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Capra 29 as an aggressive trail bike

11K views 25 replies 10 participants last post by  Five0 
#1 · (Edited)
I’m looking for a second bike to go with my 120mm 29. This wouldn’t be my primary ride. It would be used when I need more then 120/130. Looking for a bike to use in Sedona, South Mtn, Moab, St George, Grand Junction Trails like Hiline, THE, Mag7 Capt Ahab, Ribbon, National

I have ridden my current bike on all the above trails and it does “ok”. But I’m getting older and m looking for cush plow bike that will allow me to keep riding tech with a little more ease

I have a lot of money into my 120 bike. So this will be an AL bike. My concerns are, one weight and two pedal efficiency. I know the Horst Linkisn’t the best pedaler. I’m not as concerned about pedal efficiency as I am weight. If it’s gonna be a real long day, I can always use my 120 bike. I’m also concerned about how the Capra will preform in slow tech moves. I don’t ride parks. So not a lot of high speed runs. I can mitigate some of rhe AL weight with other wheels and tires.

Some other questions are if rhe AL with the RS would be better for trail riding then rhe Al Comp with the DX2?

OR... would I be better off waiting for the new Jeffsy to come out in AL and pump the fork to 160mm. I just don’t want two bikes that are close in travel.
 
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#9 ·
I think the Capra does just fine as a trail bike. If you're planning on long days and techy climbing, I'd say out it in the high mode and get a 28t ring. That's currently how my bike is set up and it climbs and descends well. I rode all of last summer in low mode and it was fantastic as well. It just didn't steer as well on flatter trails or slower trails. I put it in high mode in October and was surprised by how much of a better climber it was. I'm still debating which mode to run this year.
 
#2 ·
Dude, you should get a Capra! Sounds like it would be perfect for your intentions, since you have a short travel trail bike already.

I have an AL Jeffsy as my only “trail” bike, and it does that well. If I had a 120mm bike I think the Capra would compliment it much better. Personally I would take the Jeffsy off of your list.

I bet the Capra with a nice wheelset would make you pretty happy.


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#3 ·
Thats kinda what I’m thinking.

I do recall reading that guys where having trouble getting the the suspension dailed in for heavier riders. I’m 210 with gear. I don’t consider that “heavy”. But I guess most suspension are designed around lighter riders
 
#4 ·
Thats kinda what I'm thinking.

I do recall reading that guys where having trouble getting the the suspension dailed in for heavier riders. I'm 210 with gear. I don't consider that "heavy". But I guess most suspension are designed around lighter riders
Capra is an extremely progressive bike, heavier riders benefit from this since we don't have to rely on the shock to make up for the frames lack of support.

Push come the shove, put a coil shock on.

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#6 ·
Do you plan to pedal this bike up National and the other mentioned trails or are you shuttling?

I did own a carbon Capra 29 for a couple months late last year. I'm in Phoenix and ride SoMo a couple times a week. I guess everything is relative, but I don't think the Capra is a trail bike. At all. In any way.

It's big, long, plush and slack. It stands as one of the purely fastest bikes going downhill I've ever ridden. I PRd most of the gnarlier trails on South Mountain on that bike (24th St., Devastator, Holbert, Geronimo, etc.). If we had a bike park or I shuttled more, I would never have sold that bike.

But pedaling it up a big technical mountain destroyed me. I'm not a climbing stud, but I can hold my own.

With so many fantastic bikes in that 140-160 travel 29er space, it's a tough bike for me to recommend unless downhill performance is your sole criteria. If it is, the Capra is hard to beat.
 
#7 ·
That was my concern. Yes I plan to ride up National. It's not local for me. I'm in the NW valley up by Pleasant so I only make it there a few times a year.

Honestly the Price Point is what attracted me to the Capra. Maybe the new Jeffsy when it comes out in AL will be a better option.
 
#8 ·
For the trails you mentioned, and not knowing your budget, you may consider the newest iteration of the Stumpjumper. You can get the alloy model relatively cheap (though it doesn't equate to the build level you'll get at YT), it pedals well and is capable of more radness than you might believe.
 
#11 ·
I have the 2018 base model with no climb switch. I run 30% sag. Some of the trails around me take about 40mins to an hour of climbing to get to the top and I don't have any issues. If I try to mash pedals in an easy gear it bobs. For long sustained climbs I don't notice anything. I will say that I'm in the best cardio shape I've ever been in at 42 years old (started doing triathlons last year). I used to be one of the slowest climbers, but last year I was often leading the climbs and waiting for people to catch up.

That said, the climb switch wouldnt hurt for climbing. Just a matter of if you think it's worth $600usd more.
 
#12 ·
Thanks. That helps a lot. I wont be using this bike for long sustained grind climbs. It will be used more for tech punchy climbs in rocky terrain. Up and down stuff where you don't have time to move switch. . As I mentioned before. This will be my Moab type terrain bike. Up and down stuff where you don't really have time to turn in and off climbing switch. I guess I should have worded my question different and asked how the RS compares to the FOX stuff. I prefer the rest of spec on the AL model
 
#15 ·
I have the CF model that came with full RS suspension. I love my Lyrik. More than my old Fox 36 factory that was on my first Capra 27.5.

I'm about the same weight as you and I did have a problem getting to full travel on my original Super Deluxe due to the progressiveness of the bike. I'm not sure if leaving about 5mm on the table was really that big of an issue though. Anyway, I ended up switching to a Super Deluxe RCT coil in the back and it's been awesome. You can pick one up for probably around $500 bucks or even less.

I've never ridden the trails you mention but there's some pretty tech climbing where I live. The Capra 29 is the only bike I own and although it's not going to be the best climbing bike, it does the job pretty darn well and when you point it downhill, heaven. 95% of the time I'm probably over biked. But man the bike is fast and confidence inspiring. That 5% of the time I need it it's awesome or when I take it to the bike park.
The coil gives it crazy traction and plushness too.

If it were me I'd get the AL and upgrade to a coil in the rear. If you're really worried about the climbs I'd seriously consider waiting for the Jeffsy to come out in AL.
 
#17 ·
Test Ride on YT Capra 29

Not sure if this helps, but I had a blast when I demoed the Capra.

With 170/170 ... lots of capability.

The alloy and lower cost versions have 160/160 travel.

Tire Bicycle tire Wheel Bicycle wheel Bicycle wheel rim


Just rode the 2019 Capra 29 CF Pro Race. This is the top end carbon version. Rode it at the Fruita Fat Tire Festival in western Colorado (festivals are a great way to demo direct seller bikes).

Bottom line, it was a blast.

I'm old (50) and coming off a OTB collarbone break ... so I'm timid. But the bike gave me lots of confidence.

I demoed 8 bikes in this category (for $85 total), and my 3rd favorite for all-around was ... the Capra. It scored #1 in downhill confidence/fun.

Geo is great. 65 head angle = confidence down. 75.5 seat angle = decent climbing (for a big/heavy bike). Long reach and wheelbase create stability.

To see ride footage and my full review, check out this YouTube video:



Happy to answer any questions about it.

Hope this helps.
 
#18 ·
Your post was extremely helpful. Actually the bike will be for my 50th birthday. I still want to ride the big stuff. Just want to plow down in now that I’m older.

Giant is supposed to release a 29 Reign this summer. I’m excited to see what it offers I have had prior Maestro bikes and really like the way they ride

I think it will come down to the Capra and the Reign
 
#21 ·
Test the Jeffsy and the Cap if you can. I have friends on Caps and I ride a Jeffsy. IMO they're not really held back on the climbs and I can hold my own on the downs, so it's really a matter of feel. Honestly, if you plan on pedaling a 160mm Jeffsy will easily handle anything you can throw at it. I was wondering if I should have gone Cap for a while after pulling the trigger, but I'm really glad I went with the Jeff now. It's just so much fun on all the little hits, and I don't go big enough that I feel under biked.
 
#23 ·
FiveO, take my advice with a grain of salt. This was the first time I rode softtails with more than 100 mm in back (and been riding a hardtail last 12 months). So I don;t have a lot to compare (but the 8 bikes I tested that weekend). I'm 210 naked. The back had miminum pedal bob climbing (so firm). It felt "plush" enough on the few troll over/ drops it did ... but there were not many. This trail was more for geo on steep.

I think BunniBoi hit the nail on the head. The new Jeffsy geo is as aggressive as the Capra. Biggest differ is 20 mm of travel (about 10% more).
 
#25 ·
I have the Capra 29 for almost a year now. It is a perfectly capable climber and will happily bounce from park and DH to trail at the flip of the chip.

I do not find the Capra to be a chore to climb at all. I will acknowledge I am fit as hell, but also 47 years old and 210 geared up. I liked the X2 a lot, but went coil and am not turning back.

Re technical maneuvers, not sure if it is style or experience, but again, no issue. I sometimes have to muscle it around a little, but if timing is dialed all good. If timing sucks, just take the tech head on, the bike loves to chew gnar, uphill or down, tight steep switchbacks and all.

Also re Capra vs Jeffsy, the new enduro mag has a comparison of them in the new issue. It is only accessible by the enduro app, it is worth a read. I never rode a jeffsy, but their commentary on the Capra is dead on.

I also have an Ibis Ripley ls, 120 mm bike, while it is a faster climber, it is just a totally different bike. If I had to choose between the two, Capra 29. Every. Day.
 
#26 ·
I have the Capra 29 for almost a year now. It is a perfectly capable climber and will happily bounce from park and DH to trail at the flip of the chip.

I do not find the Capra to be a chore to climb at all. I will acknowledge I am fit as hell, but also 47 years old and 210 geared up. I liked the X2 a lot, but went coil and am not turning back.

Re technical maneuvers, not sure if it is style or experience, but again, no issue. I sometimes have to muscle it around a little, but if timing is dialed all good. If timing sucks, just take the tech head on, the bike loves to chew gnar, uphill or down, tight steep switchbacks and all.

Also re Capra vs Jeffsy, the new enduro mag has a comparison of them in the new issue. It is only accessible by the enduro app, it is worth a read. I never rode a jeffsy, but their commentary on the Capra is dead on.

I also have an Ibis Ripley ls, 120 mm bike, while it is a faster climber, it is just a totally different bike. If I had to choose between the two, Capra 29. Every. Day.
Thanks for the post. You answered quite a few of my questions I will read the enduro article. I did get to spend a little bit of time on my buddies gen 1 Al comp jeffsy. I thought it peddled well. I did fell like I was sitting more upright then on my Niner.
 
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