If you had £15 to spend on mountain biking, what would get? A pair of grips? A couple of spare inner tubes? A pair of socks? Truth is, £15 won’t get you very much these days, particularly in the world of mountain biking. So what if I told you that, for a £15 donation to the local trail fund, YT will let you demo any of its current range, including e-bikes like the new Decoy SN 29? Sounds like a rather good deal, right? Of course there’s a bit of small print, but only that you have a five hour slot to return it in, and that it’s subject to availability.

The YT Mill in Surrey is one of four locations around the world.

First class valet service!

To spell it out, that’s £15 to rock up, get handed a clean, oiled, freshly charged low-miles e-bike, and go for a blast in the woods. No need to maintain it, no need to transport it, just turn up and ride. That’s the kind of first class valet service anyone could get used to. Not only that, the YT Mill is just a cool place to visit for anyone into bikes, where you can immerse yourself in the YT range, hang out and drink a beer or a coffee, and even watch events like the Red Bull Rampage on the big screen. There are also weekly guided rides every Thursday evening.

There’s a huge variety of trails to ride locally, from steep and loamy, to fast, flowing singletrack.

Top class trails right on the doorstep

YT’s Mill in the UK is located just south of Guilford in Surrey, and while that might not sound like MTB heaven, the area is chock full of brilliant trails – I should know, I live there! And it’s actually possible to ride straight out of the door at the Mill and get off-road, with only a few small sections of road before hotting some really fun trail zones. To show just how easy and convenient it is, this is exactly what I did when I demoed the latest Decoy SN 29. Riding directly from the Mill up onto the North Downs on a 40km route rammed with natural flowy singletrack and technical features like jumps, drops and steep chutes.

The launch of the YT Decoy SN 29 to the MTB press took us on a big tour of the local hills, without having to do any driving.

The Decoy SN 29 is YT’s latest mid-power e-bike, fitted with the Fazua Ride 60 motor and the new 480Wh battery bringing even more range with no weight penalty. It’s a full 29er, so it covers ground really efficiently, but the slack 63.9º head angle and low 329mm BB height means it still shreds on steep tracks and jump lines. But you can also try a full-fat Decoy, the long travel Decoy SN MX, or a Jeffsy trail bike or Capra enduro bike.

Inside the Mill are displays showcasing all of the YT models, as well as a cool cafe area for hanging out with a coffee or a beer.

And if you’re coming from further afield, there’s always the opportunity to make a weekend of it. Stay overnight nearby, and try out different models back-to-back, or explore some of the other great riding locally. For the launch of the Decoy SN 29 to the MTB media, that’s exactly what we did. Riding from the Mill to Dorking on one side of the valley, and back the next day via the opposite side of the valley. It was one of the best two days riding I’d done for a long time. So what are you waiting for?