[Udi]

Nice webdesign - but $3500, and 12.75lbs with a DHX?
Demo9's are 13.25 with 6-way/steel for comparison.
What a fat pig! The geo is alright, but nothing fascinating.

I'd grab one of those PDC 825's over these bricks anyday. Spend the change on beer and hookers.

And overweight never neccessarily means durable. The only two DH9's i've seen here have both cracked, one catastrophically.

 

[Dogboy]

Demo9's are 13.25 with 6-way/steel for comparison.
What a fat pig!

No way. It's been a couple of years since I had a Demo 9, but I recall it being real close to 15lbs for the frame.

 

[ÆX]

As for those who are convinced it is a gimmic, watch the wheeelpath vids on the site.Linkage bikes aren't moving in this way.They must have recieved the patents since they have the wheelpath and IC mapped and moving in the vids. The bike goes up and then back,which is a little different than other VPP bikes.Most VPPs go back then up then usually foreward a bit. The IC is in line with the chainring at sag and a good bit in front of the downtube so it feels like a vertical wheelpath bike so there is no feedback, but then it begins to move more rearward from there which probably keeps it from squishing down more when pedaling hard. This also lets it take big sharp hits very well.This describes the feeling i got when riding the last generation proto in the fall.It did not feel slow but also had no feedback. It appeares to get pretty long at bottmout though,not sure how it will be in tighter corners. Basically the faster you go the better it will feel. The rail under the top tube look more tilted up than ever before sending the rear wheel even more rearward. Zedro and crew where are you???
Probably it will feel better than say a Sunday at speed but more of a handfull in tight woods. Probably a bit more controlled feel than V10 due to the longer shock and consistant rising rate.The V10 seems to be a good blend of not getting too long but still gobble rocks. Just using those 2 bikes as comparison since they're the 2 hottest VPP bikes.I like all 3.
The Sunday would work better for me being smaller and handling better in tighter areas but if i was a bigger guy and aspired to be faster in west coast/Vermont/WC stuff the 303 has the most potential. I may not be the prime candidate for this bike but i can think of a whole lot of dudes who could go a lot faster on this bike than ever before. Look around at your crew and pick out the ones who can't keep their wheels straight and are constantly wrecking bikes.The maulers.The ones who look like Aussies on their bikes,not the silky frenchmen.(except MannyUt).These are the people of whom i'm speaking.
OK i'm out.

IMO all the links and rail only move the axle mm's. If axle goes wUUUowUUUuOwwUUu0 5mm for and aft makes diddly squat in square edge hits.

 

[profro]

I will say this, I switched from a DH9 to a high single pivot (Morewood) and I can't beleive how well the Morewood takes square edge hits. Its so much faster jumping into burly sections, knowing I'm not going to get hung up. That trait was one of only 2 traits the DH9 was poor on; square edge hits and length of wheelbase. What does this have to do with the 303??? I don't know, but right now I'm a fan of a rearward axle path. I feel it makes me faster.

 

[JRogers]

IMO all the links and rail only move the axle mm's. If axle goes wUUUowUUUuOwwUUu0 5mm for and aft makes diddly squat in square edge hits.

That's what I was thinking. I'm sure it's a sweet riding bike, but for something heavier and way more expensive than current offerings, it should have more to offer.

 

[Summit]

I will now only be buying Foes, Moots and Marin bike for a good long while.

That's an odd mix of brands...?

No comment on the 303, looks sweet...but damn Yeti's new site is styled out. The new 3/4 shots just make me drool...wanting to pull trigger on a complete DJ now...

 

[spacemanspiff06]

what a bunch of monkey motion for the slightest variation in axle
path and leverage ratio. i bet i could not feel anything new skipping
over rocks and flat tracking around down a dh track.



but they do look clean.............

yeah, the whole thing with yeti's site saying they don't have brake jack is BS, it shows brake jack as a linear force, not the rotational force that it is. aplying the brakes will try to make the swing arm rotate clockwise ( as veiwed from the drive side.) which the suspension design does nothing to fight. the rear of the 303 will dive and compress under braking.
it's funnny that people go this far out of their way and spend this much to have a bike that performs ever so slightly better (so little they can't hardly notice it.) and is a b-ach to maintain. single pivots rock!

 

[leprechaun]

Hahahaha BCD you're funny! You had me for a minute there.

This is good discussion. Glad no one just says they don't like it cuz it's gay.

Sorry-I've been looking into the site more and yes,it's not all that rearward.That's sorta good news for me in terms of cornering. And not there is not radical progression rate. And yes it is heavy and expensive. I think that with the cars they could make it more or less rearward,etc but have settled on this setting after testing. Yes a very similar wheelpath and progression rate could be achieved with links.

Yes they are only making 200 of them and yes they will sell all of them.

I'm not in love with this bike and will not defend it to the death, i just think it's really cool technology and is a first of it's kind. Who knows where this could take us. Hopefully further away from falling rate high pivots.He he.

 

[ÆX]

Hahahaha BCD you're funny! You had me for a minute there.

.

I have nothing against yeti. i own a yeti dj frame and love it. I have alway liked what they have done for mountain biking.

I just don't people to be sucked into hype.

 

[Alpha Kenny Body]

:hot:

Yes they are only making 200 of them and yes they will sell all of them.

 

[WheelieMan]

IMO all the links and rail only move the axle mm's. If axle goes wUUUowUUUuOwwUUu0 5mm for and aft makes diddly squat in square edge hits.

Exactly. Yeti makes it seem as if the only way to get this special "rearward" axle-path is to use linear rails, when in fact there are hundreds of ways to create a rearward axle-path that is actually rearward, while keeping chaingrowth low, without using rails. (one of the best examples being the Inedible. ) 216mm of travel up and 5mm of travel back (with a net horizontal displacement of 0mm) is pretty darn vertical if you ask me. While a vertical axle-path might perform better than a forward axle-path, it's still far from ideal when it comes to square-edge bump absorption.

 

[jonKranked]

is it heavy? yes
is it expensive? outrageously
BUT it is a new and innovative take on suspension design, and definitely stands out from all the others. It's an outside-the-box idea that will, if nothing else, get more frame designers to start thinking more creatively. And we'll all benefit from that.

 

[Mani_UT]

I just don't people to be sucked into hype.

Give me one DH bike (other than the Cuervo -most underrated bike ever-) that has not been overhyped when released?
Look out for all the TLD wearing sleeveless mini-Hill on Sundays at the races it's gonna be fun.
This industry is all about who is going to out-hype the other manufacturer

However there IS a new technology being developed. That's not hype. It is a fact. At least they are trying something new. It might suck (I'll reserve my judgment until I have some serious time on one) but it's not just more of the same with a pretty color.

 

[dhbuilder]

Yes they are only making 200 of them and yes they will sell all of them.

so basically what that means is,
yeti is no longer building downhill bikes for the general public.
those 200 will go to the "chosen ones" and the rest of us have to go look for another brand.

one year gone due to designing and building prototypes.
this year gone to the 200 racerboys.

two years without a product for the public.

 

[profro]

this year gone to the 200 racerboys.

Not exactly. Grassroots sponsorship riders get bikes after dealers and individual orders. I wouldn't be suprized if the Factory Team and the RPM team bikes are not included in the 200 number. If you want one, call Go-Ride or you LBS and have them order one. If you want one, you'll probably get one.

 

[JohnnyBoyDH]

I love Yeti...always have. Owned a slew of them from ARC, ARC AS, ARC AS-LT and DH9, but not that into the 303 as of yet. Would love to take one for a rip and then pass judgement, but I doubt anyone in my area will pony up for one.

 

[bdamschen]

Maybe this has been discussed before, but what is the deal with the buldge in the top tube just in front of the seat?

 

[jackalope]

^^
I think it's where they are going to install the 'performance knob'...Needless to say, it will go up to 11...

 

[dhbuilder]

Not exactly. Grassroots sponsorship riders get bikes after dealers and individual orders. I wouldn't be suprized if the Factory Team and the RPM team bikes are not included in the 200 number. If you want one, call Go-Ride or you LBS and have them order one. If you want one, you'll probably get one.

naw.
when my trusty dh9 finally gives up the ghost, i'll be switching to a specialized demo.

there's a high volume dealer right here in town. and my past experience with specialized was always good.

 

[leprechaun]

The bulge (also known as the vagina-from the top) allows access to the hardware that lets you set the BB height. This Is a cool feature since the progression rate is not affected by BB height change since there is a cam on the car mount.

I think 200 is plenty.I was not indicating 'they're only making 200 so it does not matter anyway' More like there are only 200 people that will pony up. Betcha there were not even close to 100 Monos made in a year ever.That one year (2002?) when EVERYONE bought an M1 with the neeto new progressive shock,that was 500 bikes according to Intense.There are probably 100 Turner DHR s made and around 200 Sundays per year.

 

[bizutch]

naw.
when my trusty dh9 finally gives up the ghost, i'll be switching to a specialized demo.

there's a high volume dealer right here in town. and my past experience with specialized was always good.

be sure to tell the Specialized reps you saw me at Windrock and was like:
"Damn, you are fuuhasssttt dddduuuudde!"
And that I was like: "It's the bike brah"
And you were like: "Gotta have it g..."
And I was like: "You know it ...gnar":love:

 

[ÆX]

The bulge (also known as the vagina-from the top) allows access to the hardware that lets you set the BB height. This Is a cool feature since the progression rate is not affected by BB height change since there is a cam on the car mount.

I think 200 is plenty.I was not indicating 'they're only making 200 so it does not matter anyway' More like there are only 200 people that will pony up. Betcha there were not even close to 100 Monos made in a year ever.That one year (2002?) when EVERYONE bought an M1 with the neeto new progressive shock,that was 500 bikes according to Intense.There are probably 100 Turner DHR s made and around 200 Sundays per year.

interesting numbers

never heard them before. huh.

 

[spoke80]

be sure to tell the Specialized reps you saw me at Windrock and was like:
"Damn, you are fuuhasssttt dddduuuudde!"
And that I was like: "It's the bike brah"
And you were like: "Gotta have it g..."
And I was like: "You know it ...gnar":love:

Wow, drinking already?

 

[Jeremy R]

The bulge (also known as the vagina-from the top) allows access to the hardware that lets you set the BB height. This Is a cool feature since the progression rate is not affected by BB height change since there is a cam on the car mount.

I think 200 is plenty.I was not indicating 'they're only making 200 so it does not matter anyway' More like there are only 200 people that will pony up. Betcha there were not even close to 100 Monos made in a year ever.That one year (2002?) when EVERYONE bought an M1 with the neeto new progressive shock,that was 500 bikes according to Intense.There are probably 100 Turner DHR s made and around 200 Sundays per year.

Yep, in 04', a year in which in DHR's sold like hotcakes, they had 200 of them made in the first batch, and the first 100 went to Japan.
That only left 100 for the rest of the world. I think they did make some more later on in the year, but our sport is smaller than most people think it is.

 

[jonKranked]

The bulge (also known as the vagina-from the top) allows access to the hardware that lets you set the BB height. This Is a cool feature since the progression rate is not affected by BB height change since there is a cam on the car mount.

I think 200 is plenty.I was not indicating 'they're only making 200 so it does not matter anyway' More like there are only 200 people that will pony up. Betcha there were not even close to 100 Monos made in a year ever.That one year (2002?) when EVERYONE bought an M1 with the neeto new progressive shock,that was 500 bikes according to Intense.There are probably 100 Turner DHR s made and around 200 Sundays per year.

let us not forget that Marzocchi's first run of Super Monster forks sold out very quickly. How quick, I can't exactly remember I don't feel like going on an internet scavenger hunt for the number.

 

[bizutch]

Wow, drinking already?

shut up Mr "I know these Windrock trails so well, I'm gonna kick back an Icehouse on the tailgate and not offer another living sole one midway through the day" Guy...ink:

 

[spoke80]

shut up Mr "I know these Windrock trails so well, I'm gonna kick back an Icehouse on the tailgate and not offer another living sole one midway through the day" Guy...ink:

Not my beer to give. Which was unusual since the past weekends my cooler is stocked with Sierra Pale, Shiner bock (for Joey), and coors light. But I must say nothing like an ice cold beer in the afternoon heat.:love:

I'll make sure you stubble home next time or after the challenge.

 

[bizutch]

my frame is still under warranty so I'm still interested in "the challenge"

 

[spoke80]

my frame is still under warranty so I'm still interested in "the challenge"

Whenever you are ready....Dark Hollow will be waiting.

 

[bdamschen]

let us not forget that Marzocchi's first run of Super Monster forks sold out very quickly.

Huh, and I always thought their first run was airdropped all over canada with a challange attached to it to "Put this on every bike imaginable"

 

[jonKranked]

Huh, and I always thought their first run was airdropped all over canada with a challange attached to it to "Put this on every bike imaginable"

no, just pinkbike

 

[leprechaun]

They cut the numbers of the DHR almost in half this year and made parts for 200 highlines. Don't know how many they've made so far,like 100.
Then a bunch of DHRs got F'ed up and we got zero smalls,and they still have 05's in large so the didn't even make any of those.

Sundays never even got made in the US, we bought Elites and stripped them down to have frames.

So BCD if you made 5 or 10 US frames you're ahead of IH!

 

[ska todd]

Sundays never even got made in the US, we bought Elites and stripped them down to have frames.

So BCD if you made 5 or 10 US frames you're ahead of IH!

Sorry Krispy but I'm gonna call you out here. There have been USA made Sunday frames in 06, more than were made in 05. Admittedly, product leadtimes and qtys are not what we'd all like but the large majority of those made have been shipping to those w/ the longest standing orders. In most cases this is distributors in Europe, Asia, & Australia. The demand is high for the bikes and we do the best to help everyone equally.

-ska todd

 

[Bobodaclown]

Here are some pics of one of the 303's that came into the UK this week. There are 20 303's coming into the UK.

http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/823329/

http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/823328/

http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/823327/

With regard to the number of frames made Rotec are only producing 150 frames for worldwide sales.

 

[maxyedor]

Nice webdesign - but $3500, and 12.75lbs with a DHX?
Demo9's are 13.25 with 6-way/steel for comparison.
What a fat pig! The geo is alright, but nothing fascinating.
.

That weight isn't too bad for a DH bike. By the way thats a dhx/steel.

Anyhoo 200 303s is a lot of damn 303s, Yeti produces about 2500 bikes per year so that is quite significant. Not that any of them will ever go to customers, or erver really be produced anyway.

 

[Tetreault]

if someone can come up with a reason to spend 3500 on the brooklyn race link, i dont see why anyone wouldnt spend that on this yeti?

IMO the 303 is the future of bicycle design, a rail system like that fits the characteristics of a shock (ramping up) a bearing are not ment to be used in an uneven manner, this is why the linnear rails are such a good idea.

 

[mandown]

if someone can come up with a reason to spend 3500 on the brooklyn race link, i dont see why anyone wouldnt spend that on this yeti?

IMO the 303 is the future of bicycle design, a rail system like that fits the characteristics of a shock (ramping up) a bearing are not ment to be used in an uneven manner, this is why the linnear rails are such a good idea.

agreed with both of the points above.

yeah, the bike is heavier than others. but it is new technology. is it better? who knows. will the things that come from it be better? quite possibly. there were some slams on the wheel path made earlier. it was stated that there are other ways of achieving the same (or similar) wheel path without using rails. however, no mention was made on how that path works the shock. it is possible that this design creates a wheel path that is similar to virtual pivot designs, but makes better use of the shock. not being an engineer, i cannot comment in any more detail than that. the proof will be in the pudding.

let's see what the bike does in the real world. the suspension may be better than existing designs, but there may be other characteristics of the frame (geo and weight) that don't create any kind of synergy or balance, and thus the improvement of the suspension alone will not be noticed. the suspension may be worse than existing designs, but the whole bike might have the "it" that makes the bike magically feel great! theory is great and it can point you in the right direction. but this is an industry based largely on "feel." if the bike "feels right" then it will sell. good marketing helps too. look at kona. lots of geeks bash the technology in the stinky design, but they sell tons of them and the riders swear by the feel of the bike.

 

[integrusllc]

not to interupt, but harpers is recieving one this week to build for a local.

 

[The Mad Haderer]

Nice webdesign - but $3500, and 12.75lbs with a DHX?
Demo9's are 13.25 with 6-way/steel for comparison.
What a fat pig! The geo is alright, but nothing fascinating.

I'd grab one of those PDC 825's over these bricks anyday. Spend the change on beer and hookers.

And overweight never neccessarily means durable. The only two DH9's i've seen here have both cracked, one catastrophically.

I call BS...the only 3 dh 9 frames ever damaged due were underneath rennie...he twisted 2 in corners...

 

[The Mad Haderer]

yeah, the whole thing with yeti's site saying they don't have brake jack is BS, it shows brake jack as a linear force, not the rotational force that it is. aplying the brakes will try to make the swing arm rotate clockwise ( as veiwed from the drive side.) which the suspension design does nothing to fight. the rear of the 303 will dive and compress under braking.
it's funnny that people go this far out of their way and spend this much to have a bike that performs ever so slightly better (so little they can't hardly notice it.) and is a b-ach to maintain. single pivots rock!

look again monkey..the swing arm mounts the brake where...so the caliper places forces forward...no dive...you want a bike that dives under braking...get a v-10...it drops waaaay out of its "sweet spot" under any sort of brake drag.