and I got a chance to demo the alloy version at Innerleithen. Glad I did as I rode my mates Strive Race straight afterwards, and cancelled the Sommet the next day, and ordered a Strive.
Sommet felt like you were sitting on top of the bike and very cramped, whereas the Strive felt like it was an extension of your body.
The Strive came in 1 week.
I notice the Sommet CR has gone past its original delivery date.
Has to make a warranty claim on my last Canyon, and it got dealt with quickly and efficiently.

I've got a aluminium strive, I'm very happy with how it rides, but that's quite personal. What I can add is that tbe customer service has been excellent.....in France where I live. The 2 times I've spoken to the uk distribution guys it's been terrible. I. On my 3rd sharpshooter, which sounds bad, but the bike defaults to 160mm dh mode and its really not that bad to ride about like that while you wait the couple weeks for the new unit to arrive.
As for mechanical hangers, you don't pay 30euro let alone 30sterling here posted, but for sure add a couple when you buy the bike as spare!

I know three people with Capra AL1's
No issues at all in terms of components etc. yet. They really rate them.

Aren't the hangers Syntace X12 ones? If so Cotic sell them for £15 including postage as the fit Rocket frames

The Capra would shade it for me but be prepared to lose it for a while if it has to go back. I've heard too much noise about reliability of the shape-shifter on the Strive, along with poor response times and delayed delivery to go Canyon.

Personally, I'd demo the Capra and understand if it really is the all-rounder it professes to be - lots of "it's a tank" stories - and it actually fits.

I'd also recommend looking at the Rose Uncle Jimbo. Not carbon but spec it right and it's light, plus a UK rep of a family run biz.

thread revival....

thinking of treating myself to a bigger, newer bike. pretty much narrowed it down to either of these two or a Noamd/Bronson.

anyone have anything more to say on this...? or to those that were buying, any updates with regards to reliability and/or customer service....?

cheers

Very happy Strive owner here. Use it for pretty much everything from XC/exploring (it's faster cross country than my old P7) to uplift days. Delivery was really quick and no reliability issues to date (18 months). In fairness though, one of my mates has a Capra, and he's been pretty damn impressed with that too. Don't think you'd go far wrong with either

My mate has just cracked his 3rd Capra and its looking far from certain they will warranty it. £1000 for a crash replacement frame if they won't warranty it....

I have a Capra and a spectral 29.

I'd struggle to justify the extra 2k (at least) for a Santa Cruz. Spectral is currently in b+ guise, but also love it in 29er mode. Capra is a beast, does what it says on the tin, lyriks are fab, as is the monarch after dropping a 200 quid Avalanche upgrade into it. It's not as good as my old yeti sb66, but it cost the same for the full bike as my yeti did for the frame.

Never again will I spend so much on a frame.....

On,y reason I didn't buy a strive was the lead time, and was keen not to have two canyons....