It’s Fast Bike Friday! This week we’re looking at a modern classic – the Yeti ARC C2 carbon hardtail mountain bike. Why a classic? Well, the ARC has a very rich history dating back to the early 1990’s when it first appeared at mountain bike races in the States and was piloted to countless victories under such mountain bike racing luminaries as John Tomac, Juliana Furtado and Missy Giove. I’m ashamed to say I’m old enough to remember the original Yeti ARC and recall pouring over every detail of the pro’s bikes in dog-eared MTB magazines at the time. But let’s get one thing straight; the all-new ARC C2 is no purist cross country machine; while it subtly acknowledges its rich racing heritage this new offering from Yeti is a more progressive trail-focused 29er hardtail with a capable 130mm of travel up front and long, stable geometry with a fairly relaxed 67 degree head angle.
The Yeti ARC C2 is a modern trail-focused hardtail with a rich heritage dating back to the early 1990’s
The original Yeti Arc was raced in the early 1990’s by top American pros John Tomac, Missy Giove and Juliana Furtado, the bike has since become an icon within MTB history
The ARC C2 model is available in matt black as shown in our photos but is also available in Yeti’s distinctive turquoise colour option, harking back to their early 90’s glory days. With a focus on having fun when the bike points downhill Yeti have built the ARC C2 frame around a more capable 130mm travel suspension fork and have included a dropper seat post to help ensure the bike remains agile and more maneuverable even on the steepest, most technical descents. Other nice frame details include internal cable routing, moulded chainstay protectors that keep the frame safe from chain-slap (rare these days with clutch mechs) and bottle bosses on the inside and outside of the downtube. In another reference to how Yeti see the ARC C2 being ridden they’ve even included integrated ISCG 05 tabs to allow you to run a chain guard should you want to.
The Yeti ARC C2 is built for rowdy riding rather than for race-pace performance
Is the ARC C2 ‘down-country?’ Yes! Being capable of long cross country rides with extra techy downhills mixed in
The Yeti ARC C2 features a Fox Performance 34 suspension fork with 130mm of travel with their GRP (three position on-the-fly adjustable damper. As we’ve already acknowledged, a super-plush 130mm travel fork really brings a bike like this to life; the wide 34mm stanchions help to stiffen up the front end of the bike for enhanced steering precision, even when you’re under pressure on steep downhill turns.
130mm of travel from the plush Fox Performance 34 fork really opens up the ARC C2’s descending capability
Yeti have spec’d Sram’s brilliantly functional GX Eagle groupset with their simple 1x drivetrain made up of a 32T chainring upfront combined with a 10-52T wide ratio cassette outback. The 12-speed GX Eagle rear derailleur, activated by a trigger shifter on the handle bars provides crisp gear shifts every time regardless of the conditions you’re riding in or the whether or not you’re changing gear when you’re putting the power down. With specially profiled teeth on the chainring, cassette and derailleur jockey wheels your chain is always secure with no risk of unshipping over rough terrain; the clutch mech within the rear derailleur keeps your chain tight to further reduce the risk of losing your chain when you’re really hammering.
The Sram GX Eagle rear derailleur provides crisp, secure gear selection every time
A simple-to-use 12-speed GX Eagle trigger shifter selects your gears
A light, stiff Sram GX Eagle DUB crankset with single 32T chainring helps transfer all your pedalling power to the back wheel
That super-wide-ratio 10-52T 12-speed cassette gives you all the gear ratios you could possibly need
Hydraulic brake levers give a positive feel the second you grab them
Yeti have fitted the ARC C2 with powerful Sram Level TL hydraulic brakes matched with 180mm diameter rotors
With an eye on aggressive, rowdy riding Yeti have spec’d a pair of DT Swiss M1900 wheels with an internal rim width of 30mm aimed at typical trail riding (there’s a slimmer more xc-focused 25mm option and a wider enduro-focused 35mm option) with the wider rim giving a slightly more square tyre profile and sidewalls that are less pinched in. This helps to provide more tyre-tread contact with the ground, allows you to run lower tyre pressures and helps to prevent pinch flats and / or damage to the wheel’s rims. The M1900 wheels feature strong straight-pull spokes with reinforced spoke cradles centre-lock thru-axle hubs and sealed bearings. These wheels give a comfortable ride and are plenty durable enough for the kind of riding that Yeti are encouraging you to do on the ARC C2. I’m running the 25mm inner rim width versions of the DT Swiss M1900 wheels on my own lightweight XC mountain bike and have been really impressed by how durable they are; in 7 months of riding I haven’t had to go near them with a spoke key.
The DT Swiss M1900 wheelset with 30mm inner width rims are perfectly matched to the demands of this type of MTB
Durable DT Swiss hubs with sealed bearings are proven and reliable
When it comes to tyres, again Yeti have stayed clear of fitting a lightweight, minimal-tread, cross-country-orientated type of tyre and have instead gone to for a clever mix of an out-and-out downhill tyre on the front with a slightly less aggressive allrounder on the rear, with both measuring a nice wide 29×2.6” to help enhance grip and provide more comfort &control. Added sidewall protection means you can confidently let off the brakes and float through loose, rocky terrain with no concern about slicing your sidewalls. There’s a super-tough Maxxis Minion DHF EXO upfront and a slightly faster-rolling but no-less grippy Maxxis Rekon EXO outback and of course they’re tubeless-ready so you’ll be able to run them with devilishly low tyre pressure for better grip and all-round ride feel.
A tough 2.6″ wide Maxxis Minion DHF EXO front tyre means you can shred in confidence
A slightly faster-rolling Maxxis Rekon EXO on the rear still gives loads of grip and at 2.6″ wide is ready for rowdy riding
No modern trail-orientated hardtail would be complete without a dropper seatpost so it’s good to see that the Yeti ARC C2 comes with a high-quality Fox Transfer dropper with a big drop of 175mm. Cable activated by a trigger on the right of the handlebars; you’ll be able to get the saddle out of your way quickly and effectively when you need to, transforming an efficient-climbing cross country mountain bike into an instant gravity-focused trail bike. Steep drops, tight dog-leg turns and mid-trail jumps can all be mastered with confidence thanks to the Fox Transfer dropper post.
A Fox Transfer dropper seat post really helps to open up your gravity-assisted riding
A neat cable-activated dropper post lever is easy to use even under pressure when everything is coming towards you at speed
Finishing kit is made up of components from WTB, Race Face and ODI. There’s a good looking WTB Silverado saddle featuring custom Yeti colours which boasts a comfortable saddle profile and a durable finish including extra protection on the rear edges of the saddle to help prevent scuffs and scrapes when you inevitably come off the bike at speed. Race Face provide the handle bars and stem; both are alloy and as you’d expect from a bike like this the stem is nice and short measuring just 50mm, helping to keep steering sharp and responsive as well as encouraging you to get your weight back on steep drops. The Race Face handlebars measure 760mm wide; not super-wide compared to the widths you tend to see on downhill and enduro bikes but wide enough to help you wrestle the bike through the most technical trails you can find.
A custom coloured WTB Silverado is durable, comfortable and looks great too
The ARC C2’s cockpit features a stubby 50mm stem and a pair of 760mm wide handlebars from Race Face
Maybe it’s no coincidence that Yeti have spec’d ODI grips on the ARC C2; back in the day ODI were the grips to have on your mountain bike and they always seemed to feature on Yeti bikes at the time. ODI Elite Pro grips are lock on and feature a nice file pattern combined with a square pattern running along the top and bottom of the grip for an even more secure hold on the bars.
A Yeti bike needs ODI grips, it’s the rules
A throwback to the early days of Yeti? ODI grips, made in the USA
The Yeti ARC C2 is a modern lightweight hardtail that also happens to feature progressive geometry and a 130mm travel fork to get you out of trouble when you inevitably push this bike and your skills to the limits. So is it a hardcore hardtail? Well, no not really, the geometry of the frame is a little less aggressive than a typical hardcore hardtail; this is more of a beefed up cross country hardtail or dare we say it ’down-country’ mountain bike. It’s a bike you could ride efficiently on all day, taking on long hilly miles peppered with some really technically demanding descents in between. Those nice wide 2.6” tyres, the dropper post and all of that 130mm of suspension travel upfront mean that when you do point the bike downhill the ARC C2 will excel and you’ll have more fun.
The Yeti ARC C2 carbon hardtail is versatile and FUN
The Yeti ARC C2 is available in-store and online now…
Full Specification:
- Frame: TURQ Series carbon fiber frame, press-fit BB92, internally tunneled cable routing, 148mm x 12mm BOOST dropouts, integrated derailleur hanger, and axle.
- Fork: Fox Performance 34, 130mm Travel
- Head Set: Cane Creek 40 Integrated
- Shifters: Sram GX Eagle
- Rear Derailleur: Sram GX Eagle
- Cassette : Sram GX Eagle
- Chainset: Sram GX Eagle 32T 170mm
- BB : Sram Dub BB92
- Brakes: Sram Level TL
- Rotors: Sram Centreline 180
- Wheelset: Front – DT Swiss M1900 30mm
- Wheelset: Rear – DT Swiss M1900 30mm
- Front Tyre: Maxxis Minion DHF 2.6 EXO
- Rear Tyre: Maxxis Rekon 2.6 EXO
- Stem: Race Face Ride 35x50mm
- Handlebar: Race Face Aeffect R 35x760mm
- Grips: ODI Elite Pro
- Seat Post: Fox Transfer 31.6mm / 175mm
- Saddle: WTB Silverado Custom
Written by Johnny Dodgin
Photos by James Vincent
Want to see more fast bikes? You can now see all of our featured bikes in one place over on Pinterest where you’ll find links to each of our Fast Bike Friday Blogs too!
Click the link below and search our archive…
