THE NEW MTE FRAME
For their first lightweight eMTB, Yeti utilized the Sixfinity suspension system that first debuted on their 160-E. For the MTe, this is a 145mm variant, giving do-it-all capabilities for this mid-power electric mountain bike.
Up front there’s a 160mm fork and 29” wheel, and the rear can be fitted with a 29” or 27.5” wheel without altering the geometry thanks to the flip chips in the frame. Yeti ships the bike with two sets of chips so riders can tune into one of four available leverage rate settings.
All of the MTe bikes use Yeti’s TURQ level carbon, even the C build option. All of the carbon frames in Yeti’s MTe family receive Vectran reinforcement in high-impact areas, helping it to stand up better to the abuse sustained on the trails. Vectran is a material that has been used in the composite’s world for a while now, adding significant impact toughness to the frame with minimal weight penalty.
Adjustability is offered in the form of a leverage rate chip at the lower shock mount, and wheel size flip chip on the seat stay pivot.
Thanks to the ZS44/56 head tube standard, a replacement aftermarket headset can be used to adjust the reach or head tube angle. Yeti equipped the MTe with notches on the headtube to help with aligning these cups, which is a neat consideration.
The internal cable routing uses clamped ports to help to prevent rattle. Yeti made provisions to route the rear brake on either side of the headtube, guaranteeing clean cable routing for all. You may be relieved to see a standard headset with no cable routing through it – mechanics rejoice.
NEW TQ HPR 60 DRIVE UNIT
Yeti’s first entry to the mid-power eMTB segment aims to give the “best of both worlds”, powered by the new TQ HPR 60 lightweight drive unit. This newly released and upgraded drive unit still uses TQ’s Harmonic Pin Ring design, which is impressively compact and quiet. With the reduced system weight and near-silent operation of TQ’s drive unit, Yeti aimed to produce a bike that gave solid assistance while hiding the fact that it’s an eBike at all.
For this new TQ drive unit, the torque capabilities jump to 60Nm as the name suggests. Peak Power for the HPR 60 climbs to 350W, up from the 250W standard of the HPR 50. Yeti worked on the tuning parameters to deliver increased pedaling sensitivity in the Boost mode, giving a more aggressive assistance for the times when maximum speed is desired.
The MTe is powered by a 580Wh internal removable battery in the C2 and T3 spec we tested. The top end, 38lbs T4 spec features TQ’s lighter 290Wh battery, which will reserve it for riders looking for the most agile and non-eBike feeling ride only. These batteries are fully interchangeable and can be swapped quickly, meaning it’s possible to buy a spare or choose your battery size based on the ride ahead. A 160Wh range extender is available and can be fitted to sizes Medium and up.
TQ’s new color LED top tube display shows the vital ride stats, from battery life in 1% increments through to rider and drive unit power and speed.
Charging the system is a 4A TQ charger, which can plug into the port at the head tube of the bike or directly into the battery when it’s removed from the frame.
SIXFINITY EMTB SUSPENSION
Sixfinity was first utilized on the full power Yeti 160E, working around the space constraints of an eMTB while delivering Yeti’s ideal eBike kinematics. For the MTe, the general Sixfinity layout is the same as the bigger brother, but the overall characteristics are tailored to the slightly shorter travel and more well-rounded intentions. Sixfinity’s design lets Yeti tweak the leverage curve, Anti Squat and Anti Rise independently to obtain the traits in each area they consider optimal.
Yeti made the decision to give the MTe an Anti Squat value that lies between the 160E and their pedal bikes. They work on the principle that pedaling support scales inversely to the amount of overall drive power you can apply. The shape of this Anti Squat curve is significant, with the peak around the sag zone to give the efficiency where it’s required, but a notable drop-off towards the end of the stroke to ensure plush suspension on bigger hits.
For the braking character, the Anti Rise on the MTe was dropped from their pedal bikes, but not to a value that completely ignores geometry preservation under braking.
With Sixfinity, Yeti is able to tune pedaling efficiency at sag, and difference between the smallest and largest cogs in the cassette at sag, to scale inversely with MTe’s electric assist. As a result, the MTe anti-squat magnitudes are intentionally greater than the full power 160e.
Rather than attempting to reduce braking forces on suspension activity, Sixfinity uses these forces to the rider’s advantage. MTe’s anti-rise remains perceptibly consistent throughout suspension travel (intentionally small change in the curve), striking the ideal balance between traction and geometry preservation when braking.
Choose Your Progression | The lower shock mount has a leverage rate flip chip, offering a notable change to the leverage rate progressivity to give riders the option to tailor the ride feel to their preferences. There are two different chips that come with the bike, each offering a High and Low progression setting. Depending on your preferred feel and shock spec, you’ll have the option to run: 12% or 14% in the low progression setting and 23% or 25% high progression setting.
Riders looking for a more supportive and consistent feel can run the less progressive setting, and riders looking for a softer feel off-the-top with a more pronounced ramp up can opt for the higher progression setting.
The progression figures are lower than the full-power 160E, as the reduced weight of the MTe requires less progression to support the bike towards the end of the stroke.
MTE GEOMETRY
Yeti’s new MTe sports some well rounded, aggressive geometry that’s sure to produce a balanced ride. Highlight figures are the 64 degree head tube angle; fairly long 449mm chainstays, and a 342mm bb height which equates to roughly 28mm drop.
MTE BUILD SPECS
Yeti is offering the MTe in a choice of three builds, from the C-series frame C2 at $9,850 to the top-spec T4 XX Transmission at $14,300.
The T3 X0 Transmission and C2 build feature heavier-hitting spec throughout and the larger 580Wh battery. The T4 is built to be ultra-light, coming in at an impressive 38.6lbs (claimed), with a more svelte build and the lighter 290Wh TQ battery.
The $12,650 spent on the T3 X0 Transmission build we tested gets you a premium part spec that’s claimed at 43.3lbs.
A Fox 36 Grip X2 and Float X Factory combo provide highly adjustable suspension to attack the trail. There’s a SRAM Maven Silver brake spec on 200mm rotors; SRAM Reverb AXS dropper post, and the X0 Eagle Transmission wireless drivetrain with 160mm cranks.
DT Swiss provides a EXC1700 carbon fiber wheelset, which is wrapped in Schwalbe’s Magic Mary and Albert Radial Trail tires.
Rounding out the specs are a Burgtec 50mm stem; Yeti Carbon bar with e-routing, and a custom WTB Solano saddle.
THE WOLF’S FIRST IMPRESSION
Prior to the launch of this exciting new lightweight eMTB all rounder, we were able to log a handful of rides to get a good impression of its performance. And what a fun time those rides were! We don’t try to hide that we love the full boost lifestyle, but there’s something to be said for the improved agility that a lighter bike can offer. With the large battery capacity (at least, in the SL eMTB space), the Yeti MTe let us use the highest power setting of the TQ HPR 60 system without too much concern for range. We’ve not yet had the chance to do a full-on range test, but rest assured that Drew will be putting it through our Battery Killer loop to see how far it can be pushed.
The 10Nm and 50W Peak Power increases may not seem huge, but on the trail the new TQ HPR 60 drive unit offered a much appreciated boost to the assistance. This boost came without notable drawbacks in control or noise. Being able to use the higher power mode without much concern for battery life or de-rating led to a considerably more enjoyable time on the way up the hill. And with the performance of the Yeti frame built around it, the MTe was a very pleasant machine to cover some ground in the saddle.
Sitting in between the feeling of a full power eMTB and a mountain bike, the Yeti MTe really hit the sweet spot of all-round handling characteristics, both up and down the hill. In lower power modes of the TQ system, it provided the “you, but on a really good day” feeling. Whereas the high power mode gave a solid eMTB experience, though not quite able to hold onto a full power system at full boost of course.
On the way down the hill, the MTe was an extremely fun all-rounder. Striking a balance of capability on gnarlier terrain with all-rounder friendliness for less aggressive descending, it was a blast on most trails. Our crew agrees that the mid-weight electric mountain bikes have the best overall descending characteristics. The Yeti MTe offered a solid blend of characteristics for a mid-travel, mid-weight eBike.
Of course, Yeti’s MTe does have a capability limit. But so far we’ve not managed to find a hard edge to it. We’ll be putting more miles on this machine for the long-term review towards the end of summer, so stay tuned to see exactly where it taps out.
YETI MTe | C2 90 TRANSMISSION
Price: $9,850
Frame: C-Series Carbon | 145mm
Fork: 2026 Fox Performance 36 | 160mm
Shock: Fox Performance Float X
Drive Unit: TQ HPR 60
Battery: TQ 580wh | Removeable
Display: TQ HPR In Frame Color Display
Handlebar: Yeti Carbon E-Routing 35x800mm
Stem: Burgtec Enduro Mk3 35x50mm
Shifters: SRAM Eagle 90 Transmission
Brakes: SRAM Maven Bronze
Saddle: WTB Solano Chomoly
Seatpost: SRAM Reverb AXS
Wheels: Dt Swiss E1900 Alloy 30mm
Front Tire: Schwalbe Magic Mary Trail Pro 2.5 Radial Ultra Soft
Rear Tire: Schwalbe Albert Trail Pro 2.5 Radial Soft
Derailleur: SRAM Eagle 90 Transmission
Crankset: SRAM Eagle 90 160mm
Cassette: SRAM Gx Eagle Transmission 10-52
YETI MTe | T3 X0 TRANSMISSION
Price: $12,650
Frame: T-Series Carbon | 145mm
Fork: 2026 Fox Factory 36 Grip X2 | 160mm
Shock: Fox Factory Float X
Drive Unit: TQ HPR 60
Battery: TQ 580wh | Removeable
Display: TQ HPR In Frame Color Display
Handlebar: Yeti Carbon E-Routing 35x800mm
Stem: Burgtec Enduro Mk3 35x50mm
Shifters: SRAM AXS Pod Controller
Brakes: SRAM Maven Silver
Saddle: WTB Solano Chomoly
Seatpost: SRAM Reverb AXS
Wheels: DT Swiss EXC1700 Carbon 30mm
Front Tire: Schwalbe Magic Mary Trail Pro 2.5 Radial Ultra Soft
Rear Tire: Schwalbe Albert Trail Pro 2.5 Radial Soft
Derailleur: SRAM X0 Eagle AXS Transmission
Crankset: SRAM X0 160MM
Cassette: SRAM X0 Eagle Transmission 10-52
YETI T4 TRANSMISSION
Price: $14,300
Frame: T-Series Carbon | 145mm
Fork: 2026 Fox Factory 36 Grip X2 | 160mm
Shock: Fox Factory Float X
Drive Unit: TQ HPR 60
Battery: TQ 580wh | Removeable
Display: TQ HPR In Frame Color Display
Handlebar: Yeti Carbon E-Routing 35x800mm
Stem: Burgtec Enduro Mk3 35x50mm
Shifters: SRAM AXS Pod Controller
Brakes: SRAM Motive Ultimate
Saddle: WTB Solano SL Titanium
Seatpost: SRAM Reverb AXS
Wheels: DT Swiss EXC1501 Carbon 30mm
Front Tire: Maxxis Minion DHF 2.5 Exo
Rear Tire: Maxxis Minion DHR II 2.4 Exo
Derailleur: SRAM XX Eagle AXS Transmission
Crankset: SRAM XX 165MM
Cassette: SRAM XX Eagle Transmission 10-52
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