Jared's Yeti ASR Dream Build Bike Check

Words & Photos by Jared Erickson

It’s been years since I’ve had anything even remotely close to a cross country bike. In fact, I’ve really never had a proper modern cross country bike. If memory serves correctly, my last foray even remotely into this realm was in the form of a Yeti SB100 that I went way down the weight weenie rabbit hole. Around that same time I dabbled with a couple of Revel Rangers as well as a Yeti SB115 - none of them quite full fledged XC bikes in that regard and definitely more on the downcountry end of the spectrum in the way I built them up. So when the new Yeti ASR came out, I knew immediately that one day it would have a place in my quiver so I could see what these purebred XC machines were all about. A year and a half later, I’ve built up my ideal version that’s ready for some proper punishment.

Introduction

The ASR is a bike that needs little introduction. It has been a mainstay in Yeti’s lineup going back 25 years that was eventually replaced by the SB100 & its successors and now we’re stoked to have a true blue modern XC bike from one of our favorite brands. I chose this bike for several reasons - I have my eye on some endurance/XC focused mountain bike events in the future, as well as some other adventures where this bike would thrive. Plus, it happens to be a fantastic bike for the Conejo Valley where we live and ride 99% of the time. I've ridden the ASR a handful of times, and even reviewed the bike for WC when it was released (yes I've gotten a haircut since then). I had been looking at the ASR on Yeti's website so much I felt like a stalker, and as soon as I saw the new Purple Haze color drop, I began to salivate and knew the time to pounce was now.

Suspension

I’ve always been a fan of Fox suspension and I knew that I wanted to build up this bike with a mix of XC-adjacent suspension for an adaptable setup - I opted for the Fox Factory 34 SL in 130mm travel as opposed to the 120mm only step cast model so I could change the travel in case I felt like it. I also went for the Fox Float rear shock to get a little more volume and mid stroke support over the Float SL and stock RockShox SID rear shock. For dropper post duties, I employed Fox’s Transfer Neo dropper post to keep the cockpit tidy and minimize cables - the same reason why I decided to not run any remote lockout as well as a wireless drivetrain.

So far I have been very pleased with this suspension setup - I haven’t had to fiddle with it much in order to make it feel good on the trail. The Grip SL damper in the fork seems to have a decent level of downhill performance considering the application, plus a solid lockout for a strong pedaling platform, as does the Float rear shock. I have been occasionally experimenting with the 3 different compression modes in the shock to see which has the best combination of pedaling support and descending performance, and even at the lightest compression setting the platform has very little pedal bob. For not being specifically tuned to the ASR platform, I’m happy with the setup so far. Depending on how I end up using this bike in the long run, I also have the option to upgrade the fork damper to the GripX for slightly more descending performance - or the Grip X2 if I really go bananas.

Drivetrain & Brakes

It’s been nearly 10 years since I ran a full fledged Shimano drivetrain and brake setup, and things have certainly come a long way since then. This bike is running the very same XTR drivetrain and brakes that I had equipped on my SB140 for the last six months or so, and now it has a forever home upon my ASR. Here I’m running the 32t chainring up front paired with the 9-45t cassette and the shorter cage derailleur. I have been a big fan of how quick and crisp this setup fires off shifts and it seems like the harder you pedal, the smoother it shifts. I may opt for the 30t chainring eventually if I’m venturing to areas with lots of steep climbing, or if I decide I want to be lazier. 

The XTR 9220 brakes have been great so far, and I’ve paired them with a 180mm Galfer Shark rotor in the rear and a 203mm rotor up front, at least for now. Eventually I'd like to get native centerlock rotors instead of running centerlock to 6 bolt adaptors, but I happened to have these rotors already. Unfortunately, the rear triangle of the ASR is not compatible with the 4 piston 9220 caliper due to clearance issues. I ended up snagging a 9200 2 piston rear caliper to pair with the 9220 lever assembly - a combination fondly referred to by our friends at Shimano as the “chicken/beef combo”. So far, so good. 

Cockpit & Contact points

I typically run an extremely short stem with at least a 30mm rise bar, but this bike calls for something a little different. I’ve gone with a 50mm Trail One Rockville Stem, paired with a 20mm rise Crockett Carbon handlebar cut down to 760mm. It’s taken me a bit to get used to the longer stem, but it seems to suit this bike well. I may opt for a slightly shorter stem eventually for a little more of a playful feel, but for now I’m happy with how this works. Trail One Hell’s Gate Grips keep the hands happy, an Ergon SM Pro Saddle keeps the bum happy, and my feet are supported by Crankbrothers Mallet Trail pedals. Overall it’s not the most weight weenie setup possible by any means, but I feel as though it suits the bike’s intentions. 

Wheels & Tires

I have personally never run any wheels from Shimano before, so I didn’t really know what to expect when I got these XTR WH-M9200 wheels. Consider me blown away. Weighing in just under 1200g which is shockingly light even for an XC wheelset, these carbon wheels laced with titanium straight pull spokes are some of the most impressive wheels I’ve ever run. I ran them for some time underneath my SB140 to give the bike some XC chops, and was impressed with how they handled abuse. They should work just fine on this here XC steed.

Now they have a proper home on the ASR, wrapped in some Maxxis rubber in the form of a Forekaster up front and a Rekon out back. I know it’s not the lightest tire setup by any means for a bike like this - I’m definitely looking forward to trying some seriously light and fast rubber, but I’m familiar with this setup and for now, they work. 

Accessories 

It feels like I’m in a constant state of accessory optimization. Always looking for a setup that has all of the essentials that won’t leave me stranded, yet it’s easy to switch from bike to bike and isn’t too heavy and bulky. I just might have nailed it on this bike in particular. For my ASR I decided to try out the 40cc Wolf Tooth EnCase pump, and store my EnCase hex bit tool inside it for an easily deployable multi tool. Inside my WC x Occam frame strap, I have a spare tubolito in case things get really nasty, as well as a spare master link, crank brothers multi tool with chain breaker, tire patch & tire lever. I’ll normally carry a tire plug kit in my bib, if I remember to bring it.

You might be wondering why I have two multi tools, why I have ugly metal bottle cages on such a modern, gorgeous carbon bike, and why on earth would I pack on so many grams onto such a light and featherweight machine? Well the reasons are simple really, you need two tools in order to loosen/tighten the shock bolts on this bike as well as the upper linkage bolt, the crank brothers tool has my chain breaker on it, and I just so happen to like how adjustable these bottle cages are and how secure they keep water bottles on the frame. I also like to support Wolf Tooth whenever I can as I appreciate their dedication to their right to repair ethos, and the fact that they make as many things as they can in the country. 

Ride Impressions

You're probably wondering, HOW DOES IT RIDE?? Well, my adaptation to riding purebred xc bikes coming from riding strictly enduro and trail bikes for the last few years has certainly taken some adjustment. With that said, I am absolutely blown away by the capability of this bike and how much it encourages you to fly up climbs and carry speed all over the place - it's also dangerously capable on the downhill. This bike really wants to cover ground. Obviously, line choice is much more important here with everything being so lightweight and optimized for speed and efficiency than on those other bikes I've been used to with massive knobby tires and plush suspension. Long story short, this bike isn't nearly as forgiving as what I have been used to. You have to really use your body english to your advantage during all aspects of a ride and can't get away with being sloppy or lazy on the bike. It really makes you appreciate how skilled the top tier XC racers are, riding featherweight bikes with barely enough rubber to keep the tires on the ground. All this to say, I am really falling in love with this bike and can't wait to really continue dialing in my setup and putting tons of miles on it.