Great review as always! Strangely, I didn't hear any rattling throughout your test. Anyways, this an awesome bike and even though the rest of the industry follows the mullet set up, this one looks pretty nimble for a 29er E-MTB! keep up the good work!
Hey thanks! I wear a microphone while filming. I keep it very close to my face. It doesn’t pick up as much sound from the bike. That’s probably why you couldn’t hear it. That said it wasn’t as noticeable on this bike as it is on others.
Awesome review thanks for posting i know they are 2 totally different bikes but how does the 160e compare to the 2022 heckler and could the 160e be run mullet without issues , thank you again for posting great reviews
Thanks for the kind words. I wouldn’t run the 160 as a mullet. You wouldn’t get much benefit from it (the chainstays wouldn’t get shorter). I think the 160 is a bit more sturdy and it feels more grounded. The Heckler is more lively and fun.
I noticed you personally have a Rise, if this was out when you bought the Rise would you have still gone for it or would you have chosen the Yeti? I'm so torn if I want a lightweight or full fat
@@TeamCykelhold I personally have a Rise. It’s amazing. This Yeti is the closest to that bike in terms of handling that I’ve ridden so far. I do appreciate the extra travel, suspension design and slacker geo of the Yeti too.
@@bikersedge You should do the mullet conversion of the Rise then :) 216x63 coil shock (with progressive spring) with one offset bushing (reduce), a 160 fork and 27.5 wheel in the back. you end up with a lightweight 160/160 MX shredder and the BB isn't significantly higher and the HTA is also slacker. If you are into custom builds, this is a nice one to do :) If you are interested I can link you more detailed info.
Now that almost all emtbs are up at that $10k mark, Im really between this 160e and the Rise. I was previously excited about the low weight rise for its maneuverability, handling, and jumping capability but everyone is praising the 160e even with its long travel is just as capable without feeling like a huge FF. Man I wish I could test both back to back. My trails in the midwest are somewhat similar to yours (albeit forest instead of open mtn) but similar climbs, decents, fast birms and switchbacks with mild doubles and drops. What would you take if you were between the rise and this 160e for that type of riding?
Only problem I see with this bike is the 630w battery might be too little now that the bigger companies are starting to put 725w batteries on their bikes now and I don't think yeti can make that change quick enough to keep up but it does look like a super bike!!
@@bikersedge Ahh yes. I forgot about the e-EWS. My 90’s MTB brain still hears race bike and thinks the ultimate lightweight XC race bike when I hear “race”.
How’s it handle compared to the Rise? I have been on a 3rd Gen Levo the last week and boy is it heavy (51lbs) compared to the Rise. Especially notice it on hard braking into a tight berm. You can feel the difference in weight and the 3rd Gen Levo is supposed to hide the weight but I guess you can never beat physics. Wondering how the Yeti handles compared to a lightweight.
It is very heavy compared to the Rise. That alone makes it ride differently. The handling on the Yeti is so good, though, you almost forget about the weight until you try to bunnyhop. Still, the Rise feels like a more natural ride experience.
The EP8 is so clunky, that rattling noise would stop me from buying a bike with Shimano motor. Every bike with EP8 I rode so far was making that dreadful noise.
My Orbea rise with the EP8 RS is pretty noisy. I didn't notice the nose as much on this bike, though. Maybe it has a bit to do with Yeti's cable management or the fact that the motor is brand new. It didn't jump out at me as being noisy though.
I’ve had the Levo SL and now all my friends are getting full fat eBikes. I struggle to keep up with them. I’m going to sell it. I was going to get the ‘22 Levo Expert, but it’s actually more expensive than the base Yeti 160e.
@@bikersedge They sound about the same. As soon as they quite these bad boys down, make them lighter, shrink those down tubes and apply more industry standards that are upgradeable; I'm interested!
@@bikersedge I don’t get it. Specialized and Yeti in particular seem to get singled out, with special mention to Santa Cruz but Trek, Scott, Pivot, Cannondale, BMC and several others all have £10k+ bikes on their roster (some have several) and that’s not even ebikes! Some MTB riders need to get it into their head, some things aren’t made for everyone… I can’t afford a Ferrari but I don’t cry about it. If you can’t afford/justify it that’s fine, buy something else you can afford/justify and be happy 👍🏻
I think a lot of folks just assume Yeti costs 2-3k more than competing brands when they actually don't know. We recently did an all mountain bike showdown that included the Yeti SB130. If I'm not mistaken it was the second to least expensive bike out of the four in the test.
@@Mockle07 I think there is a general out-cry over how elevate bike prices are becoming. At least that is the perception. But expensive things have always been expensive. I worked out a while back that, inflation adjusted, I spent around $11,000 on a uber high-end titanium hard-time with all the most droll worthy boutique stuff of the day in the mid '90s. Today, that bike would probably be crap compared to modern offerings but it shows there has always been a high end. Today, my last bike was a $6,000 YT that had the spec of a $9,000 Yeti or Specialized. Those later bikes are probably better built than my YT, but is it really $3k worth of difference. I didn't see the advantage and my "poor mans" YT works well enough now. Today, I don't see the advantage to the super high end bikes but if someone has the means to get one, then good on them. It's nice to have nice stuff.
I have a sc bullit x01 air and a yeti160e T1i will tell you. 160e Weight is too heavy It is a 29er Battery juice goes faster than bullit Comes with shimano, rather sram. With deff much better bike than my specialized turbo levo alloy.
@@bikersedge so have 90% of e-bikes, Santa Cruz Bullit is one of the fastest descending e bikes on the market, arguably quicker than the yeti, you don't see them making a massive marketing push towards racing. Idk. companies can do what they want, this "race bike" nonsense just really irks me. not sure why
@@bikersedge I noticed you didn't mention the price of your loaded one. That said, I would try to find the money for one if it weren't for the fact that e-mtbs are still banned on most ride worth single-track that I would want to take them on. I really think that is the biggest hindrance at the moment. Prices and dentist jokes aside...
I usually try to keep things very concise and to the point so I try to focus more on ride quality than weight, price and components. I believe this bike retails for $13,600. Yes that's way too rich for my blood, but some folks have the cash to burn. eMTB access is only getting better and better. I hope that soon they're allowed everywhere.
Hey man always great reviews, i applaud you for not giving specs and going straight to work on giving people a ride feel review .cheers👌
Hey thanks. Glad you like the videos!
Such a rad bike. It's great seeing the landscape change and add more options for all riders.
The more diversity the better if you ask me.
I love your reviews man. Great job
I appreciate that!
Great review as always! Strangely, I didn't hear any rattling throughout your test. Anyways, this an awesome bike and even though the rest of the industry follows the mullet set up, this one looks pretty nimble for a 29er E-MTB! keep up the good work!
Hey thanks! I wear a microphone while filming. I keep it very close to my face. It doesn’t pick up as much sound from the bike. That’s probably why you couldn’t hear it. That said it wasn’t as noticeable on this bike as it is on others.
I would like to see a comparison to the Santa Cruz Bullit. That would be great.
If I can get my hands on a Bullit, I'll make it happen.
Nice video mate Yeti 160E is so cool !
I have SB150 and this bike is pretty sick!
Awesome review thanks for posting i know they are 2 totally different bikes but how does the 160e compare to the 2022 heckler and could the 160e be run mullet without issues , thank you again for posting great reviews
Thanks for the kind words.
I wouldn’t run the 160 as a mullet. You wouldn’t get much benefit from it (the chainstays wouldn’t get shorter). I think the 160 is a bit more sturdy and it feels more grounded. The Heckler is more lively and fun.
What do you think yeti 160E or the new Santacruz heckler?
I like poppy fast jumping great handling bikes 🤘
We have videos on both of those. The Heckler is more playful for sure.
I noticed you personally have a Rise, if this was out when you bought the Rise would you have still gone for it or would you have chosen the Yeti? I'm so torn if I want a lightweight or full fat
There are pros and cons to each. Have you watched our light vs full power ebike showdown? That might help.
@@bikersedge Yeah it's tough, I need to figure out what kind of riding I want to do on an ebike first i think.
Ohhh, thanks for reviewing this bike. Been eyeing it. Curious if you've spent any time on Kenevo SL, how it compares, and which you would prefer?
Haven't spent any time on the Kenevo. Can't really say
Yeti 160E or Heckler 29?
Similar category but very different out on the trail. The Heckler is more fun and playful while the Yeti is more racy.
Could you comment on sizing...yours & bike?
I'm 6'2" and rode an XL
I feel E-bikes have a lot to approve on. They need to get lighter and have a better battery life. I know they will in time.
They will get better for sure. That said, they're a ton of fun to ride as is.
Rise and SL are where it's at currently. Other bikes are just too heavy and unfun on the descends.
@@TeamCykelhold I personally have a Rise. It’s amazing. This Yeti is the closest to that bike in terms of handling that I’ve ridden so far. I do appreciate the extra travel, suspension design and slacker geo of the Yeti too.
@@bikersedge You should do the mullet conversion of the Rise then :) 216x63 coil shock (with progressive spring) with one offset bushing (reduce), a 160 fork and 27.5 wheel in the back. you end up with a lightweight 160/160 MX shredder and the BB isn't significantly higher and the HTA is also slacker. If you are into custom builds, this is a nice one to do :) If you are interested I can link you more detailed info.
Now that almost all emtbs are up at that $10k mark, Im really between this 160e and the Rise. I was previously excited about the low weight rise for its maneuverability, handling, and jumping capability but everyone is praising the 160e even with its long travel is just as capable without feeling like a huge FF. Man I wish I could test both back to back. My trails in the midwest are somewhat similar to yours (albeit forest instead of open mtn) but similar climbs, decents, fast birms and switchbacks with mild doubles and drops. What would you take if you were between the rise and this 160e for that type of riding?
Only problem I see with this bike is the 630w battery might be too little now that the bigger companies are starting to put 725w batteries on their bikes now and I don't think yeti can make that change quick enough to keep up but it does look like a super bike!!
Yeah more capacity is always better but I think they’ve found a good balance between weight and capacity.
When you say this is a "race bike" what do you mean? What type of race would you do on this?
Uh probably EWS-E
The Yeti team premiered the bike at the EWS-E Crans-Montana. Race bike is also the term i'd use to describe a bike that's all about speed.
@@bikersedge Ahh yes. I forgot about the e-EWS. My 90’s MTB brain still hears race bike and thinks the ultimate lightweight XC race bike when I hear “race”.
If they claim its a race bike, why did they show up with a shimano motor? I don't race, so would love to demo one.
The shimano EP8 motor is pretty awesome. My guess is that’s why they used it.
How’s it handle compared to the Rise? I have been on a 3rd Gen Levo the last week and boy is it heavy (51lbs) compared to the Rise. Especially notice it on hard braking into a tight berm. You can feel the difference in weight and the 3rd Gen Levo is supposed to hide the weight but I guess you can never beat physics. Wondering how the Yeti handles compared to a lightweight.
It is very heavy compared to the Rise. That alone makes it ride differently. The handling on the Yeti is so good, though, you almost forget about the weight until you try to bunnyhop. Still, the Rise feels like a more natural ride experience.
That looks Awesome!!
It’s a rad bike.
No e bikes allowed on most of the mtb trails in central wa and oregon.
Weird. I've ridden Southern WA and the Portland area quite a bit. I see them up there all the time.
The EP8 is so clunky, that rattling noise would stop me from buying a bike with Shimano motor. Every bike with EP8 I rode so far was making that dreadful noise.
My Orbea rise with the EP8 RS is pretty noisy. I didn't notice the nose as much on this bike, though. Maybe it has a bit to do with Yeti's cable management or the fact that the motor is brand new. It didn't jump out at me as being noisy though.
51 lbs? Turbo Levo SL is 38 lbs.
Right. But this has nearly 3x the power and a much longer lasting battery. Totally different styles of eMTB.
The Kenevo is the competition for this bike with it's full fat battery...the levo has only 250w battery in it!!
I’ve had the Levo SL and now all my friends are getting full fat eBikes. I struggle to keep up with them. I’m going to sell it. I was going to get the ‘22 Levo Expert, but it’s actually more expensive than the base Yeti 160e.
What trails are these? Look like Utah valley? But I've never seen them before
Fruit Loops
This bike is not for me, but it is super cool and author is fast as hell.
Such a rad bike!
Pow-pow Power Wheels, pow-pow Power Wheels, Power Wheels power makes it go!
I like power wheels. My kid has the tractor. Rad as hell.
@@bikersedge They sound about the same. As soon as they quite these bad boys down, make them lighter, shrink those down tubes and apply more industry standards that are upgradeable; I'm interested!
Pretty much identical except my kid's tractor only has .5" of travel.
eMTBs are only getting better. As is, they're a ton of fun to ride.
@@bikersedge They are a hoot! My goal was simply to put that jingle in your head every time you're riding an ebike and listening to that motor hum!
I can't hear anything over the sound of how much fun I'm having.
That is one sleek motorbike
I guarantee that 80%+ of the comments are going to be crying about the price and making Dentist ‘jokes’… 🙄
100% agree. I don’t know if there’s a more stale joke in the bike world. Yeti is spendy but they’re well within the ballpark for high-end brands.
Yeah, so what? Are you a dentist?
@@bikersedge I don’t get it. Specialized and Yeti in particular seem to get singled out, with special mention to Santa Cruz but Trek, Scott, Pivot, Cannondale, BMC and several others all have £10k+ bikes on their roster (some have several) and that’s not even ebikes! Some MTB riders need to get it into their head, some things aren’t made for everyone… I can’t afford a Ferrari but I don’t cry about it. If you can’t afford/justify it that’s fine, buy something else you can afford/justify and be happy 👍🏻
I think a lot of folks just assume Yeti costs 2-3k more than competing brands when they actually don't know. We recently did an all mountain bike showdown that included the Yeti SB130. If I'm not mistaken it was the second to least expensive bike out of the four in the test.
@@Mockle07 I think there is a general out-cry over how elevate bike prices are becoming. At least that is the perception. But expensive things have always been expensive. I worked out a while back that, inflation adjusted, I spent around $11,000 on a uber high-end titanium hard-time with all the most droll worthy boutique stuff of the day in the mid '90s. Today, that bike would probably be crap compared to modern offerings but it shows there has always been a high end. Today, my last bike was a $6,000 YT that had the spec of a $9,000 Yeti or Specialized. Those later bikes are probably better built than my YT, but is it really $3k worth of difference. I didn't see the advantage and my "poor mans" YT works well enough now. Today, I don't see the advantage to the super high end bikes but if someone has the means to get one, then good on them. It's nice to have nice stuff.
I have a sc bullit x01 air and a yeti160e T1i will tell you.
160e Weight is too heavy
It is a 29er
Battery juice goes faster than bullit
Comes with shimano, rather sram.
With deff much better bike than my specialized turbo levo alloy.
“Race Bike”
Classic
I mean it's been raced at a professional event...
@@bikersedge so have 90% of e-bikes, Santa Cruz Bullit is one of the fastest descending e bikes on the market, arguably quicker than the yeti, you don't see them making a massive marketing push towards racing. Idk. companies can do what they want, this "race bike" nonsense just really irks me. not sure why
Oh, nice bike but that price! Even dentists may need to check their bank accounts before buying this one. LOL.
Looks pretty affordable next to specialized….
@@bikersedge I noticed you didn't mention the price of your loaded one. That said, I would try to find the money for one if it weren't for the fact that e-mtbs are still banned on most ride worth single-track that I would want to take them on. I really think that is the biggest hindrance at the moment. Prices and dentist jokes aside...
I usually try to keep things very concise and to the point so I try to focus more on ride quality than weight, price and components. I believe this bike retails for $13,600. Yes that's way too rich for my blood, but some folks have the cash to burn.
eMTB access is only getting better and better. I hope that soon they're allowed everywhere.
You don't need 160 for such trails
Nope. But it sure is a hell of a lot of fun.
Which trails are you riding? I like how they use the sides of the gravel road.
Fruit loops trail network
Eeewww
Did you see a gross bug or something?
@@bikersedge worse, I saw a motor assisted bike
Sorry, I can't hear your hate over the sound of how much fun I'm having.
@@bikersedge well, dirt bikes are very fun. That’s why they sell so many
@@huckfin1598 dirt bikes are a lot of fun. I’m with you on that one.