Yeti has always been a brand I’ve admired. In the 90’s their two-tone paint jobs, simple model names, and legendary list of sponsored athletes were the very apex of sporting performance and mountain bike cool. That cache, and my meager lawn mowing income, meant that the $10 “YETI” stamped ODI grips were as close as I could get. At least those grips came with the cool skidding abominable snowman logo on the bar plugs.
Fast forward to life in the early pandemic, and one of the few bright spots in my year 2020 news feed was the announcement that Yeti was offering a modern ARC hardtail rendered in carbon with modern specs. To celebrate their 35th anniversary, they were offering a special edition paint job that harkened back to their two-toned, anodized 90s glory days. And of course there were some very cool and unique limited edition anodized turquoise parts to go with it if you went for the full build.
When I recently let go of my previous XC and marathon frame (also from a beloved, long-standing, dirt-centric brand) there were few choices that scratched the itch for a trail-able, fun, and durable frame that wasn’t just a World Cup XC bike rendered in lower grade carbon fiber. XC bikes haven’t been twitchy for a long time, but they’re definitely a riding experience that is appealing at this point in my life. At the top of my very short list of potential replacements was the YETI ARC, which offered thoroughly modern geometry with a slack front end, low bottom bracket, and a steep seat angle (maybe too modern).
With the help of the guys at Ranch Camp, I got my hands on a navy blue Turq Edition ARC. When I first unwrapped it the first thing I noticed, after the usual astonishingly low weight of a modern hardtail, was the subtle and very cool graphics. It wasn’t the 35th anniversary edition in any stretch- but it was definitely a Yeti. Followers of the brand would know what it was in the way you can tell a Porsche is a Porsche without huge decals or a hood ornament.
The ARC built up into a fast, light bike. Of course I don’t weigh anything anymore so I can’t tell you an exact number, but it felt road bike light. The carbon hoops and top shelf build didn’t hurt either.
Out on the trail, the bike moves under any pedal input, which combined with its stable and smooth handling made for a ripping trail bike. Several times I found myself questioning why anyone would ride a short travel suspension bike based on how shockingly capable the ARC was on steep and chunky terrain where I’d never have considered running a hardtail before. It is after all, still a Yeti.
Tire clearance is for thoroughly modern (read: hugely wide) trail tires, and the slack front end follows the trend of long reach, low bottom bracket, and a REALLY steep seat angle. That steep seat angle was really my only particular complaint about the ARC- with a sagged in 130mm travel fork up front it gets really close to vertical at 77 degrees.
Interestingly I have two other trail-centric modern bikes that both claim modern seat angles. Compared to either of those the saddle position on the ARC was still a full inch further forward when running the saddle all the way back on the rails. For me, that meant that this frame fit differently enough from my other bikes that I struggled to put consistent power into the pedals.
This can be alleviated with an offset seat post, but those are tough to come by in dropper format. There are some seat post offset adapters available, but with either an adapter or an offset rigid post the net result is that the reach gets really long and the center of gravity gets much more over the back wheel, which changes the balance and handling of the bike.
This may not affect riders who are exclusively riding longer travel trail bikes on steep terrain, but it may prove challenging with a multi-disciplinary background (for reference, standard gravel and road seat angles for this size are usually between 72.5 and 73.5 degrees)
Should you buy an ARC for yourself? If you’re all in on modern trail geometry and are looking for a super efficient pedaling platform that is still shreddy and playful, then this should get serious consideration.
