Yeti Arc Long Term Review | Can you race enduro on a hardtail mtb?

[@jaj07]

I preordered mine as it came out and eventually got it in 2022. Custom built to roughly T1 spec and have been super happy with it! It does everything apart from really rough bike park well, but I have mine built up as a light trail bike.

[@Stussy787]

The A.R.C is also an incredibly good pure XC race rig too. I have outfitted mine with the Fox 34Stepcast fork for XC race and trail use. Best hardtail they have ever made.

[@lindonandlisa8114]

I'm thinking of getting one and building and into an XC bike would be very interested in seeing your build

[@MTBgains]

Great to hear, I’ve just signed up for an XC race in 2 weeks and I’ll be riding the ARC. Probably have to put some xc friendly tires on 🤔

[@danielreynolds5012]

Have my Arc a year now and love it. Similar spec to you built up from what they had at LBS. One thing I would say is to get rid of that rear agressor, i really didn't like it for Irish conditions. Traded up to a dissector and max'd it to 2.6 width. Also would say that an rear insert to let you drop the P and add a bit of comfort and grip to it. As you say, such a fun comfortable bike that does everything I want.

[@MTBgains]

Been considering a rear insert so thanks for the tip. I’ve destroyed 2 rims in as many months so need to try something

[@gval1973]

Great review, horrible conditions too. I've got the Arc with Pike Ultimates at 140mm and it handles everything I throw at it, was toying with going more XC with SID Ultimate 120mm but feel like I might regret that.

[@MTBgains]

Probably. For the few seconds you’ll save on the up hills, you might lose it on the downs. And the fun factor of ripping up on a hardtail 😁

[@madtownangler]

I wanted one in the nineties when I couldnt afford it. They made them too big for me but I probably could've gotta one custom made if I need to

[@mreyes2575]

Very well done and fantastic review well done getting down them trails l think most would struggle on a full sus never mind a hard tail looking at the conditions... Yeti Arc definitely on my l want list

[@MTBgains]

Thanks for the kind words, much appreciated. And yer I’m loving my Arc, is great fun

[@jaselikesbikes]

Nice one Matt, those conditions in Vegas can be trecherous. Great effort!

[@MTBgains]

Cheers buddy, think I’ve still got mud coming out my pores!!

[@nikkeijin-man7025]

Perfect! Love that, man!

[@MTBgains]

Thanks a ton!

[@rowanrobinson]

Thinking of swapping out my 2020 Commencal Meta HT for this frame. Probably keep my 150mm forks but if they're not great I'll grab some 34's

[@MTBgains]

It rides so good for a Hardtail with low to mid range travel. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed

[@eastcoaste30]

Cheers to you. I love my ARC, but I wanted to make it a bit more "extreme," so I threw a Fox Fit 36/150 and some bigger rotors on it (as well as a few other bells and whistles), so I reckon it would've handled well in your enduro race (the bike, but perhaps not the rider 😁).

[@MTBgains]

Sounds mean. Does it still climb well with the bigger travel fork?

[@eastcoaste30]

@@MTBgains sure does (I can always lock it out if I need to)

[@Pozitivi]

Sounds unique!

[@robby66genova]

Fantastic! Me too: next week i'll install a fox 36/150. Thank you for your good feed

[@Pozitivi]

Awesome! I'm a big fan of YETI (Happy owner of sb150)

[@brendansherlock6442]

Hardtails are great for flow trails, xc but will put huge stress on the rider on gnarly roudy trails, a younger rider will be able to get away with it as they recover more quickly. I love my hardtail but fit enduro, I'm on a full suss with just 140mm rear travel and to be honest, enduro to me requires 160mm. Look at Blakes video on GMBN on the hardtail, the till it took on him was huge. The right tool for the right job is what's best, no bike does it all, there's always a compromisr

[@MTBgains]

True. Many factors to consider here; riding ability, strength, terrain, etc. Many riders I see are not very strong these days, modern bikes are so good at taking the impacts once a rider gets on a hardtail they struggle to maintain speed regardless of the terrain. Good man if you’re mixing it up on different bikes 👍

[@j.albertogratacos2076]

I have a love-hate relationship with the bike. Maybe it's me trying to figure out the forks. I have Fox Grip2 130 (extended to 140). I am torn between how they perform with a 4th spacer. How much sag do you use and how often do you bottom out? I think it likes to go fast on single track and corner like magic but it gets really scary on the gnarly downhills because of the headangle. I love the Rimpact front and Rimpact Pro rear inserts at very low psi and the oneup carbon bars to soak up a bit of the chatter. Also the Ergon GA3 grips and SMPro saddle helps.

[@MTBgains]

I used a ShockWiz to help setup as I was bottoming out on the gnarly stuff. Still does a little but I have sag at around 20% and a token in there. You kinda know when it’s gonna happen and prepare the body for it!!

[@dannagelkirk9392]

A 9point8 SlackR headset unlocks this bike.

[@j.albertogratacos2076]

@@dannagelkirk9392 I installed one a few months ago and it did become a beast. To the point that I went to 36mm forks to handle the dh!

[@MikemoRides]

I also found putting wider bars (i use 800mm) made it feel much more stable and less twitchy.

[@rlopez9044]

You can do Enduro World Cup in a tricycle, the question is how competitive you will be !!

[@MatroniFitness]

been racing some local enduros on my sb130LR, inserts... x2 shock... overstroked.. burly wheels. it crushes. doing well in the races too. i just did my first local xc race. i am def more a gravity guy but had fun at the xc race. my 130lr feels fine in a race, bike park etc, sure its not the new 160, but unless im just pure racing i dont feel its needed cuz the 130 is just so balanced + capable, its def more whose riding it IMO. i am wanting to get a second bike but i feel the enduro wont be justified much and i want a bike in my fleet that is different. was hoping i could use arc for my trail days, xc rides, or even a few xc races with a major improvement over my 130LR. i understand this isn't an xc rig. when not in a race i think id like that as gravity is my heart, and id want to push the downer harder than i probably should despite the smaller bike. you seem stoked on the ARC... would you say it is be a good mid pack xc rider race bike + trail bike for longer days/more climbing focused rather than going for my best dh time.

[@MTBgains]

Definitely. My gravity bike is an sb150 but I love the arc. Handles the xc pretty well and allows me to have fun on the rowdy stuff. I can’t hit stuff as hard as the sb150 but it’s probably more fun being ‘underbiked’ and still having a go. Like you said it can be down to who’s riding the bike, the arc is pretty capable if your a confident rider 👍

[@Pozitivi]

I ran x2 on my Yeti too but I feel like I should switch to a coil instead..

[@MatroniFitness]

@@Pozitivi I had coil. Deadened bike a lot and took some pop up. Less support it felt like too. I def prefer air on the yeti.

[@fjogningNikolai]

I am getting my ARC C2 with fox 34 float next week

[@MTBgains]

Awesome, you’ll love it. Such a cool bike

[@Pozitivi]

Congrats! ARC is so good! You'll enjoy :)

[@Corvin1991]

Can you recommend a size? Im 178cm and have no idea if i should take M or L. Thanks

[@MTBgains]

I’m 180 and ride the large, I wouldn’t wanna go to a medium, it feels too compact for me

[@thorstensuckow]

Mind adding some more infos regarding your build? Frame size, stem length, your size? Thanks in advance :)

[@MTBgains]

Hey, frame is a Large, pretty much the C2 build. I’m 80kg athletic and not the smoothest rider ever!

[@mattkrivosudsky9057]

nice bike! How tall are you and what is the frame size? thanks

[@MTBgains]

5ft 11” and riding a large

[@robby66genova]

Great job!

[@MTBgains]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@ronnyreagan167]

Damn hero 💪🏻🤟🏻

[@MTBgains]

Cheers dude

[@TheNewnan3]

Are you running inserts in your tires?

[@MTBgains]

No. I ride it pretty aggressive and have been through 3 rear wheels and 1 front wheel. Have a carbon set now

[@HectorLopez-up6dq]

Price plis

[@MTBgains]

The price i paid or the price I tell my wife it cost 🤣🤣. Think it was about $6.5k NZD

[@HectorLopez-up6dq]

$

[@MartinTeerly]

It's all about our knowledge and ability and skill. I saw idiots on 7000 full sus unable to ride of curb 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@MTBgains]

Ha ha. You’re right, for any enduro race you gotta have a certain level of ability regardless of the bike

[@pepeanza6187]

I think the geometry is not very good in that yety 67 ht is xc no matter what fork you use mjch better hardtail frames whit more agresive geometry out there