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Industry | Sports equipment |
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Founded | 1985 |
Founder | John Parker |
Fate | Acquired by Schwinn in 1995; then by Volant (1999), Chris Conroy and Steve Hoogendoorn (2001) |
Headquarters | , United States |
Products | Bicycles |
Brands | ZeroLoss Technology (patented); Switch Technology (patented) |
Website | yeticycles.com |
Yeti Cycles is an American bicycle manufacturer [1] [2] [3] located in Golden, Colorado. [4]
Yeti Cycles was founded in 1985 by John Parker in California, when mountain biking was gaining in popularity. [5] Parker was a welder who built movie sets in Hollywood and later became a mountain bike designer and racer. Becoming one of the sport’s guardians, he was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 1997, [6] and a trustee of NORBA Board of Directors for five years.
The first mountain bike World Championships took place in Durango, Colorado in 1990 and the next year Parker moved the Yeti Cycles factory from California to Durango to be closer to the action. The company made a range of mountain bikes but was best known at the time for its iconic turquoise-colored FRO (For Racing Only) models. [7]
Early sponsored riders included John Tomac, and Juli Furtado.
In 1995, Schwinn bought Yeti Cycles company and later sold it to ski company Volant in 1999 (now part of Amer Sports).
In 2001, two Yeti employees, Steve Hoogendoorn and Chris Conroy, bought the company. [8] [9] Conroy is currently the president, and Hoogendoorn is the vice president. Yeti Cycles' headquarters is now located in Golden, Colorado.
Yeti Cycles competed in downhill mountain bike racing with the successful Lawwill DH-9 full-suspension downhill bike, developed by former motorcycle champion, Mert Lawwill. [10] Yeti has a patented suspension system that they call ZeroLoss Technology or linear guide technology. The suspension system consists of two gliding pivots. The wheel path follows the direction of the impact so it transfers directly into the mountain bike suspension system and goes into the shock rather than flexing the frame.
More recently, Yeti has patented a new suspension design called Switch Technology. This is basically a dual-link design that utilizes an eccentric mechanism that switches direction as the bike moves through its travel. This type of suspension is found on their 2012-2014 era mountain bikes, the SB-66, SB-75, and SB-95.
In 2014, Yeti introduced a refinement to the Switch Technology, dubbed Switch Infinity. This patented design was developed along with Fox Racing Shox and involves a 'translating pivot', which is said to improve the bike's rearward axle path. [11] This rear suspension design change has been used on Yeti dual-suspension models, including the SB5, SB4.5, SB6, SB5.5, SB100, SB115, SB120, SB130, SB135, SB140, SB150, SB160 and SB165. The latest XC bike the ASR has continued with a 'Flex' stay design. The first Yeti-made e-bike, the SB160e, opted for the 'Sixfinity' 6-Bar suspension system.
Women-specific bikes were introduced in 2015. Yeti 'Beti' caters to women with smaller sized frames and lower standover height. [12] These models have since been discontinued after the 2019 season. [13]
Current Yeti/FOX Factory riders include Richie Rude and Slawek Lukasik. Current Yeti/Shimano riders include Mick (Sick Mick) Hannah and Ryan (Hoon) Gilchrist. Yeti is also represented by a number of athletes and ambassadors throughout the world. [14] [15] Australian, Jared Graves has had a long and successful career with Yeti as a rider and now heads up the racing team as a performance coach.
The purchase of Yeti calms industrywide fears that one of the nation's most storied top-shelf bike makers was heading toward collapse.(subscription required)
A mountain bike (MTB) or mountain bicycle is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling. Mountain bikes share some similarities with other bicycles, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain, which often makes them heavier, more complex and less efficient on smooth surfaces. These typically include a suspension fork, large knobby tires, more durable wheels, more powerful brakes, straight, wide handlebars to improve balance and comfort over rough terrain, and wide-ratio gearing optimized for topography, application and a frame with a suspension mechanism for the rear wheel. Rear suspension is ubiquitous in heavier-duty bikes and now common even in lighter bikes. Dropper seat posts can be installed to allow the rider to quickly adjust the seat height.
Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain, such as air or coil-sprung shocks used as suspension, larger and wider wheels and tires, stronger frame materials, and mechanically or hydraulically actuated disc brakes. Mountain biking can generally be broken down into distinct categories: cross country, trail, all mountain, enduro, downhill and freeride.
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Saracen Cycles, known simply as "Saracen" is a bicycle brand sold in the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia. Originally based in Warwick, England, the company is best known for its range of mountain bikes.
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Mixed terrain cycle touring is the practice of cycling over a variety of surfaces and topography on a single route, with a single bicycle. The recent popularity of mixed terrain touring is in part a reaction against the increasing specialization of the bike industry.
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Myles Rockwell is an American former professional downhill mountain biker and winner of the 2000 UCI Downhill World Championships. He was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 2019 and into the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame in 2021. In 2004 Rockwell was arrested for growing Marijuana, he was released on $10,000 bail.