New YT Izzo is a 130mm travel trail bike 29er that’s designed to be fast, light and agile. Full carbon frame keeps the weight low.

>>> MBR Trail Bike of the Year 2020

YT Izzo need to know

•  130mm travel trail bike 29er designed to be fast, light and agile
• All models get Fox 34 suspension forks and Float DPS shocks
• Reconfigured V4L Virtual 4-Link suspension places shock inline with seat tube
• Lock out the shock in the blink of an eye with the RockShox TwistLoc Sprint remote
• Upgraded bearing quality and improved sealing reduce service intervals

YT Izzo Launch Edition £5,699

Izzo Launch Edition £5,699: With a limited run of 150 bikes in Europe and USA, the Launch Edition is going to be a hot ticket. To celebrate the Izzo’s introduction the top-end specification includes a wireless SRAM AXS drivetrain and RockShox Reverb AXS dropper.

Izzo Pro Race £4,599: This is the second-tier bike in the Izzo range, not that you would know by simply looking at it. Fox Factory level suspension and a Transfer post add a touch of Kashima bling, while the DT Swiss XMC 1200 Spline carbon wheels keep the weight down.

Izzo Pro £3,499: With the Pro mode YT switches things up a little. You still get the full carbon frame, but murdered-out black Fox Performance Elite suspension components replace the Factory parts of the Pro Race. The carbon hoops are also swapped for aluminium.

Izzo Comp £2,599: The entry point to the four strong Izzo range. The Izzo Comp retains the carbon frame, Fox Float Performance Elite shock and SRAM TwistLoc Sprint remote from the Pro model, but the Fox 34 fork is downgraded to the Rhythm version.

Look familiar?

Now, I know what you’re probably thinking. Izzo doesn’t look anything like his kinfolk. And, if anything, Izzo could easily pass as a brother from another mother.

That mother being the Scott Spark. Scott was one of the first brands to flip the shock on its head, which in turn allowed the cable connecting the shock to the bar-mounted remote to run seamlessly inside of the downtube. The Izzo is no different, even if the RockShox Twistloc Sprint remote is only hardwired to the shock.

The inverted shock configuration obviously has no impact on the function of the 130mm suspension, but it does offer an additional design advantage; namely that the upper link can be streamlined so it is less likely to knock on knees or catch shorts. And this is of critical importance to the Izzo design, because YT has elevated the linkage and shock to get the seat stays to run seamlessly in to the top tube. It’s also what gives the top tube of the Izzo its signature Samurai sword profile.

And just like a Samurai sword, Izzo has been designed to be fast, agile and sharp. Unlike the sword however, Izzo isn’t forged from finest Japanese steel. Instead, YT had employed a light-weight carbon frame construction, where only the one-piece upper link is forged from aluminium. The specification of this 130mm trail bike is sharply focused on weight saving too, the Fox 34 fork and inline Float DPS shock, slicing off precious grams. Even the EXO casing 2.3in Maxxis Forekaster tyres help tip the scales towards the lighter end of the trail segment. The end result is that our size L Izzo Pro test bike weighs a scant 12.68kg (27.95lb), and that’s with the new Thirstmaster 5000 (835ml) bottle fitted.

So Izzo is a trail bike through and through, and given the specification it is clear that it has not been designed to serve double-duty as a lightweight enduro rig. After all, YT already has the YT Jeffsy in its armoury for that. Big days in the saddle where you earn your turns are the Izzo’s forte. Light enough to cut through flowing singletrack, but with numbers that should give you the confidence to rip on any trail.

And while we didn’t get the chance to throw a leg over the Izzo before the Covid-19 lockdown hit, we did get to run a tape measure over it. And the geometry is pretty progressive for a 130mm travel bike. The bike has a flip-chip in the shock link even though it’s been designed strictly as a 29er. In the low geometry setting the head angle measures a slack 65.9°and the wheelbase a generous a 1,212mm. YT retains the size-specific chainstay lengths first introduced on the Jeffsy. Small to large frames get 432mm stays, the XL and XXL both growing by 5mm to 437mm to help balance handling with the longer front ends.

And the front ends on YT’s latest bike have grown considerably, the XXL Izzo boasting a 513mm reach. Moving back to the centre of the bell curve, the size L is progressive without being radical, where the 60mm stem and 472mm reach should offer a good fit for anyone around 5ft 10in tall.

And for once, our measured geometry actually matched YT’s numbers very closely. Yes, the 334mm BB height in the low setting doesn’t sound that low, especially for a 130mm bike. However, it is in keeping with other YT bikes we’ve tested, so it shouldn’t be an issue as the progressive nature of YT’s suspension means you typically run a little more sag that normal.

YT has also worked on making maintenance and servicing of the Izzo that little bit easier, adopting extra sealing and higher quality bearing in all the suspension pivots. And, if the pivot bearings ever need servicing or replacing, all of the hardware can be removed from one side of the frame.

So even though the layout of the suspension has changed, dig a little deeper and the Izzo shares the same DNA as the Jeffsy, YT Capra and Tues. All are progressive in nature with the Izzo having a slightly more constant anti-squat curve, so it should still pedal well on the steepest climbs, even with the shock in the open setting.

And it is YT’s underlying suspension DNA that should give the Izzo its own distinct personality as a short-travel ripper. We’ll bring you a detailed review as soon as we can.