It’s taken over five years but at long last YT has a new version of the Decoy, which I reckon is still one of the best electric mountain bikes out there. The new Decoy SN is a little different though, it’s driven by arguably the best mid-power motor, Fazua’s Ride 60, and YT has dubbed it the Super Natural to describe its handling characteristics.

YT was careful to avoid the LT moniker with the new Decoy SN then, perhaps because it’s one of the chunkiest lightweight electric mountain bikes we’ve tested, at 20.6kg in size small in the top end build. Instead of pushing for an ultra-lightweight design, a trap plenty of brands have fallen into, YT has almost gone the other way and built the bike to thrill on the descents. You can read all about whether it achieved this noble goal or not in Danny’s review of the Decoy SN Core 4.

YT reckons the new Decoy is supernatural, but there’s definitely a ton of great science behind it

YT Decoy SN need to know

• Full carbon frame with MX wheels and 160mm travel, with 170mm fork
• Fazua Ride 60 motor puts out 60Nm torque, 450W peak power, 430Wh battery
• YT says the Decoy SN weighs 20.6kg in size Small
• V4L horst linkage suspension design, 38mm stanchion forks and gravity shocks
• New sizing, bikes grown 15mm in reach over the old full-power Decoy
• Geometry is updated, with slack head angle and steeper seat tube angle
• Three models in the range, from Core 2 at £6,499, to Core 4 costing £8,499
• YT Decoy SN Core 3 is £7,499 and gets new SRAM S1000 wireless Transmission

The Decoy gets a full carbon frame, and while the suspension layout hasn’t changed there’s more room in the front triangle thanks to a smaller battery and motor

What’s the Decoy SN for?

This is a bike built for going downhill, with the motor there to shuttle you back to the top again. That makes the Fazua motor a great choice for its high power to weight ratio then.

The gravity ambitions of this bike are plain to see, starting with 160mm travel (just 5mm less than the full-power Decoy) and a 170mm fork. The suspension design will be very familiar to Decoy riders too, YT has gone with its V4L horst linkage setup. There’s now space for a full size waterbottle now though, rather than YT’s custom stubby design, thanks to a higher shock position that’s closer to the top tube, and a smaller motor below.

Core 4 model gets a Fox coil shock, as well as the latest Grip X2 damper in its 38 fork

The components are pretty aggressive too, the top-end Core 4 bike comes with a DHX2 coil shock and a Fox 38 fork, while the lower-tiered bikes get similarly heft forks and air-sprung shocks.

Better geometry and bigger sizing

Sizing on the full power Decoy isn’t large, so YT has taken this new bike as an opportunity to grow the frame. It sticks with five sizes, S-XXL, but the reach measurements have increased by around 25mm on all sizes. This means bikes come with anything from a 435mm reach right up to 515mm in the size XXL (which tops out at 489mm in the Decoy).

Geometry and sizing has grown up on the Decoy SN, with the exception of the chainstays, which stay at 442mm across all sizes

The chainstays are unchanged from the full power bike, but the Decoy SN gets a much longer wheelbase with some 25mm more between the two wheels. To help keep riders in the best position for climbing, YT has also steepened up the seat angle by three degrees too. And the headangle has been slackened by half a degree, just to be on the safe size, with 63.9° now the claimed figure in the slack position, thanks to a flip chip.

YT has built the flip chip into its lower shock mount, while there are also gear mounts under the top tube

First ride impressions

Danny got the chance to ride the new YT Decoy SN MX Core 4 CF in Austria recently, and here are a few of his first impressions. Read his full first ride review of the Decoy SN here.

“If a good enduro bike has to be an absolute weapon on steep, gnarly tracks and long, fast singletrack descents, then the YT Decoy SN sticks a massive tick in both those boxes. It feels Panzer-tough, whether slamming into rock slabs or overshooting landings. But there’s a fine balance between the axles, and a lightness of touch that makes it beautifully dextrous. This is no plough; it’s impossible not to schralp turns, throw shapes, and seek out side hits on this thing. Then, reach the bottom, and the Fazua motor has just enough power and torque to satisfy the urge for another lap. My pick? Go for the Core 3 as the RockShox Zeb fork and Vivid Air shock is a match made in heaven.”

“It feels Panzer-tough, whether slamming into rock slabs or overshooting landings”

Frame details

Just as on the Decoy, the Decoy SN gets a flip chip to adjust the bike’s geometry, raising the bottom bracket by just 4mm, and adjusting the head angle by 0.3°.

YT’s added some nice touches to the bike, with a bolt-on skid plate to protect the motor, and accessory mounts under the toptube.

Decoy SN Core 4 costs £8,499 and is top of the range, complete with SRAM GX Transmission and Conti Kryptotal tyres

Bikes in the range

Decoy SN Core 4 £8,499 ($8,499, €8,499)

Top of the pile is the Core 4, it comes with a 38 Factory fork and the latest Fox Grip X2 four-way adjustable damper inside. A Fox DHX2 coil shock slots into the rear. The bike gets a SRAM GX Transmission drivetrain, 34T XX chainring, and short 160mm E13 Helix Race cranks. SRAM provides the brakes too, Maven Silver brakes, while Crankbrothers’ X Industry Nine 1/1 wheelset, Continental Kryptotal tyres, and Renthal Apex stem and Fatbar round out the build.

The Core 3 is our pick, it uses the new S1000 wireless shifting from SRAM and RockShox Ultimate suspension

Decoy SN Core 3 £7,499 ($7,499, €7,499.00)

The Core 3 uses the same YT Ultra Modulus carbon fibre, but suspension switches to RockShox with the Zeb fork and Vivid Ultimate shock. That makes it our pick in terms of value for money, the RockShox suspension is brilliant, while the bike with this build is £1,000 less than the top end Core 4. The latest SRAM S1000 transmission drivetrain, TRP DH-R Evo brakes, a Crankbrothers Enduro 2 wheelset, and Title cockpit round out the build.

All bikes in the new Decoy SN range get Continental’s Kryptotal tyres, and a YT Postman dropper

Decoy SN Core 2 £6,499 ($6,499, €6,499)

The entry level Core 2 gets a RockShox Select level Zeb fork and Vivid shock, Shimano SLX drivetrain, DT Swiss H1900 wheels and TRP DH-R Evo brakes.