We recently had an opportunity to demo the long awaited Yeti ASR-7 trail bike. ASR-7 is Yeti's new platform for riders seeking a bit more travel and stability over a bike like a Blur LT, Nomad, or Yeti 575. Tag lines might include long travel trail bike / enduro / free ride / agressive XC. Immediately catching my eye - the 1.125 to 1.5 headtube, squared off hydro formed tubing, short, 16.9 inch chainstays, carbon dog bone, direct mount front derailleur and relatively light weight (in the 30 lb. range) for a 7 inch travel bike. Like the 575 and AS-R SL - the bike utilizes an elegant, but durable, single pivot attachment of swing arm to frame. So how's it ride?
We met up with Yeti's traveling side show duo Ariel and Abby at Skeggs for a little dirt time. I was wary of riding such a stout bike at a place like Skeggs - I knew it would be fun going down, but climbs at Skeggs are steep, the thought of pedaling the 7 uphill was daunting, and I was curious about bike handling in tighter, switch back type trails.
Yeti's golden touch remains in tact. We laid tracks down Manzanita trail, arguably the roughest trail Skeggs has to offer - the 7 was rock solid - you noticed the 1.5" headtube plowing over boulders and through rutted sections. On twisty trails like Blue Bell and Steam Donkey, the bike was surprisingly nimble, probably from Yeti's decision to keep the chain stays short (a full 1/2 inch shorter than a Santa Cruz Nomad) and keep the head tube angle at a modest 67 deg. Climbing out wasn't as painful as I expected - like the Yeti AS-R and 575, the 7 pedals exceptionally well - my only complaint was the lack of a travel adjust fork on the front (available as an option) - all that travel makes the front end pretty light - nothing a Fox 36 TALAS cranked down to 100mm can't fix! Ultimately, the ASR-7 is a great choice for a rider who values a "do everything - anywhere" trail bike - the term "Nomad Killer" comes to mind. Downieville and Northstar would offer great canvases for a 7, but the bike is still viable west of the Sierra. Get more info on the ASR-7 from Yeti
0 comments:
Post a Comment