Yeti bike names contain a lot of letters and numbers, none of which spell anything. This can be confusing to people new to the legendary Colorado brand.
ARC. ASR. SB140. MTe. LTe. And now there are models simply called the MT and LT, because apparently the numbers were getting too easy. But this is also a sign of how future models will be classified, for the simpler. I think. Throw the 2027 ASR Lunch Ride into the mix, and suddenly you need to know what everyone at Yeti does during their lunch break to understand the lineup.
The good news is that most of these names follow a fairly straightforward system. Some carry decades of history. Some tell you how much rear travel the bike has. Others describe the category, or tell you that someone gave an existing bike a rowdier build.
This is not a full Yeti buyer’s guide. It is a breakdown of what the names mean, what kind of bike sits behind each one, and what changed heading into the 2027 lineup.
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The Quick Yeti Naming Decoder
| Name or letters | What they mean |
| ARC | Historically, Alloy Racing Composite |
| ASR | Active Suspension Racing |
| SB | Super Bike |
| Modern three-digit SB numbers | Nominal rear suspension travel in millimeters (SB115) |
| MT | The mid-travel pedal-bike category |
| LT | The long-travel pedal-bike category |
| e | Electric, as in MTe and LTe |
| LR | Lunch Ride: a more descending-focused version of an existing platform |
The historic names come from earlier generations of Yeti bikes, while the newer MT/LT naming is a practical way to distinguish the brand’s mid- and long-travel offerings. The important part is not applying one naming rule to every Yeti ever made. That would be too convenient.
Yeti ARC: Alloy Racing Composite
The ARC is one of Yeti’s most historic names. Originally short for Alloy Racing Composite, it dates back to the brand’s early aluminum race hardtails and their collaboration with Easton.
There is one slightly funny problem with the name today: the modern ARC is carbon.
So yes, the material changed, but the name stayed. Honestly, fair enough. Renaming a bike with that much history would probably cause more problems than it solves, I respect the decision there.
The current ARC is a 29-inch carbon hardtail, and the latest builds use a 140mm FOX 36 SL fork. Its job now extends beyond pure XC racing into trail riding, pump-track sessions, and bikepacking. This is not just a lightweight frame built to suffer uphill. Bit of a pat on our back here, these are also the bikes chosen to help sponsor a few rippers for this year’s Colorado High School League!
I’m always a fan of an aggressive hardtail, so that direction makes sense to me. Keep the simple rear end. Give the front end a little more room to get into trouble.
Name translation: Alloy Racing Composite.
In plain English: A modern trail hardtail carrying a very old-school name.
Yeti ASR: Active Suspension Racing
ASR stands for Active Suspension Racing. Yeti’s own history places the original ASR in 2000, when it became an important part of the company’s return to independence after Schwinn ownership.
The modern ASR keeps that race-focused identity. Its standard XC builds pair 115mm of rear travel with a 120mm fork, using a lightweight carbon frame and flex-stay suspension rather than Switch Infinity or Sixfinity.
That last part matters. Not every full-suspension Yeti has the same suspension system, even if the paint looks familiar.
This is the bike built around climbing speed, efficiency, and modern XC racing. Still a mountain bike, though. The descent is not just an inconvenient road back to the next climb.
Name translation: Active Suspension Racing.
In plain English: Yeti’s lightweight full-suspension XC race bike.
Yeti ASR Lunch Ride: The XC Bike Takes a Different Line
The ASR Lunch Ride, also written ASR LR, takes the ASR platform in a more trail-focused direction.
Rear travel stays at 115mm, but the fork grows to 130mm with a FOX 34 SL. The longer fork produces a 66.1-degree head angle, and the builds add more trail-oriented Maxxis Dissector and Forekaster tires alongside four-piston SRAM Motive brakes and a nice 760mm carbon bar with 20mm rise.
Basically, Yeti took the XC bike and asked the obvious question: what happens if we make it more fun on the way down?
That sounds like my kind of lunch meeting. Exactly why I just got one.
The important naming distinction is that LR describes a version of the ASR, not an entirely unrelated bike. You still get the lightweight, short-travel foundation, just with a build that puts more emphasis on descending.
Name translation: Active Suspension Racing, Lunch Ride.
In plain English: The ASR with a rowdier build for downcountry riding and big trail days.
What Does “SB” Mean on a Yeti Bike?
The SB name is associated with Super Bike, dating back to the SB66 era. Once the bike of my dreams, literally, I had so many dreams of owning this bike. On the more recent three-digit models, the number identifies nominal rear suspension travel: an SB120 has 120mm, an SB140 has 140mm, and an SB160 has 160mm. You get the point.
Photo Cred: Pinkbike
Man I still think it looks so badass. The OG Super Bike.
Here is the catch: that millimeter rule does not work for every older SB model. The SB66, for example, had six inches of rear travel, not 66mm. The SB95 combined 29-inch wheels with five inches of travel. Older naming conventions mixed wheel-size references and travel in inches.
So when shopping used Yeti bikes, check the model year and actual specifications. The letters help, but they do not tell the entire story.
Yeti SB120: Short Travel, Not Just XC
The SB120 uses 120mm of Switch Infinity rear travel, 29-inch wheels, and a 140mm fork on the current builds. It sits on the trail side of the short-travel conversation rather than doing the ASR’s XC-racing job.
The numbers might look close, but an ASR and an SB120 are not the same bike with five extra millimeters out back. The suspension layout, fork, and overall intent are different. Also add in a few lbs.
Name translation: Super Bike, 120mm rear travel.
Quick description: A short-travel trail bike for covering ground without treating every ride like a race.
Yeti SB135: Smaller Wheels, Plenty of Personality
The SB135 pairs 135mm of Switch Infinity rear travel with a 150mm fork and 27.5-inch wheels. Yeti positions it around quick direction changes, pumping, jumping, and finding creative lines.
It is the playful option in a lineup that can get pretty serious about speed.
Not every rider wants to take the fastest line through every section. Sometimes the little jump off to the side is the entire reason you rode that trail.
SB130, close enough! They have covered almost all travel numbers throughout the SB run.
Name translation: Super Bike, 135mm rear travel.
Quick description: A playful 27.5-inch trail bike for corners, jumps, and messing around.
Yeti SB140: The Switch Infinity All-Rounder
The SB140 is the 29-inch trail and all-mountain bike, with 140mm of Switch Infinity rear travel and a 160mm fork on the currently listed complete build.
It is the middle child, but in a good way. Enough bike for rough descents and bigger days without going all the way into long-travel enduro territory.
The new MT now occupies a similar travel category, which makes this an important name to understand. They share travel numbers, but they do not share the same suspension platform. The SB140 is probably on its way out.
Name translation: Super Bike, 140mm rear travel.
Quick description: Yeti’s Switch Infinity trail and all-mountain platform.
Yeti SB160: The Enduro Race Name
The SB160 has 160mm of Switch Infinity rear travel, a 170mm fork, and 29-inch wheels. It followed the SB150 and carries a clear enduro-racing focus.
The goal is not hard to decipher: go fast.
The new LT changes the conversation around Yeti’s long-travel bikes, but it does not make the SB160 irrelevant. Yeti still lists the platform, and the suspension distinction gives readers a useful way to understand the two bikes.
The SB150, father of the SB160 who is now the father of the LT. Does that make sense?
Name translation: Super Bike, 160mm rear travel.
Quick description: A full-29 enduro platform built around Switch Infinity.
Yeti SB165: A Gravity-Focused Name Worth Knowing
The SB165 remains worth explaining for anyone looking at older or used Yetis. The later mixed-wheel version uses 165mm of Switch Infinity rear travel, a 170mm fork, and a coil-shock-focused design.
This is the name associated with park laps, freeride, steep trails, and taking the more questionable line because it looks fun.
It is not listed in Yeti’s current main bike menu or its 2027 owner’s-manual group, so I would not confuse an older SB165 listing with a newly introduced 2027 platform. Its dedicated model page is still available.
Name translation: Super Bike, 165mm rear travel.
Quick description: A gravity-first platform that is still relevant when shopping used.
Yeti LT: Long Travel, Sixfinity Suspension
The LT drops the SB prefix and the travel number for a simpler name: the long-travel bike.
Its 160mm rear travel and 170mm fork might sound familiar, but this is not an SB160 with different stickers. The LT uses Sixfinity, Yeti’s six-bar suspension platform taken from their new ebike lineups, and supports both full-29 and mixed-wheel configurations.
The frame also brings adjustable suspension progression, in-frame storage, and size-specific modular rear ends with an optional additional 10mm of rear-center length. There is quite a bit to play with.
Name translation: Long Travel.
Quick description: A tunable Sixfinity enduro bike with full-29 or mixed-wheel options.
What Is Sixfinity?
Sixfinity is Yeti’s six-bar suspension system. The linkage includes a switching link that changes direction as the suspension moves through its travel, allowing Yeti to tune pedaling behavior, braking response, and leverage curves for each platform.
For this naming guide, the useful distinction is simple: the newer MT and LT use Sixfinity, while the SB models covered here use Switch Infinity.
You do not need to memorize an anti-squat chart to understand the names. Just know that the new letters represent more than a fresh paint job.
Yeti MT: Mid Travel Gets Sixfinity Too
The MT is the mid-travel pedal bike, with 140mm of rear travel, a 160mm fork, and 29-inch wheels. Like the LT, it uses Sixfinity rather than Switch Infinity.
It also gets in-frame storage, size-specific chainstays, and adjustable suspension progression. Unlike the LT, the MT is presented as a dedicated full-29 platform, so do not assume the two bikes share every adjustment just because the frames look related.
This is the trail and all-mountain side of the new naming system. Think long rides, rough descents, and a bike that does not require an enduro race entry to justify taking it out. Although I bet this thing can still rip any race.
Name translation: Mid Travel.
Quick description: Yeti’s 140mm Sixfinity trail bike, positioned below the LT.
MT vs. SB140 and LT vs. SB160: What Actually Changed?
The easiest way to understand the overlap is to compare the suspension platforms.
The MT and SB140 both have 140mm of rear travel. The LT and SB160 both have 160mm. But the MT and LT use Sixfinity, while the SB140 and SB160 use Switch Infinity. Yeti’s own technical description refers to the SB140 and SB160 as their predecessors.
That does not mean every SB bike disappeared overnight. Yeti’s current catalog and 2027 manuals still include multiple SB platforms.
For us civilians, the takeaway is that matching travel numbers do not mean matching bikes. The new names help distinguish a different generation of suspension and frame features.
And for anyone shopping used Yeti bikes, an SB140 or SB160 does not suddenly stop being a good bike because the new one has fewer characters in its name.
Yeti MTe: The Mid-Travel Electric Bike
The lowercase e is doing an important job here.
The MTe is Yeti’s mid-travel electric platform, with 145mm of Sixfinity rear travel, a 160mm fork, and a TQ HPR60 motor. Current builds offer different battery and component configurations, so the exact build still matters.
It is useful to think of MTe as the electric side of Yeti’s mid-travel category, not literally an MT with a motor bolted into it. Even the rear travel is different.
One little letter. A pretty significant difference on the climb.
Practical name translation: Mid-travel electric.
Quick description: A TQ-powered Sixfinity eMTB for trail and all-mountain riding.
Yeti LTe: The Long-Travel Electric Bike
The LTe follows the same logic on the longer-travel side.
It uses 160mm of Sixfinity rear travel and a 170mm fork, with a Bosch Performance Line CX or CX-R motor, depending on the build. Yeti positions it as its full-power, aggressive eMTB.
The distinction is straightforward: the LT is pedal-powered, while the LTe adds electric assistance. They belong to the same broad long-travel conversation, but they are separate platforms with their own design requirements.
Practical name translation: Long-travel electric.
Quick description: Yeti’s full-power Sixfinity e-enduro bike.
What Does “Lunch Ride” Actually Mean?
The name comes from Yeti’s staff rides, not a marketing department trying to make eating a sandwich sound extreme.
Yeti describes its lunch ride as a longstanding part of company culture, with employees leaving their desks and workbenches to ride together. The brand’s account traces that routine back to 1999.
Lunch Ride builds grew out of the same idea: take a bike the staff already likes and set it up to ride harder. The exact changes depend on the model, so LR is not a fixed amount of extra travel or a completely separate suspension system.
The ASR LR is the current example: a longer fork and more trail-oriented equipment on the ASR platform. Older listings may use the designation on models such as the SB130 or SB140.
LT and LR are not interchangeable. One names a long-travel platform. The other identifies a Lunch Ride version.
That might be the most useful distinction in this whole article, you’re welcome.
Final Thoughts
Yeti’s naming system gets easier once you stop expecting every bike to follow the same rule.
The historic names carry the history. The modern three-digit SB names tell you rear travel. MT and LT describe the newer mid- and long-travel platforms, the little e identifies electric assistance, and LR tells you the bike received the Lunch Ride treatment.
The model year and build still matter. A name tells you where to start, not everything about the bike.
Personally, I like that Yeti kept the old names while giving the newer platforms their own identity. There is something cool about a lineup that can include an ARC with decades of history and an MT with a completely different suspension layout.
Now we just need everyone to stop mixing up MT, MTe, LT, LTe, and LR.
Easy enough.
And a moment of respect for the Yeti head tube badge. Please never stop doing this Yeti.
