We caught up with Bikemagic regular Mike Ayles at the recent Bikemagic Garmin Ride Out Series and were blown away when he told us his stunning Yeti 575 cost £900. A bargain superbike, we had to find out more. So we stuck a few questions his way, here’s what he had to say.
Bikemagic: Tell us about your Yeti? How did it all come about?
Mike Ayles: Bikemagic regulars generally know I’m a bit hard on kit, there’s not a single component that i’ve not broken at some point or another. When I broke my last frame, I was pretty busy and had recently injured myself, so I had some time to find a decent replacement.
As a student, the replacement had to be cheap, with my student loan barely covering my rent and no other income support apart from a part time bar job, I was looking at the cheap of the cheap, even considering switching back to a hardtail.
I spent my evenings scouring the classifieds on bike websites and stumbled upon a used Yeti 575 for just over £500 with a few bits on it and used my rent money to snap that up. When it turned up, it dawned on me that my RS Revelation 130 and cross country wheels weren’t up to the job. For this bike to be a reality, it needed to be funded. So everything on the old bike went up for sale, right down to the rear shock.
Other bargains include the Fox 36 Talas RC2, which was bought for £175 in good condition, but poor performance and nearly all of the parts bought from Superstar Components.
By the time I had everything, I was only £900 out of pocket. Some of the kit was used, others were end of line stock. By taking my time and looking for bargains, I was able to build a bike that matched my riding style exactly, with no parts i would worry about breaking. All at a price that wouldn’t have bought me a bottom of the range, off the peg full suspension bike.
BM: How long did it take to build?
MA: Getting all the parts, took me about a month, but the build only took about an hour with a six pack of Budweiser
BM: Any problems sourcing the right parts?
MA: Even though a lot of the kit was second hand, I did have to buy some things new. The wheels from Superstar Components cost little more than the two rims and even came with tubeless kits.
BM: What lessons did you learn in building it up?
MA: I had the hacksaw out more times than most people would consider sane/safe. There was some compatibility problems with the chainset’s granny ring mounts and the chain devices backplate. I should also have read the website when ordering the chain device, and whenI get a bash ring to counter the problem of the wrong device, I need bolts that fit it. Else it will fall off. At Afan.
I’ve also had to service the old 36 Talas, whilst i’m no stranger to forks, the Talas had enough bits in there to be causing the performance reducing stiction, so out came the hacksaw again. It’s now just a simple air sprung fork, with much fewer moving parts in the spring side and remarkably feels a lot plusher. As far as lessons go: Kitchens make good, clean environments for working on suspension, but when draining the damper, you may get a face full of oil.
Tyre clearance. Nightmare. I foolishly assumed that the 575 would have plenty of clearance, so I ordered a pair of Schwalbe Fat Alberts for half their RRP. It didn’t fit, not even close. I then got hold of a Specialized Eskar for about £20, which did fit, but the clearance was a bit risky. Eventually, i decided to get a WTB Bronson in it’s 2.1 race carcass from The Bike Hub in Swansea. The owners informed me that they weren’t available yet, but a couple of days later, i get a phone call, saying my tyre had arrived. I did pay full price for it, but it’s been worth every penny.
BM: What tips would you give to anyone wanting to build up their own bargain superbike?
MA: Patience is the key, you may see a bargain now, but a better one will be around the corner.
Forums may have threads like the Bargain thread on bikemagic, which has some seriously good deals, and word of mouth is great for spreading information. If you don’t mind the branding, the kit from companies such as Superstar Components has proven to be solid and reliable at about half the competitions prices.
Got a bike you’re proud of and want to tell us about? Email us with a short description and some photos to [email protected]
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