Gravity-focused mountain bike brand, YT Industries has launched its first gravel bike today, the Szepter, which represents the brand’s first steps into the gravel world.
The Szepter is designed to be an all-round gravel bike, but with a gravity influence per the brand’s core, this is reflected most clearly in the component choices and specification of the bike.
YT claims the Szepter is built to be ridden fast on all types of terrain and will inject extra fun into gravel and off-road riding, on-road commuting and everything in between. The Szepter is designed to provide a bridge for road riders and mountain bikers alike to extend their riding in all conditions, year-round.
We had the chance to spend some time with the bike prior to its launch, so head over to our YT Szepter review to read what we think.
YT has taken advantage and embraced the slew of gravel-focused componentry now offered by SRAM with its XPLR AXS groupsets being specced on both Szepter models. As well as gravel-specific suspension offerings which didn’t exist a few years ago in the shape of the RockShox Rudy gravel-specific suspension fork and RockShox’s Reverb AXS XPLR dropper post.
The Szepter frame is constructed from Ultra Modulus carbon fibre, weighing in at a claimed 1400g for a Size L frame, and has an ASTM level 3 classification which means the frame meets an international usage standard and means it’s suitable for: “rough trails, rough unpaved roads, and rough terrain and unimproved trails that require technical skills,” as well as jumps up to 61cm.
It has a 69.4-degree head tube angle (bar the small, where it’s 69.3 degrees) and comes with a RockShox Rudy suspension fork with 40mm of travel and 50mm offset. The seat tube angle is set at 74.3 degrees. Dropped seatstays are also a feature of the frame design.
It will be available in two spec concepts: the Core 3 and the top-spec Core 4 model. The bikes share the same SRAM XPLR AXS gear ratios, each with a 38-tooth chainring being fitted to the crankset and a 10-44t cassette out back. Crank arm length is model-size dependent with small bikes being fitted with 170mm cranks, medium to large sizes getting 172.5mm and XL-XXL given 175mm crank arms.
YT has included some utility features in the Szepter’s design, including integrated front and rear fenders to keep the dirt and mud at bay. The RockShox Rudy fork can be fitted with a mudguard, but YT has designed its own…
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