Now that my Yelli has been built, some may be wondering what components went into it. Why did I choose these parts? The short answer is, I wanted to try out some higher end components and get a feel for the difference between them and lower-range components that I had used in the past. It is always a tough gamble when trying to justify spending more on something that is seemingly similar. What do you get for double or even triple the price of most standard bike components?? Well, it depends on the component, but in most cases, it is the quality of materials, design that went into them, features and in most cases, weight [savings]. As you go up in the range of say, a rear derailleur, the price tends to increase exponentially. Lower-range offerings are basic, may use bushings rather than precision bearings and cheaper metals or more plastic than metal pieces. At a certain point, the more you spend is really not getting you any more for your money, but rather less! Weight of every component adds up and can be an advantage (durability) or disadvantage (reduced pedaling efficiency). Now, say you are building a lightweight XC bike for racing...you may feel that spending the extra $$ on lighter components gives you an advantage on the trails. On the other end of the spectrum, if your building a downhill bike that will send you flying down a rough trail at high speeds, you want the most durable parts you can get. An extra few grams here and there are not going to make much of a difference when your complete bike weighs 37 lbs!
With my build, I went with a bit of a mix. The drive-train, brakes, and wheels, I felt were worth spending a little more on in case I decided to take the Yelli on some demanding trails. Powerful brakes are piece of mind in times of panic...a smooth, fast shifting drive-train can instill confidence that you get into the gear you want that instant. Other pieces, as I have learned, are not really worth throwing a bunch of cash at. Parts such as handlebars, stem, and a seat post are mostly aluminum and don't vary nearly as much as the manufacturers would suggest. Now, if you splurge on carbon-fiber bits, then the damping and lightweight features may be worth the price tag.
In some cases, my choice of components relied simply on the fact that I was after a specific color to go with my "theme". I started this build with the intention of trying to find/use as much Blue and White as I could find. When one of these colors was not available, I went with tried and true Black (black goes with everything!!). A couple parts ended up with red as it just so happened to match the red in the fork knob and decals...
Also, (in my case) OCD played a small role. With most components, there are two big players....SRAM and Shimano. People either love or hate one of them and try to stick with a single manufacturer. I have used and been happy with SRAM and just found most of my choices swaying in that direction. Others will mix the two depending on their likes or the prices found. My Airborne Seeker XC bike came with a plethora of SRAM components and I really have had little issue with them, so I kept the SRAM train rolling!
Brakes...ahh a heated debate! A majority of mountain-bikers have a sore spot for SRAM/Avid brakes. This is due mostly to their newly replaced Elixir line of hydraulic disc brakes. You will find quite a few online posts/articles related to failed/leaking/and poorly designed reservoirs. The Elixirs are noted for having difficulty getting all of the air out of the hydraulic system when bled per SRAM instructions. This can lead to mushy levers and poor performance. If you've been keeping up with this blog, you may remember my issue with the Elixir 1's that came on my Airborne Seeker. While, this issue wasn't ideal, I will again restate that SRAM was friendly and quick to rectify the situation in my case and sent me a brand new set of their redesigned DB5 brakes. I have since had no issues with these and can attest to SRAM's phenomenal customer service! It was this event that gave me confidence to look to them when choosing brakes for my Yelli build and ultimately led me to purchase their new Guide RS brakes. The Guide's have the same newly designed lever/reservoir as the lower-range DB5's on my Seeker, but use the highly touted 4-piston brake calipers that have been used the last few years on the top of the line XO Trail series brakes. The new Guide series have only been out for about a year now, although I could not seem to find one bad review of them online. Now, there will always be people out there who were burned by the Elixirs and simply will not own another set of SRAM brakes. To those people, I may not be able to convince you, but everyone deserves another chance. The saying, "don't knock it till you've tried it" comes to mind...
I will admit that quite a few of my choices were sparked by looking at the many other Yelli Screamy builds posted online by owners. I looked at the more common parts being used, and this helped me figure out what worked and what didn't fit.
This build was my first stab at trying out a 1x10 drive-train. If you haven't seen my previous post about kicking the front derailleur to the curb, check it out as there's some great information in there if you are new to this or just curious. It seems to be a popular trend lately as mountain bikers and now many manufacturers are omitting the front shifter/derailleur and cabling from their current products. This move towards simplicity and less maintenance is proving to be a game-changer as there is less to adjust and it saves a few grams. I played around with a gear calculator and ultimately chose to go with a 30 tooth chain-ring up front. This, coupled with the standard 10-speed 11-36 tooth rear cassette, should prove to be a comparable option to the 2x10 setup on my Seeker. Now, going from the standard 22/36t to a 30t does delete a couple of the low-end gears and the top-most, but all accounts suggest my legs should grow accustomed to it over time. I will have to report back on how I feel after a few good rides with this setup, but there are options to correct this such as changing to a 28t chain-ring or replacing a rear cog with a 42t offering in order to regain the lower climbing gears.
Next, we have the wheels. No matter how you slice it, unless you already have a set of good rims/hubs from another bike to use, the wheel-set is going to be one of the more expensive components you will have to purchase. Again I looked to other builds and noticed a large amount of people running Stan's wheels. They make many flavors from lighter "Crest" rims to the beefier "Flow" set. Prices being equal, I went with the more abusive-friendly Flow rims. Now, I have no idea what kind of trails are in my future, but i'm in the camp of "I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it". These wheels are most likely overkill for this bike and my level of riding, but it seems to be a popular choice among Yelli Screamy owners. The Yelli is considered an "All-Mountain Hardtail", so it is designed to take on some gnarly trails. Anyhow, the other selling point is that the Flow rims are wide, which makes for a nice wide contact patch with the tire. This is a great attribute when shod with the Ardent 2.4 I have mounted on the front. The Flow rim is laced to a Hope Pro 2 Evo hub, which is a great hub for the price. A nice feature of these hubs is that they use removable end caps to switch between axle sizes. If you want to move them to a different bike or change the fork/axle combo you have, it's easy!
The suspension fork was a happy coincidence...I was looking for a deal and stumbled upon this Manitou Tower Pro in the clearance section. It was last year's model and since Manitou has fallen off the radar with most riders, it was discounted 50%. I have always liked Manitou's offerings and find their forks to be very plush and provide smooth travel. It sports a tapered head-tube and 15mm QR axle. The controls are fairly simple providing only basic compression and rebound adjustments, which I kind of prefer...less to fiddle with on the trail. Only time will tell, but it should prove to be a great asset to the build!
Don't forget the pedals! When I purchased my Seeker last year, I took advantage of the Crank Brothers upgrade offer, which involved me sending an old set of egg-beaters to them and getting a discount code for 50% off a new set. Seeing as I already had a pair and the shoes/cleats to go with them, I figured it was a no-brainer....but it had been awhile since rode clipped-in and soon found myself a little uneasy at the thought of going down with my feet stuck in the pedals. Another trend being seen is the move back to flat pedals. After some reading, it had seemed as though Canfield Brothers (who I bought the frame from) built one of the lightest/thinnest flat pedals. So, I ordered a pair and couldn't be happier with them. The color matches the frame and they are super grippy with small set screws that act as cleats to keep your shoes stuck!
Last, (and arguably one of the more important items) is the tires. I needed help with this choice....there are so many different tires out there, I didn't know where to start. A quick post up on the MTBR forums in the "New York" section yielded some great options from some very knowledgeable members. Thus, I went with a 29x2.4 Maxxis Ardent up front and a 29x2.35 Maxxis Ikon out back. I am told for the area of NY I live in, this should prove to be a good starting point.
I think that pretty much covers it. If I left out something important, let me know....
