Yeti Cycles recently resurrected its hardtail legend with the ARC 35th Anniversary Edition, limited to just 100 bikes.
A modern 29er hardtail with a full carbon frame and 130-millimetre fork was presented in a special Yeti turquoise and yellow paint job and garnished with numerous tuning delicacies. The Yeti ARC of the present day no longer has much in common with the uncompromising race file of the nineties.
The new ARC is back with the mission of combining the simplicity of the hardtail with the joy of trail biking and presents itself as a modern all-round hardtail. 29er wheels with fat 2.6 mm tyres, 130 mm suspension fork, full carbon frame, telescopic seat post and the latest 1x12 drivetrain turn the former cross-country racer into a universal tool for trail lovers.
Philipp Rother, Marketing Manager for Yeti, comments: "The background to the whole thing is the return to the origins of the mountain bike with a hardtail with modern geometry. Accordingly, this is not a race bike, but a downcountry or trail bike, i.e. a bike for having fun on an after-work ride. Just like in the old days, when you only had one bike for everything. Of course, it's also designed to appeal to customers who had an ARC from later model years and have been waiting for a successor for some time."
This successor is now coming to Germany as a frame kit (in black or turquoise, for 1590 euros) or in the form of three complete bikes. What they all have in common is the same full carbon frame called Turq, the Fox Transfer telescopic seatpost with 175 millimetres of travel and the 2.6 inch wide Maxxis tyre mix of Minion DHF and Rekon as well as grips, headset and saddle.
The basic C1 model for 4290 euros has M1900 wheels from DT Swiss (here in the BIKE test)gearstick and drive come from the Shimano-SLX-The two-piston Deore brakes regulate the deceleration. At the front, the Fox 34 Performance with 130 millimetres of suspension travel.
The more expensive versions ARC T1 (5490 euros) and ARC T2 (5890 euros) differ only in the conventional 12-speed drivetrain installed. Shimano XT (T1) or Sram X01 Eagle (T2). The new XM1700 wheels from DTwhich Fox 34 Factory and the carbon handlebars are shared by both variants. As with all Yeti bikes from model year 2019 onwards, buyers of the ARC also enjoy a lifetime warranty on the frame.
Sebastian Brust
Editor
