Yeah, what's the scoop guys!Threepointtwo said:
yeti 303
- Thread starter DH SB RIDER
- Start date
Hey Fellas!
Krispy here. Rode the 303 at Keystoneon that sweet 10 minute 2500 vert racecourse.
1 It feels very solid,not flexy.It has the new stiffening link behind the seat tube area tying in the swingarm.This takes the twisting load of the rails and turns it into more of a sideload which the 'cars'on the rails can handle better.
2 The weight is down to about the same as the DH9. so that's around 12.5 lbs.
3 The geo is all around great.14.25-15bb adjustable at the upper car without messing up the rate. 45wb 17.5 cs etc.
4 The latest and final rail location offers 1.5"chainstay growth gradually then comes back at the last bit of travel to keep the chain at a reasonable length.It pedals VERY well at the sag point.1.5" seems like a lot but it grows steadily due to the rails.Imagine a VPP bike with the lower link that curves around the BB. On those bikes the growth is significant early in the travel causing a noticeable initial growth that you can feel while pedaling over bumps.The 303 is gradual enough that i couldn't feel any feedback at the pedals.I'm sensitive to this and it usually bugs me.The bike didn't have a long feeling in off drops but was a tad long in the corners.That's the price to pay for a bike that eats bumps so well.The Progression curve is also gradual and had a nice long feeling midstroke so it had a deep plush-but not too soft feel.
5 The cars have triple seals.The cool recirculating bearings are protected by 2 wiper seals and a plastic like wiper that scrapes the crud off.There will be grease ports on them to purge out any water that could be introduced by pressure washer types.
6 Jared Graves' bike is down to 41.5 lbs.
7 December roughly is when they will be ready to ship.The bike is mostly done but the rails are being finished.The grease ports are being added,and the current rails have holes in them to mount them,and dirt can collect in the heads of the bolts,they will be tapped and threaded so there won't be a visible hole.
8 Me? I think the rougher and faster the course the better the bike will work.For racing Nats where the course gets just ruined then the bike would be a dream.In the VPP ultra technology world this bike is the best.There are some single pivot bikes that are excellent and a lot of average ones.Light simple single pivots are still contenders but if you're the guy who's sweatin at the top of the course lookin at other peoples bikes and doubting yourself,this is your bike.
9 any questions?
Krispy here. Rode the 303 at Keystoneon that sweet 10 minute 2500 vert racecourse.
1 It feels very solid,not flexy.It has the new stiffening link behind the seat tube area tying in the swingarm.This takes the twisting load of the rails and turns it into more of a sideload which the 'cars'on the rails can handle better.
2 The weight is down to about the same as the DH9. so that's around 12.5 lbs.
3 The geo is all around great.14.25-15bb adjustable at the upper car without messing up the rate. 45wb 17.5 cs etc.
4 The latest and final rail location offers 1.5"chainstay growth gradually then comes back at the last bit of travel to keep the chain at a reasonable length.It pedals VERY well at the sag point.1.5" seems like a lot but it grows steadily due to the rails.Imagine a VPP bike with the lower link that curves around the BB. On those bikes the growth is significant early in the travel causing a noticeable initial growth that you can feel while pedaling over bumps.The 303 is gradual enough that i couldn't feel any feedback at the pedals.I'm sensitive to this and it usually bugs me.The bike didn't have a long feeling in off drops but was a tad long in the corners.That's the price to pay for a bike that eats bumps so well.The Progression curve is also gradual and had a nice long feeling midstroke so it had a deep plush-but not too soft feel.
5 The cars have triple seals.The cool recirculating bearings are protected by 2 wiper seals and a plastic like wiper that scrapes the crud off.There will be grease ports on them to purge out any water that could be introduced by pressure washer types.
6 Jared Graves' bike is down to 41.5 lbs.
7 December roughly is when they will be ready to ship.The bike is mostly done but the rails are being finished.The grease ports are being added,and the current rails have holes in them to mount them,and dirt can collect in the heads of the bolts,they will be tapped and threaded so there won't be a visible hole.
8 Me? I think the rougher and faster the course the better the bike will work.For racing Nats where the course gets just ruined then the bike would be a dream.In the VPP ultra technology world this bike is the best.There are some single pivot bikes that are excellent and a lot of average ones.Light simple single pivots are still contenders but if you're the guy who's sweatin at the top of the course lookin at other peoples bikes and doubting yourself,this is your bike.
9 any questions?
The suspention is meant to move backwards and then up so it will more easily 'glide' over rock-gardens instead of just running into the rocks.DH SB RIDER said:
if you think using a generic term like "rearward axle path" makes two bikes the same, then you'll be very happy with just about any bikejulian_dh said:
Maybe you can interest him in a pre-owned Zedro DH model.zedro said:if you think using a generic term like "rearward axle path" makes two bikes the same, then you'll be very happy with just about any bike
Awesome write-up Krispy 
Can you share any other info about other bikes? Anything new? Are they going to do another run of 4x frames? Any changes on the ASX?
Gracias!
Can you share any other info about other bikes? Anything new? Are they going to do another run of 4x frames? Any changes on the ASX?
Gracias!
like-new, only minor aluminum flaking....Jeremy R said:Maybe you can interest him in a pre-owned Zedro DH model.
Dude! The 4x is back and like $1500.00 retail for the frame.Not as cool as the older spendier one but looks almost the same and will ride as well.They have a DJ kit that we'll slap on this for a $2500 or so complete bike.Burly enough for DJ or skatepark stuff.Dogboy said:Awesome write-up Krispy
Can you share any other info about other bikes? Anything new? Are they going to do another run of 4x frames? Any changes on the ASX?
Gracias!
Rode ASX 's with DHX Air shocks and Van36 160mm forks.Way fun.DHX Air feels a little wierd in the lot due to the swooping curve on the bike anff the air initial feel but felt GREAT on the trail.I had 200 psi in it and Scott had to run 260 though which will be a problem for heavier riders. The Van 36 was pretty nice.No lock down but for a 5.5 lb coil 160mm fork it was really nice going down.
The 06 40 on the 303's felt better,better bottoming control via a re done bottoming hydraulic cone deal.
Rode a Trail Tuned Float 130 (new Terra Logic) and thought i would hate it,they begged me to try it.Then it started pouring and for sure i thought i was gonna die! The fork was way stiff in the lot! it did not once lock up on me at the wrong time and has a 3-4 second delay for jumps,etc. Never been proven so wrong before. It got me down the DH course on a 575 in the pouring rain with frozen fingers and toes.Still hard to reccomend to this crowd but might get you 1 or 2 feet ahead out of the gate in a mtx race..??...
The DHX air is an optin on the ASX but not really.Yeti wasn't sure and the dealer will have to ask in advance for it.No othe changes this year on it.
The 575 can get the carbon chainstay for a 5.8lb 5.75" bike! sick if you're not a thrasher.Stiffer too.
The 575 can get the carbon chainstay for a 5.8lb 5.75" bike! sick if you're not a thrasher.Stiffer too.
Whoohoo! Thanks for the lowdown Krispy. I see a 4x in my future.
Do you have any pics of your 303 built up, Krispy?
So, what you're really saying here is.... THIS IS THE GREATEST BIKE EVER! I knew it!leprechaun said:
Hey if it makes you FEEL faster then it IS faster!!!! :evil:Threepointtwo said:
I don't have one,just rode one in a small set up for me for a day.konabiker said:
No pics,but it looked identical to the one on the site right down to the silver Diabolus stem.
I see...leprechaun said:
Thanks.
Lazy guys, here you go:leprechaun said:
Except this stem is BLACK, Kris.
The top link and overall suspension geometry have just as much to do with chain growth as where the lower link is. As a matter of fact, there are infinite linkage layouts to achieve any one axle path. 4-bar, 5-bar, crank sliders, counter rotating, etc... it doesn't matter.leprechaun said:
Don't kid yourself into thinking that rails are not links. If it helps you can just think of them as a very long links. The rails are pretty cool and different, that counts for something in my book, but be aware that the same axle path can be achieved with more conventional (shorter) link layouts also.
Just thought you should know.
Dave
I won't try to argue the point about rails being links or not, but in some ways the 303 does feel different than any other bike I have ridden. Yeti claims a lot of chain growth, but it doesn't pedal that way. It seems that with the lower pivot moving nearly perpendicular to the chain line the traditional chain tug is very minimal. The ASX has a lot of chain growth and you can feel it when pedaling. Yeti claims the 303 has the same total chain growth as the ASX, but it has very little feed back at the pedals.dw said:
My overall feeling was that the faster you ride the better 303 becomes. It felt a bit slow handling in the heavily rooted, flat, tight woods sections. However, the funny thing was that the ASX felt faster in those areas, but didnt have nearly as much exit speed out of the woods. I new this because two of the woods exits have jumps and the 303 consistently jumped farther out of the woods than the faster feeling ASX.
I think the 303 will demo very well at Bootleg. Bootleg has a lot of very square edge hits on its DH trails. Every DH bike Ive tested there (a lot of them) feel short on travel due to the square hits. My impression of the 303 is that it handles square hits exceedingly well.
Im looking forward to more riding time and feed back from other riders.
Pics from Fort William
Well, as dw said, the lower link/pivot whatever you want to call it is not what is important, it's the overall product of both pivots/rails. The lower pivot moving perpendicular to the chainline does not prevent chaingrowth at all.go-ride.com said:
I still can't wait to try out one of these things, they seem like a blast to ride! Did you guys try it out at the Yeti dealer day?
That is EXACTLY what I was going to say.dump said:that sounds familiar! *ahem* dh8/9 *ahem*
The 303 looks wide. Does it "feel" wide while riding? Is the split top tube still there and does it make your boys hide when you look down at it? Inquiring minds want to know.
BUT . . . hmm, didn't get around to finishing that thought, did ya?dw said:
edit: . . . the same axle path can be achieved with more conventional (shorter) link layouts also, but nobody else has mapped the exact same wheelpath as this bike with a linkage system yet, which is half the point of the new design.
Right?
DW
my curved lower link description was just an example to help most monkeys understand the idea.
I understand what you're saying,but like Scott here i haven't ridden a bike with this kind of chain growth/bump eating ability that doesn't have noticeable feedback.
I love the DW on paper but unfortunately i have not ridden a single one that actually feels good to me.It's not DW;s fault at all!! But none the less all the Horseys we have recieved have had shock/linkage issues that impede the performance.Sorry.Todd Bosch's felt pretty good with the new valving but i only rode it in the lot for 3 minutes.
I guess my point is,there are lots of cool VPP type bikes out there but the 303 simply worked.
Maybe i'll get to ride an 06 Sunday with an Avy or DHX and i can turn my words around!!!!!
3.2-the bike didn't feel wide,but i rubbed the inside of my leg on the top tube split area,but not a big deal that was a problem.
my curved lower link description was just an example to help most monkeys understand the idea.
I understand what you're saying,but like Scott here i haven't ridden a bike with this kind of chain growth/bump eating ability that doesn't have noticeable feedback.
I love the DW on paper but unfortunately i have not ridden a single one that actually feels good to me.It's not DW;s fault at all!! But none the less all the Horseys we have recieved have had shock/linkage issues that impede the performance.Sorry.Todd Bosch's felt pretty good with the new valving but i only rode it in the lot for 3 minutes.
I guess my point is,there are lots of cool VPP type bikes out there but the 303 simply worked.
Maybe i'll get to ride an 06 Sunday with an Avy or DHX and i can turn my words around!!!!!
3.2-the bike didn't feel wide,but i rubbed the inside of my leg on the top tube split area,but not a big deal that was a problem.
Hmmmm, what're you doing Monday, Sept. 26th around 10am? Could be a date. :heart:leprechaun said:
(edit. crap, Sept. 26th instead of Oct 26. :mumble: )
I'll be the 1 st in line at the dirt demo!
Sign me up!
Sign me up!
Believe me man, the shock issues pained me more than anyone in the World. The shock tunes and hardware that showed up on some of the Sundays was unlike anything I had ever seen or tested before. I personally OK'd the production tunes, then got a production frame and the tune was nothing like the prototype that I had confirmed and had sitting right next to it. Night and day difference.leprechaun said:
It was downright diappointing knowing the capablity of the bike and how well it had performed for over a year during testing. I mean, the race results speak for themselves, the string of World and National podiums spanned 2 years and something like 16 races. Just crazy. dw-link is about as far as you can get from a vpp bike anyways.
Luckily the shock probelms are no longer an issue, Progressive is shipping shocks that feel great and do what they have for 2 years, and now the DHX's are just feeling unreal on the bikes. I am looking forward to tuning a DHX equipped Sunday for you personally at on-dirt demo.
dw
Awesome Dave.Thanks
Krispy
Krispy
not to mention the alternative may not be mechanically sound or all that possible within the confines of the overall bike design. Even the DW-Link/Meastro etc seem to push the availability of spaceJames | Go-Ride said:edit: . . . the same axle path can be achieved with more conventional (shorter) link layouts also, but nobody else has mapped the exact same wheelpath as this bike with a linkage system yet, which is half the point of the new design.
Right?
Like I said, there are infinite linkage layouts for any given point path. I will leave it at that. How many people know the actual path curvature anyways? I'd guess not many.James | Go-Ride said:BUT . . . hmm, didn't get around to finishing that thought, did ya?
edit: . . . the same axle path can be achieved with more conventional (shorter) link layouts also, but nobody else has mapped the exact same wheelpath as this bike with a linkage system yet, which is half the point of the new design.
Right?
Just ribbing you a bit, man.dw said:
zedro said:
Not really, I don't think DW-link or Maestro are even as spatially cumbersome as FSR (note how few non-walking-bar FSR bikes have full-length seat tubes). There is a lot of freedom with bike designs.