# New Yeti 303 WC



## Tim F. (May 22, 2006)

Graves 2011 Yeti 303 WC Team Issue

MORNING WOOD!!!!!:thumbsup:

Yeti 303 WC - Eurobike 2011 - Pinkbike.com

wET NOODLE AFTER GETTING OUT OF FREEZING COLD WATER WITH POOL SHRINKAGE.:madmax:


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## Quarashi (Aug 23, 2006)

The first link seems to be a version of last year's 303 without the 25yr paint job. And the 2nd is the newer lighter one?

I gotta say the 1st one kills in the looking mean department. The 2nd one looks like a result of giving the 1st way too much estrogen!


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## legendMKI (Aug 6, 2010)

oohh


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## forceyoda (Nov 12, 2005)

This is old news, the first is a the 25th wc with new team paint from last year. The second is version that should be available to the public this winter for around 3000. Made in tawain and claimed to be a pound lighter than the previous wc. There are also rumors that the team will be sporting some carbon fiber at some point next year.


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## SHIVER ME TIMBERS (Jan 12, 2004)

42 pounds without pedals on first link...think about that...I am not on a team, so I don't have resources like Yeti does...I keep my builds strong because I want it to last and I am a big guy...Yeti can swap out parts/frame between runs and races...

*BUT MY BIKE WEIGHS 4 POUNDS LESS*

builder of bike should be fired


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## SHIVER ME TIMBERS (Jan 12, 2004)

more poor design....has that rail to slide on on the second link....those rails get caught up with mud and dirt....awww carumba


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## Ithnu (Feb 16, 2007)

SHIVER ME TIMBERS said:


> more poor design....has that rail to slide on on the second link....those rails get caught up with mud and dirt....awww carumba


I know several guys with various rail suspension Yetis. They don't do any more maintenance than the rest of us.

Ever rode one of those old dual rail Yetis? The thing is like cheating in rock gardens. I did 3 laps on one at Sol Vista, blew me away how smooth it was on square hits. Heavy though, no argument there.


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## forceyoda (Nov 12, 2005)

I had a 303 rdh last season and had no issues at all with the rail, it was a pig though.


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## Quarashi (Aug 23, 2006)

I'm going to have to vouch for it's performance. I rode a friend's 2nd gen 303, with 2 rails. It was heavy in terms of weight and plowed extremely well but it was also rode strangely light like you would expect from a mini DH bike. Compared to the M9 I would say it plowed just as well but did not feel as dead. I would love to give the new one a try with the better shock and lighter frame. I wish they found a way to keep it light and keep the appeal of those straight tubes, though!


SMT, the rails are also on the front of the seat tube in the newer designs which ends up being the cleanest part of the bike when things get very mucky. That seems more like working in the right direction.


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## nybike1971 (Oct 6, 2005)

SHIVER ME TIMBERS said:


> more poor design....has that rail to slide on on the second link....those rails get caught up with mud and dirt....awww carumba


I have been riding a 303 RDH for two seasons now. This year we had a very wet September in the Northeast and in a month of riding I have had to replace two seized up bottom bracket bearings. The rail has had no issues at all: you just pump it full of grease each time you come home with the bike and it keeps dirt out by purging grease continuously. It doesn't feel gritty or gunked up in the least. It's actually pretty neat.


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## William42 (Oct 29, 2006)

nybike1971 said:


> I have been riding a 303 RDH for two seasons now. This year we had a very wet September in the Northeast and in a month of riding I have had to replace two seized up bottom bracket bearings. The rail has had no issues at all: you just pump it full of grease each time you come home with the bike and it keeps dirt out by purging grease continuously. It doesn't feel gritty or gunked up in the least. It's actually pretty neat.


OMFG IT REQUIRES 30 SECONDS OF MAINT EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE!?!?!?! fyck that bike. Thats way too much work.


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## John P. (Feb 7, 2004)

Hey guys-

Thanks for all the posts. Based on your input, I'm going to suggest that we fire our engineering team and send job offers to some of you. You clearly have this "designing a DH bike" thing all figured out. 

Just busting balls. 

Seriously though, the new 303 WC is actually closer to 2 pounds lighter than the old bike, and the ride is unlike anything I've owned on before (including a V10C, Session 88, Shocker, DHR, Sunday, etc.). With a near vertical axle path and a very linear to slightly progressive rate, the bike absolutely makes nasty bumps disappear, and when you push it hard into a corner, you get this sensation of grabbing a handful of throttle and accelerating out. It's really hard to explain without actually experiencing it.

Regarding the rail technology, I think others have vouched for it's durability and ease of maintenance, and I'll just add that I didn't really get it either, until I rode one for the first time. This rail/car technology is employed heavily in the logging industry, so it's been pretty well proven in some ridiculously nasty environments.

We're supposed to start receiving shipments of the 303WC from our factory in February, and we'll have 2 different build kits to offer - a budget version similar to the 2011 spec of the RDH, and a race version with lots of super high-end SRAM bits. Both will feature Kashima-coated and ti-sprung Fox 40's.

FYI,
JP


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## William42 (Oct 29, 2006)

That's awesome concerning the spec. I loved that trek put out the session 88 FR with full saint, and the lighter 88 DH for the racer boys. Make a high end bike for the day in day out riders who want a high end bike that rides really really well, but requires next to no worrying/parts breakage, and make an ultra light pimpapotamus build for the racer boys. 

Any idea on pricepoint?


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## Nut! (Nov 2, 2007)

John P, looks like you're the guy to ask. I've been pretty much set on the Demo for my next DH/FR rig because of its stability, durability, and most of all, really short chainstays (I'm a sucker for short chainstays.) But I'm also a Yeti fan and this bike looks outstanding... Do you have the Geo up somewhere or is that still classified?


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## John P. (Feb 7, 2004)

Guys-

Geometry is below. Regarding price, these are the US MSRP's:
Frame: $3,000
Frame/Fork/DH Kit: $4,800
Frame/Fork/DH Race Kit: ~$5,900

--JP


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## Nut! (Nov 2, 2007)

Any demos available out there?


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## John P. (Feb 7, 2004)

Nut! said:


> Any demos available out there?


Not yet. All we have are protos and production samples at the moment; we'll start receiving sellable/demo-able product in February.


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## rep_1969 (Mar 25, 2004)

I really like the first "non-curvey" bike. Couple pixs from the links to liven this thread up a bit.


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## William42 (Oct 29, 2006)

I really like the one that's been improved. 

Also, it would be sweet if you could combine your geo charts.


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## Tim F. (May 22, 2006)

I don't like to curvy one at all. Was planning on up grading to a new frame this year. Really liked last years 303 WC. Looks way more agressive tnan next years design. It'll be a hard pill to swallow expecially with other bike companies still offering 9 - 10 inches of travel.


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## nybike1971 (Oct 6, 2005)

John P. said:


> Guys-
> 
> Geometry is below. Regarding price, these are the US MSRP's:
> Frame: $3,000
> ...


Thanks for posting the geometry charts!

Two questions:

1) Why the decision to increase BB height compared to the RDH in the slack setting? Is it because for the same sag at the shock the bike sits deeper in the travel due to the more progressive linkage (and a hair more travel)?

2) Will the CNC piece that connects the frame to the lower eyelet of the shock enable running a variety of shocks (Elka, CCDB, Avy) or will it only fit the Fox RC4?

I really like the lines of the new 303 WC. Shaving almost two pounds off the frame makes me a bit apprehensive of the durability of this frame. I would hate it for this bike to become a disposable race-day-only machine. History will tell.


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## John P. (Feb 7, 2004)

nybike1971 said:


> Thanks for posting the geometry charts!
> 
> Two questions:
> 
> ...


1. Yes
2. Yes, it'll fit a variety of shocks.

Regarding the weight, you have to understand that the 303 25th Anniversary was basically a one-off that we developed and built for Gwin. We built it using a lot of machined parts and stock tubing that we had on hand, and we found that we overbuilt the hell out of it. The new 303 WC takes the proven kinematics of the 25th, tweaks those using data we acquired over the last couple of race seasons, then loses a ton of weight by utilizing a bunch of near-net forged hardware and a tube set that was purpose-built specifically for this project. The new WC will be plenty durable.

--JP


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## William42 (Oct 29, 2006)

and, seriously, can you honestly think of a single "race day only" frame out their available for the masses? I'm sure it'll hold up just fine.


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## IndecentExposure (Sep 25, 2006)

Ithnu said:


> I know several guys with various rail suspension Yetis. They don't do any more maintenance than the rest of us.
> 
> Ever rode one of those old dual rail Yetis? The thing is like cheating in rock gardens.


Until ya get a flat.:thumbsup:


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## SaddleRags (Sep 14, 2010)

Overall the new 303 WC looks very interesting. I don't mind the slightly curvy tubes. The sticker overkill is worse imo. I like the SB66 that just has the top tube "Yeti" and the seatstay "SB66" - gotta keep the paint job less cluttered.

JP - This bike is on my shortlist for next year. I know it's a bit soon to have any kind of schedule but do you guys typically do demos for DH bikes? In Breck, Trestle?

On a sidenote, I saw that Aussie dh race highlights and Graves was rocking the old RDH. Why not the new WC? The old silver and black bike did look dope. Any chance we'll see that as a color option on the new ride?


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## nybike1971 (Oct 6, 2005)

SaddleRags said:


> On a sidenote, I saw that Aussie dh race highlights and Graves was rocking the old RDH. Why not the new WC?


Because the old RDH rocks! :thumbsup:


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## ronnyg801 (Oct 4, 2008)

John P. Can you confirm the rumor of a carbon model mid 2012 or later? 

Thanks in advance and for also being such a good level of support on MTBR!


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## mtbnozpikr (Sep 1, 2008)

How about colors? What is going to be available? Any word on build specs for both the regular and the race build?


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## Quarashi (Aug 23, 2006)

ronnyg801 said:


> John P. Can you confirm the rumor of a carbon model mid 2012 or later?
> 
> Thanks in advance and for also being such a good level of support on MTBR!


Woah woah WOAH! Things like this are not welcome on this forum. We have enough fantasy bikes on our minds...


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## John P. (Feb 7, 2004)

SaddleRags said:


> Overall the new 303 WC looks very interesting. I don't mind the slightly curvy tubes. The sticker overkill is worse imo. I like the SB66 that just has the top tube "Yeti" and the seatstay "SB66" - gotta keep the paint job less cluttered.
> 
> JP - This bike is on my shortlist for next year. I know it's a bit soon to have any kind of schedule but do you guys typically do demos for DH bikes? In Breck, Trestle?
> 
> On a sidenote, I saw that Aussie dh race highlights and Graves was rocking the old RDH. Why not the new WC? The old silver and black bike did look dope. Any chance we'll see that as a color option on the new ride?


RE: Graphics, it's hard to please everyone, but generally speaking, DH race bikes are always going to have more branding than an all-mountain trail rider. 
RE: Demos, we're still working on our schedule.
RE: Jared's bike, I don't interact a ton with the team, but I'm 99% sure Grubby was on a 303 25th Anniversary frame for Thredbo. We don't like to put team guys on pre-production bikes unless we have a mechanic and full team support there to take care of any issues that may arise.



ronnyg801 said:


> John P. Can you confirm the rumor of a carbon model mid 2012 or later?
> 
> Thanks in advance and for also being such a good level of support on MTBR!


RE: a carbon model, we're working on all kinds of cool stuff, but I can tell you that there will be no other DH models available from us until after the 2012 season is over. I'd love to tell you what we have in store for 2013, but that'd be cheating. 



mtbnozpikr said:


> How about colors? What is going to be available? Any word on build specs for both the regular and the race build?


RE: Colors, to paraphrase Henry Ford, you can order the 303WC in any color you like, as long as it's black. It'll be more or less identical to the samples you've seen from the trade shows.

RE: Kits, the lower end build kit will be very similar to the RDH build kit from 2011. The higher end kit will be mostly SRAM and Easton stuff.

Gotta get back to work!

JP


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## mtbnozpikr (Sep 1, 2008)

John P. said:


> RE: Colors, to paraphrase Henry Ford, you can order the 303WC in any color you like, as long as it's black. It'll be more or less identical to the samples you've seen from the trade shows.
> 
> RE: Kits, the lower end build kit will be very similar to the RDH build kit from 2011. The higher end kit will be mostly SRAM and Easton stuff.
> 
> ...


Great, thanks for the reply. I look forward to seeing the specs in detail when it's released.


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## jw51545 (Dec 18, 2011)

I just ordered my 303WC won't see it till febuary but will post pick and such as soon as I get it


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## mtbnozpikr (Sep 1, 2008)

jw51545 said:


> I just ordered my 303WC won't see it till febuary but will post pick and such as soon as I get it


Where did you order from?


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## jw51545 (Dec 18, 2011)

mtbnozpikr said:


> Where did you order from?


The single track factory in denver co one of the of the dealers on the yeti web site


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## primefocus (Feb 11, 2007)

Holy smoke I dig the curves on that thing, and I usually go for straighter tubes. Black is hot!


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