BIKER'S EDGE

Would you be surprised to hear that the Yeti LT spends most of its life in the fast lane? With Yeti’s pedigree for racing, it only makes sense that the LT is a long-travel bike that craves speed. Like seriously, it can’t get enough. In a departure from traditional Yeti style, though, the LT foregoes Yeti’s Switch Infinity suspension platform in favor of the Sixfinity design found on the LTe and the MTe. 

The LT treats every trail like a race course. It’s great for plowing through momentum-robbing rocks, picking inside lines through corners and going fast enough to make your eyes water. Stick around to see if it’s the right bike for you.

What You Should Know About the Yeti LT

Let’s briefly discuss what’s new here. You can assume the LT replaces the current SB160, given that they have the same travel numbers. So we will frame this section that way. Compared to the old SB160, the new LT has a few differences. The biggest being the difference in suspension platforms. The LT also has much longer chainstays than the old bike, with interchangeable dropouts that provide either 465mm or 475mm chainstay lengths. Yup, you read that right — long and longer. Those are size-specific, so a small frame can’t have a reach shorter than its chainstay length.  It also features the same progression flip chip found on Yeti’s new eMTBs, the LTe and MTe. The progression ranges from 15% to 25%, depending on the shock position. And lastly, there’s a flip chip to accommodate 29” or MX setups to meet rider preferences.

All in all, I think the name LT is very fitting. It’s a long travel bike that isn’t forced into a smaller niche. It covers a broad range of setups.

Yeti LT: Ride Review

Climbing Performance: +2

We’re giving the LT the top honors in the climbing department. Now remember, this is compared to other bikes in the category. This score isn’t saying the bike climbs like an ASR. 

The first thing I noticed on the LT is the lack of pedal bob. This is a seriously efficient bike. I spent the greater part of my first ride on this thing, mashing up a steep fire road baking in the sun and somehow thinking I wasn’t as miserable as I should be. The acceleration is pretty solid considering how big this bike is. It doesn’t feel like a zippy little trail bike, but that’s likely more due to the ultra-grippy tires than to the suspension and efficiency. I’d put it up against the all-mountain bikes in this department all day.

From a geometry and fit standpoint, the LT feels a bit taller in the front end than most Yetis I’ve ridden in the past. It feels less racy and more comfortable. Looking at the stack numbers compared to the SB160, the LT is 15mm taller. That’s not insignificant. You’d think a taller front end could push your weight rearward on steeper climbs, and yes, that’s completely true, but it would appear Yeti has counteracted that with long chainstays. The long rear center keeps your weight evenly distributed between the wheels, even with that taller, more relaxed front end. 

There’s a decent amount of climbing traction on the LT. I think it comes from two things. The first being the suspension design that keeps the rear wheel pushed down into the dirt fairly well. Despite the peppy feel on the pedals, the LT doesn’t seem to lack much traction on the climbs. I think the other piece of the puzzle here is the long rear center. It adds some stability on the climbs while also keeping your weight more central. When your weight is centered on the bike, you’ll typically have better traction on both wheels at once. 

Downhill Capability: +2

And here we are again, giving out top honors in the descending capability department with a +2. The LT is very hard to get bent out of shape. The long rear center, dialed suspension curve, and slightly taller geometry give this bike a very confident feel in the rough stuff. 

The LT wants to go fast. You can tell that was Yeti’s intention when making it. It holds momentum incredibly well. It doesn’t hang up in the rough; instead, it calmly and quietly moves along. I couldn’t believe how calm and quiet the bike felt under me. There’s a particular section of trail that I’ve ridden a hundred times, and it’s never easy. It’s not too difficult, but it takes some precision in a place where that can be hard to find. It’s a short, rocky traverse with some large shale boulders and 3 flat corners. It’s so flat you don’t have the benefit of gravity either, so you’ve got to take a bit of speed into it. It’s easy to get ping-ponged around in there too. The LT rolled through easily, hardly losing any speed. I had spent all of 5 seconds descending on the LT before I hit this section, too. I instantly knew this bike wasn’t for a casual stroll in the woods.

The long chainstays do take some getting used to, but you can feel that additional length behind the bike in a good way. Don’t tell anyone this, but that rear end was so long for the first few rides I even cased a takeoff or two. Didn’t know that was possible. Once you take into account the trailer behind you, the stability and calmness that come from the added length are a big reason why the LT feels so capable and speedy. 

It’s the kind of bike that makes your eyes water because you’re hitting warp speed so frequently. The suspension complements the geometry here by contouring the ground very well. So a long bike that feels stuck gives you unlimited traction. There is a downside, and we’ll get to that, but for riding aggressively, it’s a hell of a one-two punch.

Suspension Performance: +2

The LT is going to be a bit tough for me to describe. I haven’t ridden a bike quite like it. I think of other big bikes that gave you the cheat codes for the hardest trails, and they mostly all have that really big, plush, and bottomless feel. Sure, that’s great for erasing the trail and plowing through the roughest bits. The LT feels different, though; it doesn’t feel as bottomless, but it is. It doesn’t feel as big, but it is. I think the difference comes from the bike’s ability to contour the ground perfectly. Only using as much travel as needed to absorb that impact and hold momentum. Where other bikes might use a little too much, or a little too little, the LT always seems to absorb the hit perfectly. If it sounds like I’m gushing, I kind of am. 

The LT’s suspension feels rather supportive. It isn’t a plush couch that wallows, yet it’s not as firm as the previous SB160. Yet it’s not overly playful. And maybe part of the suspension’s pop could be masked by the bike’s geometry, specifically the chainstay length. It’s not a jumpy jibby bike. 

Handling: 0

This is where the bike pays the price for the previous +2s. Bikes are pretty damn good these days, but they aren’t exempt from sacrifices. And what the LT gives up is that playfulness factor. As I mentioned before, it’s not the most playful rig on the planet. In fact, it’s far from it. So let’s break this down into two different handling characteristics: corners and jumps. 

In the corners, the LT does really well. And I think it primarily comes down to your centered position on the bike. It’s easy to sit right between the wheels and let the bike just do its thing. And that’s what gives you a ton of traction for hitting all types of corners. Flat, bermed, fast, bumpy. The only kind it’s not really good at is slow-speed, tight corners. But even there it’s not below average for the category. And it’s above average at most other corners. 

When it comes to jumps, the LT would rather not. It’s not the easiest bike to get off the ground. And most of that comes from the fact that it’s hard to get the front of the bike up. With the rear center being so long, the bike doesn’t really want to rotate up. That makes it hard to bunny hop. So unless you’re just going mach chicken (which is actually likely on this one), it can be hard to get airborne. Instead, the LT would rather just find some rough terrain it can hit at speed. 

Versatility: +1

I struggle with scoring this one here. From a setup perspective, it’s a very versatile bike. And for a less playful rider, the ride quality is fairly versatile. It’s hard to give it many points here because it is obsessed with speed. Yes, it can cover a wide variety of terrain and isn’t too sluggish on easy trails, but the fact that it only comes in one flavor makes it tricky. I’ll go +1.

As far as setup goes, you have the wheel-size flip chip, which also preserves geometry; the progression chip; the interchangeable dropouts; and the ability to run aftermarket headset clips for reach and angle versatility. That’s a big versatility sandwich. 

Intangibles: 0

There’s not a ton to discuss here. Although this is the first Yeti with an internal frame storage compartment, if you’re into that. I will say the lever on the door is a bit tricky to use when you have a bottle in the cage. It’s tucked pretty far under the cage.

It also features a tucked-away AirTag holder under the bottom bracket, which is a nice touch for finding who stole your bike and kicking their ass. 

Yeti LT: Comparisons

Let’s compare the LT against three other bikes in the category. We have the SB160, the LTe, and the Orbea Rallon.

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Who is the Yeti LT for?

Rider Profile: The racer

I have two groups for this bike. The first is the racer. Imagine that. A bike obsessed with speed is good for folks who are obsessed with speed. If you care about getting from point A to point B very quickly, I think you’d thoroughly enjoy the LT. It’s probably the best bike I’ve ridden at holding momentum and eking out the seconds. 

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Rider Profile: The Big Days Freak

The other group I think will enjoy the LT are the folks who do big rides in big terrain. Think of that one freak friend you have who can outclimb anyone and still hit all the roughest lines on the way down. Those folks will mesh very well with the LT due to its climbing ability and confident nature. In fact, I did my biggest ride of the year so far on this one and wasn’t hurting all that much considering I’ve been lazy for the last year or two. We knocked out a few giant climbs and a loooong descent over the course of 6 hours or so. The LT was the perfect bike for the task.

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Final Thoughts

The LT is an exciting future for Yeti. One can only imagine that, with Sixfinity’s success, we will start seeing more Yetis depart from Switch Infinity. I’ll be stoked if that’s the case because this suspension is magical. Paired with rock-solid geometry, the LT is one for the books.

Yeti LT FAQ