Bike build advice for a build jong

[oftpiste]

Got out on a trail recently for the first time in a long time, and learned why all the bikes I see these days are beefier than they used to be. I learned the downs are a lot closer to DH than they used to be! Which is fine with me as I always liked the downs the best anyway.

My vintage Yeti 575 was fine on the up (tho I wasn't) but clearly not up to demands of the down.

So I'm thinking if I'm going to do any riding - which I'd like to do - I should probably re-think the equipment, and get down to 1 bike that does it all. My interests are less technical and definitely more toward down than up, and I used to love riding lift-served at Whistler (mostly the bluer, flowier tracks). First time I went there I took the Yeti and it, again, was not up to the task so I picked up a used DHiller that improved that experience a lot. Obviously though I'll still want to be able to climb.

I have the Yeti, and I have an old, heavy (OLD!) Norco DH whip. The Norco came from a bike shop guy with pretty great (OLD!) components. Full Shimano Saint group, Marzochi Bomber 888 fork, DH rims and tires. Can't remember what the rear shock is, but is similar in quality.

What if I got a lighter more all-mountain frame and swapped those components over except maybe the rims and tires? I suspect that fork is probably much heavier than current single-crown stuff (is it really?) and the old Saint is heavier than necessary too (is it?). Would this approach still make the thing a complete pig for climbing with a more climb-friendly frame?

I'm definitely on a tight budget so the less I have to buy the better.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Ridicule? What should I look for in a frame?

[waxman]

plan everything for delivery in 2023 because that's when the parts will arrive.

[Meconium]

I’d just ride what you have and get it running good, possibly new tires if they are beat.
Try to consistently ride 2+ days a week for a few months and then spend the money on material stuff if you get back into riding.

[XXX-er]

I'm doubting all those old parts would fit a modern frame ??

[dannynoonan]

The fork will only fit 26" wheels, which won't fit the modern frame... Saint stuff is fine but realistically the only useful parts are going to be handlebar/grips, shifter, and the brakes. Nothing else will reliably xfer over.

[HAB]

A modern bike is going to be wildly better than that 575, and for better or worse, not many of the parts are going to even fit on a modern bike. You'd be better off just buying something a couple years old used than trying to cobble something together.

It's not so much weight, but suspension has gotten astronomically better, as have brakes and drivetrains. Wheel sizes have changed, as have axle standards and spacing.

[iriponsnow]

Sell those 2 & buy a used rig; your actually in a good position, as theirs a lack of grom/ lil ripper bikes for the 9-12 year old set & these older bikes are perfect. Only a few ppl like TrailCraft are making a dedicated kid 26”. Coaching in Vermont- ya can’t find supply of tweener bikes.

Post up your size here & youll get some options soon.

Congrats on saddling up more.

[XXX-er]

If the border ever open to allow you disease ridden americans to ride the whistler, lifts the DH bike will be handy so If thats your passion you already got the DH bike and I would look for a used enduro bike to replace the 575

i got a Yeti 5.5 its the model before the new models but they are still awesume IMO

[oftpiste]

Yeti runs great.

I have two more 26 DH bikes to sell. Kona Stinky Primo (S) and Ironhorse Yakuza Sohon Bucho (M). Norco and Yeti are L. Think there's a market with the bike shortage? Hmmm...

So if buying, 27 or 29 (thinking 27)?

What if I got a frame, wheels and fork, and moved the shock and all the running gear over? Why wouldn't it fit?

[Sirshredalot]

Yeti runs great.

I have two more 26 DH bikes to sell. Kona Stinky Primo (S) and Ironhorse Yakuza Sohon Bucho (M). Norco and Yeti are L. Think there's a market with the bike shortage? Hmmm...

So if buying, 27 or 29 (thinking 27)?

What if I got a frame, wheels and fork, and moved the shock and all the running gear over? Why wouldn't it fit?

The drive train parts might not fit because of frame/hub spacing standards. If you find a non-boost frame and wheels it might bolt up, more or less. But constraining your frame/fork/wheel shopping that way probably doesn't make sense. Drive train bits are cheap compared to framesets and they wear out with time and use.

Shocks are pretty much frame/manufacturer specific. They come in many different eye to eye lengths and shock strokes. Some sizes are more popular than others, so maybe you'll get lucky and be able to move it over, but probably not.

Brakes might move over to a new bike, same with rotors. Bar/stems/grips might move over without an issue, but if you have old, narrow bars or a long stem, that might be an odd choice on a bike with modern geometry.



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[ridinshockgun]

What if I got a frame, wheels and fork, and moved the shock and all the running gear over? Why wouldn't it fit?

Because the bike industry has made damn sure over the past 5-10 years by changing stupid shit for pointless reasons that you can't

[waxman]

Because the bike industry has made damn sure over the past 5-10 years by changing stupid shit for pointless reasons that you can't

"standards"

[XXX-er]

its all just your old shit and if you are lucky you can sell it all in one bike

cuz bikes now days have a generation better brakes/ better shifting/ 1x with narrow wide never drops chains/ 29" wheels are fast and just roll over everything/ carbon frames are stiffer/ dropper seat posts are the shit

longer WB

better forks

better shocks

and probably some things i have forgot to mention

edit: I forgot fcuking expensive, drop 5500 on a 5.5 which turns out to be a bargain compared to the new yeti

[Andeh]

To put in perspective the rate of change in terms of geometry: I'm meeting a guy this weekend so he can try out my bike (mulleted 2020 Megatrail). His bike that I'm going to be stuck on for a few laps is an Ibis Mojo 3. According to Ibis' website, this 27.5 "trail" bike was offered from 2018-2020, and has 130r/140f travel, 67.1 HTA, 74.4 STA, and 424mm reach for a size medium.

My buddy's 2021 Specialized Epic Evo (110r/120f XC bike) has 66.5 HTA, 74.5 STA, and 436mm reach for size medium (29 wheels). So you can now get freaking XC bikes with more aggressive geometry than "trail" bikes just a few years old.

My bike is 64.2 HTA, 76.7 STA, 447mm reach with 155r/160f travel and 27.5/29 wheels. I'm going to die. I haven't ridden anything that small/steep in like 5 years.

[nick_B10]

To put in perspective the rate of change in terms of geometry: I'm meeting a guy this weekend so he can try out my bike (mulleted 2020 Megatrail). His bike that I'm going to be stuck on for a few laps is an Ibis Mojo 3. According to Ibis' website, this 27.5 "trail" bike was offered from 2018-2020, and has 130r/140f travel, 67.1 HTA, 74.4 STA, and 424mm reach for a size medium.

My buddy's 2021 Specialized Epic Evo (110r/120f XC bike) has 66.5 HTA, 74.5 STA, and 436mm reach for size medium (29 wheels). So you can now get freaking XC bikes with more aggressive geometry than "trail" bikes just a few years old.

My bike is 64.2 HTA, 76.7 STA, 447mm reach with 155r/160f travel and 27.5/29 wheels. I'm going to die. I haven't ridden anything that small/steep in like 5 years.

Trail bikes have seen much less change than any other class of bikes over the last 10 years, and the ibis mojo has always been one of, if not the most conservative geometry bikes in that class. My 2009 yeti 575 had pretty much identical geo to that ibis. My yeti was sold as a large with similar reach numbers we all upsized from the recommended size then) the ibis has 1/2 inch larger wheels and more space for a dropper, but other than that it has 10 year old geo. You can't use it as an example of how geo is changing, it is an anomaly on the market. Having said that, a lot of people really love ibis mojos so they must be doing something right.

[grskier]

Like said above, ride a bunch, make sure you're BACK.
Once you decide, yeah, this sport is dope, look for a 2017/18 or newer trail bike from just about any reputable manufacturer, newer if you have the budget.

Since the 575 was dope this has happened:
Single chain ring - allowing for better chain lines and suspension layouts
Different hub standards
Wider bars
better brakes
slacker head tube angles
steeper seat tube angles
longer wheel base
lower bottom bracket
etc
Oh, and you should also sell a few of your cars and maybe forget that ski condo if you really want to get good stuff now...

[dannynoonan]

Yeti runs great.

I have two more 26 DH bikes to sell. Kona Stinky Primo (S) and Ironhorse Yakuza Sohon Bucho (M). Norco and Yeti are L. Think there's a market with the bike shortage? Hmmm...

So if buying, 27 or 29 (thinking 27)?

What if I got a frame, wheels and fork, and moved the shock and all the running gear over? Why wouldn't it fit?

Rear shock would be the wrong size (99% chance anyway) plus the new frame would likely come with one anyway, and even if you were careful enough to get wheels that matched the old cassette, and a frame that fits the old seatpost, you'd be stuck with a dh gear ratio and a non-dropper post on an otherwise modern frame.

In ski terms this would be like putting Shift bindings on Olin mkIV's, and then skiing them in Reebok's.

[oftpiste]

Understood. Thanks all. Makes sense. Slacker geo these days is visually noticeable.

Any thoughts on what I should ask for those bikes? $500? $700? Less?