Review: YT's All-New Izzo Trail Bike

The Izzo is a 130mm travel, relatively lightweight trail bike with 29” wheels envisaged for riders looking to embrace the uphill as much as the downhill. Teetering on the lower end of 12kg to 13kg, depending on spec, with my test bike selling for $5,299 USD / €5,299.

In German, “Das ist so“ is a confirming statement meaning “That’s the way it is.“ Often shortened to “Is' so” and pronounced with a bit of Japanese flair, the Izzo had a name fitting to the roots of the brand and the Japanese story and marketing campaign that YT would use to show off their new creation.

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Construction and Features

Easiest to spot is the layout change that the Izzo has. Given the concept of appealing to the non-goggle crowd and bringing more enjoyment to the ups and traverses, the drivers behind the Izzo project were different from that of the other bikes in their line. Weight gained more, well, weighting in the criteria, but so too did having good stiffness at that low weight. And while the Izzo has the least travel of any YT bike, suspension performance was also high on the list. Smaller drivers, like better hydration possibilities, also played a role in driving the frame layout change.




Shorter link lengths with less overlap help reduce the amount of material between pivot or load points, and opening up the front triangle gives more space for a larger water bottle on all sizes for the thirsty work of being on the gas pedal more often.

The Izzo's front triangle, chainstays, and seat stay are all constructed from carbon fiber, while the compact link is made from two separate forgings of aluminum welded together in the center of its bridge. All Izzo models share the same lightweight frame.




Inside that tiny link is a small 4mm long flip-chip, allowing you to switch between a low and high mode. There’s a 0.5-degree change in head and seat angle and a 5mm change in bottom bracket height, along with some other changes to the likes of reach and chainstay length.

It uses single-sided hardware that houses the threads directly in the link to allow for narrower packaging around your legs while still being easy to access, and it keeps the drive-side of the bike looking clean. The rest of the hardware remains easy to access and, around the main pivot, it doubles up its duties by guiding the cables from the front triangle to the rear of the bike.

All cable routing is internal, with split bolt-on guides at the head tube and rubber grommets around the rest of the frame where the cables enter and exit.

The shock is now mounted vertically in the frame and puts all those loads down towards the bottom bracket, an area that needed to be strong and stiff anyway. That frees up the tubes of the bike to simply be tubes, requiring less reinforcement and so material.




The boxy bottom bracket area handles those loads but almost looks a little out of place on the bike in such close proximity to the slender and sharp top tube and rear triangle. As the bottom bracket builds up to the lower shock mount, it does create a bit of a collection hot-spot for debris and mud. YT included a drain hole on the side for any water that gets trapped in there. YT also opted for a standard eyelet shock, forgoing the shorter eye-to-eye trunnion option, stating, quite politely, that it didn’t offer any performance advantages, and they could achieve the desired packaging with the standard eyelet shock.

That 210 x 55mm shock is also fitted with a remote lockout. Situated at the handlebar is the RockShox Sprint lockout with a Grip Shift-like twist action and a button for release.

There’s also a PressFit 92mm bottom bracket, and Boost hub and chainring spacing. Out back, there’s 82mm of tire clearance on the seat stays and 79mm on the chainstays. The specced Maxxis Forecasters measure up at 60mm wide on the 30mm (internal) DT rims, giving just over 9mm of tire clearance and allowing space for meatier rubber to be used if that’s your thing.




Brakes are post-mount 160 front and rear, although the bike does come specced with a larger 180mm rotor at the back and a 200mm at the front. YT uses its own seat clamp with some additional sealing around the 31.6mm post. Frame protection is found all over, with a dual-density chainstay protector and a single-density version for the seat stay. There’s also clear stick-on frame protection on the lower part of the down tube and around high-wear areas, like out at the end of the chainstays.

On the underside of the top tube is a two-bolt mount for a gear strap, and YT uses their own Fidlock mounted bottle, aptly named the Thirstmaster, with two versions available that offer 600ml and 835ml capacity.

The overall design of the Izzo follows that Katana sword idea, with sharp detailing on the top tube that carries all the way down the seat stay. In my eyes, it is a lovely looking little bike. That continuous design line from the head tube to drop out also drives a low standover.

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Geometry & Sizing

The Izzo is available in five sizes from S to XXL, with all sizes on 29” wheels. The geometry of the Izzo is designed around a 60mm stem and 760mm wide handlebar. There’s a fixed seat angle for all the sizes, but the chainstay length does grow 5mm for the largest XL and XXL sizes. Although, when I got the measuring tape out, on our L size test bike the chainstay length was longer than stated at 436mm.




The flip-chip in the link alters the head and seat angles by 0.5° and changes the bottom bracket height by 5mm. But not stated in the geometry table is that chips effect the rest of the geometry, likely to avoid too much confusion. Moving from Low position to High, the top tube and reach grow by 8mm, and the stack reduces by 6mm. The chainstay length also reduces by 2.5mm. Measured bottom bracket height with the Maxxis Forecasters is 331mm, lower than quoted, but does play ball with the 175mm cranks quite well. The rest measures up true to the geometry table.

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Suspension Design



As mentioned, the layout change of the Izzo is the most striking difference comparing to other YT bikes. It’s still a four-bar system with a Horst Link, but now with that compact rocker link actuating the shock from above rather than behind.

Sadly, I don’t own a 3D scanner, so I had to resort to old school measuring to get an idea of suspension characteristics. The Izzo has around 37-percent progression starting at around a 3.1 leverage ratio with a fairly smooth change all through travel. That’s quite a bit of progression for such a short travel bike but fits in with the rest of YT's line of suspension design.

Anti-squat with a 32-tooth chainring for the size-large we rode is hovering around 100-percent in all cassette gears, with the 50-tooth cog having less drop as you go to the end of travel. Even in the 10-tooth cog where the drop is most prominent, the anti-squat level never drops below 60-percent. Anti-rise goes between 45-percent and 60-percent with, again, a smooth change all the way. Pedal kickback doesn’t exceed around 27-degrees in the 32/50 combination.

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One point to note is getting the Grip Shift-style lockout in a good position. It’s better to run the lockout protrusion under the brake, allowing the release button on the lockout not to be covered by the dropper lever. It’s also worth noting that the barrel uses a smaller diameter grip, and you should ensure that the two aren’t slammed together, hindering the lockout from spinning back when released. Run them with a small gap to keep the lockout spinning free.

Getting a preferred lower bar height out of the box could be tricky if you’re picky about that. The large Across headset top cap takes the place of any spacers, and the fork steerer is cut to fit exactly that length. If you like to play around with cockpit height, then you’d need a new top cap and some stem spacers.

Champéry is best known for its seriously steep trails, but hiding away up the valley are a bunch of lovely singletracks that are better suited to trail and enduro bikes. Keen to not only ride it on one style of terrain, I also took the Izzo to the trails around the cities of Thun and Fribourg to see how it handled more man-made bermed and jump trails of Thun and the endless network of trails around Fribourg that dodge, dip, dive, duck and do more dodging around trees.




The little Izzo did initially pose some chin-scratching about its true purpose in life. Its lightweight nature, skinny tires, and lockout point it more at a modern cross-country bike. But then the four-piston brakes, big rotors, and 130mm travel maybe hint at something looking for more downs.

Designed around a 60mm stem and 760mm handlebar, the seated fit of the Izzo can feel a bit stretched out and if you prefer a more upright pedaling position. Something that initially caught me out was the lockout. Up until the Izzo, I had always had bikes that had their shocks rest in the open position. You’d then push a lever on the bars to lock out the shock and another to release and spring the shock back to open.

On the Izzo, it’s the reverse. The shock rests in the locked position, so you need to twist the lockout to open the shock. Pushing the button releases the tension and sent the shock back to locked. I can’t say this is something that I just got used to with time, as to open the shock up you have to take your finger off the brake and do quite a big wrist movement to get your hand back in the right place and ready for the down.

The extra-capacity bottle is lovely for long rides, but my god does it rattle around. It never once fell off, but constantly gave you the feeling it was about to. The recessed Fidlock mount on the down tube allows the bottle to constantly hit the frame, too, and it leaves a mark after enough time. Also, that strong design line flowing along the top tube, mimicking the shape of a Katana sword, is one of the main design features on the Izzo. While looking pretty, it is a sharp edge to have in an area around your legs and knees in particular. During testing, I had nothing but dry trails and so didn’t get to test the bike in all-out sicky slop, but no doubt that sharp edge would struggle to keep its paint after months of winter riding. And with this bike aimed at the no kneepad crowd, their knees might not love it.

Climbing

That slightly stretched out seated position does feel a tad dated compared to a lot of current trail bikes with steeper actual seat tube angles. Moving the seat forward does help, but you should pay attention to the geometry if you’ve got extra-long legs and need to run your seat high. The spec of the Izzo is definitely a lot more focussed on the climbs than anything YT has done before. Comparing to an animal it, definitely climbs like a rat up a drain pipe.

The carbon DT Swiss wheels and light tires mean it accelerates wonderfully and wastes minimal energy, and that ability to climb and cover ground at the rate it does is a bit addictive.




The lockout gives a very firm feel to the suspension and is almost only for tarmac or the smoothest sections of the trail. On bumpy climbs, it’s better to keep it open and let the suspension work to keep the tire in contact with the ground. The leverage ratio and anti-squat do a great job of supporting you without the lockout, and it’s only when you ride through bigger compressions or into large steps in the trail that the Izzo tends to use a bit too much of its travel. That lag, especially on steeper, more technical climbs, can suck a bit of your speed away.

For those situations, an in-between mode on the lockout could have been handy to have enough suppleness to absorb impacts while giving just a touch more support.




It never needs much body language or effort to get it around steep, tight turns or up and over steps or roots in a climb. YT said they wanted a bike that relished the ups as much as the downs, and it really feels like that's the case with the Izzo. It's a touch more contemporary in its climbing than most of the other modern trail bikes out there, with their focus a little more on the descents. With YT already having the Jeffsy, perhaps it gave them the option to approach the Izzo with a more lightweight, XC flavor.

Its ability to climb, traverse, and cover ground is its shining characteristic. And for those trails where it’s a constant, unrelenting series of ups and arounds, the Izzo's peppy spirit makes you want to push a bit harder on the pedals or head around to do the loop just one more time.

Descending

With the sliding scale of the Izzo leaning towards the modern cross-country side of things, it’s no surprise that for flat-out descending the bike performs a bit better if you turn the speed down a notch. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but if you’re used to flying into descents or technical sections of trails with a death-grip on longer-travel bikes, then you might get a bit of surprise. Some modern trail bikes swing more for the descents and can feel like they have capabilities greater than the travel number suggests. The Izzo feels like a 130mm bike, and never more than that.




The fork comes with zero volume spacers installed, which could lead you to just increasing air pressure to get more support deeper in the travel if you need it. Throwing in a few tokens helps out a lot, and it lets you run a softer setup for more grip. The bike works best with that kind of setup rather than being all-out firm. The shock comes with a 0.2ml spacer, and not once did I get a hard bottom-out, likely due to the bucket loads of progression that the suspension system has.

In really chunky technical terrain, it can get thrown around a bit, but bringing the speed down just a touch lets the bike pick its way through much better.

Having ridden Maxxis' Forecaster tires before, I knew the level of grip they offer. And for the trails around Champéry and Thun, I had to swap out the front tire to a Schwalbe Magic Mary Snake Skin. With the gradient being a bit steeper and with the 200mm front rotor, you could easily overpower the front Forecaster and have some sketchy moments. With the Magic Mary measuring in at 62mm, it’s entirely possible to run it in the back, too, if you ever feel the need. Despite that ample clearance, you can still hear the tire buzzing the inside of the chainstays if you really throw it into a big, supportive corner.




For the trails around Fribourg, where it’s more undulating than one big up and one big down, the Forecaster is a great tire. And that’s really where the little Izzo started to make sense. Around those steeper home trails, with one big climb to the top and one big descent, the Izzo felt at the limit of its comfort zone. It coped with everything on the downs, but it always felt like it was just surviving rather than letting you really attack and push.

But once it got to those forest trails that zig-zag in loops, it really becomes such a bundle of fun to ride. That ground-covering nature comes through on the downs, and you can play around with the bike, throw it from corner to corner, and pick it up over bumps and obstacles.

It would be a great companion for long tours out in the Alps, just as long as you’re not setting the trail alight on the way down. It’s low weight and ability to get from point A to B quickly are going to help you get to the mountain hut in time for dinner.

Maintenance

The YT is generally easy to work on. To do a complete strip down needs 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8mm hex keys, and T15 and T25 Torx. All the torque values are on the hardware, and the rest of the components are also easy to work on and use. All the pivots on the Izzo have additional sealed spacers that can be a bit fiddly to assemble, so using grease helps them stick in place while you work on the bike. But they do a stellar job of keeping the muck and water out of your bearings.






The sealed seat clamp is a nice touch, but the slot in the seat tube faces the rear so it can still let a bit of dirt inside the frame. There’s also a lot of clear frame protection in high-wear areas, although the down tube protector covers the bottom bracket drain hole, so the frame can fill up with water after washing. Poking a hole in it to let the drain hole works as advised.

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How Does It Compare?


As a comparison to the Izzo, I have my personal 2017 Scott Spark Plus fitted with 29" wheels and a 130mm fork that makes a good comparison with the Izzo given its intentions.

Both bikes approach the trail segment with a more modern cross-country flavor rather than coming from the opposing enduro bike end. Both bikes cover ground and climb well, too. But, interestingly, there are three years between them and the seating position between the two feels remarkably similar. I’m really a fan of steeper seat angles and, for me, the comfort they bring when climbing or pushing hard on the pedals for long periods. Perhaps YT could have gone steeper with the Izzo, but at least it can be remedied by running the seat further forwards.

For technical descending, however, my Spark beats the Izzo. Coming from a more downhill background, I was constantly fighting thoughts to swap out the stem and handlebar to up the descending capabilities of the Izzo without sacrificing too much of that addictive ground-covering character it has. This is exactly what I did on my Spark, with grippier tires, a longer fork, a wider handlebar, and a shorter stem. Now, this isn’t inexpensive, but those modifications could be done at a relatively small cost, and the Izzo could become a bit more focussed on the downs without ruining its character everywhere else. Hell, there’s even a standard headset so you could slacken it out if you really like tinkering.

Essentially, the Izzo is more focussed on the ground-covering and comes in a spec that reflects that. But it also offers an excellent platform to adapt it with some more gravity-orientated components to change it up a bit, without pushing it into the territory of the Jeffsy. You could even go the other way and make it even more lightweight focussed.

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Technical Report

Fox suspension: Easy to setup, easy to maintain, and great performance all the time. The 34 is a good fit for how YT has specced the bike, and the lockout will make sense to many people. Although, for me, it works the wrong way around.

Maxxis Forecaster tires : When the going gets steep, they aren’t the best, but for razzing around a forest, they’re more grippy and predictable than their scantily knob clad exterior would suggest. If you take them out into the rocky, chunky mountains, you’d need to raise the pressure but, for where they’re intended, I had no flats and minimal burping.

SRAM G2 brakes: On everything but the steepest and most prolonged descents, they work well with a good chunk of power and feel. But as soon as you start to overheat them, they change character to something a bit spongey and with less bite. The brake power is good, but in some really loose, low-traction situations, the big front rotor and Forecaster can get a bit overpowered.

SRAM X01 Eagle drivetrain: With a few of the other bikes I have on test right now running Shimano XT and XTR 12-speed, the SRAM isn’t quite as good when you need to shift under heavy load, but this is real nitpicking.

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Pinkbike's Take

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Posted In:
Reviews and Tech Reviews Trail Bikes YT Industries Yt Izzo