NBD – Aren’t hardtails brilliant?!

I sold my gravel bike last week. It was a lovely bike, but I never really found the right moment for it. If I fancied a fast ride, I would take the road bike. If I wanted to ride off-road, I always preferred the mountain bike.

I am increasingly only riding off-road. The roads are too busy and I find riding the road to be less interesting than off-road. I can get a much better workout off-road with 2 hours than I can on the road, and with other commitments 2 hours tends to be all that I can spare.

So I am gearing up for a winter riding off-road and don’t want to use the full suspension bike through the mud, which means a hardtail. I have always wanted a Yeti, but never really got along with their full suspension designs. The opportunity arose to pick up an ARC which almost perfectly mirrors by Bronson geometry, and by a bit of careful shopping around, it has come in at a very reasonable price.

A few observations from the shakedown ride:

1) I haven’t ridden a modern geometry hardtail before, but the ride is really sublime. Super capable, and very comfortable.

2) After years on SRAM AXS, Shimano mechanical has really moved on. The whole groupset cost less than an AXS mech, and the performance is super slick.

3) The Fox Rhythm is an incredible fork for not very much money.

4) Single piston brakes on 160/180mm rotors don’t brakes nearly as confidently as double piston brakes on 190/203mm rotors (who would have guessed it?!).

5) Invisiframe is great but a real labour of love. Took me longer to invisiframe the frame than the entire rest of the build took.

6) Yeti do make a lovely frame!

7) You really can’t beat new bike day!

Congratulations on the new bike.

The Rhythm + Shimano build is probably the one for most people (if they were buying on performance alone). The only thing I’d do differently build wise would be a 180mm rotor on the rear… only adds about 20g and no extra cost.

Oh….i like that….Im weaning myself off the Ebike and back onto my Geometron, but that Yeti would be ideal for Tarland………Must resist !

if you don’t mind, where from and how much ?

Looks nice. I share your view of gravel and road riding – I would rather spend my time off-road than on-road.

Obvious thing to try would be 200 mm rotor up front and put the 180 on the back, assuming it will fit. Plus, try some different brake pads. That can make a huge difference to brake performance. If that’s not enough, maybe try a 4-pot caliper on the front.

Very nice indeed.
Hardtails are the best. 😊

Extra points for not having loads of ‘matching’ anodised stuff all over it.
That frame colour really pops beautifully because of it 👌

Your grass…. Is pretty good actually.

Took me longer to invisiframe the frame prepare the grass and shed knowing the STW grief I’d get than the entire rest of the build took.

FTFY 😉

Nice bike BTW 😁

Nice.

Verrr Noice.

I’m not normally a fan of the carbonz hardtail, but that looks all the fun. 👍

Lovely. The ARC is a great looking frame. Having just replaced my longstanding hardtail with full suss for the first time, I know I’m going to really miss the pop and simplicity this winter. Seriously wondering whether the cross bike should make way for a simple mechanical hardtail. No space for +1. 

Nice !
Try a 203 rotor at the front before you spend on 4-piston brakes (it’s what I did on my Sherpa).

Very nice!

Biggest transformation for my winter riding has been mudhuggers massive mudguards front and back.

Cleaner, warmer, less mud in the eye.

I can see why you might want to show it off mudguard less for glamour photos 😃

I gave the shed its pre-winter coat of creosote last weekend. Must have known! I spent the rest of yesterday after my ride scarifying the lawn, so sadly the photo shows it at its finest!

I will try the rotors first. I went 160 on the rear because the frame is 160 native and I wanted to keep it clean. The braking is good, but I am used to bigger brakes and I think it might just be an adjustment thing. It is a trail hardtail rather than an enduro full susser so I guess I can’t expect the same level. I recall that Rolls Royce never used to publish engine performance figures, instead quoting the performance as ‘adequate’. That’s exactly how I would describe the braking performance. It doesn’t rearrange your internal organs but there’s enough for control.

The whole thing came in under £2.5k which by modern standards is quite a bargain. The major components (Frame, Fork, Wheels, Dropper) were particularly good value which helped. All brand new, no parts bin required.

The most expensive part relatively speaking was the cranks. Yeti spec a 55mm chainline (I think something to do with the short chainstays and wide tyre clearance). I couldn’t find any XT cranks in that spec but the SLX actually look nicer, are comparable in weight and I sourced an XT chainring cheaper than an SLX (the Shimano 55mm chainsets are only available as crank arms for some reason).

The biggest revelation is the shifting. The lever throw is so short and smooth that it doesn’t actually feel like you are pulling a cable. The full housing means it should stay that way. It really does make you question the need for electronic shifting and possibly explains why Shimano haven’t been in a rush to match AXS off-road.

And yes I will be fitting the biggest ugliest mudguards I can find! This is about winter sanity, not photoshoot vanity!

Very happy camper so far. Thanks for the nice comments and advice over the brakes. I’ll try another longer ride today and see if I feel the need to change anything.

Bonus points for tyre logo and valve alignment along with putting them at 12 o’clock for the photo shoot. Really nice clean looking bike, functional in the way they should be.

Extra points for not having loads of ‘matching’ anodised stuff all over it.

I don’t know what you mean 🙂

Is that the biggest bike in the world or a very low ceiling?!!!! It’s definitely at the opposite end of the anodising and colour coordination spectrum to mine…….I even thought twice about the Renthal gold clamps but they do make nice kit.

I’ve had my ARC for nearly 3 years and I haven’t bored with it yet! Actually, I haven’t even felt the need to constantly swap out bits either – I’m thinking just grips and rear tyre iirc
Every time I clean mine up I end up admiring the lines and finish.
Enjoy the new bike👍

Snap!

I am loving mine, feels super fast especially going up

Extra points for not having loads of ‘matching’ anodised stuff all over it.

Agreed!
Matching zipties are ok though right?

Ooh nice. That’s definitely permitted in my book.

Where did you get Yeti turquoise zip ties?!

Does the RRP provide enough protection at the rear? Was looking at the Mudhugger which is bigger but this looks much neater.

It’s the RRP ProGuard rear standard size
XL frame
2.6 tyres

Got the bolt-on one on the front which matches nicely. They look the business and are very effective in the wet.

The zipties were off eBay (took a bit of trawling…) and I had to buy loads, DM me your address if you want me to send you some

Yes they are in answer to the original question. Mine is steel and I love it even if it a bit chunky (not dissimilar to the rider). Yetis do look nice and matching zip ties are a thing? Who knew ? Need links, although I need mine to match RAL 3004

Thanks Pete. I have PM’d you. 

Just out riding and getting quite splattered so the mudguards are an urgent fix!

Had my previous generation ArcC for about 10 years now and still can’t fault it or see a reason to change it. 23.5lbs and it flies around the South Downs

welcome to the XL ARC club.  I got a bit carried away on my build as it was supposed to be like yours, but then got a mega deal on Factory 34 forks, still have my staff Hope account and things kinda snowballed from there.  I run 180mm 2 pot on rear (because 4 pot don’t fit) and 180mm 4 pot E4 on front.

I’m going to have to find turquoise zip ties now as well!

2 really good rides at the weekend. RRP mudguards ordered (it’s already soggy out there and it’s only going to get worse).

First impressions are amazing. So much more comfortable than I expected a hardtail to be (haven’t ridden one for 3 years). The geometry and very low top tube is really agile and it doesn’t feel like a big bike. My Bronson is a mullet which suits its character well, and I was a little nervous that a 29er would feel ponderous, but it feels quite spritely and planted all at the same time.

Now that the brakes have bedded in, there’s plenty of stopping power and modulation, so I am going to stick with the single piston 160/180 set up for the moment. Given the aforementioned gloopy conditions the pads won’t last long so I will get the chance to try something different soon enough.

That’s a lovely build blazin’. I have the full Factory set up on my Bronson, and honestly other than the gold stantions, I find it really hard to perceive the difference between the Rhythms at £250, and the Factory 36’s on my other bike for £1,000+ side by side.

Actually the same goes for the whole build. I do love a bit of bike bling and the latest tech, but a decent hardtail with entry level forks and mid range mechanical groupset is a real joy. OK, it isn’t exactly cheap in the grand scheme of things but I would struggle to justify spending more. Feels like a sweet spot in terms of spend vs performance.

It just felt very pure and simple and very connected to the trail. And so far, no creaking from the PF BB……..

Some lovely builds above.

A local shop (Sussed Out Suspension) have one of these in the shop and on my last tow visits found myself oggling 🙂

On the mud guard front that RRP looks a good rear guard but the blurb from their site says:

(this mudguard is NOT designed to protect the rider)

But it looks like it really ought to. What (obvious element) am I missing?

It might protect the rider a bit, but that shape isn’t designed to – it’s designed to protect shocks and bearings and that kind of thing.

I guess it doesn’t extend quite as far over the rear wheel as the Mudhugger version, but the trade off is that it looks less obtrusive and ‘sticky-outy’. The Mudhugger looks a bit like a rooster’s tail. I have ordered the RRP so will feed back.

 I find it really hard to perceive the difference between the Rhythms at £250, and the Factory 36’s on my other bike for £1,000+ side by side.

I agree, no way I’d be buying Factory if it wasn’t for the fact they were £475 from Chiggle at the time.

Nice- really regret not going ahead with the 575 build I was planning when I found out Mrs FB was expecting.

Wow lovely bikes, really like the look of the frame

What sizes are we looking at? They look like they could be large?

Mine’s an XL and I believe the others are as well.

Mine is also an XL. The visual giveaway to ARC sizing is the length of the seat tube extension. Otherwise it is quite difficult to tell them apart as they all have a heavily sloping top tube inline with the seat stays

They have a very compact geometry with an exceptionally low top tube. Makes for a very agile ride and plenty of clearance.

The front end is plenty high enough with 20mm of spacers and a 30mm riser bar, but I do feel that it might benefit from a slightly longer headtube on the XL.

A few reviews have questioned whether the head angle should be slacker but for the type of bike that it is, I think it is spot on. Slack enough, but not so slack as to be vague.

Sola, Blazin

How tall are you ?

Mine is an XL and I’m 6’2″ ish

I wondered if it might be too long and almost went for L but very glad I didn’t

On the head angle, I splurged and bought a Slack-r headset the other day, out of curiosity mainly. I’m taking it to BPW in a few weeks so thought that might be a good place to try it out!

6ft 2in here. Ctr bb to top of saddle is 78.5cms. 40mm Apex stem. Perfect fit.

Yeti claim that an L would fit me, but I am also glad I went with an XL.

Couldn’t agree more with everything you’ve said, it’s great!

I went a bit burlier on the brakes (Guide RE 4-pots) as I had them on the bike I was swapping across parts from, and managed to piece together an 11-speed XT groupset in various sales for comfortably sub-£200. I’ve only had steel hardtails previously and this is a totally different, but I love it:

Yeti by James Fabian[/url], on Flickr

Here’s mine. Loving it so far, super light, very responsive, lovely smooth ride, just eats miles. Changed the saddle since this was taken, and installed a 9point8 slackr headset but everything else has remained the same, like @jfab, mine’s got Guide RE 4 pots and I think they’re ok for what I need the bike to do. They really do benefit from a slacker fork angle, no idea what Yeti were thinking with 67deg.

Invisiframe is great but a real labour of love. Took me longer to invisiframe the frame than the entire rest of the build took.

Yep, first time installing it for me, and I took my time, but my god it’s fiddly!

Hmmm……must……resist…….

TLR – 188cm  With 80.5 bb centre to top of saddle.   I actually think the headtube is spot on as I run a 10mm spacer with a Hope 50mm stem and bars.  I’d take the top tube a bit longer too in an ideal situation, but I’m an ex racer boy.

First properly muddy ride update. The RRP mudguards work brilliantly up front and OK out back. Pictures below to show where the mud still reaches.

Bolt 0n at the front which gives plenty of protection to my face and upper body and down to about halfway up the down tube. The rear protects my rear end well and I came back home without the usual ‘incontinence streak’ up my back. Plus it protects the dropper well which should help with longevity and servicing. There is still some mud on the frame, so it’s a not a total win, but really good all things considered and they aren’t too harmful to the lines of the bike IMHO.

Chain waxing really does keep the whole drivetrain clean through the mud. Far less attractive to dirt.

Big thanks to @petefromearth for the colour coded zipties. Really finishes off the build nicely.

I changed the fork decals as the originals were a bit bland and I didn’t want the Yeti turquoise treatment everywhere so went with Fox orange instead. I quite like the contrast.

Here’s to miles of muddy smiles this winter!