Yeti has a long history, and I’m not just talking about 40 years as a mountain bike brand. Every five years, when one of its big birthdays comes around, the turquoise brand from Colorado produces an obsessively tricked out bike.

Dripping in the best kit, and jazzed up with custom decals and paintwork, they’re the kind of bikes you hang on a wall or pickle in formaldehyde. Last time we saw a Yeti Arc get the special treatment, five years earlier it was the Yeti SB6c limited edition. And now it’s the turn of one of its newest bikes, the ASR.

Before the yellow, Yeti riders Jimmy Deaton, Juli Furtado, Missy Giove, Ranjeet Grewal, and many others raced in a grey and turquoise two-tone

Part homage to its glory days of 90s racing, part demonstration of just how much money you can splurge on an XC mountain bike, this new anniversary machine is almost indescribable. Is it over the top? Absolutely. But it’s also absolutely amazing, with matchy matchy everything, retro grips and custom parts.

Oh and if you’re thinking of buying one of these bikes, it’ll set you back £13,999. And good luck buying one, only 200 are being weaved together (probably by artisans in organic smocks), while just nine are coming across the pond. Read on to gawk at the gobsmacking details…

This is a bike for collectors not riders, which is silly, but a big part of me really wants to get model number 007

Yeti 40th anniversary ASR need to know

• Yeti’s birthday present to itself, the ASR special edition is a no-expense-spared party piece of a bike
• Custom paint scheme with turquoise and grey, the latter actually predates today’s Yeti yellow
• XC bike uses 115mm travel, and this edition gets a 10mm longer 130mm fork
• £13,999 pricetag, with just 200 made and one nine up for grabs in the UK
• Swathe of custom-painted or anodised parts to go with the turquoise and grey frame

Can these original shape grips really be comfy? Who cares, they look fantastic

Let’s dive right in, not with the new paintjob, but with the grips. Yeti says its used the original moulds from its colab with ODI back in the 90s, and lubed up a new batch for the ASR… without the bar ends, of course.

I’d love to know how they feel with the pronounced bold lettering, but presumably Yeti is using softer rubber now. From the look of the images they’re wired on too, the main way grips were attached before lock-on became a thing.

You’re nothing without anodised purple hubs to match the collars

There are 3D anodised violet coloured parts to the ASR, something Yeti says is a throwback the 90s when nothing was more cool than matching your hubs to your seatpost colour and headset. Some of us think that’s still pretty cool, especially when it says Chris King.

This paint blend is actually really clever, given that Yeti and Fox were working with two different materials – aluminium and carbon

Fox has launched a new 34 SL with a larger volume air spring, stiffer chassis and and way more CNC work. Yeti has gone with it, adding a custom turquoise colour and interestingly grown the travel to 130mm – the standard ASRs come with lightweight SIDs, and I doubt very much if anyone’s going to be racing on earnest with a 34 weighing 1,475g.

The shock also gets a custom look with silver hardware to match the front.

A purple cage is actually pretty useful if you think about it, easier for rocks and roots to spot and avoid damage

SRAM’s joined in the matching game too, with a XX drivetrain and new SRAM Motive brake, I for one think having a purple cage on my mech to be the height of sophistication.

Yeti says the suspension hardware is custom anodized in 3D Violet, while the SL rocker link, custom-engraved Bike Yoke Barkeeper stem, and DT Swiss Revolite spokes are “high polished to show off the lust-worthy details.”

Is this art, or a mountain bike? Or both?

And I’ve saved the best for last, check out the custom turquoise colour Maxxis logos on the Forekaster tyres…

Oh yes, hats off to you Maxxis for going turquoise too

Here are the rest of the bike details…

T-Series Wireless Frame

Custom 40th Anniversary paint scheme

Special Projects Limited Edition numbered frames “X/200”

28-36t Max (38t MD-XL) chainring compatibility

2 main frame water bottles

Custom FOX Factory 34 SL GripX 130mm

Custom DT Swiss XMC1200 wheelset

Custom SRAM XX components

Custom Chris King components

Custom Maxxis Forekaster 2.4 EXO tires

Custom ODI Yeti Speed Grips

SRAM Motive Ultimate 4pot brakes

FOX Factory Transfer NEO dropper post

The original Yeti ARC from 1992