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Hardcore Hardtail: Build write-up
26th May 2007 - James
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If you look at any manufacturers range of bikes, especially the likes of Specialized, IronHorse, Trek and Commencal to name a few, they all have a medium travel full-suspension 'trail' bike designed for going up hills, while still being able to hammer it on the way down.
Now given some of the recent hardtail results in downhill races, the advantage of a hardtail on climbs and the sheer fun factor of running a bike with a little bit less of a mechanical advantage it makes sense to suggest that a hardtail could do all of this, without the added cost of a rear damper. It makes you work that little bit harder and forces you to read the trail ahead.
Now this hardtail had to be pretty special, I wanted something that I could whip the saddle all the way up on and go ride cross country, and then shove it back down and go round the 4x track afterwards. It also had to be very strong, I'm not a light guy and neither is my riding style, this bike will also be subjected to downhill tracks. So that's light, super strong, suitable for downhill and cross country and the capability to run three rings at the front, or a chain guide. Phew - after looking around there really isnt much out there.
There are more steel dirt jump bikes than there are riders to put on them, and each had a flaw, a bit too 'hardcore' jumping or just not tough enough. There aren't many frames suitable for cross country that could also deal with the abuse from a big 15 stone downhiller as well.
There is one though, it would seem. That sounds like a compromise but its not, this bike is more than up for the challenge, it welcomes it with both arms.
Frame
The Yeti DirtJumper is a solid frame, the incredibly stiff one piece chain stays, and the replaceable dropout system makes it possible to run almost any combination of rear axle or even single speed with horizontal dropouts.
The seat tube allows me to store a 400mm seat post fully lowered, and the huge head tube reinforcement shows that this bike is up for some nonsense. But all this makes no difference to the weight; at only 5lbs this is light.
  
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Forks
In order to keep some kind of control over this bike, a tough set of forks was needed, but something that would also have a lock-out to help on the uphill's, adjustable travel would be useful and a nice meaty axle to keep it all in a straight line.
The RockShox Pike is a well known and liked fork; it is strong enough for most abuse while still light enough to pick the front end up easily. 140mm's of travel adjustable down to 95 is ideal for the situation and a fork mounted lockout adjust is perfect. The Maxle is a brilliant design, why no-one came up with it sooner is beyond me. It works perfectly, what more could you want?
  
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Drivetrain
To keep this bike rolling we needed a strong crankset, while still light enough to keep the weight down. I'm a big fan of Shimano's Hollowtech II system, and having a set of Hone cranks on my other bike convinced me, Shimano XT keeps the Yeti spinning on three rings with the possibility of using a chain guide and bashring at a later date to keep the chain in check. The cranks themselves are solid, and the external bearing system allows for minimal flex, even with a less than gentle touch.
  
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Coupled up to the Shimano XT cranks are Funn Soljam pedals, with a nice big platform for my size 11's and plenty of pins to keep rider and pedal attached, the sealed bearing option allows for the longest life possible and the 3M 'grip pad' should also avoid my feet sliding around in the greasiest of conditions.
 
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You can have the best cranks and the stiffest pedals around but without a decent mech at the back it all goes pear shaped, this is where the SRAM X.9 mid cage comes in, and for 2007 it inherits many of the old X.0 features, such as the pimp shifter and smoother action. The 1:1 ratio and instant shifting should make it as trouble free as possible, with a SRAM cassette and chain to keep it 'in the family'.
  
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Seat Post
A major problem with many frames was the ability to put the saddle all the way up to get the power down on climbs, this is where USE stepped in for us, always glad to support a British company, their innovative system of clamping the saddle in, and the ease with which the angle can be adjusted made this a winner for us, at full extension it should be strong enough to support the larger gentleman such as myself. The USE Sumo is designed for downhill so it should be plenty strong enough for the all round use of this bike.
 
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Steering
Finally for this half of the build we needed something to keep us on the straight and narrow; a good set of handlebars makes the difference between an awesome trail and a dirt sandwich. For a long time we have supported Deity Components, a small rider-owned company producing a range of hardcore products ideal for this bike. Arguably the best support in the industry, what other company has Eric Davies, the owner and designer at the end of an email to answer your questions? Not many if you're still wondering.
The 25.4 stem and handlebar make a brilliant combination of strength and low-weight. The grey colour matches the graphics on the frame and is instantly recognisable, the bars should be strong enough to deal with the abuse and the 4 bolt stem keeps everything connected. At 28 inches wide I may cut down the bars an inch or so to help with tight cross country trails and trails boss dirt style, but for the moment it will stay at this size.
  
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That's it for this week, next episode will include the wheelset, brakes, tyres and the finishing kit applied to the bike, including some interesting technology from DT Swiss not so well known.
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