[JDA]

I am in a postion where I can get either a Yeti 303r or an Intense 951 for the same price and I'm not sure which one to get?

I was lucky enough to take a 303R demo bike home to test from my LBS for a few hours of riding on my local DH track. I loved riding the 303r but it is impossible for me to demo a 951 in my area.

The yeti pedals better than any DH bike I have ever ridden, it also seems to accelerate through the rough stuff or rock gardens instead of loosing speed like my glory did. The yeti is dead silent too which was nice.

My previous bikes were an Orange 223 and a giant glory. The 223 was fun to ride, great at cornering, especially high speed but suffered badly under brakes and repetitive high speed hits.

The glory was great at ironing out the bumps and under brakes but lost speed easily and was a slug to pedal, low speed cornering was good but it was a little unstable during high speed cornering.

any help deciding would be appreciated, especially if someone has tried both bikes. There is a review of a 951 on mtbr where the guy has sold his 303r to get a 951.

 

[wysiwyg]

The definitive answer (not that i read the question just the title)

 

[RUFUS]

crazy you ask this today, i had the chance to ride both of these bikes today.

I... wasnt overly impressed with the 951. I might be a bit biased, as i have never really liked any intense's, and this didnt seem to track as nicely as my v10 or the 303r.

The 303r, which was too heavily sprung for me, tracked amazingly and the suspension just made it corner like.. its on rails.

that said, the 303r i think is heavier? it felt heavier, and less of a fun, playful jumpy bike but more of an easier bike to ride fast.

The frame is a tad heavier but you can easily built a 37lb 303R. It is a very playful bike and loves to be in the air. I have yet to be on any bike that was fun to jump until I got on my 303R. You area also correct with it feeling like it accelerated in the rocky stuff. I still enjoy plowing through a few sections just to feel that.

I also had a chance to demo the 951 and I was impressed with that frame as well. I felt like I was sitting in the bike instead of on top. It pedaled fairly well and was fun as well. IT was a demo bike so the suspension sucked but you can feel how the suspension works.

The 303R was much better in the corners, pedaling out of corners and jumping.

I don't think that you will be disappointed with either.

 

[JDA]

Thanks for your input guys, I will probably get the yeti.

 

[iRider]

Thanks for your input guys, I will probably get the yeti.

I am biased here (riding Intense myself), but after demoing both I would go 951 and not 303. 303 is not a bad bike, but I felt the 951 rolled over stuff better and tracked better when you are on the brakes. Also the TT length is off on the 303. With most bikes, including Intense, I am on mediums, the 303's TT on the large frame felt shorter than the medium on the 951. I didn't check the numbers though, but it was immediately noticeable. I don't think I could race a medium 303 without hitting my knees on the upper fork crown.
And I don't know if this matters to you, but for the same price I rather support a company that does everything in house and doesn't outsource their production overseas.

My 2 cents.

 

[shadrack]

The 951 was on my short list as well, but in my case I can get the 303R for about $1000 less than the Intense. This makes the Yeti more attractive to me. The 951 intrigues me, I wish I had the oppertunity to ride them back to back like L.P. did. Money is tight these days, so this time It's a Yeti for me.

 

[stringbean]

Thanks for your input guys, I will probably get the yeti.

get the yeti, my build on farkin is bout 18 kg, can get it lighter but cant be bothered spending the money.

 

[JDA]

Coming off a Glory I'm not too worried about weight, anything will seem light in comparison.

 

[ekripper]

I own both the 303r and the 951. These two bikes are completely different animals all together. The 303r feels very lively and flickable to me. The word poppy seems to be used alot to describe this bike and I think that expression fits quite well. The Yeti medium does feel smaller in the cockpit compared to my medium 951. The 303r isn't a "plush" 8 in. travel bike in my opinion. The suspension works very well, it's just not a buttery, bottomless feeling ride in my opinion. Some days I like that and some days I don't. Just depends on my mood. I absolutely love how easy it is to change bb height/head angle. I have quite a bit of time on this bike and I do truly enjoy it. I take this bike out on the days I want a more active ride and a bike that can change lines/directions quickly and still rip through the rough stuff. The 951 is an incredible bike as well and it's amazing how different you can make the bike feel with all the different settings. In the 8" setting it feels very similar to the 303r in how it rides. In the 8.5" setting it completely changes the feeling of the bike. It rides deeper in the travel and feels super plush. With the G3 drop outs you can really dial in how long you want the chain stays and how low you want the bb. I've settled in to the middle setting with the shock in the 8.5" setting. I personally feel that the 951 corners better than the 303r. The bb on the 951 can feel quite low which I think explains the cornering for me. Static it's close to the same as the 303r but it rides deeper in it's travel giving you that super low feeling. The 951 also tends to feel slacker that the Yeti for some reason. Bottom line it's a tough choice and either won't be wrong. They just ride so different that it's going to come down to personal style. I couldn't decide and am fortunate enough to be able to afford both and I really couldn't pick one or the other. Different days I'm feeling different bikes.

 

[JDA]

Thanks a lot for all that info mate!

I'm pretty much locked into getting the 303R now and I had a great time riding it last weekend (demo, see review).

After 2 years on a glory it was very refreshing for me to get back on a single pivot style bike and I can't wait to get the yeti built up to my taste and start riding again.