Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Germany’s YT Industries just released the all-new Szepter gravel bike, which inherits many shreddy characteristics from their mountain bike line-up. Get a first look at the brand’s first progressive drop-bar design here…
German mountain bike brand YT Industries just made their first inroads into the drop-bar segment with the release of their all-new Szepter gravel bike, and they’re not shy about touting its terrain-conquering nature. The carbon fiber frame with dropped chainstays is clearly molded after their well-respected downhill machines. The Rockshox 40mm suspension fork will dampen small hits, and the relatively slack 69° headtube and short seat tube for oodles of dropper post travel promise extra confidence over challenging terrain and navigating technical descents. In the end, though, the progressive features are reigned in by the limited grip of the stock 700C x 42mm WTB Resolute tires, which are at odds with the so-called gravity-inspired design.
A couple of interesting details are built into the frame, like what appears to be a modular mounting plate on the downtube for regular bottle cages or Fidlock magnetic bottle mounts, short fenders front and rear that protect the frame (though not the rider) from rocks and grime, and additional bottle mounts in the triangle that could come in handy for a bolt-on full frame bag.
The Szepter is available in two build levels, both draped in SRAM XPLR components. The premium Core 4 comes in the Machine Grey colorway and features the RockShox Rudy Ultimate suspension fork and the SRAM Force XPLR 12-speed groupset, including the RockShox Reverb AXS XPLR dropper post, and rolls on WTB Proterra Light i23 wheels with the aforementioned 42mm WTB Resolute tires. The lower-spec Core 3 in the unfortunately named Assault Green follows suit with the RockShox Rudy XPLR fork, SRAM Rival XPLR AXS groupset, and WTB Speedterra i23 wheels.
Watch the high-energy promo video shredding with the Szepter around Berlin below:
The YT Szepter is available now, with the Core 4 coming in at €4,499 and the Core 3 at €3,299. You can find all the details and more photos over at YT-Industries.com.
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