Yeti ASR Review: It's Back Baby.

the ASR

yeti

is: you can't tell me anything in boss mode and my money loan if you're not talking about money don't talk to me. I'll be here where the boss will be. This is a super cool, lightweight XC whip with some sort of retro styling, although I can confirm that it doesn't ride like an old XC bike. This thing is at the pointy end of the category with some modern geometry, a surprisingly nice suspension, and all the bells and whistles, so stick around to see what it's all about. About, let's cover a couple of talking points before riding this bike.

The ASR is available in two types of frames: Turk and Carbon, both made of carbon. Turk is a little lighter and prettier. Interestingly, there is a unique construction here. and it's called the ultimate build, it uses a Turk frame but removes some of the cable ports on that frame to save even more weight if you want to cut absolutely every last ounce the ultimate build might be for you, keep in mind that it's Solo I'm going to be able to use wireless transmissions, so now we're going to ride this thing. It's been a few months since I've ridden a full-fledged XC bike and the pedaling efficiency and weight are refreshing.

I seem to be getting heavier and heavier the more kids I add to the family list, so it was really nice to climb the ASR because it made up for a good portion of that. This thing climbs exactly how you'd like an XC bike to climb. I spent quite a bit of time riding the ASR with Zach and If you know Zach you know he rides a bike more than anyone else on the planet and as a result is in good shape, don't hold that against him, but sometimes he even likes to get out and just pedal , even if there is nothing fun. and exciting downhill involved serial killer Behavior aside, it's pretty fast on the climbs, but the ASR was enough for me to be able to keep pace and in fact this is the first time I can remember Zach asking for a break to drink water, the point is proven that the ASR rises very well, let's talk a little more about how it does it.

The ASR is firm and efficient, it's not as firm as something like the Orb or not as active and plush as something like the Santa Cruz. Defocus the lock lever. The bars were never used if that gives you an idea of ​​the efficiency of the ASR, but it stops short of being overly efficient. It strikes a good balance between efficiency, traction and comfort. It's one of the few XC bikes I could. get up and hit the pedals and you still have some degree of traction and before we talk about tires, this one has the same stock rear tire that comes with almost every other XC bike on the planet, it certainly doesn't hurt that the ASR is one.

One of the lightest bikes I've ever tested in my build weighs 25.1lbs, even with alloy wheels, with a couple of smart options you can easily get this thing under 25lbs without compromising ride quality, the angles are a a bit more relaxed on the ASR, but the cockpit is still very traditional precise than you traditionally have on an XC bike, although that does add a couple of climbing points. I'd like to see how this would handle with a traditional Trail cab setup, so to sum it up, climbing on the ASR, I'd describe as a pleasant affair. and that's coming from a guy who really likes chair risers and tailgate pads.

It's fast, efficient and agile without being over the top and you feel like you're driving a 2x4. It's comfortable and offers enough traction to be a good technical climber as well as downhill. I'm not a very delicate rider on the downhills and end up riding each bike as if it had 160mm of rear wheel travel. Turns out that's a recipe for breaking things on bikes that don't have 160mm of rear world travel, which I've done a fair amount of lately. I was determined not to break this bike on my first ride on the ASR. I told myself I was going to ride it like an XC bike and do XC bike stuff and that lasted about 22 seconds before I realized it.

This bike is too fun and too capable to ride like this and play around and dodge every little rock and crash, to be honest it took me a little by surprise and to my delight I didn't have to send that awkward email to Yeti. telling them I just broke their cool new toy, don't take any of that the wrong way, the ASR is still an XC bike, it's not a trail bike, that's what the 120 was designed for, instead the ASR is an XC bike designed for the rigers. of modern XC racing, have you seen an XC World Cup track lately?

Most of us jabronies would frown at some of those features - even on our 160mm bikes, the ASR is designed to at least partially cover your butt on high drops while you're maxing out. Taking the Watts out, I found it surprisingly capable and quiet despite the noise and rough terrain, and I guess that makes sense, it has slightly more relaxed angles and a longer wheelbase than most other XC bikes, the Suspension quality also makes up for some of that ability. It's surprisingly easy to take that journey in the ASR. Many XC bikes are so efficient that you can't take on the ride and don't provide any comfort or forgiveness through Trail Shatter.

The ASR is efficient on climbs. but not so much that it becomes a tough part on descents like other bikes. Sure there isn't much travel and the bike isn't plush, but it's a little more forgiving than I expected, some of that comfort and forgiveness. It comes from some flex in the frame itself, this isn't the stiffest frame I've ever ridden and most XC bikes aren't, and that can be a really good thing, especially in this application, most XC bikes aren't will be pumped recklessly into bmed. Corners at the bike park or traversing Rock Gardens with your heels down and no regard for human safety, so there's no need to make them stiffer.

Some of that Flex frame is actually a good thing because it can withstand pain and vibration. From the Trail talk, the ASR seems to have a pretty healthy dose of compliance for lack of a better term when doing X things that you'll appreciate when you're a fool trying to remove tires, maybe not so much. The handling of the ASR mount is quite quick and Zippy, and I'd like to know to what extent that is due to the angles of the bike versus the cockpit setup itself, which, as you know, is tight. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. with the downstrokes on the ASR, if the brakes had been big and stopped, I would have been much more comfortable picking up the pace on this bike, but if that were the case I may have had to send that email to Yeti, now let's talk about A couple of comparisons and the first one I want to mention is the Santa Cruz Blur, the Blur TR is the most similar bike I have ever ridden to the ASR, they have similar suspension, similar feel geometry and ride quality, the ASR pedals are a little faster than the blur, seeming to have a little more purpose and drive on the climbs without giving up too much on the descents.

The ASR has slightly more forgiving geometry than the Fuzzy, but overall it's a bit firmer and a more supportive suspension feel. They both get Work Done for the category. I also can't help but think that if you put heavier tires, a standard Trail cab, and a stiffer fork on any of them, it would start to impact that Trail category a little more. Next let's talk about the Ora oeth and this is a bike that is even more Pure XC racing, but maybe a little more. Less ideal for trail riding in general, the ASR is a little more versatile because it's more forgiving of mistakes and punches a little above its weight class, and all of that means it breaks ground than most other XC bikes.

They just don't do it. I don't want to pick on it, while the ASR may not be as fast as the OE, it's still a good XC bike and could potentially be a great XC race bike, especially in that endurance category, but it's also a really good , one behind the other is a trail bike, another is an quite differently and I think most of it comes down to the fork construction, the tires and cockpit make up the majority of it. Because of that difference, while the Spur is a short-travel trail bike made for going around and over obstacles rather than through them, by comparison, it feels like a much more stable and capable bike than the ASR, even though the ASR is a few pounds lighter and has faster rolling tires so it's also much faster than the spur on climbs, while the spur doesn't really wow with its acceleration the ASR does, who is it for?

If it hasn't been evident by now, the ASR is for XC Rider, whether you are racing XC and want to climb to the top step of the podium or you are participating in endurance events, the ASR is probably a very good option for you if you shave your legs or you like to use Lyra, but now If you want to start getting into fun bikes without handlebars, the ASR would be a very good option for you because it will give you the efficiency and agility that you expect and wish you had from a bicycle, but It will give you enough confidence.

And sorry, it won't kill you on the way down. I also think the ASR is good for non-racers and maybe it's the XC type rider or the light duty Trail type rider who will appreciate the ASR. I'll die before I admit it. country as a category, so this is a bit complicated, although you most likely won't be very comfortable riding double black diamonds on the ASR, it's just not designed for that, so if you're looking at this as a trail bike light duty You were going to want to keep this in the cool blue green, maybe mild in the Black Diamond rating unless you like to put on your pants as long as you ride it knowing it's an XC bike or a lightweight trail bike you prefer go up than go downhill.

Don't think you'll be too disappointed, thanks for staying, see you next time.