Yeti 303R DH - Linear Rail Technology!

Posted: Jun 22, 2009

Most people would use the reference "tribe" to describe a civilization hiding deep in the South African jungle, that only feed off of fire ants and boiled frogs. However, there is one company inside the cycling industry that refers to their customer basis as the Tribe. They come from all walks of life - racers, artists, hippies, adventure junkies, beer swillers, priests, lawyers, construction workers, shamans, cops, robbers, and buddhists. If you, or your friends own a Yeti, then you're part of the tribe.

Yeti has a specific patent for their own bikes that utilizes rail technology to control shock rates, and wheel paths. The 303 and 303R-DH are the two bikes that share this technology.

Click here for more info on Linear rail technology, and the 303R-DH...

Offered in 2 different color schemes, and 2 different suspension designs Yeti's 303 has become a bike to contend with. Adjustable geometry, a 10.5 pound frame, and a suspension technology that is thinking outside of the box from everyone else, the 303 and 303R-DH are two bikes that will blow you away, not only in design aspects, but construction, and ride characteristics. No other company in the industry uses linear guide technology, probably because Yeti owns the patent and won't give it up like a child with a sucker.


Yeti has the linear guide technology in place only on their downhill bikes, but it works really well at what it does. What does it do exactly you ask? The 303 featured Yeti's custom rearward motion wheel path, that put all potential energy from a impact directly into the suspension, minimizing momentum loss and rider feedback. The 303R-DH features Yeti's new Rate adjustment. This design controls rates on the shock, meaning where the shock is in the suspension's motion. Yeti can manipulate, without using an "only links setup", the rates that are in place on the shock at given times. On the 303R-DH the linear rail, together with the single pivot and rate links, the suspension is optimized for the shock rates, while increasing the lateral stiffness of the frame, and keeping the suspension linkage low and within the confines of the frame.


Along with optimizing the suspension motion for the frame and conditions, Linear Guide Technology also allows you to make adjustments to the frame's geometry without effecting head tube and bottom bracket height. Seeing as Linear Guide Technology uses a guide and rail system, shock rotation is also nearly eliminated, meaning increased longevity of your shock. Wrapped up nicely into one tight package Yeti's Linear Guide Technology seems like a small package, that packs a big punch, so look forward to more information and other bike designs with this system in the future.

The 303R-DH was not designed to replace the 303 at all, but to compliment it and offer another option for racers depending on the course, and the individual's riding style. The 303R-DH features a similarly progressive rate as the 303 DH, but it's a lighter weight frame, and features a more lively, and agile suspension. The 303R-DH is designed more around popping off lips, and pre-loading, not just sheer pinning it.

The frame of the 303R-DH is constructed out of custom 7005 series hydro-formed aluminum tubes. It features eccentric shock mounts for adjustable geometry, while not changing the rates on the shock. On the chainstay it features a dual density chainstay protector, that is replaceable. This dual density protector feels like its made out of hockey board material, so I am thinking it will keep that chainstay clean and protected well into the future! The frame features replaceable derailleur hangers, and enduro max sealed bearings in all the pivots.


The 303R-DH packs out 8" of travel via a Fox DHX RC4 rear shock. It features laser etched sag and bottom out marks on the rail, and ISCG 05 mounting tabs for your chain guide. The 303R-DH has custom bolt on cable guides on the downtube, meaning no tailgate shuttles, that link up with the seat stays for cable routing. Moving to the back of the bike Yeti has incorporated a 12mm thru axle for their bike, making installation and removal of the rear wheel super easy. The 303R-DH frame features an 83mm bottom bracket shell, a 150mm rear wheel spacing, and a 30.9 seat post clamp, basics for most DH bikes.

Frame and Size	Yeti 303R-DH, 7005 Hydroformed •medium Frame
Rear Shock	Fox RC4
Fork	Fox 40 RC2 •160-200 mm travel
Headset	Cane Creek S-3
Crankarms	Truvativ Hussefelt
Chainguide	E Thirteen LG1
Chainring	Truvativ, 38 th
Bottom Bracket	Truvativ Hussefelt, 83mm
Pedals	none
Chain	SRAM
Cassette	SRAM PG-970, 11-26
Rear Derailleur	SRAM x-9 Medium Cage
Shifter Pod	SRAM X-7
Handlebar	Truvativ Hussefelt, Low Rise
Stem	Truvativ Hussefelt •50 mm reach
Grips	ODI Hard Core
Brakes	Avid Elixir 203mm
Front Wheel	Mavic DeeTraks
Rear Wheel	Mavic DeeTraks - 12mm/150mm
Tires	Front,2.5 Maxxis Minion DHF •Rear,2.5 Maxxis Minion DHF
Saddle	SDG Yeti
Seatpost	Truvativ XR Doubleclamp

We got a complete 303R-DH so we're going to look at the component setup a bit here. Suspension was taken care of via the Fox 40 RC2 up front, and Fox DHX RC4 out back. The RC4 is an upgrade over the DHX5 that is spec'd on the website, but we are not complaining. The RC4 the newest addition to the Fox Shox line up, and features external high and low speed compression adjustments, along with a brand new Pro Pedal system designed specifically for this shock. The RC4 also features a larger internal diameter, meaning more oil flow, less restriction, and lower internal pressure under compression. The RC4 still features external rebound, and bottom out adjustments.


SRAM, Truvativ, and Avid all obviously had a large presence when the 303R-DH was assembled. The SRAM umbrella takes care of the handlebar, stem, cranks, bottom bracket, brakes, rear mech, shifter, cassette, seat post, and chain. We have had previous experience on all these components accept the handlebar, but we will let you know how everything held up at the end of the test.


Wheels and tires are taken care of thanks to Mavic and Maxxis. Mavic's all new DeeTraks wheels, which are featured in a classy black and white color scheme this year. The Dee Trak is right behind the Dee Max on the totem pole when it comes to Mavic's gravity wheels. The DeeTraks use Mavic's ITS system, which means Mavic has doubled the pawls in the drive mechanism to provide more responsive, and reliable engagement. The DeeTraks also feature QRM, Mavic's own sealed cartridge bearing system, with an adjustment ring for bearing pre-load. Both front and rear wheels are 32 spoke, 3 cross, however, Mavic has moved away from the straight pull design and going back to standard J bend spokes. I have previously beaten on my own pair of DeeTraks from when they still used straight pull spokes, so I am stoked to see how these wheels ride, and hold up to compared to the previous generation. Mavic has also added in some really flashy decals to the DeeTraks to add to the overall pizazz of any bike.


Rubbers were provided by Maxxis, and consist of two Minion DHFs. I've heard it been said that running Maxxis is like cheating, so we will see how they ride compared to other tires that I've been running over the past few years. Chain retention is provided by the E Thirteen LG1 guide. We previously did a test on the LG1, and were very pleased with how it performed. I don't think it will perform any different on the 303R-DH, however, I will keep you guys posted if I run into any issues. SDG provided a custom Yeti seat to match up with the color scheme of the bike, while ODI provided the custom Yeti grips, in non-lock on format.

Frame and Size	Yeti 303R-DH, 7005 Hydroformed medium Frame
Headtube Angle	64-65 degrees
Toptube Length	23.5 inches
Standover Height	29.5-30 inches
Chainstay Length	17.25 inches
Wheelbase	45.7-46.5 inches
Bottom Bracket Height	13.8-14.3 inches

The geometry on the 303R-DH is pretty standard for downhill bikes, however it's all adjustable without changing rates or curves. Meaning, you can adjust your chainstay length, wheel base, bottom bracket height, and head tube angle all without changing how the bike is performing dampening wise. This is a very nice touch, and not an easy task to achieve, but allows us as the riders to setup the bike how we want it to feel front and back. Earlier bikes that shared this geometry change were directly adjusting shock rates, and curves, making the bike handle different in separate settings.


Personally I think this is the direction these adjustments should go. After speaking with a un-mentionable source that said "These companies that are making bikes that have adjustable geo, are hurting themselves." His argument was that suspension developers spend so much time on a design, and these adjustments are changing rates, lengths, and curves of the bikes as it travels through its suspension motion and wheel path. It makes complete sense, and the company he represents shares the same mindset as Yeti, why wreck something you worked so hard to develop? That being said, there is a number of companies coming out now that are addressing the issue, or at least limiting how much these adjustments alter their hard worked suspension design.


All together the 303R-DH has been well thought out. The adjustable shock mount has corresponding sag markers on the rail so you can dial your sag in correctly. Sag plays a big part in set up for downhill bikes, as it's the starting point for your bike when it's under load. When setting up suspension on any bike ensure sag is correctly set to the suggested amount, or else the suspension may not be doing what it could be doing.

The first ride on the 303R-DH was at the premier biking hill known as Whistler Bike Park. Whistler is a great beating ground, because not only is it lift access, but they have a huge network of trails, where all the trails are unique, and feature a little bit of Whistler flavor. Ok, so that flavor may be excessive breaking bumps and more arm pump than a body builder, but it's still a wicked place to test, tune, and dial in suspension, as you can pack a large number of runs into one day, and figure out a fair amount of your setup needs.

At Pinkbike we have a general setup for our suspension when we start. We like to dial out any compression settings, high or low speed, then dial in spring rate, rebound rate, and bottom out pressure. Then, you do as many runs as you can and dial in how much effort it takes on the top end, in the middle, and on the bottom end. Starting with all adjustments open, the first run proved that I needed a click or two on both low speed, and high speed compression. After numerous adjustments, the comfort zone was found on the 303R-DH. As it's a single pivot bike we needed a fair amount of low speed compression to keep it from ramping up fast on braking bumps. I ended the day with 7 clicks on the Low speed compression for the RC4, and 5 on the 40RC2. High speed compression obviously plays a huge part at Whistler, with tons of large hits and high speed jumps you need to keep the bike from getting stuck down low on big hits. At the end of the day I had 5 clicks of High speed on the RC4, and 6 on the 40RC2. Both performed really well in these settings, however, I'm sure more adjustments will come in the future as I fine tune and adjust to riding areas.

The 303R-DH's suspension, after being setup correctly, performed effortlessly. Small bump absorption proved to be a huge benefit of the rail design. With such a supple suspension design the small bumps proved to be nothing but a small wrist rattle at high speed. Big bumps were well dampened by the suspension, and the suspension both climbed back to full travel evenly. After the first rides on the 303R-DH I am very pleased with its design, and functionality.

The 303R-DH proved to be a head turner as well, as we predicted. Not only did a number of riders ask about the bike in general, but a ton of people were interested in learning about the suspension design, and some other riders simply wanted to get in the "Nice bike" comment as I blasted by. Personally, I think the Turquoise color scheme is more eye catching than the Black scheme, but that's just visual aesthetics. So far the only complaint I have about the 303R-DH is the width of the handlebars. At 28" they are just shy of being wide enough for my arms/stance, but I will adjust my riding stance for this or swap out bars.


My overall first impression on the 303R-DH is "wow". A solid design, strong bike, very active suspension, and an appropriate price tag all make the Yeti 303R-DH a beast to contend with. The 303R-DH frame will run you $3500 Canadian MSRP, where as the complete build will run you $6300 Canadian MSRP. Stay tuned to your favorite biking site for an extensive review on the 303R-DH. If you are looking for one and live in Canada, please check out Calgary Cycle.com or visit Yeti's dealer listing for the rest of the world.

-Jordan Holmes