Featuring in our group test in Issue #015, we tried out the XC orientated Yeti ASRc on more demanding terrain, pushing the limits of the bike from its roots to the more aggressive enduro discipline, to see if the new style of cross-country bikes could handle a much more exhausting type of riding. Here’s how it held up:

As much as the Felt had us dreaming of course-marking tape and trophies, and the Giant had us secretly dreaming of full-face helmets and race runs, the Yeti just plain made us want to go ride all day. It was one of the liveliest bikes in our test, and it simply begged to be pedaled.

"The Yeti just plain made us want to go ride all day. It was one of the liveliest bikes in our test, and it simply begged to be pedaled."
“The Yeti just plain made us want to go ride all day. It was one of the liveliest bikes in our test, and it simply begged to be pedaled.”
"The test notes for this bike carried a unanimous tone: Screw the test, I just want to go ride this bike. See you in a day or two."
“The test notes for this bike carried a unanimous tone: Screw the test, I just want to go ride this bike. See you in a day or two.”

Visually, the ASRc, like everything Yeti makes, is a thing of pure beauty. From its ‘loopstays’ – which feel reminiscent of the days when John Tomac and Juli Furtado were godlike on their aluminum Yeti hardtails – to the beautiful shapes and curves throughout the rest of the frame, the ASRc has Formula One good looks.

And though aesthetics may seem trivial, you can pay roughly 1/3 the cost of a brand-new Ford Focus to take home one of the bikes in this category. You should want to caress it lovingly – or flat-out take it to bed with you.

Looking at the build of this bike, it’s quite obvious that Yeti fully embraces the notion that the cross-country category need not be pigeonholed into group of weight-obsessed, wattage-consumed racers. All the same, for riders who are ultra-weight conscious, our size large test bike, at 23.14 lbs/10.49 kg (without pedals), was impressively light. Our test bike featured the X01 build kit, featuring 740-millimeter Easton Haven Carbon bars, a SRAM X01/X1 drivetrain, Shimano XT brakes, Stan’s Crest wheels, and Fox suspension.

Yeti have also done away with a pivot at the rear, relying instead on the flexible properties of carbon fibre.
Yeti have also done away with a pivot at the rear, relying instead on the flexible properties of carbon fibre.
The workmanship of the Yeti is a masterpiece, and just screams attention to detail. The cockpit is super tidy - we only missed the dropper post's remote lever.
The workmanship of the Yeti is a masterpiece, and just screams attention to detail. The cockpit is super tidy – we only missed the dropper post’s remote lever.
Both internal and external cables grace this beautiful frame.
Both internal and external cables grace this beautiful frame.

The absence of a dropper post had us wondering why Yeti wouldn’t further improve the bike’s ride quality by sending it with what many of us now consider standard equipment. The answer is that Yeti views dropper posts in much the same light as pedals – personal choice – so the company offers the Thompson Covert dropper for an additional $350. Stock spec for everything they make, except their EWS-winning SB6c bike, is a traditional, non-dropper-style post.

In sizes M, L, and XL, the ASRc is a 29er which sports 102 millimeters of rear-wheel travel and 120 millimeters up front. The head angle is an agile yet confident 69.1 degrees. On the XS and S sizes, Yeti drops the wheel size to 27.5 to optimize the ride for smaller mountain bikers and slackens the head angle to 68 degrees.

Abner Kingman 2015 ©
A delight to ride. Who cares about the test? Lets go and ride!

Riding the Yeti is a delight. It’s lightweight, sure-footed, and playful. The single-pivot suspension design means you might fiddle with the CTD toggle more that you would on, say, one of Yeti’s SB bikes, but that’s absolutely no big deal. We felt less inclined to channel Jared Graves aboard the ASRc than we did on a couple other bikes in the test – but none of us were all that excited to give up the Yeti, either.

Abner Kingman 2015 ©
“Riding the Yeti is a delight. It’s lightweight, sure-footed, and playful.”

Who it’s for? If you want to head out in the morning with a pack full of supplies and ride until dark, the Yeti is your bike. It begs to be ridden long miles over whatever terrain comes your way. And if you find yourself at the start line of a cross-country race, the ASRc will have your back there, too.

Price: €6190.00
Weight: 10.52kg (Without pedals)
Travel: 120mm/120mm

Specification

Fork: Fox32 Float CTD Factory FIT Kashima
Rear Shock: Fox Float CTD Boost Valve
Drivetrain: SRAM X01
Brakes: Shimano XT
Seatpost RockShox Reverb Stealth
Stem: Thomson Elite
Handlebar: Easton Haven Carbon
Tyres: Maxxis Ikon
Wheelset: Stan’s ZTR Crest

The other bikes in the field included: BMC Fourstroke FS02 | Cannondale Scalpel Carbon 2 | Felt Edict 1 29er | Giant Anthem Advanced 27.5 XC | Ibis Ripley | Marin Rift Zone 8 | Trek Fuel EX 9.8

For more info, visit: yeticycles.com

Words: Joe Parkin Photos: Abner Kingman


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