Has anybody ridden a Yeti Arc Carbon 29er, I've searched but all I can find is rehashed versions of the Yeti press release, probably a bit new for any reviews yet?
don't think they are even in the states yet (on a ship somewhere)
oh and start saving - £1800 I think........ does look nice though
cheers £1800 😮 😳
I emailed Silverfish a week ago and they said first few frames are due mid May.
Can't make my mind up the ARC or Intense Hard Eddie.
Thats £1800 just for the frame though!
Thats £1800 just for the frame though!
It is, and while it's frantic, it's only about £100 more than eg. a Niner Air 9 Carbon.
Back in 93 the ARC was £1500 makes the carbon look cheap when you see the quality now.
I noticed [url= http://www.basecampmtb.com/ ]Basecamp Bikes[/url] have one in as I peered in through the window earlier today.
Looks really nice from what I could see, but £1800 seems an awful lot of cash for an off the peg carbon frame.
The Intense Hard Eddie is £1650, Santa Cruz Highball is £1700 so it is at the high end of the price scale for a carbon 29er boutique frame, but I'd pay the extra myself for a 'proper' bottom bracket 😮 Also, the 2014 Salsa El Mariachi Ti frame will be £2000 when it lands in September for a frame material comparison.
It makes me wonder quite what an On One carbon frame is made from etc given the price differential.
It truly is a beautiful frame, comes 142x12 as standard and the "looped" rear stats are truly magnificent. If you're near-ish Hertfordshire, we've just built up a large demo bike with 32 100mm Kashima, RF Six C bars and cranks (turquoise of course), 1 x 10 XT and a set of Roval Control Carbons. It's available to demo now and ill whack some pictures up tomorrow morning
Are they geared only or can they be run as singlespeed without an ugly tensioner?
Just to tempt you on a Hard Eddie...
[URL= http://i551.photobucket.com/albums/ii450/LeeWilliams1976/FinallyFinished_zps055421fe.jp g" target="_blank">
http://i551.photobucket.com/albums/ii450/LeeWilliams1976/FinallyFinished_zps055421fe.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]
That looks fantastic 8)
And can be run singlespeed according to Intense.
Thanks Lee, I could still be interested if you change your mind about sell it.
<heritage>ARC = Alumin(i)um Racing Cycle</heritage>
Calling a CF frame an ARC really is taking the proverbial.
That Intense is very nice. Reminds me of a Corratec (in a good way).
"Aluminium Replacing Cycle"
"Aluminium Replacing Carbon"
... I'll get my coat.
@ thegingeone
yes - and what are those £300 chinese ebay specials made of??
are yeti and co. pulling our plonkers turning stuff out made of the same stuff for £1500 more? Or is the cheapo stuff err well cheapo.......
They could hardly call it 'CRC' - would have to paint it blue and yellow then 🙂
So, has anybody got one and are they able to give a review of the frame? Is it stiff, comfortable, any annoying issues etc or is it great?
Just a little update to say that I took the plunge on a Yeti ARC Carbon. All I can say is goodness gracious me it is fast. I've not built it up stupidly light or expensively (Fox forks, 1x10 XT, Hope Crest wheels, Renthal fatbar lite bars, Thomson stem and seatpost etc), but it ended up weighing 23.5 lbs and it is lovely. It is really well balanced front to back so jumps off any little mound really nicely. It flies uphill, on the flat and downhill as well. (Ridden at home on the Chilterns and also a ride on Exmoor so far). It just motors along with very little effort. It is direct but not in a bad stiff way. Really seems to go where it is pointed with tapered steerer and bolt through forks and then the rear just follows nicely.
I don't think it has taken much re-adjustment coming from an On One original geared Tinbred to be honest, yes it is clearly different, but it does not feel like I'm having to learn how to ride it or anything. Still getting used to tubeless wheels and it does need less air in the tyres than I'm used to and it is noticeably more stiff if the pressure is a bit high. Think I've them down to about 30psi now.
Not sure it is the greatest early mini review going, but I am very pleased with it, and it looks gorgeous too 🙂
Pics?
Thanks for your input
I found your "It makes me wonder quite what an On One carbon frame is made from etc given the price differential" statement amusing.
I doubt there is any difference, apart from a badge...
The finish on mine is superb. The internal cable routing is perfect.
^ 😆
I can testify that thegingerones bike goes like stink, is lovely - light yet planted and I imagine backed by a substantial warranty...
Stickers look good too 😀
Aluminium Racing Cycle?! 🙄
Alloy Racing Composite 😉
Seriously, would be great if someone from Intense/Niner/Yeti would explain to us where the value is in their expensive frames compared to the cheapies. Genuine question.
@ginger lovely looking bike tho I find myself preferring the Intense on looks at least. Ride it hard.
oh and stickers off those rims please
Fair enough, each to their own.
Luckily I've made over £1200 profit in 18 months on a £1000 investment in Lloyds shares so I'm happy to spend my spare cash on nice things 🙂
The mechanic did say that he had never seen such a well finished frame internally as this and was impressed:
I've had Lloyds shares since 2007 ... so that's not helping.
My understanding is that there are different types or grades of carbon fibre and obviously the better is more expensive as a 'strand', much like the difference between the grades of steel produced by Reynolds etc. Plus there is a difference in the layup of the carbon which has an effect on the ride and feel of the frame etc. The time it takes to layup the carbon by hand probably also differs across the price points as well as the R&D costs that were involved in designing said frame.
I don't need to justify my choice, but if you look at it rationally then there are clearly reasons for the difference which might in your opinion add up to the difference in frame price or not.
Some people seem happy to pay for expensive components to hang on a cheap frame while others do the opposite and others have a level of components that matches their level of frame.
<heritage>ARC = Alumin(i)um Racing Cycle</heritage>Calling a CF frame an ARC really is taking the proverbial.
That Intense is very nice. Reminds me of a Corratec (in a good way).
yeti have done carbon before, the C26
iirc frank waddleton or chris herting said ARC stood for Aluminium or Alloy racing Composite
http://www.yeti-c26.net/history.html
mmm really like the look of the arc. Got a yeti bigtop but that is tempting...damn!
I think there is only one way to sort this...Why don't you meet for a race!
ChunkyMTB £300 frame verses TheGingerOne's £1800 frame! Both look nice but which is faster??!! 😀
😀 8)
Come on TheGingerOne where are you??!! I was hoping to make some money by taking bets!!!
So far ChunkyMTB we have a clear winner!! 😀
You all suck my 2 month old cracked Niner A9C beats you all!!! 😆
I am happy to proxy for thegingerone while he is absent 😉
Feisty - you'll have to send that back to China then? Oh, no wait...
I wonder what will happen if the £300 snaps? I guess it's easier to just buy a new one if it does. You can get 6 of them before you are paying the same price.
My feeling though, and I'm sure that others won't share the same view, is that when you buy a cheap ripoff, you are undermining the original designers of the frame. Much the same thing as ripping off music or games.
I guess that there are (at least) 5 mouths to feed when you buy a Yeti though:
* Manufacturer
* Yeti
* Distributor (Silverfish)
* Retailer
* Inland Revenue (£360 in VAT alone!)
Whereas when you buy the £300 ripoff, you are only having to pay the factory and the vendor (if it's not the factory that is).
You can see how £1800 doesn't go very far when it is split like that.
Sorry for the delay bones, I was reminiscing about the time I met Chris Conroy (Head honcho of Yeti) and his wife and spent a day riding in Chamonix with him back in 2006 along with one of his sponsored riders 🙂 I guess you could also do that with your passionate Chinese bike company owner 😉
+1 Recipher
Nice story to be able to tell, you should have got his number/Email address then that way you could have seen if he could have done you a good deal on Yeti bikes??!! 😉
But seriously i think your bike looks sweet and am well jealous, I have a Carbon Yeti myself and they are top bikes and the Carbon they use(I hope) is the best you can get, and for me like you if i had to choose and had the cash it would be the Yeti no question! In fact you have got me thinking i should sell my 26'' Yeti to help me fund a 29er like yours!... 😀
Just being curious but what bikes where they riding back then?
Actually, it was 2004 not 2006 🙂 Chris was on 575 with a Maverick fork up front. I can't remember what the sponsored rider was on. I think his name was Julian something. Sure he was French and at the time the Junior European Downhill champ or something. Oxymoron might remember. He kept in touch with Chris and visited the factory a year or so later in Golden. Happy days 🙂
recipher - MemberI wonder what will happen if the £300 snaps? I guess it's easier to just buy a new one if it does. You can get 6 of them before you are paying the same price.
[b]My feeling though, and I'm sure that others won't share the same view, is that when you buy a cheap ripoff, you are undermining the original designers of the frame. Much the same thing as ripping off music or games. [/b]
I guess that there are (at least) 5 mouths to feed when you buy a Yeti though:
* Manufacturer
* Yeti
* Distributor (Silverfish)
* Retailer
* Inland Revenue (£360 in VAT alone!)[b]Whereas when you buy the £300 ripoff, you are only having to pay the factory and the vendor (if it's not the factory that is).[/b]
You can see how £1800 doesn't go very far when it is split like that.
Did I miss the bit in this thread where it was established the £300 frame was outed as a carbon-copy (ha!) of someone else's design?
You did also forget the 6th and 7th mouths, those being the advertisers and sponsored riders. Now, assuming you are happy just riding a plain carbon frame that's an original design (so no-one is losing out) and have no desire to buy into a brand, it's heritage, etc then why not?
Meh
It looks pretty carbon-copy to me. I might be wrong but I'll need to be convinced.
Here's the kicker - if everyone buys the knock-offs, then Yeti (etc) goes out of business, then all we are left with are the carbon copies. And then what will they copy? And what will the bike shops sell? So, there's a good reason why not. Yeti researched and designed the frame and paid for the moulds (5 of them). Neither of those things are cheap. But along comes someone who has taken advantage of that, and stolen the design and undermined Yeti's work.
Ok, that's somewhat extreme, but me, I'm glad that companies like Yeti exist. Ok, £1800 is a lot of money but once the cake is divided it's a lot less. The frame is also priced to be a low volume item - that's a conscious decision by Yeti of course.
If you're referring to mine being a carbon copy of the Yeti then you need to got to specsavers mate.
Nobody owns the patents on frame angles...
Recipher, you honestly think those two frames are related apart from being carbon frames?
You know what, I didn't even look that closely. I assumed it was implied - why would you post a picture of a random chinese frame in a thread about the Yeti ARCC?
My comments still stand (about copies), but I guess I'm due a trip to Specsavers. Apologies. Looking at it again, it has elements of a couple of frames, including the Open 1.0 (seatstays).
However, I guess if everyone bought Chinese frames direct from the factory, copy or not, we'll still not have bike shops for much longer.
No doubt that the bike industry commercial model is somewhat broken, but comparing a £300 to an £1800 one and complaining that the £1800 is too expensive is a bit silly. The commercial models are different.
You do know nobody holds you to ransom, it's your own choice what frame/bike you buy and how much you want to spend with your own money?
Yous pays your money etc....
I'm sure that value horse meat burger is just a copy of the aberdeen angus burger too 😉
/stands back with flame suit and popcorn
<heritage>ARC = Alumin(i)um Racing Cycle</heritage>
Calling a CF frame an ARC really is taking the proverbial.That Intense is very nice. Reminds me of a Corratec (in a good way).
yeti have done carbon before, the C26iirc frank waddleton or chris herting said ARC stood for Aluminium or Alloy racing Composite
I know about the C26 - My FRO became a donor for a C-26 remake a few years ago that Herting made up using some leftover C26 tubesets which was a pretty fitting end to it. The C26 isn't badged an ARC though.
In fairness they also did the TI ARC a few years ago so they've been down this road before. Not sure why an ARC would be composite as I'm sure it's all Program tubing, and I'm sure that the "A" stood for "Aluminum..".
My comment was more about heritage rape rather than any objection to what they make bikes out of in the past, today or in the future 🙂
Re: an £1800 frame versus a £300 frame. Might be worth considering the probable working conditions of the people building the frames for you, too. There appear to be some manufacturers who are not willing to build carbon fibre frames as they have not managed to find a factory with satisfactory working conditions who can produce frames at a price point where they could sell the frames economically. Maybe Yetis are priced expensively because they are using more ethically and morally responsible fabrication centres than the £300 rip off....
Just my 2p, and with absolutely no evidence either way to support the thought....
Lovely bike that Yeti. I'd have one in my money no object bike fleet 🙂
I guess it's a bit like any other luxury/boutique brand purchase, if you want one and have the cash then why not.







