First Look | The New IZZO CF Is YT’s Lightest Ever Mountain Bike

YT Industries has just announced a new full suspension mountain bike, and it’s called the IZZO. No, not the American singer/rapper Lizzo. Also not the shortened Australian slang term for ‘isolation’. Instead, the YT IZZO is a bike with a shouty name, which seems to be all the rage these days. And as well as being a brand new model for the German direct-to-consumer brand, it’s also the lightest full suspension bike that YT has ever offered.

yt izzo cf
The IZZO CF is a brand new mountain bike from YT Industries.

What Kinda Bike Is The YT IZZO?

YT’s full suspension lineup is already home to two very popular models; the Capra (180/170mm) and Jeffsy (160/150mm), which are offered in both 27.5in and 29in variants. Over the past couple of years however, those bikes have grown notably bigger, both in terms of suspension travel and geometry. With the enlargement of the Capra, and particularly the Jeffsy, that’s opened up a bit of a void in the range. And this is where the IZZO comes in.

Featuring 130mm of travel and 29in wheels, the YT IZZO is pitched as an efficient and lightweight trail bike that’s designed to thrive on the climbs just as much as it does on the descents.

2020 yt industries izzo cf launch edition
The YT IZZO is a 130mm travel trail bike that uses a different layout to the existing Capra & Jeffsy models. We think it looks very sharp indeed.

Flipped Shock

The YT IZZO is built around a carbon fibre frame (and carbon fibre only) that features a four-bar suspension layout. Unlike the Capra and Jeffsy, the rear shock is positioned upside down and vertically in front of the seat tube. This sees the widest part of the shock body anchored in a carbon fibre pocket above the crankset, which isn’t too dissimilar to what you’d see on a Scott Genius. It gives the lower portion of the frame look a very stout and overbuilt appearance.

The overall layout is much sleeker than YT’s other full suspension bikes, and it allows for plenty of clearance in the front triangle for a water bottle. You can either fit a regular bolt-on cage, or YT’s integrated ‘Thirstmaster’ bottle that uses the FID LOCK magnetic clasp system. There are both 600ml and 835ml options.

yt izzo cf
The remote-activated rear shock is flipped upside down and anchors into a large pocket between the downtube and seat tube.

Flippable Geometry

An offset chip in the upper shock mount allows for high and low geometry positions. This chip drops the BB height by 5mm and slackens the head and seat angles by half a degree.

Being more of a pure trail bike, the IZZO hasn’t gone super slack on its 66/66.5° head angle, though the reach is pretty generous (450mm on a Medium), and the seat angle is quite steep at 77/77.5°.

Also nice to see is a full size range from Small through to a XX-Large, and that YT is using two different chainstay lengths: 432mm on the smaller sizes and 437mm on the larger sizes.

yt izzo cf geometry
2020 YT IZZO Frame Geometry

And Just How Light Is It?

YT hasn’t disclosed a frame weight as of yet, so we don’t know. What we do know is that the complete bikes are very light, with the top-end IZZO CF Launch Edition model coming in at just 12.0kg (claimed). At the other end of the scale is the cheapest IZZO  CF Comp claimed to weigh 13.2kg. Not bad at all for a 130mm trail bike.

To get the weight down, YT has spec’d lightweight trail tyres and rims on each IZZO CF model. On the pricier options, you’ll also get a carbon handlebar, carbon rims, and carbon crank arms. Schwing!

Regardless of price, all IZZO CF models will come with a Fox Float DPS shock and a RockShox TwistLoc remote lockout. Up front is a 130mm travel Fox 34 Float fork, 760mm wide riserbars and a 50-60mm long stem. Of note is that YT isn’t spec’ing any Shimano components on any of the four models – it’s a SRAM Eagle 1×12 drivetrain and G2 brakes for all of them.

yt izzo cf
The IZZO is equipped with a Fox 34 Float fork, lightweight trail tyres and 760mm wide bars.

Will The YT IZZO Be Available In Australia?

Below we’ve listed the full specs for all four models and Euro pricing, though we’re still waiting to confirm Aussie pricing and availability since YT is due to establish a new distribution partner soon. Here’s the official word straight from the horse’s mouth:

“YT is in contract negotiations with a new business partner for the Australian market. However, the Coronavirus pandemic has led to delays. We are confident though that the negotiations will be completed and expect to bring our whole portfolio to Australian mountain bikers again soon.”

So there you go – stay tuned for an update coming soon!

yt industries izzo launch edition
There are only 150 Launch Edition models available worldwide.

2020 YT IZZO CF Launch Edition

yt izzo cf pro race
The IZZO CF Pro Race skips the electronic dropper and gears to bring the price down significantly.

2020 YT IZZO CF Pro Race

yt izzo cf pro
With DT Swiss wheels, a SRAM GX Eagle groupset and Fox Performance Elite suspension, the IZZO CF Pro has less bling for a lot less dollars.

2020 YT IZZO CF Pro

yt izzo cf comp
The CF Comp gets the same carbon fibre frame as the top-end models, along with a remote lockout rear shock and a 1×12 SRAM drivetrain.

2020 YT IZZO CF Comp

yt izzo cf
YT has built the IZZO as a pure trail bike that’s designed just as much for the climbs as it is for the descents.
yt industries izzo cf
Iso on the IZZO.

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