After a great run on a Devinci Spartan, it was time to replace my long travel 27.5″ bike. To be completely honest, there weren’t really many bikes that appealed in that category. Then Yeti announced the SB-165…
Radical geometry and a rear suspension layout designed specifically around a coil sprung shock was what it took to finally jump onto my first Yeti after 25 years of mountain biking. I wanted to build this bike to be super simple and stripped down – it could be the playful answer when my 29″ full on DH bike is just too much. Having a RockShox Reverb AXS seatpost means that in just a couple of minutes and with the turn of two screws, I can slap a fixed post and a cushy seat on the bike as well. I also haven’t ridden anything from Marzocchi in ages, but chose their suspension for its no frills simplicity as well as the fact that it features some secret internals. Most of the rest of the bike is comprised of tried and true components that I’ve grown to like over the years.
Specs
- Yeti SB-165 Size Large
- Marzocchi Z1 – 180mm travel, 37mm offset
- Marzocchi CR – #450 spring
- RockShox Reverb AXS – 170mm travel
- SRAM XX1 Eagle Chain and Cassette
- SRAM AXS XO1 Eagle Upgrade kit
- Truvativ Descendant DUB Carbon Crankset -170mm length
- SRAM DUB BB
- SRAM Code RSC Brakes
- Avid G2 rotors – 200mm front / 180mm rear
- Roval Traverse SL Carbon wheelset
- Schwalbe Magic Mary tires – 2.6″ front / 2.35″ rear
- Renthal Fatbar – 30mm rise / 800mm width
- Renthal Apex stem – 50mm length / 6ยบ rise
- ODI Longneck V2.1 Lock-on grips
- Chris King Inset
- Time ATAC Speciale pedals
- Specialized SWAT CC headset lock/tool
The reemergence of the Marzocchi Bomber Z1 has had me intrigued for a bit now. With just one compression adjuster that has no detents to keep track of, but goes to full lock, I liked the idea of mounting this fork on this bike. I slapped a bolt on axle to clean things up as simplicity is the theme here. At the moment, all I can say is that the internals are not stock and so far my testing on the fork is going well. We’ll have some more news in a few months…
I’ve been testing a SRAM AXS XO1 drivetrain on my other bike to great success for a bit now. For a bike that aims to get a bit rowdier on 27.5″ wheels, having the derailleur cage sit 10mm higher will be a nice thing. I normally run XO1 or XX1 cranksets, but chose the slightly beefier Truvativ Descendants for this bike. 32T chainring and DUB BB/Axle keeps things simple.
I’ve been partial to the upsweep/backsweep combo on Renthal’s handlebars for quite some time now. As I wanted this bike to be able to handle a bit more abuse, I fitted the standard aluminum Fatbar combined with their Apex stem. SRAM Code RSC brakes are beyond proven and well appropriate for slowing things down. I’ve been running the ODI Longneck V2.1 grips and loving them lately, so a set found their way onto this bike.
Schwalbe Magic Mary tires and Roval wheels frequently find their way on my bikes. Roval beefed up the latest version of the Carbon Traverse SL wheelset by speccing brass nipples and slightly thicker spokes as well as moving away from radial lacing. I’ve always liked their on trail feel and they’re still freakishly lightweight for how tough they are…
The wheels also have interesting new hubs with better bracing angles and spoke positioning. DT Swiss star ratchet 54T internals keep the engagement fast.
No frills – The Marzocchi Bomber CR has a single tube architecture (as opposed to twin tube) and 4 less adjustments than the Fox DHX2 with lockout. For such a utilitarian offering, so far the shock is exceeding my expectations on trail.
170mm travel RockShox Reverb AXS. No hoses, no bleeds and as mentioned earlier – it’s easy to swap to a straight, fixed seatpost for thrashing. The Specialized Phenom saddle has been my favorite choice for a while now offering just the right amount of padding where you need it and relief where you don’t. The contour and shape just plain work for me.
The Switch Infinity at the heart of it all. This is my first time spending any time aboard the system – after a few rides, so far I’m impressed and it definitely has a good reputation.
Lonely cable ports…
The legendary Chris King headset needs no explaining – in this case, the InSet.
After really enjoying the Magic Mary in its 2.6″ width on a 29″ wheel, I opted for the same on this bike, but in 27.5″. No regrets so far.
Last but not least, I love the Specialized SWAT CC tool – it keeps a minimalist multi took stored in your fork’s steerer while doubling as a headlock and a chain tool/spare link stash spot.
Thanks to everyone who helped me get this beast rolling…
