Yeti Cycles and Jared Graves are parting ways after 12 yearsBikeRadar
Yeti worked closely with Graves to design the SB6c. One of our favorite component hacks is Graves use of an XTR shifter to operate his dropper seatpostBikeRadar
Graves isn’t just a downhill speed demon. Last year he showed off his XC chops, winning the first round of the Australian National XC series despite a blown air springDavid Rome / Immediate Media
Before enduro burst on the scene, Graves was a top world cup downhill racer. Graves worked with Yeti to develop the 303 WC CarbonJames Huang / Immediate Media
In 2008 Jared Graves finished sixth in the Beijing Olympics aboard a Yeti BMX frameBikeRadar
Jared Graves is parting ways with Yeti Cycles, the iconic Colorado-based mountain bike company for whom he spent 12 years racing. During his tenure in turquoise and yellow, Graves racked up numerous world champion titles in 4X and enduro. The versatile Aussie racer represented his country at world championships in BMX, 4X and downhill and raced to a sixth place finish in BMX at the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing.
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For months, hints on social media and speculation on YetiFan.com suggested the former Enduro World Series champion may attempt to reclaim the EWS crown aboard a Specialized. Specialized recently confirmed that Graves is joining its ranks. Best of luck to Graves next season. Until then, let’s take a look back at some of his Yeti race machines from years gone by.
Yeti worked closely with graves to design the sb6c. one of our favorite component hacks is graves use of an xtr shifter to operate his dropper seatpost:
Graves SB6c featured one of our favorite component hacks — an XTR shifter used to operate the Thomson dropper seatpost
Graves took the 2014 Enduro World Series overall win aboard Yeti’s SB6c. He worked closely with Yeti to design this enduro race bike. In fact, Yeti designed the fit of the medium SB6c frame around Graves measurements.
“It’s every spec I wanted,” Graves said. “Wheelbase bottom, bracket height, top tube.”
Graves isn’t just a downhill speed demon. last year he showed off his xc chops, winning the first round of the australian national xc series despite a blown air spring:
Not even a blown air spring could slow the Aussie down
The Aussie racer might be best known for his 4X and enduro wins, but he’s no slouch on a cross-country course. Last year he used Yeti’s cross-country hardtail, the ARC Carbon, to win the first round of the Australian National Mountain Bike Series. With such a win, Graves showed himself to be one the most well-rounded off-road riders in the world.
Graves’ fork lost air pressure during the race, leaving him with no suspension and a twitchy front end. It didn’t seem to matter much, as he still bested the field.
Before enduro burst on the scene, graves was a top world cup downhill racer. graves worked with yeti to develop the 303 wc carbon:
Before enduro burst on the scene, Graves raced aboard Yeti’s 303 WC Carbon
Before Graves became a dedicated enduro racer, he tore up the downhill circuit aboard Yeti’s 303 WC Carbon. The 303 WC Carbon was a rare beast. It sported a carbon front end with an alloy rear triangle. The 303 WC Carbon used Yeti’s rail technology, which was a precursor to the current Switch Infinity suspension system.
Custom touches to Graves’ race bike included a 7-speed drivetrain and titanium spring on the rear shock.
During the 2008 season Graves focused on 4X and BMX leading up to the Beijing Olympics. To aid Graves’ Olympic aspirations, Yeti produced a limited run of alloy BMX frames.
Josh Patterson is a BikeRadar contributor and former technical editor. He has spent most of his career working in the cycling industry as an athlete, mechanic and journalist. He holds a master's degree in journalism and has more than 20 years of experience as a cyclist and 12 years of experience riding and writing for BikeRadar, Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly, Dirt Rag, RoadBikeReview and Outside Magazine. A native of the Flint Hills of Kansas, Josh was a pioneer in the gravel cycling movement, having raced the first Unbound 200 and many other gravel events around the globe. He considers himself a cycling generalist and enjoys road, gravel and mountain biking in equal measure. When not traveling for work, he can be found exploring the singletrack and lonely gravel roads that surround his home in Fort Collins, Colorado. In addition to his love of cycling, Josh is an enthusiastic supporter of brunch, voting rights and the right to repair movement.
