[profro]

Okay, first off...WOW. The yeti DH9 is way faster than I am. I have been riding a Dirtworks Piranha for the past year and I really like that bike. I had it set up with an Avalanche and a Shiver. The bike was nimble, flickable, and light. It really elevated my riding ablilty, but the higher bottom bracket was troublsome at times and I had to learn to drop my outside foot much more than I wanted to.

Recently I formed a racing team wth Spoke80 and we picked DH9s to be out sleds of choice. Spoke had been on one for about a year and I had always wanted to get back on Yetis so the choice was easy. As you can see from my screen name I have a special place for Yetis. I previously owned and raced DH back in the day on a 1993 Yeti PROFRO steel hardtail.

Totally unexpected the frame showed up Friday afternoon. Needless to say I immediately tore down my Piranha and built up the Yeti. The only tricky part was building the new wheel on the new Hadley that was required for the floating brake system. LONG story short I realized that hub was a regular 135mm spaced hub with a spacer removed for the floater to fit. So I simply swaped the 12mm, regular 135mm axle from one of my other Hadley wheels to the 15mm, special spaced axle from the new hub and whala it fit perfect. It could be dished a little better, but it worked flawlessly all weekend.

The craftsmanship on the Yeti is top notch. All the surfaces came faced (bb, and headset) and the bolts have Yeti Cycles stamped in the head. And it looks like it would required a nuclear blast to break this thing. After the build I took it for a test spin a little push up trail 5 minutes from my house. The very first thing I noticed was how noodly my Shiver is. That is because the rearend is so FRIKKEN stiff.

Here's a pic and build...

2004 Medium Yeti DH9 with Swinger 4 Way
2001 Shiver w/ '02 stickers and direct mount stem
Hadley rear hub, Hugi front hub on Mavic 729s
Stans NoTubes with Maxxis Tubeless Minion DHRs
Shimano 8sp 11-28 XT cassette
Ultegra Rd rear der. w/ XT 8sp shifter
Race Face Prodigy DH 175mm cranks with a 38t DH ring
MRP System 2 Slolam guide
Hayes Mag 8" brakes front and rear
Azonic 2" riser bar
Yeti Lock-On grips
Truvativ 118mm Gigi DH bb
Thompson Elite Seatpost with Filte saddle
Chris King Headset
Azonic A-Frame pedals

 

[Brian HCM#1]

WOW, very cool!!! Like the red too

 

[Incubus]

Looks great.

...about the red.

What does she tip the scales at?

 

[binary visions]

Sexy. I don't think I've ever seen a red Yeti before - I like it!

 

[profro]

First Ride...

Took it Windrock on Sunday and did about 7 runs with some real fast experts and semi-pros.

First impressions- As I was riding the bike and getting use to it, I kept hearing this little voice. It was hard for me to hear it over my heart pounding and giddiness, but I head it say...'let go of the brakes, let go of the brakes'. This thing wants to go in a straight line and it wants to go fast. That is really un-nerving and will take some time to get use to, but it is its smoothest and fastest when you just hang on for the ride without using the brakes. The bike rquires very little rider input, wereas the Piranha required a LOT of rider input.

Cornering- Holy good gravy, this bike corners so much better than my Piranha. In sweeping corners I was riding parts of the trail I have never ridden before...the insides of corners. However on the tighter switch backs the bike requires you to brake the rear loose and swing that baby around. I like to ride that way, so it was very natural to to.

Jumping- As Stoney98 says...'it jumps in a straight fvcking line'. Thats the darned truth. On my first double with it I went to kick it out like I always do and nothing happend. By about the 4th or 5th time jumping the same double throughout the day, I figured out how to whip it like I was my Piranha. It just takes a little more umphf.

Rock gardens and rough stuff - The bike wants to go in a straight line, without brakes and it wants to do it as fast as possible. Stay low on the bike and let it work.

Swinger- After having ridden Avys for close to 3 years I was hesitant to try anything else, but after seeing a Swinger in person and being impressed with the size and quality I figured what the hay, I'd give it a try. It required more turns of the rebound than I am used to. Those that have ridden Avys know what I am talking about. They seem too over damped until you get them on the trail, then they come to life. With all the adjustments it will take some time to get it dialed like I want it, but first impressions are that I like it a lot. I hope it lasts through the season.

All-in-all I really like the bike and I am going to look forward to learning the bike and getting faster.

Pick after the ride at Windrock on Sunday...

 

[profro]

Stans update...

On my second run down I looked down and saw this... I uped the air pressure from 25 to 30psi and rode the rest of the day without insident or losing any air pressure. Its a Stans NoTubes strip with no sealant and a Maxxis Tubeless Minion DHR. The picture speaks for its self...

 

[bizutch]

Dude, you should have ridden with Me & Jeremy on Saturday. We pulled a burly freight train run on a secret shuttle....old, washedout gnarly jeep road. 45 minutes per shuttle.

I lost a crankarm....and incidentally....if your forks not stiff. Get a 888....I am now a covert....no more Boxxer! If your DH9 likes straight lines...it would have loved this mountain. Give 2 pedal strokes at the top....then ride the brakes for the rest of your journey!

Glad you got a new toy bro. My 888 is my new toy....looking forward to Snowshoe like I am?

 

[profro]

Yeah, JR kept going on and on about how gnarly the runs were on Saturday. He said he would give me a heads up the next time ya'll were going to run it.

Yeah, I can't wait for Snowshoe. I am excited that there is a new course, because I had never ridden the old one so I was going to be at a big disadvantage over those that had ridden it before.

Bad luck on your crankarm.

 

[RaID]

very nice
definately looks like it prefers the straight lines

 

[bizutch]

Originally posted by profro
Yeah, JR kept going on and on about how gnarly the runs were on Saturday. He said he would give me a heads up the next time ya'll were going to run it.

Yeah, I can't wait for Snowshoe. I am excited that there is a new course, because I had never ridden the old one so I was going to be at a big disadvantage over those that had ridden it before.

Bad luck on your crankarm.

yeah...I had every stump and root memorized. No matter where you run the course there, it's all gonna be the same type of riding.... I'll be the one making moto sounds and talking like I know the crowd....and dodging Mick Hannah...

 

[Horrendous Hack]

Sensational. Looks like it eats downhill courses . Smooth clean but devilish.

 

[Jeremy R]

Sweet Bike Doug. I enjoyed the beauty of the red color as your bike went flying through the air yesterday.
My bike got mad at me for riding it so much this weekend that after I dropped 10 feet onto my side, it decided to land on my head.
I am 100% officially worked today. My whole body hurts, but it was worth it.:devil: Now I know how I can ride when I am too sleepy to even drive.
Great weekend. Ripped it up with Butch on Saturday and Windrock on Sunday. Must stop typing now. Too much pain.

And oh yeah, the Red of the Yeti really does look sweet.
I think it is the fact that you do not see many of them, but
either way, It was nice.

 

[MMike]

Sweet!

I'd be curious to hear how your stickers hold up. I've ridden my new frame only twice now (yes....onlly two days of riding)....and the little "pointy" sticker in the middle of the "top tube" as it were, is already peeled half way off....

 

[Incubus]

Originally posted by RaID
very nice
definately looks like it prefers the straight lines

Oh, you mean the NASCAR inspired graphics.

She looks like she turns left nice too.

 

[profro]

Originally posted by stoney98
sexy. As for the jumping, the yeti is why I can do whips so well, once you can whip that baby, you can whip ANYTHING!

Yeah it was funny, it didn't even move at first.

Notice my eccentric mount position in the before and after pics? After one ride, I love the low, slack setup. But I am trying everything at first.

MMike, The stickers are already starting to peal all over the place. I need some 3M protective tape.

 

[bizutch]

Originally posted by Jeremy R
Sweet Bike Doug. I enjoyed the beauty of the red color as your bike went flying through the air yesterday.
My bike got mad at me for riding it so much this weekend that after I dropped 10 feet onto my side, it decided to land on my head.
I am 100% officially worked today. My whole body hurts, but it was worth it.:devil: Now I know how I can ride when I am too sleepy to even drive.
Great weekend. Ripped it up with Butch on Saturday and Windrock on Sunday. Must stop typing now. Too much pain.

And oh yeah, the Red of the Yeti really does look sweet.
I think it is the fact that you do not see many of them, but
either way, It was nice.

I hate you guys....I was at the house getting fatter and slower.

 

[Jeremy R]

Originally posted by bizutch
I hate you guys....I was at the house getting fatter and slower.

Yeah right. It that's true, then gravity must of been pulling you down the hill on Saturday.
Getting fat sure has not hurt your straight line ability one bit.
And dude, you know how tired we were on Saturday, I got less than 4 hours sleep that night, woke up at 6:00 and drove to Windrock. Pure Zombie.
I rode fine until the end of the day, when I got talked into one "extra" run. I had not been getting arm pump all weekend,
and then I just shut down. I was laying on the side of the trail yelling, because I had cramps running from my fingers to my elbows on both arms. They lasted like 5 minutes.
Needless to say, I have a massive DH hangover.

 

[profro]

Originally posted by Jeremy R
Yeah right. It that's true, then gravity must of been pulling you down the hill on Saturday.
Getting fat sure has not hurt your straight line ability one bit.
And dude, you know how tired we were on Saturday, I got less than 4 hours sleep that night, woke up at 6:00 and drove to Windrock. Pure Zombie.
I rode fine until the end of the day, when I got talked into one "extra" run. I had not been getting arm pump all weekend,
and then I just shut down. I was laying on the side of the trail yelling, because I had cramps running from my fingers to my elbows on both arms. They lasted like 5 minutes.
Needless to say, I have a massive DH hangover.

Yeah but the best wreck of the day was on Snakerock when you showed all that leg. ink: You looked like you were wearing Dolphin running shorts.

 

[bizutch]

Originally posted by Jeremy R
Yeah right. It that's true, then gravity must of been pulling you down the hill on Saturday.
Getting fat sure has not hurt your straight line ability one bit.
And dude, you know how tired we were on Saturday, I got less than 4 hours sleep that night, woke up at 6:00 and drove to Windrock. Pure Zombie.
I rode fine until the end of the day, when I got talked into one "extra" run. I had not been getting arm pump all weekend,
and then I just shut down. I was laying on the side of the trail yelling, because I had cramps running from my fingers to my elbows on both arms. They lasted like 5 minutes.
Needless to say, I have a massive DH hangover.

....awwwww, gee...I feel so much better now.

Maybe if you try lifting real weights instead of those little rubber coated ones in your Richard Simmons trampoline class, you can straight line your bike and crush rims and send your crank arm flying too.

You know what, on my second run, I took that last rock garden with only one crank arm about as fast as I had the run before with 2 cranks....BRAAAAPPPP!!!!

 

[Jeremy R]

Originally posted by bizutch
....awwwww, gee...I feel so much better now.

Maybe if you try lifting real weights instead of those little rubber coated ones in your Richard Simmons trampoline class, you can straight line your bike and crush rims and send your crank arm flying too.

You know what, on my second run, I took that last rock garden with only one crank arm about as fast as I had the run before with 2 cranks....BRAAAAPPPP!!!!

Ha, pure comedy coming from someone who has only been lifting half gallons of Mayfield's. How many reps can you do of Rocky Road?:devil:
Ha, I have taken out enough rims this year thank you very much.
And you don't get any gnar points for your crank falling off.
There is nothing hardcore about not tightening your cranks bolts.
You do get some points for trying to bunnyhop that vertical log though, even though that was more of a bunnyhope!

 

[bradical]

Originally posted by Jeremy R
Ha, pure comedy coming from someone who has only been lifting half gallons of Mayfield's. How many reps can you do of Rocky Road?:devil:
Ha, I have taken out enough rims this year thank you very much.
And you don't get any gnar points for your crank falling off.
There is nothing hardcore about not tightening your cranks bolts.
You do get some points for trying to bunnyhop that vertical log though, even though that was more of a bunnyhope!

Hahahaah... the log bunnyhop. That was classic. You guys are super fun to ride with and thanks for showing us that trail.

Ohh and sorry for super hijacking your thread. Your Dh-9 looks killer.

 

[GravityFreakTJ]

Sweet rig Profro! I have been thinking of getting a DH9 when i retire the Striaght8 but i've decided to go with a Turner instead.
Decisions decisions

 

[profro]

I rode this weekend with the SEI guys who are on Turners and those bike have a whole lot going for them. They are light, nimble, quick, and turn really well. That being said I don't regret getting the DH9 at all. I think I would prefer it over the Turner any how. I'm not a smooth rider, so I think the Yeti suits my straight line, plow over thing style. I am trying to get smoother and I don't think the Yeti wil hamper that either. Not one bike is best at everything and I knew that going into this. I knew that the Yeti would be much harder to turn in some of those tight turns at Windrock, but so much more of Windrock is plowing through rock gardens and I think the Yeti is better for that. I am really happy with it and I can't wait until this weekend to get back at it.

 

[GravityFreakTJ]

Can't wait til the get the shuttle rode open full time! I can't wait to get down there and ride again. Had a blast earlier this year on the new trails you guys built.That place gets better everytime i go there.Last time was on a hardtail and i actually enjoyed it

 

[Jeremy R]

Originally posted by GravityFreakTJ
Can't wait til the get the shuttle rode open full time! I can't wait to get down there and ride again. Had a blast earlier this year on the new trails you guys built.That place gets better everytime i go there.Last time was on a hardtail and i actually enjoyed it

Riding a DHR at Windrock is like pure bliss.
It is like having Jessica Alba in one hand and a big jar of homemade grape jelly in the other hand, and then putting the two together.:devil:

 

[profro]

Originally posted by Jeremy R
Riding a DHR at Windrock is like pure bliss.
It is like having Jessica Alba in one hand and a big jar of homemade grape jelly in the other hand, and then putting the two together.:devil:

I was thinking honey, but whatever.

 

[bizutch]

Originally posted by Jeremy R
Riding a DHR at Windrock is like pure bliss.
It is like having Jessica Alba in one hand and a big jar of homemade grape jelly in the other hand, and then putting the two together.:devil:

yeh.....gonna go get some krispy kreme now.....

 

[Nolifegeek]

LOL I just figured out who the hell ProFro is. Don't let him fool you people, Doug fell in love with the DH9 when he saw how pimp Nolifes ride was. . Congrats on your ride bro! That racer red looks alot sweeter then my flamer blue and I am green with envy over that swinger you have Best of luck in West Virginia!!

 

[Acadian]

About Stan’s…

Installed Stan's on 3 Mavic 521 rims and they all went flawlessly!! Inflated on the first try and mounted without any glitches.

To make sure the bead didn't bite on the strip while mounting the tires, I simply used a bit of soapy water on the stip before mounting the tires.... worked dandy!!

 

[profro]

Originally posted by Nolifegeek
LOL I just figured out who the hell ProFro is. Don't let him fool you people, Doug fell in love with the DH9 when he saw how pimp Nolifes ride was. . Congrats on your ride bro! That racer red looks alot sweeter then my flamer blue and I am green with envy over that swinger you have Best of luck in West Virginia!!

Yeah, I did love your bike when I rode it in SA and the Swinger is really nice. The damping isn't as nice as the Avalanche, but the ability to adjust the air volume and platform pressure is really nice.

I want a Dorado for this girl really bad.

Nolife, you riding more? You ought to come visit Josh and I and get in some riding at Windrock. Shuttle truck assisted with 2480 feet of vertical.

 

[bizutch]

Originally posted by profro
Yeah, I did love your bike when I rode it in SA and the Swinger is really nice. The damping isn't as nice as the Avalanche, but the ability to adjust the air volume and platform pressure is really nice.

I want a Dorado for this girl really bad.

Nolife, you riding more? You ought to come visit Josh and I and get in some riding at Windrock. Shuttle truck assisted with 2480 feet of vertical.

Doug, need some riding companions this weekend? I'm needing to put in some MAJOR runs!

 

[profro]

Yeah, for sure. We'll be there on Sunday as usual unless something happens.

 

[largerthan9]

congrats! on your return to Yeti....
your bike looks real familiar.... hmmmmmmmm
Maybe Ive seen it before under me!
JK your build looks a lot like my old one...

Man I miss that bike

 

[Nolifegeek]

"Nolife, you riding more? You ought to come visit Josh and I and get in some riding at Windrock. Shuttle truck assisted with 2480 feet of vertical. "

I have actually been riding bikes alot lately. I put a z150 on the switch making it a much better trail bike. I am racing the angel fire MSC race and the Durango Norba this summer and I am hoping to get out to ride with you guys after I recover from those trips. As far as that dorado goes I rebuilt mine using slick honey on the bushings and you would not believe the difference it made in that fork...That thing is awesome! I was also curious where you have your Bottom bracket set? I put mine on the lowest setting this year and while it took awhile to get used to the idea of paying attention to where my pedals are because its so freakin low I like the way the bike feels with that setting. It is now actually super easy to manual even with the 30 foot chainstays

 

[profro]

Originally posted by Nolifegeek
[BI was also curious where you have your Bottom bracket set? [/B]

I made one run with the BB set in the highest position, which is still super low. Then I switched it to the lowest position and holy poo that made a HUGE difference. I have left it there ever since. I'm even running 175 cranks at the momment. I had James order me a Ti bb spindle for some 170 Profiles I plan on putting on there, but I really don't hit my pedals too much as is. What's cool with the Swinger is that I can run the bike in lowest setting and use the shock to be progressive, not the frame. I remember your medium feeling much lower than mine. It must be the Dorado. I really want one, but my team is sponsered by Yeti and we are saving our money to get next year's frames with the new Fox DH fork.

Definately plan a trip, we got space to put you up. Actually James was thinking of coming up in September to race the last Windrock race on Sep. 11th and 12th. He's would race the MTNx. You could come then too.

 

[SpaZwEll]

nice ride ProFro.

I am definitely itching to get back up your way, sometime soon!!

save the $ and get you the slider +

 

[Nolifegeek]

"Definately plan a trip, we got space to put you up. Actually James was thinking of coming up in September to race the last Windrock race on Sep. 11th and 12th. He's would race the MTNx. You could come then too."

That would be awesome! I could carpool with James but I am not sure I could take all the talking . I will for sure try to make that race. If nothing else it would be worth it to watch James race MTX. That guy rips!
Any chance for you guys to make it to durango? We are going to close shop for a week and race the NMORS race the weekend before in Los Alamos, Ride in albuquerque for 2 days then head to the national. I am not sure if you know Kris but he bought a Cove Gspot and is riding really well on it and he will be going also. I have a few couches to surf in Durango to save $$ on hotels if you guys are interested. I am off to Angel Fire tommorow so I will check back with ya tuesday. Tell Josh I said "Hey" and have fun riding this weekend.....Peace!

 

[profro]

I almost went to Angel Fire, but couldn't pull the vacation and money so close to West Virginia. I don't think I'll make it to Durango either. Again not enough vacation and money. Otherwise I'd love to ride the national there. I've heard such good things about it.

Yeah, I want to see James rip a MTNx as well. I thought my riding improved so much riding around him, but at the same time I hated seeing how goofy I rode compared to his smoothness.

Good luck at the races and have fun riding in Alebequirky.

 

[bizutch]

hmmm....wonder who told you such good things about Durango? some guy who got 2nd Semi-Pro maybe????

Can't wait to see JP again....that psycho.

I haven't said anything to him yet, but I got an outside shot of going to Vegas. My company is sending our top 80 sales people to Vegas for 4 days. If I get it, I'll check into my hotel and make a B-Line for Boulder City. I'm #96 with 8 weeks to go.

 

[SinatorJ]

... You won't like boulder City, No mud, no trees, lots of Strippers close by, bars open 24 hrs. Just don't go in the summer time...
this was at the 3rd race