Yeti 160E EMTB T- Series

A bike that is both outrageously expensive and yet also incredibly innovative, traits which have always been at the heart of Yeti’s designs

There is no easy way of getting past the price of Yeti’s T-series 160E E-MTB. At nearly £12,000 it is expensive even for an e- bike, and especially one designed essentially to be used purely for leisure purposes. However, anyone familiar with the Yeti brand will know that this is a bike company that has never been afraid to push boundaries, and that kind of innovation needs to be paid for.

Carbon fibre is, as you would expect at this price point, the material used to create the frame of the 160E but what sets it apart from other designs is not the 160mm of rear wheel travel but the way that the travel is delivered. For its first e- bike, Yeti has created the ‘Sixfinity’ suspension design – a patentpending six- bar linkage exclusive to the 160E.

The Sixfinity suspension has a lower link that switches direction as the shock progresses through its travel, which Yeti says, “allows precise kinematic tuning

– in this case, a stable platform for the additional mass that comes with the added power of an E-MTB and increased traction and control when descending”.

To manage that rear suspension travel there is a Fox Float X2 shock specifically tuned by Yeti for this model. As you’d expect, there’s a matching Fox fork at the front – an e- bike- specific Fox 38 Factory Grip 2.

The motor that makes all of these e- bike specific parts necessary is one of Shimano’s DU- EP800 units that sits at the base of the frame, keeping the weight as low and central as possible.

Sitting on either side of the Shimano motor are a pair of top- of-the- range Shimano XTR cranks. It would be nice if the rest of the groupset was also XTR at this price but it is the step- down XT selection. However, the wheels are a highlight being a pair of 29in DT EX1700 with a mix of Maxxis tyres.

► £11,899 uk.yeti.com