Yeti Cycles

ASR Carbon X01 Complete Mountain Bike w/ENVE Wheels - 2015

Most think of Yeti as a big-mountain kind of bike maker, but they know a thing or two about lung-busting. The ASR Carbon’s designed around a 120mm fork for a little extra downhill confidence, and Yeti’s spec’d it that way here, but you can reduce the travel if you’d like, and it won’t ruin the way the bike feels. The ASR forgoes Yeti’s various Switch multi-link system in favor of the tried-and-true (and lightweight) single-pivot design found on its bikes for years. After going round and round, Yeti decided that the slight improvement in trail manners didn’t outweigh the added weight and complexity of the multi-link designs.

As longtime 29er holdouts, Yeti’s not about to compromise good geometry to stuff “clown wheels” into a frame where they don’t belong. For this reason, you’ll find that the Medium, Large, and Extra-Large sizes use the 29-inch wheel size, while the two smallest opt for the 27.5in size that’s fast become the new standard.

The parts kit includes an X01 drivetrain from SRAM, which includes its narrow-wide chainrings and X-horizon rear derailleur to virtually eliminate chain drop. Suspension duties are handled by FOX, and stopping by Shimano’s XT brakes. You’ll find the seat and stem to be Thomson’s bulletproof Elite and X4 models, respectively, and ENVE’s M50/Fifty wheelset are the icing on this cake.