Hey all,
I'm getting back into mountain biking after a long hiatus, my old bike was a Specialised rockhopper which is pretty ancient now and since I've been doing more and more gnarly riding I decided I wanted a full susser and got myself a Yeti SB66c a couple of months ago.
I always wanted a Yeti when i was younger and so when looking for a full suspension bike it was the first thing that I searched, and I came across this bike locally.
The spec is amazing, it has Enve wheels with Chris King hubs, full XTR, hope breaks, Fox 36 front fork and Fox Float CTD rear shock, I mean pretty much everything on this bike is top notch parts, the previous owner must have spent a fortune on it. And, I got it for an absolute steal. I took it to the local bike shop for a service and the guy there said it is around £7,000 worth of bike, he couldn't believe the price I paid!
Now my quandary is, I'm now thinking should I have gone with a newer 27.5 or 29er? I realise 26 inch wheels are considered old tech, and whilst I knew this when I bought the bike, I just couldn't pass up a carbon Yeti with such a great spec for the price I got it for.
I do love the bike, its amazing fun to ride but I just have this niggling feeling in the back my mind that I should have gone for a 27.5, I am pretty short so I don't think a 29er would be for me, though I reserve judgement as I've never ridden one!
I went out with a friend of mine who had a 27.5 and he seemed to be rolling over everything easier, but I didn't ride the bike so don't know for sure how it compared.
I'm thinking with the spec that this bike has I may be able to sell it, or even part it out and get a lower spec but newer SB5 or SB6.
What do you guys think? Should I do this tor keep it and just enjoy it and forget about the wheel size? Or, is converting this to 27.5 an option? Or will it be the wrong geometry?
Sorry for all the questions but I want piece of mind and these niggling thoughts just won't go away!
Here's a pic....
I would just use it and enjoy it mate. If you have never used 27.5 wheels you won’t know the difference.
I just bought my son a used cube 125 which is 26” wheels as he isn’t very tall. I road a 26” for years as did everyone.
Now that most people are riding 27.5 they have introduced boost size hubs which are only 6mm rear. And 10mm front wider. It’s just a money making scam imho. I do prefer 27.5 but I wouldn’t have sold my 26” just for that reason.
Keep the bike you have. 650b really doesn't make much difference so you'd be spending an awful lot of money to get a similar spec bike but with a marginally bigger wheel size.
There's always something out there better (or just different) to what you have, so chasing the perfect bike can get very expensive if you let it.
Keep it, ride it enjoy it, remember it was a bargain and don't expect much back on the parts that are 26" - I'd say what the mechanic meant to say was the parts would have cost £7k, wouldn't expect to get close to that now. You will loose more getting rid of it.
As for other wheel sizes it's true 29" seems to have helped some of the taller riders get onto better bikes but I've met plenty of short people riding 29rs hard and enjoying them so don't dismiss it until you try it. In fact leave wheels out of the decision all together and base it on how the bikes ride!!
The bigger changes recently have been around geometry
“I went out with a friend of mine who had a 27.5 and he seemed to be rolling over everything easier”
Better skills, heavier, different tyres, suspension setup etc. All matter way more than a slightly bigger wheel.
Your SB66 won’t sell for more than you got for it and an equivalent quality 27.5 or 29 will cost a fortune. And putting 27.5 wheels on it (if they fit) will raise the BB and spoil the handling.
I’ll give you £1K
Thanks guys I think I'll keep it, ride it and enjoy it, at least for another year or so, it was a great buy.
Yes I realise the parts would have been 7k new rather than re-sale value, I was just thinking I could probably sell the bike for double what I paid for it, but I'm going to hang onto it for now and enjoy it.
Thanks but that's what I paid!
I would have thought the Enve wheels and Chris King hubs would be worth £1k alone
i think anything more than 1.5k for the full bike would be optimistic. maybe if you broke it up to sell as parts
Yes that's what I was thinking, would get more for it that way I'm sure.
I would have thought the Enve wheels and Chris King hubs would be worth £1k alone
I'll do you a set for £850 😉
good to see you are gonna keep it. Just ride it and enjoy it. Old bikes are still good bikes, never mind what is in fashion and what the cycle industries latest craze is. ( although the new geometry bikes are probably an improvement ).
I've got a 26" Full Suss and a 27.5" Hard Tail - can't say as I notice a huge amount of difference between the two getting over stuff.
I've sort of been sucker punched into a 29" bike as I just wanted to have a go when it was n+1 time.
Turns out the bike rides almost everywhere better than the 26" bike, which was a similar spec to the Yeti above (minus carbon wheels), yet the total cost was less than half my 26".
If you have money to burn then by all means try a bike with bigger wheels. It might ride better but it doesn't stop the Yeti being a great bike,
Have to say though, out of fashion wheels or not, £1k for that sounds ridiculously cheap - hope it's legit.
Thanks I'm planning to keep the Yeti and ride it for at least a year but I'm going to see if I can try a 29 and 27.5 at a demo day, out of curiosity, just got to find one near me!
Yes that was my first thought and the first thing the bike tech I took it to said was "are you sure it's not nicked!" He actually seriously thought it was for the price I paid but i'm sure it's legit. I picked it up from the guys house and he even wrote me out a receipt with his address on it with the spec so I can insure it. Said he needed a quick sale as he was buying a motorbike.
I never seem to be the one that gets a bargain but this time i definitely did!
Thanks dirk that's good to know