YETI 160E T1 £11,899

“Why did it take us so long to make the 160E?” Exactly the question we were going to put to Yeti about its first-ever e-bike, until it got there first. Yeti is famous for its Switch Infinity suspension design, Richie Rude, and its turquoise-blue bikes, but most recently its e-bike holdout status has been causing it the most notoriety. Now it’s joined the party with the 160E, a 160mm-travel e-bike with a radical suspension design and a host of new features.

Why so late then, did Yeti think e-bikes were a passing fad? The brand says it wanted to address the particular demands of a powered e-bike, and to do so required a completely new suspension design called Sixfinity. So while the E160 doesn’t have Yeti’s best suspension feature until now, Switch Infinity, it does have a revolutionary new six-bar design called Sixfinity that provides the same characteristics,

Yeti says.

Before we talk about this dizzying new tech though, it’s helpful to go back and think about how Switch Infinity works. It uses a vitrual pivot that switches direction as the bike moves through its travel, letting Yeti tune the anti-squat curve to its liking – firm when you’re pedalling, more compliant when you’re descending.

It’s a great system, but it takes up space smack bang in the middle of the bike at the prime spot for an e-bike motor. In short, Yeti waited so long to deliver an e-bike because it wanted to keep the advantages it reckons come from Switch Infinity.

Sixfinity targets the same suspension characteristics – that tuned anti-squat curve – but uses the small lower link that sits just above the motor as its ‘switch’. That little link rotates upwards in the first part of the travel, before completely reversing itself later in the stroke. Clever stuff.

In the real world, Yeti says there’s a pedalling zone in the first half of the travel where the bike will feel smooth and supportive. Tip beyond the link’s inflection point though, and the anti-squat quickly drops off. What’s more, Yeti says this is particularly important on an e-bike, where you use more of the spread of gears when climbing.

There’s more, though – the new bike will let riders change the leverage rate curve for the bike, without changing the geometry, antisquat or anti-rise. There are three mounting points for the bottom of the shock, meaning you can choose how the bike feels underneath you – from very plush to balanced and on to more supportive and efficient.

So far we’ve not talked about wheel sizes, spec, geometry, or the stupendous prices that await, which has got to tell us something about how interesting this new suspension platform is. So here goes: the bike has 160mm travel, uses a 170mm fork, rolls on 29in wheels, boasts a 64.5° head angle, 78° effective seat angle and can take 2.6in tyres. There’s a 630Wh stock Shimano battery in the down tube and the bike is powered by a Shimano EP8 motor.

There are two builds to choose from – the top-end T1 bike costs a hefty £11,899 and uses Yeti’s Turq series full-carbon frame, Fox Factory suspension, Shimano XT drivetrain and DT Swiss EX1700 alloy wheels. The C1 costs £9,499, it uses the same carbon frame but

SWISS ROLL

The DT Swiss Hybrid e-bike wheel range has been redesigned, with the top-spec HXC 1501 SPLINE ONE now using a carbon rim, new hub featuring a bigger shell and EXP OS ratchet system, and choice of inner widths. 27.5 or 29in. £689.99 front, £859.99 (29in), freewheel.co.uk

GET AN EDGE

Garmin’s latest GPS computer, the Edge 1030 Plus, gives you turn-byturn directions, comes preloaded with mtb-specific mapping, and there’s even a Trailforks app installed. The bundle option gives you more mounts, sensors and a HRM strap too. £599.99, buy.garmin.com