Yeti MTe T3

Premium mid-power assistance for serious trail riding

The Yeti MTe T3 is an electric mountain bike aimed at riders who still want to earn the turns, just with a helpful shove on the climbs. It is a serious trail bike. The current 2026 UK model uses TQ's HPR60 drive system, with 60 Nm of maximum torque, 350 W maximum power and 250 W continuous rated power. Those are three different motor figures: torque describes turning force, power describes output, and the 580 Wh figure describes the removable battery's energy capacity.

That puts it firmly in mid-power territory rather than the full-power e-MTB camp. You still need to pedal with intent on steep climbs, but the measured assistance is designed to keep the ride feeling rider-led instead of turning every ascent into a motorised uplift. A 580 Wh battery is substantial for this sort of bike, making longer, hillier days more realistic without a published mileage promise. It is not a shuttle-bike substitute.

The battery can be removed for charging, and MD, LG and XL frames can take a separate 160 Wh TQ range extender with the required FIDLOCK mount and 260 mm cable. It occupies the downtube mounting position. The extender is not supplied, and the SM frame is not compatible with it, so smaller riders planning very long assisted days should factor that into their choice. Accessory and bottle mounts are fitted, but no rack or pannier rating is published.

First-generation MTe chassis and ride character

This is the first-generation MTe platform, with a Vectran-reinforced TURQ/T-Series carbon frame, integrated protection and 145 mm of Sixfinity rear travel. A 160 mm fork sits up front. Four supplied leverage-rate chip settings let you tune the rear end towards greater support and efficiency or more bottom-out resistance, which is useful when your usual rides range from rooty woodland descents to long, rocky mountain loops.

The stock format is 29-inch front and rear, with clearance for tyres up to 2.6 inches. Composure matters here. The included chips also support a 27.5-inch rear wheel while preserving the intended geometry, giving you a route to a mixed-wheel setup without buying a different frame. The alternative wheel and tyre are not included, and the rear chip must be moved to its mixed-wheel position.

A 64.0° head angle, 77.0° effective seat angle and 449 mm chainstays point towards a planted, traction-led feel rather than a twitchy lightweight response. The frame comes in SM, MD, LG and XL, with reaches of 430 mm, 460 mm, 480 mm and 505 mm respectively. Those figures are worth using as the starting point for fit. Riders close to a size boundary should pay particular attention to reach and the full geometry chart, as no rider-height bands are published.

Blister's test team found the first-generation MTe notably composed on rough, steep descents, with strong climbing traction and quiet, natural-feeling assistance. That suits riders who want to take on technical singletrack and long climbing days with confidence. It may feel less playful than a more reactive mid-power trail bike.

What the current T3 build brings

There is one current UK T3 specification: the MTe T3 X0 AXS Transmission. Midnight and Turquoise are colour choices rather than different builds. It combines a FOX Factory 36 GRIP X2 fork and Factory Float X shock with SRAM Maven Silver four-piston brakes, DT Swiss EXC 1700 carbon wheels, SRAM X0 Eagle AXS Transmission and a Reverb AXS dropper. The kit is deliberately high end, so riders who would otherwise immediately upgrade suspension, wheels, brakes and controls have much less to change.

The 10-52T cassette, 32T chainring and short 160 mm cranks give a suitably low climbing gear for a bike that encourages technical ascents. Wireless shifting is designed to stay controlled under high pedal loads, while the wireless dropper keeps cables out of the cockpit. There is a practical cost. Both the derailleur and dropper add AXS batteries to your charging routine, and electronic replacement parts are more expensive than basic mechanical equivalents.

Yeti claims 19.64 kg for the T3, without stating the frame size used for that figure. Vital MTB weighed an independently tested MD bike at 20.4 kg without pedals. Both figures provide useful context: it is not an ultra-light analogue-style trail bike, but it aims to avoid the bulk and dominant power delivery associated with many full-power e-MTBs.

Wet-weather care and long-term ownership

The MTe T3 is happiest being used properly, including through a British winter, but it rewards a little routine care. Clean mud away promptly, inspect the Sixfinity pivot areas regularly and avoid pressure-washing bearings or electrical interfaces. The six-bar rear suspension offers useful tuning, yet it has more links and hardware to look after than a simpler design.

The Maven brakes use mineral oil rather than DOT fluid, which matters when they need servicing. Drive-system work is best handled by a suitably trained workshop. A professional initial setup covering suspension pressure, chip position, control placement, tyre pressure and brake bedding is a sensible part of ownership, especially given the range of adjustment available on this build.