Employee Rides: Liam's Yeti SB5.5

Many of you have seen Liam all over our social media. There is good reason behind that. Liam is not only a very nit-picky Mechanic. He is also a silent shredder. Being the Head Mechanic to our store in California you could imagine he will have some personal touches to a sweet bike. Let's see what he is riding.

What are you ridding?
I am riding a 2018 Yeti SB5.5 size Large

Why did you choose this bike?
Ive been on 29ers for about 5 years now, having a long travel 29er that isn't a slug uphill is my end goal. The Yeti SB5.5 covers all my needs

What are a few components that you picked specifically for this build?
Most visual is Rockshox suspension front and rear, mostly because it was blacked out. Other key components I like are Shimano XT brakes, Raceface Turbine R wheels, Raceface Turbine R stem, Fizik Antares saddle, and E*Thirteen TRS tires.

What are some of your personal touches?
Having ridden XC bikes and being a shop wrench there are a lot of specific things I am particular about. A bike can be setup perfect but if its noisy I am going to hate riding it. I do a lot to make my bikes quiet - the cables get short, and I tape together the shifter and rear brake. In the frame, I put a piece of packing foam to keep the cables from hitting and making noise. Out back, I added some mastic tape around the chain & seatstays as well as in the area the tire throws rocks which helps with noise and scratching. Lastly, I make the rear derailleur not pivot back and tighten to the frame by adding a pedal washer in the bolt to take up the room that allows it to move freely.

For bike setup, one of the most noticeable differences from most bikes are the narrow bars. Having narrow shoulders and a recent dislocation, riding 740mm bars makes or breaks how my bike feels. Also, ODI Elite Pro Grips keep me feeling like home on any bike. Another personal setup is the use of an offset shock bushing. This helps slack out the head tube angle .4 of a degree and drop that bottom bracket a hair as well. Suspension is set up progressive and on the stiff side for my weight: 3 tokens in the fork and 6 bands in the rear. Also, I'm running a set of prototype tire inserts called Mynesweepers which help to not smash my rims when I land on rocks as well as provide support in both rough sections and corners. The last thing I need is my Fizik Antares Saddle. If I'm pedaling at all I do not agree with any other saddle. For looks I painted and took off logos of a lot of silver or white parts, I wanted this to be a black beauty named Black Betty...

How does this bike compare to others you have built in the past?
This bike is much more suited for aggressive riding; my first SB5.5 I built up was a medium and setup like a trail bike. This time around I built a large for more stability and picked out components that are more aggressive enduro / DH style parts. I have spent a lot of time getting the suspension dialed in for small bump and big hits.

Why do you run such a particular set up?
A lot of my setup is split with my background of BMX and XC. Having both ends of the spectrum there are things from both I like: suspension being stiff and progressive is from my BMX jumping history. Things like pedaling position and saddle choice are from XC, also narrow bars are likely from XC as well.

How does it ride?
She really gets me high, Black Betty joke. Rides like a hard charging long travel 29er should. Smashes rocks, corners on rails and climbs so good for a bike of this travel. Once I got comfortable nothing seems out of this bikes limit - I've gone faster and am more comfortable on the local rough trails, gotten into some hair ball situations in Sedona, and hit some big jumps in some natural free-ride lines.

Is there anything you have thought of changing?
Not much, I really like to try new tires, but those are parts that wear out anyways. As far as the components on the bike now there is nothing I would change, this bike is solid, quiet, and a dream to ride.

Any last words?
Don't get too attached. Unlike other things, bikes like to get ridden hard, put away wet & dirty, they don't care if you pawn them off and try something new :)