bombproof,very fast,very strong,very cool, historic importance. short rear stays make fantastic cornering (never ever washed out on me) "always used answer accutrax"
flawless construction.
it even 'free wheels' faster than most bikes....
important : fit the best brakes money can buy, you will need them.

ive owned mine since 1990...its never let me down, ive always trusted it with my life...
Only strenghs no weeknesses.

ive had many bikes my self and at one time worked for a bike shop in eccelston lancashire 'england', who at the time wher bringing bikes/frames in from the states, top of the range kit from the best, ie : doug badbury manitous, fat chance yo-eddy's (brilliant) very early rocky mountains 'ti-bolts etc,and other fine examples from 1990 on-.
Being the mechanic i had the honour of testing/riding all this stuff...
After many years..and many bikes, ive never found another as good,as fast, and that makes you go mad down mountains brandashing the BIGGEST SMILE/GRIN as my yeti....
bottom line : very special bike, best thing ive ever spent money on... yeti for ever!! im proud to be part of this history...... red :-)
100% highly recommended...you'll never look back.

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nothing comes close to these..

Handling, Steel and character

After 21 years with this bike I can't think of any...

When the atom bombs go off there will two things left on earth, cockroaches and Yeti's. I rode this like I stole it for ten years. Earned some money and bought some flashy bikes. Spent my money and sold the flashy bikes and now ride the Ultimate again. Handling like this is still hard to duplicate. Ultimately stable, fast and inspiring and fast! Four years after I bought it the seat tube cracked at the clamp. Yeti did a beautiful job sleaving, welding and powder coating the frame. It still looks and rides like new today almost 22 years later. This bike is a wonderful piece of mountain biking history.

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Yeti ARC, ARC Ti, Zaskar LE and some FS bikes

great all round bike, all your bike needs in one bike

I wish yeti still made a steel bike i had FRO and the ULTIMATE two my favorite bike ever, maybe they make a limited edition anniversay version for 2010 I would buy one and retire the old one

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to many to list

Killer handling, awesome looks, durable..

The Answer forks sucked, the price (in 1990), Evolution headset...

I bought the frame/fork in '90 and paid $1200 for it then. The bike rode killer and looked awesome. i bent the original Answer forks on the first ride and the frame eventually cracked below the seat clamp (Yeti repaired and re-powder coated frame). I rode and beat the crap out of this bike until '93 and miss it to this day. Back then that was by DH, Freeride, XC and commuter bike and it did it all well. This bike is the reason that I fell in love with MTB'ing. I would love to find another.

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Fisher Montare, Specialized S-Works steel, Specialized S-Works M-2, GT Zaskar LE

Tough, Comfortable, and good ride quality.

Can not find a original fork.

Always wanted to build this frame up. It has not in the least been a bad frame. This bike has that ride quality I can only compare to my Eddy M. road bike, that urge to ride just a bit faster is so intense when riding this bike it is almost wrong. A nice handling bike with the Manitou SX fork, but the rigid fork must be nicer. With everyone manufaturing a "hardtail freerider" This thing could be in fashion again unfortunately.

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Cannondale

part of the legend

rare...very rare

This is the bike I always wanted when I was a mountainbike crazed teenager in the late 80s.
YETI was synonymous with speed.
Tomac and Herbold tested the ULTIMATE prototypes to destruction until the design range true.
Strength and quality were guaranteed - as founder John Parker said "you just have to assume that every frame that leaves the factory will go 50mph down the kamikaze..."
I've been through a lot of sweet bikes since then, but none have come close to the satisfaction of getting this YETI.
The oversize 4130 tubing is beefier than anything else made from steel and yet the ride is so comfy...
Flex is minimal though, especially considering the elevated chainstays, and the bike feels really good under power.
Handling is supreme, especially at warp speeds.

One of the last rigid bikes designed for downhill, from the first custom builder to make its name in downhill racing - YETI

It's a must ride for any hardcore mountainbiker.
It's not for everyone - if you are just looking for a decent hardtail and don't care about the history, buy a schwinn.
If you love bikes, and speed, then add one to the collection - make room for it next to the repack clunker and the lawill

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1998 spooky metalhead - (ftw input you know)
1995 genuine bontrager race OR (not trek)
1998 indy fab
1992 cannondale
1989 cromo stumpjumper

Legendary bombproof durability

Weight

Although on the heavy side, the bike is extremely durable and is now a legend! Excellent downhilling for a hardtail.

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Cannondale

AIRCRAFT GRADE CRO-MOLY STEEL. F.T.W.WELDS.

NONE

THE BIKE YOU ALL REVIEW IS A 1999 YETI ULTIMATE. MY BIKE WAS BOUGHT BY ME BACK IN 1989 or 1990. IF THE 1999 IS ANYTHING LIKE ITS GRANDFATHER IT SMOKES. I RODE THE HECK OUT OF THIS BIKE WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT IT. THEN I GOT OUT OF MOUNTAIN BIKEING FOR WAY TOO LONG. IN 2000 I HAD ALL THE OLD SCHOOL PARTS REPLACED, I KEPT IT SIMPLE HAS MY BROTHER GOT THE BIKE AND BUILT IT UP. THEN HAS FATE WOULD HAVE IT I GOT MY YETI BACK AND HAS OF 2000 BEEN RIDEING EVER SINCE.AND THIS TIME NEVER PLAN TO STOP .I NOW HAVE A ELLSWORTH TRUTH,A VENTANA EL CHIQUILLO,A BIANCHI SINGLESPEED ( celeste ). AND IM WAITING ON A 2003 CANNONDALE GEMINI 2000 IN CAMO. HAS FOR THE YETI HAS A HARDTAIL FREERIDE BIKE.MAYBE WHEN I DESTROY ITS NOW CROSS COUNTRY SET UP. BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW I WONT EVER DESTROY THAT YETI OLD SCHOOL STEEL. BOTTM LINE.

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NONE