Knowing your bike’s year helps you know which parts to buy. Want to know what year your Yeti bike is? This article will help to answer some of your questions.
Do you own a Yeti bike? Would you like to know its year of manufacture? What are the advantages of knowing your Yeti bike’s year? How will this help you take better care of your Yeti bike? If you are seeking the answers to these and more questions, then you are in the right place.
Telling your Yeti's year is easy and has several advantages including helping you identify the parts you need to buy and letting you know how best to take care of your bike. By identifying your Yeti’s year, you will gain access to information that helps you make the right decisions about your bike.
If you want to discover your Yeti’s year of manufacture, then you have come to the right place. In this article, we will provide you with simple strategies that you can use to find out which year your Yeti was made. We will also give you tips on how you can use the information you discover to take great care of your bike.
We aim to provide you with information that is relevant, credible and useful. To this end, we ensure that we conduct thorough research on every topic we handle, break it down into easily understood content and ensure that everything you read is as accurate as possible.
Overview
Yeti cycles is a bike manufacturing company based in Golden, Colorado. Formed in 1985 by former welder John Parker, Yeti has been producing award winning bikes for over 30 years. The company specializes in mountain bikes and produces several models that have led professional cyclists like Julie Furtado and John Tomac to victory. The company sets itself apart by using superior suspension systems, premium components, advanced technology and other high class features in order to produce top of the range bikes.
Yeti has invested in a lot of groundbreaking technologies over the years and this has in turn led to its popularity as a top producer of high end mountain bikes. Some of the technologies that Yeti has developed include TURQ and C/series carbon frames. The TURQ frame is lighter in weight by up to 220 grams. It is used in Yeti’s premium ranges and especially in bikes used by pro-cyclists.
The C/series has heavier carbon frames and is used for Yeti’s middle range mountain bikes. Yeti bikes are renowned for their superior performance, quality workmanship and trademark turquoise color. Yeti produces several categories of bikes including: mountain bikes, full suspension rip, full suspension race and hardtail.
The most popular bikes in each category include: Yeti SB 130 in the full suspension rip category, Yeti ARC in the hardtail rip category, and the SB 115 in the full suspension race category. Yeti bikes range in price from $1900 for a basic hardtail rip bike to $8799 for a pro-level, full suspension rip bike.
What does bike year refer to?
Bike year simply refers to the year that your bike was manufactured. Bike makers will also include month and date of manufacture on relevant documentation in order to help you keep track of your bike’s age.
Why is my Yeti Bike’s year important?
Bike year is important for several reasons. First of all, it will determine how available parts and components that you need to keep your bike in tip top condition are. If your bike was manufactured over ten years ago, you might have a hard time located the parts you need. Secondly, a bike’s performance declines significantly over the years, even if you are taking great care of it. Finally, bike components go through advanced changes every few years. This means that if you want to upgrade your bike, you will want to know how your older bike compares to newer ones in order to determine which parts will work best for you.
How to tell your Yeti Bike’s year
With so many advanced changes in bike styles and models over the years, it can be difficult to tell your Yeti bike’s year at a glance. However, there are a few strategies you can use in order to determine this accurately;
- Check the serial number: Most bikes, including Yetis, have a serial number stamped somewhere on the main body of the bike. The serial number serves the purpose of identifying the bike model and also as a security measure against theft. While it may be just a random number in most bikes, it could also contain useful information such as the bike’s year, month and date of manufacture.
If you cannot decode the date from the serial number, you can also call Yeti’s customer service line to find out. Most manufacturers have a list of bike serial numbers and should be able to tell you which year your particular bike was manufactured if you provide them with the serial numbers.
- Look at specific components: If you bought a used Yeti bike, it might be difficult to find a serial number, especially if the parts have been swapped and upgraded. Parts like the seat, grip, rear rack, handlebar, pedal and wheels can all be swapped. In most cases however, the frame cannot be changed and you can use this to determine the year that your Yeti bike was manufactured.
Have a look at the main features on your frame and compare these with other bikes on the Yeti Cycles website in order to determine which year your bike was manufactured.
- Ask the previous owner/seller: This one is pretty straightforward. If you bought the bike from its original owner, you could simply ask them what year they purchased the bike. Even if they have made significant changes to the bike, they should be able to remember what year they bought the original frame.
Alternatively, you could talk to the used bike dealer who sold you your Yeti. In many cases, they will have a record of the year that the bike was bought or at the very least, be able to contact the person they bought the bike from to confirm its year of manufacture.
- Use a bike forum: Many bike forums have veterans who have purchased and used bikes similar to yours. You can post questions and pictures on these forums to see if someone has encountered a Yeti bike similar to your own. You may even come across a customer service representative who will be able to tell you what year your bike is
Forums are a great resource for any bike owner because they will push you in the right direction e.g. by advising you to call or email the company for more details or helping you identify features on your bike that can help you determine its year of manufacture.
- Visit a bike store: Take a trip down to your local store to see if you can find someone there who can help you determine your Yeti’s year of manufacture. Make sure that it is a store that stocks Yeti bikes in order to get the most accurate information about your bike. Nowadays, most bike stores hire staff members who are bike enthusiasts so you will most likely find someone who has owned or encountered a similar Yeti bike in the past to advise you on its year of manufacture.
- Consult online and offline literature: Before the advent of the internet, magazines, posters, catalogs and other offline literature were the order of the day for bike manufacturers looking to advertise their products. If you suspect that your bike is from pre-internet days, you could consider browsing magazines at your local library to find out its year of manufacture.
In addition, there is a lot of information online in bike stores, review sites and even your bike manufacturer’s website to help you identify the year that your bike was manufactured. If the bike frame still has the bike model, you can simply do a Google search in order to identify the year it was manufactured.