In the age of the mass migration back to high pivot suspension designs with some UCI Downhill World Cup race bikes boasting more idler wheels than there are days of the week, one design has remained constant; the YT TUES.
The carbon fibre TUES broke cover underneath then-YT MOB employee, Aaron Gwin, back in 2018 and will enter its seventh topflight season being piloted by another great champion, Vali Höll. Höll’s announcement last week that she would be joining the YT MOB felt oddly like smaller news that it actually was. This was largely because the Austrian winning machine had already spent six seasons aboard a YT at the start of her career.
In terms of context, the YT TUES, a bike which won a UCI Downhill World Cup as recently as last summer in Snowshoe, WV, remains virtually unchanged over a period which has seen three derivatives of the venerable Santa Cruz V10 come and go. An equal number of Commencal Supreme’s have evolved within the same timeframe.
It’s an interesting time for the obsessive bike nerds of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series in that there seems to be a quiet parting of the ways between the old alliances of componentry brands amongst many of the factory teams. Amongst the most notable is the fact that Höll’s new TUES race bike will run RockShox suspension whilst her teammates, Oisin O’Callaghan and Sian A’Hern, will be equipped with Fox Racing Shox products. This is thanks to YT’s eclectic ‘Uncaged’ approach that allows team riders to spec whatever components they desire in the pursuit of the perfect set-up. 
Vali’s suspension is a pick of the top-shelf offerings from RockShox; a Boxxer Ultimate fork and a Super Deluxe Ultimate Coil rear shock fitted with a 425lb spring. This is inclusive of a full SRAM suite of componentry for the transmission and brakes. The other two YT MOB machines will be running TRP components. It’s notable that both machines remain identical in spec whilst Vali’s is slightly more bespoke. 
Vali’s bike is sporting an Ochain active spider, the brainchild of Italy’s Fabrizio Dragoni. It’s a component inspired by Aaron Gwin’s chainless win in Leogang 2015 and is designed to eliminate the chains influence on suspension performance. This is another feature that O’Callaghan and A’Hern don’t seem to have ticked the box for. Interestingly, it’s not a carry over from her Trek Session either so may be indicative of her attempting to make the YT platform feel more akin to the high pivot Trek.
All the YT MOB machines are rolling on Continental tyres. The German brand’s Kryptotal is proving to be one of the most popular choices for UCI DH World Cup racers and for Vali it will be a familiar component having carried her to UCI World Championship and overall titles last season.
Finally, Vali has opted for Renthal’s FatBar 35 alloy handlebar with a 20mm rise and 760mm width coupled with the same brand’s Integra stem (50mm length) and Ergon’s GDH Team grips by way of a cockpit set up. The latter brand also takes care of her saddle with the lightweight SMD2 Pro Ti (Team).
Whether or not Höll’s arrival has been designed to spearhead a fresh YT DH race machine remains to be seen but there’s no doubting that the crisp, svelte, ‘yep, that will work’ lines of the TUES platform remain those of a race-winning thoroughbred, despite their increasing age.
Don’t forget that you can see Vali Höll in action aboard her new YT MOB TUES at the opening round of the UCI DH World Cup in Fort William, Scotland 03-05 May. Tickets are on sale, now.
