Yeti • Alpine Bikes

We love to tell our history, because it reminds us of the early days of this great sport and the enthusiasm and passion of those involved. It was a day when hype was non-existent, mountain bikes were called ATB's, and the industry was riddled with characters who cobbled things together in their garage and later schlepped them out to the races. Oh, those were the days.

Yeti started as a labor of love in 1985, when John Parker, a welder who built movie sets in Hollywood, bought some jigs and fixtures from a defunct bicycle factory and applied his craft to making mountain bike frames. His early days were spent honing his craft in the back of Matt Sweeney's special effects shop.

As an ex-midget car and motorcycle racer, Parker knew the only way to legitimize and test new products was to go racing. So he loaded up his frames in the first ever mountain bike team box van and went off to the races. The frames immediately found a cult following among the racers, who found the Yeti steel frames solid, neutral handling and fast as hell.

For more than 15 years, Yeti has been on the forefront of product development and one of the leading innovators in the bicycle industry. Driven by a passion for racing, Team Yeti has produced some legendary race teams that have included the best racers in the sport. "Racing is a critical part of our product development and we will continue to have the best racers in the sport on our products," Conroy said. Yeti bikes can be seen racing downhill, cross country, 4X and now even in cyclocross.

Yeti has attracted a worldwide following we refer to as the Tribe. These Yeti freaks are hard-core, bike loving, fanatical devotees who often travel great distances to visit the venerable Yeti factory and meet the people who made their bike. The company's factory is located in Golden, CO.

www.yeticycles.com