Yeti Launches New Women's Yeti Beti Line of Bikes

Yeti has taken inspiration from their female tribe of followers and team riders, the Yeti's Betis, and have adapted their SB5c and ASRc specifically for women.Yeti's frames and size runs were already designed with women and smaller riders in mind, so you'll find the frame design unchanged for the line. What you will see different on the Yeti Beti bikes are the touch point components including handlebar width, smaller diameter grips, women's specific saddle and varied crank lengths, along with some eye-catching, custom designed colorways. Coral anyone? Yeti explain below in their press release where the inspiration came from to invite more women to the Yeti Beti fold via the Yeti Beti line of bikes.


Why A Yeti Beti Line?

Yeti has a long history of supporting women cyclists. Our race teams have included some of the best women in the sport— among them, Julie Furtado, Marla Streb, Tara Llanes, Jill Kintner, and Rosara Joseph. We have also been long time supporters of the Yeti Beti race team, which was instrumental in creating the Beti Bike Bash, the first women’s only mountain bike race in Colorado. This year, we became the title sponsor of the VIDA MTB Series, a women’s only skills clinic run by Yeti ambassadors Sarah Rawley and Elena Forchielli.

Our introduction of the Yeti Beti line recognizes the important role women have played in our company. Colorado has a disproportionate amount of hard-charging mountain athletes. Head into the Colorado backcountry and you’ll find women skiing big lines in the winter and crushing epic rides in the summer. They’re drawn to Yeti for many of the same reasons men are -- performance, technology and our commitment to the mountain bike community. Yet, they approach the sport differently.

With the help of the Yeti Betis and other women riders, we recognized an opportunity to deliver a community to our soon-to-be Yeti Beti riders. When you buy a Yeti Beti bike, you are granted access/membership to a group of women who live to ride.

Want to try your first mountain bike race? The Yeti Betis are waiting to make your first competition a positive experience— they have a “never-ever” category catering to first time racers. If you’re feeling more adventurous, you can try your hand at enduro racing with the Yeti Cycles Big Mountain Enduro. Want to brush up on your skills? Hook up with Sarah and Elena at a Yeti VIDA MTB Series clinic. If you just want to hang out with like-minded riders, we’d love to have you join us at the Yeti Tribe Gathering, a group of passionate Yeti riders that gets together once a year to ride epic trails, eat great food and share a drink or two. It’s a different approach, but distinctly Yeti.


So, how about the product? What makes it unique?

Bike Fit
Women have always influenced our frame designs, particularly the smaller sizes. The Yeti Beti SB5c and Yeti Beti ASRc are derivatives of existing models, but embody our philosophy of making bikes to fit smaller riders. For example, our ARC and ASRc were built with different sized wheels to accommodate smaller riders (27.5” XS/S, 29” M/L/XL). Our SB5c and SB6c are both made in extra small and small sizes. It’s a substantial financial commitment to make the smaller sizes, but integral in accommodating women riders. We also focus on maximizing stand-over height on our frames so it’s easier to get on and off the bike.

Components
With the help of the Yeti Betis, we identified several components that would improve the ride experience for women. All “touch-points” on the bike were an obvious place to start, so we chose a WTB Diva saddle, smaller diameter grips, and narrower handlebars (though, in the spectrum of handlebar widths, they are still relatively wide at 720mm). This provides greater comfort and control. We also changed crank lengths on the extra small, small and medium bikes from 175mm to 170mm. The benefit here is twofold: One, smaller cranks are easier to spin.

Two, the smaller cranks give added clearance in technical sections. Less smashing the pedals on rocks. Colors / Graphics Women were integral in creating our women’s apparel line, so we took visual cues from the apparel and applied them to our Yeti Beti line. In particular, coral has been very well received and used generously in the Yeti Beti line. We also learned that many women preferred bikes that were gloss rather than matte finish because it looked cleaner. All the Yeti Beti bikes are a fresh shade of gloss.

Why call it Yeti Beti?
That’s a better question for the women who have been associated with our brand for over a decade. It wasn’t a bunch of dudes who came up with the name because it sounded cool. The first known use of “Yeti Betty” came from a Yeti freak in Keystone, CO. She was so attached to her bike that she referred to herself as a Yeti Betty. She'd encouraged her friends to join the Tribe and soon there were a slew of Betty's spreading the gospel. Shortly thereafter, Amy Thomas, who ran a team called the Betis, approached us seeking support for the team. Naturally, they became the Yeti Betis and have been flying the flag ever since. The Yeti Betis were instrumental in putting together our Yeti Beti line: they advised on colors, graphics, and component choices. They’re also, well... women. Turns out that’s pretty important.

Why enter the market now?
We recognize the women’s market has matured and many companies are offering women’s specific bikes (and have for years). Our approach isn’t to make a grand entrance into the women’s market. We’ve always been there. Our new Yeti Beti line is a nod to the women we’ve worked with for years and have helped us create our products and community. Our commitment is unique: best-in-class bikes, apparel, racing, and skills clinics. We’re not just about the bikes. We’re about the community.


Why did Yeti choose to use an existing frame platform rather than build a women’s specific frame?
We felt our current platform fits and performs very well for women. For example, our ASRc / Yeti Beti has 27.5” wheels on the extra small and small sizes and 29” wheels on medium and large. This was done, in large part, to accommodate women riders. We also offer extra small and small in the SB5c / Yeti Beti and since it’s already built with 27.5” wheels, it fits women very well.

Our fundamental bike design remained unchanged on the Yeti Beti bikes. We know from experience core riders appreciate the performance and attention to detail regardless of gender. We sought to make meaningful adjustments like customizing crank lengths according to frame size and, perhaps most importantly, tuning the rear suspension for better performance. The rear shocks are valved for lighter riders – they have less rebound damping so the suspension doesn’t pack-up when the going gets rough. This results in a bike that is more efficient going uphill and more controlled when descending.


Do we have a lot of women on staff?
We have two women on staff. We’re a small company, but the ratio is still a little out of whack. We work so closely with an array of different women closely associated with Yeti that it really feels like they’re part of the family. We’re lucky enough to benefit from constant dialogue from all their different perspectives.

Do you envision the Yeti Beti line growing in the future?
We know that entering any new bike category takes time and commitment. We wouldn’t have taken this step if we weren’t committed to growing the line, but our underlying commitment will always be to the women’s community and creating products that resonate with them. We will continue to listen to their feedback and use it to shape bikes that suit their needs and deliver the best possible riding experience.

How does the apparel line fit into the overall plan?
The bike and apparel lines are very complementary. Performing your best on the trail depends on a variety of factors, and having high-quality equipment that fits women and functions well is essential. It goes without saying that there has been a void here, and we sought to address multiple aspects by having a coordinated apparel and bike line. There’s nothing wrong with looking good, too.

In fact, when we started making women’s specific apparel three years ago, people told us we were crazy. Many had tried and failed. But our women riders encouraged us and were very helpful in helping us create the line. It was due to their input that our shorts were created and have become so popular. We also had a woman running the entire apparel program at that time, which was critical to the line’s success.

You’ll see many color and branding similarities between the bikes and apparel. In fact, our SB5c / Yeti Beti is coral based on the huge response we got when we introduced the coral Norrie shorts.







The Yeti Beti SB5c and ASRc will be available June 25, 2015.

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MENTIONS: @yeticycles

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