Here it is the beginning of February, and instead of 25 degree temperatures and snow, we're getting temperatures in the 50's with lots of sunny days. This past week I just had to get the Big Top out again for a few rides. The bike is performing absolutely flawlessly so far. I never really thought I'd enjoying a hardtail 29er this much, but I'm definitely a big wheel convert!
For 2012, the Yeti Big Top, also known as the ARC-BT, is available in a new color... Black. It's available as a complete bike (as shown above), or a frameset.
Frame specs are as follows...
• Signature carbon fiber loop stays w/ alloy dropouts
• Pure Tubes alloy front triangle
• Interchangeable "chips" allow multiple dropout configurations (comes standard w/ 135 QR "chips")
• Tapered headtube
• Direct mount front derailleur
• Requires 30.9mm seatpost
• ISCG 05 tabs
• Recommended fork travel 100mm
WHERE TO BUY:
Click here for purchase info.
Never thought I'd be riding in mid January. Usually its 25 degrees out and the trails are covered with half foot of snow. Not this winter though... it's been very mild and we've had a few days with temps in the upper 40's. This week I decided to get the Yeti out and go for a couple rides. I've definitely lost a little bit of my cycling fitness, but the P90X workouts I've been doing have really helped and I was able to get a couple 1-2 hour long rides in. Trails were a little muddy in spots, so I stuck mostly to the paved bike paths. There was even some nasty ice in a few spots.
So far my Big Top has been performing flawlessly, but I had a few parts laying around that I decided to swap over to it. First off I went with Shimano XT cranks, which I run on all my bikes, as well as a Thomson X4 stem. Finally I added my favorite grips, which I also have on all my bikes, the Ergon GC2's with bar ends.
Uprades:
• Shimano XT Crankset
• Thomson Elite X4 Mountain Stem
• Ergon GC2 Race Grips
JensonUSA.com has the 2011 Yeti Big Top 29Er Enduro Bike on closeout... currently at almost $700 off retail!
Lovin' it!
Fun ride yesterday on the Big Top. Temps were in the 60's and it was overcast out, but the ride was near perfect. Lovin' this bike!
When I bought my Yeti Big Top back in July, I discovered that I couldn't get the bike on my Saris Thelma rack. I'd bought that rack several years ago and, at the time, it would not work with 29er bikes. So, since I bought the Big Top, my rides have been limited to those reachable from my front door, which aren't many. Last week I finally got around to ordering the two front plastic scoops from Saris that allow the rack to work with 29ers, and I installed them today. The bike now fits on the rack perfectly.
As for the bike, I'm loving it so far. This is my first 29er and I think I'm a convert. I'm 5'9" tall with a 30-31" inseam and the Medium fits me perfectly. I was a little worried that it would be too large because some other 29ers I've tried in the past just seemed too big, and I wondered if maybe I was too small for a big wheeled bike. Not so with the Yeti... it fits great.
The bike rolls so smoothly over rough stuff, and for most of the trails I ride, I don't think I need rear suspension anymore. The carbon rear triangle and big wheels seem to soak up nasty terrain pretty well, so I'm very pleased. More later when I get this bike out on some more of the trails around here...
