Yeti Big Top 29er Hardtail Unveiled

Yeti is getting into the 29er game with a hybrid (aluminum/carbon) hardtail for 2011. News of the new at Sea Otter was met with stoke and eagerness to get onboard this new big-wheeled machine. While I will not likely get onboard one until this Fall at Interbike, I will lay out the dealio here so we can all imagine how great it will ride until I get some quality time.

One of the most unique aspects of the new Yeti Big Top 29er is the hybrid frameset. This frame consists of a welded aluminum front triangle that’s mated with a carbon-fiber rear triangle. True to Yeti form, the Big Top includes a looped chainstay-to-seatstay transition — reminiscent of Yeti’s hardtails of old. While the majority of the rear triangle is carbon, the dropouts are aluminum and are capable of handling a variety of axles (like the ASR5c) and running geared or single-speed.

I just got the full specs (geometry and build kit) from the crew at Yeti, see below for details.

Yeti Big Top 29er Features:

Aluminum front triangle
Carbon-fiber rear triangle
Tapered head-tube
ISCG mounts (an interesting feature, but adds to versatility)
Available as complete, frame/fork or frame-only
Release Date: Available July 2010
MSRP: $2750 complete, $1800 frame/fork or $1100 frame

Geometry (M/L/XL):

Seat Tube: 18/19.5/21
Top Tube: 23.5/24.8/25.8
Head tube angle: 70 degrees
Seat tube angle: 72 degrees
Chainstay: 17.1
Wheelbase: 43/44.3/45.3
BB height: 12
Stand over: 31/32/33
Head tube: 4/4.5/5.1

Build Kit Specs:

Fork: Fox F29 FIT RLC 100 15mm Tapered
Wheelset: DT-Swiss 350 hubs/470 rim
Crank: SRAM S1400 175mm double 26-39
R. Der: SRAM X9 10 speed
F. Der: SRAM X7 Direct Mount Double
Shifters: SRAM X7 10 speed
Brakes: SRAM Elixir 5 160mm rotor
Headset: Cane Creek S-3 Tapered
Stem: SRAM AKA 90mm
Post: SRAM Hussefelt 30.9
Cassette: SRAM PG-1050 12-36 10 speed
Chain: SRAM 10 speed
Saddle: WTB rocket
Tires: Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.25
Bar: SRAM Stylo riser

More Info: Visit YetiCycles.com

Thank you, James Huang at BikeRadar.com for the full bike image. Please click here to see more photos of the Big Top at Sea Otter.

Jason Mitchell on April 27, 2010 10:09 am

I just got a news release out of Yeti New Zealand on their rider’s 5th place finish at the NZ Singlespeed Championships aboard a Big Top single-speed. See below:

Marcus Roy’s bike caused quite a stir on the startline of the 2010 NZ Singlespeed Championships at Seven Mile on Saturday – it was the only singlespeed Yeti Big Top 29er in existence.

Roy, of Invercargill, only received the 29-inch wheel hardtail mountain bike a few days before the event.

“It turned up at work in a box on Thursday and I managed to get it set-up as a singlespeed and ran 36-21 gearing. I had a quick ride, but the race on Saturday was my first real ride,” Roy said.

The NZ Singlespeed Championships are an unusual test of character, spirit and cycling prowess. With only one gear the riders must grind up the climbs and then manage a high cadence on the descents. Wearing skirts and fishnet stockings, or dressing up like Susan Devoy, Spiderman or Skeletor just adds to the colour of the event for the riders.

The race started with a 500m run and riders had to carry their front wheel with them.

“The start was hard – a guy fell over in front of me and I had to jump over him, then it was all on. It was quite a long run, but I got back to my bike and had the wheel in quickly and settled into the race,” Roy said.

He was holding a good position at the front of the pack when he noticed the cleat in his shoe had come loose.

“On lap 2 I had to stop and borrow a 4mm Allen key to tighten it up and I lost a place or two there and a few minutes. I’ve never had that happen in a race before,” Roy said.

“If it had pulled right out or I had lost a bolt that would have been the end of my race.”

Once back in the hunt Roy said he made a common mistake: “I tried to catch back up on the time I had wasted – I went a wee bit hard on lap three and didn’t quite recover as well as I should have and couldn’t get my rhythm again,” he admitted.

On lap 4 Roy had a beer stop – in the NZ Singlespeed Championships riders can choose to take a shortcut on any two laps, but first they have to down a bottle of beer.

“I had a beer stop on lap 5 as well – you don’t have to take it, but I liked the look of the shortcut at that stage,” Roy laughed.

“It’s a good fun event and very relaxed.”

Having the only singlespeed Yeti Big Top in the world added a bit of pressure for Roy.

“I did feel a bit of extra pressure, but I knew what I was in for – I got my wheel in quick at the start and was up with the top boys quickly, so felt good and the bike was bloody good. It jumps nicely through the doubles and was easy to ride.”

“The geometry felt good around corners and switchbacks – which most 29ers usually struggle with, so it was certainly fun to ride.”

Roy finished fifth at the event, which was won by Garth Weinberg, of Rotorua in 2hr18min. Anja McDonald, of Dunedin, won the women’s title in 2hr49min.

The next major New Zealand event for the Yeti Big Top will be the World Singlespeed Championships to be held in Rotorua on October 23 (www.sswc10nz.com) with three-time Olympian Kashi Leuchs, of Dunedin, at its helm.

1 Comment

Jason Mitchell on April 27, 2010 10:09 am

I just got a news release out of Yeti New Zealand on their rider’s 5th place finish at the NZ Singlespeed Championships aboard a Big Top single-speed. See below:

Marcus Roy’s bike caused quite a stir on the startline of the 2010 NZ Singlespeed Championships at Seven Mile on Saturday – it was the only singlespeed Yeti Big Top 29er in existence.

Roy, of Invercargill, only received the 29-inch wheel hardtail mountain bike a few days before the event.

“It turned up at work in a box on Thursday and I managed to get it set-up as a singlespeed and ran 36-21 gearing. I had a quick ride, but the race on Saturday was my first real ride,” Roy said.

The NZ Singlespeed Championships are an unusual test of character, spirit and cycling prowess. With only one gear the riders must grind up the climbs and then manage a high cadence on the descents. Wearing skirts and fishnet stockings, or dressing up like Susan Devoy, Spiderman or Skeletor just adds to the colour of the event for the riders.

The race started with a 500m run and riders had to carry their front wheel with them.

“The start was hard – a guy fell over in front of me and I had to jump over him, then it was all on. It was quite a long run, but I got back to my bike and had the wheel in quickly and settled into the race,” Roy said.

He was holding a good position at the front of the pack when he noticed the cleat in his shoe had come loose.

“On lap 2 I had to stop and borrow a 4mm Allen key to tighten it up and I lost a place or two there and a few minutes. I’ve never had that happen in a race before,” Roy said.

“If it had pulled right out or I had lost a bolt that would have been the end of my race.”

Once back in the hunt Roy said he made a common mistake: “I tried to catch back up on the time I had wasted – I went a wee bit hard on lap three and didn’t quite recover as well as I should have and couldn’t get my rhythm again,” he admitted.

On lap 4 Roy had a beer stop – in the NZ Singlespeed Championships riders can choose to take a shortcut on any two laps, but first they have to down a bottle of beer.

“I had a beer stop on lap 5 as well – you don’t have to take it, but I liked the look of the shortcut at that stage,” Roy laughed.

“It’s a good fun event and very relaxed.”

Having the only singlespeed Yeti Big Top in the world added a bit of pressure for Roy.

“I did feel a bit of extra pressure, but I knew what I was in for – I got my wheel in quick at the start and was up with the top boys quickly, so felt good and the bike was bloody good. It jumps nicely through the doubles and was easy to ride.”

“The geometry felt good around corners and switchbacks – which most 29ers usually struggle with, so it was certainly fun to ride.”

Roy finished fifth at the event, which was won by Garth Weinberg, of Rotorua in 2hr18min. Anja McDonald, of Dunedin, won the women’s title in 2hr49min.

The next major New Zealand event for the Yeti Big Top will be the World Singlespeed Championships to be held in Rotorua on October 23 (www.sswc10nz.com) with three-time Olympian Kashi Leuchs, of Dunedin, at its helm.