Yeti ARC

2010 Yeti ARC

The 2010 Yeti ARC frame looks pretty much unchanged from mine. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

More info here.

Running out of summer!

We're slowly running out of good riding weather here in the midwest. Normally this time of year is a lot of fun to ride, with all the leaves changing color and everything, but lately it's been cold and rainy. I've been trying to get a ride in about every other day, but mostly just on the local paved bike paths because all the trails are muddy. It might be time to think about an ARC-X....seriously.... I've been debating on pulling the trigger.

More later...

My new Saris Thelma bike rack...

I've spent the last couple days shopping around for a new bike rack to carry my ARC to and from the trail. My current rack is an Allen hitch mount, which I like for the most part, but I don't like the fact that the bike is secured to the rack via the bike frame. With those types of racks, not only do you get marks on your frame, but from my experiences, they just don't hold the bike very securely and it moves around alot.

So, I wanted something for the ARC that would NOT touch the frame of the bike. I looked at several of the Thule and Yakima tray style bike racks, which are pretty nice, but they all seem to be bigger and bulkier than I'd like. I decided to go with the Saris Thelma Bike Rack. This thing is nice because it doesn't touch the frame of the bike AND it's relatively small and lightweight.

First Impressions...
I assembled the rack yesterday...took about 30 minutes and was pretty simple. Instructions were very easy to understand and the rack went together without a problem. Quality seems top notch.

This morning I mounted the rack to the trailer hitch on my Subaru WRX. It attaches with a pretty beefy bolt that has a cotter pin on one end to make sure the bolts stays put. To raise and lower the rack on the car, you just slide out a Tilt Pin, rotate the frame upward, and secure it again with the Tilt Pin. It's super easy and the rack is stowed in the up position until you need it again.

Mounting the bike to the rack is really simple. You just fold the front wheel holder up, set the bike in making sure the front tire is resting inside the holder/tray and the rear wheel in the rear wheel tray mount. Then you secure both wheels with the included plastic straps. Done. Once you do this, the bike is NOT going anywhere. The front tire is actually wedged inside the front wheel tray, and the grippy rubber seems to "stick" to the inside of the tray... and then the straps make it even more secure. I really like the fact that I don't look in my rear view mirror and see the bike swaying back and forth like I used to get with my old frame mount style rack.

I made a little test run with my ARC attached to the rack, and even on rough roads, the bike stays put. They don't recommend it for off-road use, but on pot-hole infested roads, it seems to work well. I think I will get some foam to cover the plastic straps with, that way they won't leave marks on my rims.

Overall, I give the Saris Thelma Bike Rack TWO THUMBS UP.

1 Week update... and a few new pics...

I've been riding my ARC for about a week now. The bike is amazing...thats all I can say! Here's a quick recap of my thoughts after about 5 good rides...

- The ARC is a little over 4lbs lighter than my previous bike. This is a HUGE difference. I especially notice it on climbs, and the bike feels much more nimble under me. Light = Good!

- The frame is stiff... but not as stiff as other aluminum frames I've had, which IMHO is a good thing. I've had several Cannondale hardtails and those always beat the crap out of me. A couple years back I had a Specialized S-Works hardtail which I liked quite a bit, but so far I like the Yeti much better. Its definitely not as "plush" as my previous Ibis steel hardtail, but the Yeti's loop stays seem to smooth things out quite a bit. More on this later when I get a chance to race the bike.

- I am still playing around with my Fox F100 fork, but so far it's awesome. I've been using the lockout quite a bit... reach down and lock it out prior to long climbs, then I just need to remember to reach down and UN-lock it when I get the top. I'm still learning how to use the adjustable lockout force, which will supposedly let you leave the fork locked out all the time, and it will "blow off" when rough terrain is encountered.

- The Avid Juicy Ultimate brakes are incredible. Even on really long dowhills, I am not getting any fade, and stopping power is near perfection. I like them quite a bit more than the Avid Mechanicals I used to use. And so far I'm getting no squeal.

- The new lightweight Selle Italia Flite Kit saddle is pretty comfortable. Since I didn't go with the gel model, I was a little worried about comfort, but so far so good.

More later...

The Goal: Sub 24

Once I got my ARC built up, it weighed in right around 24.2 lbs, which was pretty light compared to my last hardtail (around 27.2 lbs). I wanted to get the ARC under 24 lbs, so I decided a good way to drop some grams would be to replace my handlebar and saddle, which were both a couple years old and due for replacement. Shown above is the new cockpit.

Selle Italia Flite Kit Saddle
The saddle I'd been using, a WTB Laser V, weighed in around 268 grams, so I knew a lightweight saddle could drop some substantial weight. After doing some research, I went with a Selle Italia Flite Kit saddle, which weighs in at 154 grams! The seat has carbon fiber rails, which I was a bit worried about at first, but after reading some reviews on several forums, it seems to be OK for mountain bike use. Additionally, Selle Italia lists the "use" of this saddle as "Road / Off Road" so it should work just fine. Here she is...

Easton Monkeylite SL Riser Bar
The handlebar I'd been using was a Titec Hellbent XC, which was pretty lightweight itself, but the bar was a couple years old so I figured it would be good to replace it. Everybody seems to rave about the Easton Monkeylite SL Riser Bar, so thats what I went with. It weighs in at 141 grams, which was about 40 grams lighter than my Titec bar. Here's the new bar...

So, the current weight is at 23.78 lbs. Not sure what I will change next because I'm really liking the bike the way it's currently setup. Over the winter I am probably going to do something with the wheelset...either a new lightweight setup like the Mavic Crossmax SLR, or I might even rebuild my current wheelset with some lighter spokes/nipples (like a bonehead, I had my LBS use straight gauge spokes). Here's the current weight...

Stay tuned.... but for now, I'm going riding...

A couple teaser pics...

Took the ARC on its first ride today. No dirt yet though, just the local bike path so I could make sure everything was setup right and get the fork tuned a bit. This thing is AWESOME!! It weighs in at just over 24 lbs, but I already have a couple changes in mind to get it sub-24....and then the goal is sub-23... and then... you get the picture LOL.

I will post more details on the build in a day or two, but for now here are a couple teaser pics....

My Avid Juicy Ultimate Brake Set showed up today...

Today, the final piece of the puzzle showed up, my Avid Juicy Ultimate Brake Set. On one of my other bikes, I had been using Avid Mechanicals, which are hard to beat for the price. But I've ridden a few bikes with hydraulic brakes and they seem to have better feel and stopping power. So, I decided to try these...in white of course...

Now I could have went with one of the cheaper versions of the Avid Juicy brakes, but I really want to try and save some weight on this bike. Yes, the Avid Juicy Ultimates are expensive, but as shown below they are SUPER LIGHT, weighing in at 706g (calipers, levers, lines, 160mm rotors). And you'll notice in the photos that I've left the adapters on and I don't think I'll need them so the brakes will end up slightly lighter. And just as an FYI, I weighed my Avid BB7 Mechanical disc setup (calipers, Single Digit Ti levers, lines, 160mm rotors) and those weighed in at 1012g... so I'm saving over 300 grams, which is close to 3/4 of a pound. Every little bit helps when you are trying to build a lightweight race bike...

Some detail shots of my Yeti ARC frame...

I'm still waiting for a few more parts to arrive, so I thought I'd throw up some detail shots of my Yeti ARC frame. I've owned several high end frames over the years (Ibis, IF, and so on), and the ARC frame is right up there with the best of them. The welds are really nice and the attention to detail is just awesome. I love the headbadge and Yeti Cycles badge on the front of the seat tube. Here are some detail shots...

ARC Parts are finally starting to arrive...

Some of the parts I've ordered got here yesterday....

Here's what I got so far...
Shimano XT Crankset (175mm, 22/32/44T)
SRAM X.O Rear Derailleur
SRAM PG-990 Cassette
SRAM PC-991 Chain
Crank Brothers Egg Beater Pedals
Yeti Lock-On Grips
Carbon Headset Spacers

On the way...
Shimano XT Front Derailleur
SRAM X.O Twist Shifters
Avid Juicy Ultimate Disc Brake Set

And I'm using the following from a previous bike build (although each will probably eventually get replaced)...
Mavic 717/ Hope XC Wheelset
Thomson Elite Stem and Seatpost
WTB Laser V Saddle

Weighing in...

Today I got a chance to weigh my size MEDIUM Yeti ARC frame and it came in around 3.68 lbs. That is almost a full pound lighter than my Ibis Mojo steel hardtail...

I also weighed the Fox F100 RLC fork that will be used with my ARC frame, and it came in around 3.4 lbs. I still need to cut some of the steerer tube though, so it will probably end up right around 3.3 lbs. That is a full pound lighter than the Rock Shox Judy XC (4.3 lbs) that I have on one of my other bike! Yes, the Fox forks are expensive, but to save a full pound on the fork is pretty impressive...