Yeti LTE T4 review: an incredible eMTB, but I’d buy the cheaper C2 model  

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The new LTE from Yeti replaces the highly acclaimed 160E and switches from a Shimano motor to a Bosch drive unit. At just under £13,000, it’s pricey though – and I think the cheaper C2 bike could be a more compelling option. 

However, get the LTE onto the trail, and its ride and handling characteristics are really special. The suspension ticks all the right boxes and then some, with a tune that makes this 23.7kg bike feel far more manoeuvrable than you'd expect. 

It’s fast and fun uphill, yet stable, composed and oh-so-controlled when going down.  

There’s a hefty 160mm of rear-wheel travel via Yeti’s Sixfinity suspension system, as well as a full-carbon frame and 29in wheels. You can tweak the suspension progression or change to a smaller rear wheel if you want. 

Of the three builds, the T4 option tested here is the priciest and includes Fox’s new, inverted Podium fork, along with a plethora of top-end kit and an 800Wh Bosch battery to power the Race-spec Performance Line CX motor. 

• Read more: Best electric mountain bikes: top-rated eMTBs to tame the trails

Yeti LTE T4 frame and suspension details 

All of the build options get the same top-end TURQ-series carbon frame – there are no C-Series carbon or alloy frames on offer if you’re looking for something friendlier for your bank balance.  

The frame is reinforced in all the key, high-risk areas with Vectran plies – a multifilament that’s similar to Kevlar and provides a little more protection and improved impact resistance over regular carbon. 

There’s impressively clean and very effective cable porting, which helps deliver a rattle-free ride (although you might still need something to stop the brake hoses flapping in front of the bar), a neat little accessory mount beneath the top tube and an integrated upper chain guide. 

You also get a tidy fender protecting the lower pivots and links. 

The chunky bash plate under the belly of the bike is vented to aid motor cooling and doubles as the battery-access door should you wish to drop it out of the frame. 

Yeti’s six-bar linkage (dubbed ‘Sixfinity’) works in a similar way to its Switch Infinity system by creating a floating pivot point that moves as the bike cycles through its travel. However, it forgoes the twin Kashima sliding pivot unit – which won’t fit due to the motor and battery – in favour of more links.  

According to Yeti, you still get that switching motion here, with more pedalling support around the suspension’s sag point, although this falls away quickly deeper into the travel to ensure optimum bump absorption.  

Yeti LTE T4 motor and battery details 

While the 160E used a Shimano EP8 drive unit, the LTE comes equipped with a Bosch motor. 

The T4 is the only bike in the line-up to feature the Performance Line CX-R (Race) motor. 

Thanks to the over-the-air Bosch update, the standard Performance Line CX motor now matches the 100Nm max torque and 750W peak power of the Race version, although the Race motor is the only one to feature the race mode with its punchy, longer overrun. The CX-R motor is also lighter than the standard motor. 

Bosch supplies an 800Wh removable battery and Yeti has created storage for an Apple AirTag within the housing, so you can track your bike. 

Want a slightly lighter bike? You can switch to a 600Wh battery if you wish, or if you’re looking to ride the length of a small country, you can buy a Bosch PowerMore range extender. 

An integrated Kiox screen and wireless remote enable you to keep tabs on ride data and modes, all of which you can toggle through without moving your hand from the grip. 

Yeti LTE T4 geometry  

Yeti offers the LTE in four sizes, with reach figures ranging from 435mm to 510mm.  

The medium frame I tested has a reach of 465mm, a suitably slack 64.5-degree head angle (measured) and a steep 78-degree seat tube angle. 

An 806mm front centre (measured) and 449mm rear centre should help keep the LTE stable at speed and well-balanced through the turns. On top of that, the effective chainstay length should ensure it climbs steeper gradients without needing too much in the way of weight shifts to keep the front end from lifting. 

At 348mm, the bottom bracket isn’t as low as on some rival bikes. 

Yeti LTE T4 specification 

Aside from the Bosch Performance Line CX-R motor, the other big standout talking point here is the Fox Podium Factory fork.  

Its inverted design requires a beefier 20x115mm front axle, but promises super-smooth bump adsorption and perfectly tuned balance between steering precision and chassis compliance to prevent your front wheel from straying off line. 

SRAM’s Maven Ultimate brakes are supremely powerful and deserve their place on such a top-end build. 

The tyre choice is another plus for the most part, although I’d argue a tougher, more stable casing than the Schwalbe Magic Mary Radial Trail version seen here would be a wiser choice, especially for heavier riders than me. 

All in, the LTE T4 (medium, without pedals) tips the scales at 23.76kg. 

How I tested 

I rode a wide variety of different terrain, ranging from steep, technical singletrack, flowing jump trails and high-speed downhill tracks, through to meandering trail centres with as much up as they have down. 

I’ve also lapped the trails in varied conditions and temperatures, including everything from wet and boggy to fast and dry runs. 

Before wrapping things up, I tested the LTE T4 back-to-back with the Specialized S-Works Levo 4. 

Capable climber 

I'll mention the LTE’s suspension more than once in this review, because it’s really good.  

Pointed uphill, the rear end of the LTE remains very active. We’re not talking to the point of inefficiency here, but more in the sense that it’ll beaver away rapidly, doing its best to keep the rear tyre gripping over rough ground as you tick off the elevation. 

This doesn’t lead to a feeling of bogging down under power or feeling as though you’re not being rewarded for putting in the effort. On smoother terrain, things feel stable, with the rear end remaining calm as you turn the pedals. 

On top of that, it helps that the updated Bosch motor feeds in power so naturally and that power is easy to control. There’s plenty of assistance on tap too, enabling you to take on ridiculously steep ascents if you’re keen on that sort of thing. While it’s not quite as punchy or as sensitive as DJI’s Avinox M1 motor, this Bosch unit is certainly a close second. 

The overrun is worth taming in the app, though. It’s quite sharp in its standard setting and continues to deliver power to the rear wheel for longer than you might expect. As a result, it takes time to acclimatise to what happens as soon as you stop pedalling. You therefore need to be mindful of slow-speed manoeuvres, where even the slightest pedalling input can trigger the overrun to kick in.  

The steep seat angle keeps you perched upright and forward, which is a real plus on steeper pitches and, coupled with the relatively lengthy effective chainstay, means there’s little to worry about when it comes to the front wheel lifting or wandering. 

In gloopy situations, I found the only real limiting factor on the climbs was the Schwalbe Albert rear tyre. With a slightly shallower, more tightly packed tread pattern than the Magic Mary up front, I found the Albert couldn’t shed mud quickly enough at slower speeds to get the purchase I was after.  

This wasn’t a concern in drier conditions, but as the seasons changed, I certainly noticed it and, if I was keeping the bike for longer, I’d swap the rear tyre out to ensure I’d get my money's worth when it comes to climbing capability. 

In eMTB+ mode, I managed 2,000m of climbing and 44.3km of riding until the 800Wh battery was dead. 

Having your cake and eating it 

Yeti has done something very special with the LTE. It feels like a big, burly bike when pointed downhill, ready to eat up just about anything in its path.  

It helps that the 170mm of travel up front is delivered by one of, if not the best, single-crown forks on the market. The fork is beautifully smooth, tracks down the trail with precision, delivers support and absorbs impacts, all while feeling superbly comfortable – it’s gobsmacking. 

At the rear, the Sixfinity suspension system works well, delivering almost exactly what’s needed, when you need it.  

What’s more, though, the well-balanced tune helps to create a bike that feels stable yet playful in equal measure. 

Despite all that travel and what feels like masses of traction, you can still unweight, and pick up and chuck the LTE around when you want to, boosting the fun factor and making this long-travel monster truck feel far more dynamic than you might expect.  

And that’s despite the lengthy effective chainstay length – it really is like having your cake and eating it. 

This is particularly noticeable when hitting fast, undulating trail-centre descents.  

I thought I was going to either have to work hard to maintain my speed, or sit back and cruise to the bottom, having exceeded the motor’s limit. 

But instead, I was able to lift, pop and push through every roller and keep the momentum decently topped up from top to bottom without hammering the pedals or giving myself a hernia.  

In the turns, the geometry of my size-medium test bike felt well-proportioned for my measurements – it was simply a case of committing, cranking the bike over and letting it stick until I got spat out of the exit. 

Here, the Schwalbe Magic Mary front tyre does a wonderful job of digging in, no matter the conditions. That said, heavier or harder riders may want to consider a tougher, more stable tyre casing because when I really pushed the LTE on drier days, I could feel the ‘Trail’ casing start to squirm. 

While I’d describe the LTE’s ride as comfy, there’s still a solid, taut feel through the frame, boosting that connection from your feet to your hands, which can really be noticed as you load the bike to pump through the apex of turns and lift your weight as you exit. 

It’s similar in that sense to the Specialized Levo 4, which also offers an exciting, dynamic ride. But the LTE feels more comfortable and stable when things get rowdy and steep. 

Again, with both the fork and shock able to work overtime and keep the Schwalbe tyres glued to the dirt, picking your way down scarily steep tracks littered with diagonal roots, jagged rocks and all manner of other trail obstacles ready to delete grip at any opportunity, the LTE delivers a reassuringly confident ride.  

As I spent more time on the bike, I felt I could ride trickier trails without tensing up as much, knowing I’d be able to maintain traction and brake sufficiently when I needed to.  

Not all bikes can manage that. 

Death rattle 

Although this problem was remedied quickly, the LTE’s battery came loose on my first few rides.  

This started as a dull rattle, but got louder and louder as time progressed, to the point I had to call it quits and return to the car. 

The problem turned out to be too much threadlock on the top battery bolt. The bolt couldn’t tighten sufficiently, which allowed the battery to loosen over time.  

Once the bolts had been removed and the excess threadlock stripped off, this ceased to be an issue, and Yeti says this is something it’s aware of. 

A great frame, but consider the cheaper build 

Although I loved my time on the top-end LTE T4 build, it’s a serious amount of money.  

It's important to remember all the models in the range use the same premium frame – and that’s why I'd opt for the £9,499 C2 version (if I had the cash). 

It doesn’t have the Fox Podium fork or wireless gearing, but you get the same Fox X2 Factory rear shock, paired with a 38 Factory fork (in the UK).  

Elsewhere, you get a Float X Performance shock and 38 Performance fork, but still, I’d live with that and the Eagle 90 Transmission gearing to save £3,500.  

It's the geometry and rear-suspension performance that enables the LTE to ride the way it does – not the other top-end components.  

Yeti LTE T4 bottom line 

The LTE T4 build is seriously pricey, but there’s no denying its special ride feel.  

Thanks to its well-considered geometry, and impressive suspension kinematics and tuning, this big, burly bike can not only bomb down fast and rough trails with confidence, but it remains fun on whatever trail you ride, no matter how dull.  

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