YT Decoy Shred - 1 year on - What I've learned

[GrumpyMTBMan]

Hi all. Just joined the forum. Have been riding a YT Decoy Shred since around August 2021. Not that anyone asked, but there are a few things I've learned (other than I suck at MTB) which others might find useful in terms of maintenance and issues etc.

Problems I've had:

• Issue: Clonking/Clicking Noise when pedalling after a BPW visit (unlisted vid here) Cause: E13 large outer main hub bearing had completely seized. Was fixed for free by the E13 distributor. I took it to them and picked it back up. Luckily they were local to me (Derby UK)
• Issue: Annoying creaking noise from bottom bracket. Cause: Turns out if you get the special tool to remove the E8000 spider lock-ring you'll likely find a horrible mess of grit and rust between the spider and the main motor drive shaft if you live in a damp climate with lots of mud. Cleaning and greasing stopped the creak. I need to do this periodically, more often in winter.
• Issue: YT Postman dropper, saddle rocks from left to right. Seems to be getting worse as time goes on. Is this someone else's dropper rebranded? Any idea on service kits?
• Issue: Sucking noise from Fox 38 fork on rebound, worse at lower pressures and higher rebound settings. Still feels fine, just sounds odd.

Problems I've had (which I caused):

• E13 wheels flex too much and need regular spoke re-tensioning, especially the 29£ front (I am pretty fat though, so... yeah)
• First time I cleaned the bike, I hosed it upside down. Got an Error when powering on, which luckily went away by itself. Now only wash it right way up on a stand.
• Terrible rear suspension, harsh and bouncy - Misread the Fox DHX2 setup instructions and ended up with about 20 turns of pre-load.
• Pedal strikes - hated the geometry in the high flip-chip setting after getting used to low. After fixing my pre-load issue, needed swap to a higher spring rate coil.
• The lower link arm axle literally dropped out of the bike in the boot of my car driving home. Lucky it didn't fall out mid-ride. Must not have been torqued properly from a previous strip-down and clean session.
• Shimano chain lasted approx. 1000 miles before becoming "stretched" and needing replacement. Not really a problem, normal wear and tear.

Recommendations:

• Best thing I ever bought was a small, quiet Hyundai air compressor for blasting moisture out of sensitive areas after washing. Also brilliant for seating new tyres.
• Invest in a decent 1/8" torque wrench that'll do between about 5 and 20Nm

 

[Chrysaor]

Welcome on the forum !

do you have some pictures of your decoy to share ?
Regarding the dropper post it’s a rebranded SDG Tellis, completely serviceable at home, service kits available and the tutorials are on the SDG YouTube channel I think
I can’t ride this bike in low I have broken 3 composite pedals already!

 

[GrumpyMTBMan]

Welcome on the forum !

do you have some pictures of your decoy to share ?
Regarding the dropper post it’s a rebranded SDG Tellis, completely serviceable at home, service kits available and the tutorials are on the SDG YouTube channel I think
I can’t ride this bike in low I have broken 3 composite pedals already!

Thanks for the dropper info. I will add some pics to this thread.

 

[Sapientiea]

Thanks for the dropper info. I will add some pics to this thread.

Yeah the plastic 'keys' are most likely bad. Had the same problem after a hard fall. Easy enough to service. Also replaced the cartridge as the dropper would not stay down.