575 shakedown

[bwakel]

My first post and here's my 575 before its first ride back in October. I thought the following shakedown experiences might prove useful for others considering a 575.



My previous two bikes have been Cannondale Super V followed by a Trek STP 400 carbon fibre soft tail. The Trek is an out and out XC racer - incredibly fast and very supple at 22lb. It climbs faster than any MTB I've ever ridden and is superb on the sort of terrain we have around Hampshire. I decided on a change after nearly eight years as I used to ride a lot in The Lakes but the Trek always felt fragile and too front-endy to enjoy there and I wanted to get back to enjoying some downhill and rocky cross-country enduros on rocky terrain.

I wanted to build the 575 up as a fast enduro bike and so I needed to keep the weight down and I didn't want too tall a front end. The build kit I initially created got the weight down to just over 26lb but it all felt a bit compromised. I used Easton EC70 flat bars and a long 120mm zero degree rise Thomson 4x stem to try and give a more XC position but I soon realised that the 575 is not an XC bike despite the claims of others that it climbs like an XC bike. On a regular short route I ride that has a few long climbs and a couple of fast descents it was three minutes slower than the Trek over only 10.5 miles.

And then I took it for a week in The Lakes. What a revelation! Yes, it's slow on the climbs but it just flies on rocky trails and on descents. The rear end is so smooth it's sometimes difficult to believe the sort of terrain you're flying over. The DT Swiss EXC150 also does a superb job meaning that you can just relax and point the bike where you want to go. Upping the rear shock pressure to 180psi and the front to 93psi has really brought the bike into better balance (I weigh 11st 12lb).

Following that week I realised that it was pointless trying to pretend this bike might be a fast XC bike, so I've just replaced the stem with a ControlTech Estro, 100m and 5 degrees of rise and the bar with a beautifully finished Ritchey carbon riser. The extra bar width and higher front end better suits the bike and makes for a more enjoyable ride.

I've been running Bontrager Jones ACX 2.2 tyres which are great in The Lakes (30psi) but not much use in the mud of Hampshire so I've swapped them for a Maxxis Higher Roller 2.1 XC up front and a Maxxis Medusa 2.1 XC out back (both at 35psi). This combination is lighter, makes the bike a bit more responsive. The weight's now down to 25.8lb. To make the bike more responsive still I might, some time next year, replace the front Hope Hoop (Pro2/DT Swiss 4.2) with a Mavic CrossMax SLR which I used on the Trek. The CrossMax SLRs really make for a very fast and responsive wheel but I'm concerned that they might be a little fragile on this bike!

I've also been using a Dura Ace 12-27 cassette which reduces weight and shortens the chain so there's no slap. This works superbly well around Hampshire but I swap it for an XTR 11-32 for more severe terrain.

I'm off to Snowdonia for a week over New Year and am really looking forward to putting this bike back in its element.

Here's the rest of the spec:

Frame Yeti 575 Large Black full carbon
Headset Chris King
Stem Stackers Brand-X alloy spacers 2 x 10mm
Pedals Shimano M959
BB Hope Ceramic
Fork DT Swiss EXC 150 TA
Stem Controltech Estro MXS 100mm Carbon/Alloy
Saddle Fizik Gobi XM K:Ium White
Handlebar Ritchey WCS Carbon Riser
Bar Ends Ritchey WCS SL
Seat Post Controltech Team Issue 1S 30.9mm 400mm
Front Brake Formula The One 180mm Post
Rear Brake Formula The One 160mm IS
Shifters Shimano XTR SL M970 pair
Grips ODI Sublimal MTB
Cranks/Cset Shimano XT M770 Hollowtech II 42/32/22 175mm
Front mech Shimano XTR M970 Top-swing Multi 34.9
Rear mech Shimano XTR M971 GS Long cage
Chain KMC X9SL
Cassette Shimano XTR 11-32
Front Wheel Hope Hoops Pro2 4.2d
Rear Wheel Hope Hoops Pro3 SP 4.2d
Skewers Mavic MTB Rear
Tyres Maxxis High Roller 2.1 62A
Tyres Maxxis Medusa 2.1 XC
Tubes Michelin Latex

[Andrew]

HI,

thanks for the write up, Its interesting some of the points you make, and you've got yours pretty might too.

I like the stealthy black look aswell.

Keep us updated with how your week in Snowdonia goes, I will be at Coed-Y-Brenin over new year, so if your in that area keep an eye out for me!!

and welcome to the Forum.

Andrew

[Eddy B]

I kike how you have experimented with the bike, and how its all working.
for my two penneth, I would consider a shorter stem to sharpen up the front end, I went from a 90mm to a 70mm and it improved the handling of the bike massively, so you might consider a 90mm stem, it would save your wheels at least.
Also I think 180psi is very firm, and would lower the psi to 150, if you find you are blowing through early and mid travel then I would get the shock retuned with a higer compression tune.

This would allow you to set the bike up with more sag and keep it from bottoming out, I also run the bike with the propedal on at the "1" setting as this has a similar effect.

If you are ever want a ride in the North let me know as it would be good to show you some Yorkshire mud (I mean dry dusty California type trails)

[Thanks]

Guys, thanks for the replies and the welcome.

Andrew, I'll be at Betws y Coed and our cottage is about a mile from the Marin Trail so guess where I'll be! I'll keep an eye out for another Yeti in the area.

Eddy, thanks for your thoughts. I suspect you may be right about the 90mm stem option. I haven't ridden with a short stem before but even the 100mm feels really good on the 575. However, I'm 6'2" tall and don't want to end up too cramped. I'll ride with the 100mm stem for a few months and see how it pans out. I originally had the shock set up with 165psi and pro-pedal set to 1 but it was way too soft - I blew through the travel on pretty flat trails. Upping the pro-pedal to 2 and the pressure to 175psi helped but it feels more balanced with pro-pedal set to 2 and 180psi. I didn't know the shock could be re-tuned. How would I go about doing that and any idea how much it would cost?

Thanks

Barry