PROJECT BIKE - The ULTIMATE Yeti SB165 DH Build

you know they say that jealousy is ugly and the envy is green but what about a flat moss green and what if we put a bunch of downhill ready fox factory suspension on it and equipped it with a sram x01 dh drivetrain would it still be ugly then would envy be okay last year vital tested the sb-165 and were fast friends with the new platform we dug the rowdy trail-ready nature of the long travel 27.5 inch wheeled bike proper enduro bikes are a delight at the bike park and we knew the sb sb-165 was just such an animal at the end of the day having a dual crown fork coil shock and dedicated downhill drivetrain just makes a park day that much better that said a full downhill bike can often feel like overkill on all but the gnarliest of terrain and lugging one around the resort is cumbersome enter the sb-165 project bike aka the park destroyer we know a dual crown fork on a yeti sb165 isn't new or groundbreaking we saw one built up at the north star stop of the 2019 ews nate hills has one all built up with a boxer ready for rowdy then when reed boggs was signed to yeti we could take it no more we were jealous and we needed to see what this build was all about we reached out to yeti and proposed a proper dh build with the addition of a dropper post as the ultimate park bike when we unboxed our new project bike we were admittedly blown away by the aesthetics and the specs this was a bike to inspire the deepest envy the build spec is top tier leaving nothing further to be desired here's the fast rundown fox factory 40 dropped to 190 millimeters of travel fox dhx2 with a climb switch dt swiss fr 1950 wheels full sram x01 dh 7-speed drivetrain code rsc brakes with 200 millimeter rotors maxxis acid guy and dhr2 tires in max grip dh casing and to top it all off a fox transfer dropper post as is with most bikes these days our sb 165 was set up tubeless running full downhill casing and with a focus solely on downhill fun we ran the tires with a bit softer than normal pressure with 27 psi in the back and 25 in the front a few heavy slides and berms left the telltale x hatching on the sidewalls but we never experienced any issues with the bead for our 170 pound test rider the fox 40 had six volume spacers and we ran it at 66 psi high speed compression was wide open low speed was five clicks from fully open our dhx2 came with a 450 pound spring as with the fork high speed compression was wide open and low speed was coincidentally five clicks from fully open initially we ran the 150 millimeter transfer dropper as we would on a trail bike optimized for leg extension when climbing it later dawned on us this was a downhill bike and we wanted the seat lower so there it was we slid the transfer further into the frame until we liked where it sat after all the seat going up was more for comfort and a bit of help not for long sustained ascents getting the sb 165 on trail had us giddy and that's an understatement with kovat having resorts shut down all over and struggling to put together a shuttle crew we let our enthusiasm take the reins and headed out for some pedal power laps at the city downhill park climbing was not easy with the gearing but it did happen and we regret nothing later on when bike parks were open getting the yeti to more remote trails was easy and that selected gearing was fantastic putting sb 165 to the task for which it was designed yield dividends galore to give credit to the yeti standout characteristic we would say it makes rocks and small boulders disappear like a talented street magician you see the rocks and are ready for impact but it never shows it took approximately 200 yards for us to fully surrender to the sb-165s wizardry after that we just played along not a one-trick rock-eating pony the sb-165 strikes a balance of sure-footed and easily maneuvered this is still an enduro bike frame and some of that favorable trail character is still alive the beauty of a lighter weight frame and a little less travel is that the rider feels less a passenger and more the pilot foibles in a section wouldn't have us trying to rebuild speed like a locomotive we were back on step in no time well a little time we did have some burly tires pointing sb 165 down flow trails meant riding like a complete hooligan in every corner yeah riding the tops of berms and carrying speed is nice but have you tried the inside this yeti was built for fun and we made sure to have as much as we could we did notice however that lower angle loose corners had us exiting a little more over the back of the bike than we were used to a touch more low speed compression or even a heavier spring may have helped assist in this department in all the yeti sb165 project bike proved to be all we had thought there were only two things that kept the yeti sb165 from being a full-blown downhill bike the frame and the dropper post our fox 40 and dhx-2 felt every bit as incredible as when mounted to a downhill bike tracking was superb and line selection was simply a matter of deciding where to go there was seemingly no deflection from the front end and our setup dealt with the rough stuff without feeling dead the climb switch on our dhx-2 made an incredible difference when it came to the flats and climbs rotating the lever produced a much stiffer shock and slightly taller ride height bottom bracket head to the vital forum and you will find a topic on bike upgrades the most commonly referenced upgrades are full dh casing for your tires the maxis acid guy and dhr2 are front runners when the trail gets dry and blown there is no doubt part of the sb-165's decisive handling was in part due to the rubber selection 7-speed drivetrains are ideal for downhill the sram system is the class leader compact crisp and reliable we kept the chainring to a smaller 32 tooth to take advantage of the yeti's climbing ability if we couldn't get up the occasional climb our project would have been for naught so why not just have a downhill bike downhill bikes are awesome we all love tuning into the world cup and watching the world's best perform superhuman feats aboard them the technology the capability it is all just it's amazing for many mountain bikers a downhill bike can be a novelty something that fits in the second or third bike category as more and more bike parks open around the country though the case for a big bike is growing stronger the thing is not all parks and riders can make use of a schladmage-worthy rig even some of the larger resorts ones that we love have amazing trails that require a bit of pedaling or even a small climb a downhill bike on anything other than downhill is cumbersome at best lower grade or less aggressive trails feel more like exercise than fun and much of the features that make them a delight are simply lost so why not just ride your enduro bike after spending many years aboard downhill bikes almost exclusively we started experimenting with bringing our trail and enduro bikes to the park it was like a new world of lines and opportunity and fun however anyone that has clocked more than a few days at the bike park will tell you it's just hard on your bike the massive ride that culminates in the 12-mile descent is one thing 15 runs at the resort each one attacked by a rider ready for mischief will leave your 150 millimeter bike in shambles not to mention the excuse factor i mean how many of us know the rider that states they would hit that jump or line if only they had a downhill bike the yeti sb 165 fills the void it is the missing link between your daily driver and that race for the rainbow rocket ship there is not a single trail not one line on the mountain that the sb-165 is not up to tackling concurrently there is not a flow trail blue coaster or traverse that the yeti won't get you through in proper order some things that could be improved nothing is perfect and until yeti claws starts dropping these things down chimneys the sb-165 project will be cost prohibitive to many this is not a build that you can just purchase from yeti riders will have to buy the 3999 dollar frame and proceed to build from there granted one needn't spring for fox factory 40 when the performance level or even marzoki options are out there true x01 dh is amazing but there is a gx line as well and it's every bit as awesome so while it may be easy to write this one off due to budget the possibilities are out there the fox transfer seat post has a pretty tall stack height when accounting for the collar and the exposed seat post to show the kashima logo another post with a shorter stack height or even taller drops such as the one up or bike yoke would have given us optimal height for descending and climbing so what's the bottom line we were smitten with the yeti sb-165 during its initial launch and pondered the possibilities making those schemes reality resulted in a bike that is an absolute riot to ride all day laps with the gang are on the menu stay fresh with a lighter ready to rip platform that smooths out all the rough stuff and lets you hang it all out this is what park riding is all about do you have a special build for park days what do you think of this beautiful beast leave it in the comments go ahead and like and subscribe while you're at it to get vital mtb content updates want more of the yeti sb165 project bike head to vitalmtb.com if you aren't there already until next time we'll see you on the trails [Music] [Laughter] all right all right closer to me yep all right cool yep you know they say that jealousy is ugly and that envy is green

Channel: Vital MTB

Views: 69,415

Rating: 4.9251561 out of 5

Keywords: mountain bike, mountain biking, mtb, bike, downhill, freeride, cycling, trails, yeti sb165, sb-165, nate hills, park bike, enduro bike, expensive yeti mountain bike, dream build, dream bike, fox 40 on enduro bike, dual crown on enduro bike, coil spring suspension, new yeti, DIY bike build, bogus basin, tamarack, idaho, DH fork on enduro bike, shorten travel fox 40, bike test, new yeti green, downduro

Id: ss5ziQrdc_M

Length: 10min 57sec (657 seconds)

Published: Mon Aug 10 2020