One thing about time is that it sure moves fast. When I sat down to write this article, I couldn’t believe that I’ve been riding the Yeti ASR for about a month now. I meant to give a first impression of it weeks ago, but somehow time passed my by. My first ride aboard the ASR was done wearing shorts and a short sleeve jersey. Taking the quick photographs in the backyard today my hands were freezing (hence the bad lighting, my fault) and as you can see, there’s snow on the ground.
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The Yeti ASR itself though has unique lines that were designed, sculpted, and manufactured in Golden, CO and it fits right in with the cult following that Yeti seems to have created for their bicycles. That was one of the main reasons I wanted to test the ASR, to see what all the fuss has been about with this somewhat mysterious brand. Plus the signature turquoise paint has always caught my attention. (Hope that doesn’t sound shallow.)

The weight of the bike surprised me at 24.91 pounds out of the box and without pedals. This is a great weight for a 3.89” rear travel full suspension rig with mostly XT parts. A small metal chainstay protector lightly adhered to the right chainstay near the chainrings is a nice touch, and a supplied neoprene protector covers the rest. The top tube is definitely worth checking out in further detail, so zoom in or find a local Yeti dealer and inspect it.

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Aboard the machine the handling characteristics were only a tire swap away from being right to my liking. Combine the aggressive tread pattern of the Continental Rubber Queen, slick trails covered with leaves and storm debris and add the Yeti ASR with forward momentum and a good day in the saddle has been the reward.

That’s all I have to give, for now. The Yeti ASR will be fully reviewed in Dirt Rag #140, after it’s been put through the annual Punk Bike Enduro this December. MwaHaHa. (Make it sound menacing in your head.)