#123 MYLES ROCKWELL'S YETI ARC-AS LT

A retro rebuild that uses the same frame raced by the US star when he narrowly beat the UK's Jason McRoy in the 1993 Reebok Eliminator final

- Steve Behr

Myles Rockwell's Yeti ARC-AS LT is a bike steeped in downhill racing history. Not only because of the American's victory on it in the 1993 Reebok Eliminator a legendary two-up DH race down California's Mammoth Mountain - but also for whom he beat.

Losing out in the final by just three-tenths of a second, Jason McRoy showed that British riders were now a force to be reckoned with on the world stage, in the process earning a factory deal with Specialized and paving the way for a whole generation of UK downhill racers.

This bike was painstakingly rebuilt over four years by Andrew Palmer from www.yetifan.com, after he was given the frame and some parts by Yeti Cycles founder John Parker in the early 2000s. It's now owned by Darren Mabbott, managing director of Yeti's UK distributors Silverfish and a big fan of the Colorado-based brand.

Inching ahead

The frame is Myles's original ARC-AS (Alloy Racing Composite-Active Suspension) chassis, with the LT in the name denoting that it's the 'long-travel' version, with a heady 80mm or so of rear bounce! It sports all the scratches, dings and scars you'd expect on a bike raced in pretty extreme conditions at speeds approaching 60mph.

While the geometry is steep compared to most modern MTBs, let alone downhill bikes, this frame was at least constructed with longer-than-normal chainstays, to give more stability on the descents.