The YT MILL, San Clemente — Local services in San Clemente

After going back and forth between the Canyon Spectral CF and YT Jeffsy CF Pro I ended up going for a 2019 (brand new leftover) YT Jeffsy CF Pro 27.5. Ultimately the price point and the components seemed a better fit for me.

I received the bike exactly 1 month after ordering it which I felt was pretty good considering the current pandemic and that it had to travel from Germany to California and then to DC.

Unpacked the bike, put it together (YT sends a tool kit which was actually really nice quality) and tested it out on my neighborhood street. I noticed the bike would shift out of first gear (possibly my fault when I was putting on the handlebars/adjusting the levers) so I called up YT where they set me up with a one-on-one Skype call with Jeff the following morning.

The following morning Jeff and I talked for nearly 2 hours and I cannot thank him enough for getting my bike dialed in! From the shifting and suspension, to basic routine maintenance and tips/pointers. One thing I brought up was the e thirteen dropper sticking and Jeff walked me through/recommended greasing it up routinely to help with the sticking issue. This is now something I do pretty much before every ride just as you would with a chain, and I've learned to love the e thirteen dropper post despite some previous hesitation. Jeff was not only patient and knowledgeable but explained things in a way that really made sense and helped me a ton. Especially the fact that he's doing it over a phone camera is really impressive. I was super stoked for this service YT's providing and Jeff is the perfect guy for this job! He even followed up a week later and that is customer service you cannot beat!

I took the bike out for my first ride with the pedals it came with (plastic pedals with reflectors... ha-ha!) because the pedals I ordered from REI hadn't come in yet and the fact that the bike even came with pedals regardless if they're nice or not was great because I could at least take the bike for a spin. Within the first 2-3 miles I felt super comfortable on this bike. Super, super fun bike and super capable of the trails on the East coast. Climbs well, hops over logs and rocks fantastic, and really shines in my favorite part which is popping it off every root, rock, and gravel lip I see! It seems that YT really had the riders in mind when creating the Jeffsy. From the rear triangle protectors against chain slap, translucent protective tape to protect from rocks, skid plate underneath the bike frame, in-frame wire housing, flip-chip tech for slacker to less-slacker ride, to sweet components. I'd sum it up as a very playful and very fun all-around bike.

As for customer service, I give YT 5 stars. I cannot say enough good things. So far, I've called maybe 4-5 times with questions as little as which bash-guard they recommend to technical Skype calls with Jeff. Every time I call, they literally pick up the phone on the first ring and immediately help me with my questions whether they're simple or more complex. I want to give a huge shout out to Austin and Jeff who have helped me feel very happy with my purchase and welcomed me to the YT family with their friendliness, expertise, and outstanding customer service....

BUYERS BEWARE!! If I could leave zero stars I absolutely would.YT BIKES customer service team is the worst I have ever dealt with, once they have your money they could care less about the customer. I had to call the YT Mill in San Clemente due to the customer service phones being off because cs team can't keep up with orders and complaints so they pass that problem right to the customer. I went to purchase my second YT bike in 9mos and when I checked confirmation email it was the wrong bike. Tried to call but they turned their phones off. I ended up getting ahold of someone at the YT Mill in San Clemente that messaged the customer service dept and they cancelled order. I placed a second order for correct bike thinking I would get refund for original purchase within a few days.....wrong. I finally got ahold of the customer service manager Austin, after approx 12-14 emails back and forth with Kyle, who was immediately dismissive and clearly had no intention of doing anything for me and acted like I was being unreasonable because of his workload (YTs problem not mine) he was very condescending and basically said they will get to it when they get to it and he had 1000 calls and emails just like mine he has to respond to and was clearly out of his depth in this position. I cancelled second order due to the bad customer service and a complete lack of urgency when dealing with customer issues. YT has over $5500.00 of my money and said it will take up to 14days to process refund. Looking at the reviews I see I am not the only one dealing with this issue. I see they took 6-8 wks to refund another customers money. All I want is my money back and to be done dealing with this ridiculous company. They made it very clear they have no intention of refunding my money anytime soon and if you keep bothering them it's gonna take longer. Called Commencal Bikes and got someone on the phone immediately and they were very friendly and professional and said I would have my bike on my doorstep in 5 days and even offered to expedite for free if I wanted, and they have free shipping! Go with Commencal they have outstanding products and...

The YT Mill is San Clemente is perhaps the very best bike shop related experience in the entire United States. If you have purchased a YT (lucky you) you can pick your bike up there at the mill, if you want to demo a bike before you purchase, they also set you up with demos free for 2 hours to go rip on the local trail network. The staff (Chris, Hunter, Parker, and James) are always helpful and knowledgeable. My friend picked up his new Capra Core 4 there this morning and assembled it right there outside of the mill, after he was finished assembling YT associate Chris did a complete check on assembly then helped set up suspension on stock and fork. Within an hour the bike was assembled, dialed, and we were out for a rip on the local trail network. After our ride we went back to the Mill for a cold complimentary beer Vom Fass. Well done YT. Well done. I am on my second YT, first a Jeffsy Pro Race and now a Capra MX Core 4, both bikes have been incredible. I don’t see myself ever going back to another...