[Magish]

Well, after months of comparing and debating, I finally bought a new Yeti 575 earlier today; my first full suspension bike evAr. I actually went into the shop intent on buying a ASR-SL, however I decided to try out the 575 (I had been resisting due to weight), and I'm sure glad I did. Sure, it may not climb quite as quickly as my hardtail Stumpjumper, but it is a blast to ride. So, acting on my gut I bought a tuerquoise (sp) one right then and there, instead of the ASR-SL I had been drooling over for so long.

After my first little spin on it today, I am very glad with my decision. Though not quite as efficient as the ASR, it still has insanely little pedal bob for having so much travel. And after coming from my Stumpjumper with a 80mm travel front fork, playing with so much travel is great on the trails. I may have sacraficed some race-worthyness by going with the larger bike, however if it does really suck balls at the races (which I doubt), I can always use the stumpjumper as a Race hardtail. However, I do know that for normal trail riding use, I certainly made the right descision.
Cheers
-Jeff
(pics to come )

 

[hamachi]

pics pics pics! =)

 

[95Stumpy]

Congrats from another HT stumpy owner.

 

[lacticacidbath]

Once you'll get comfortable w/ the suspension, I think you'll find your 575 climbs BETTER than your old HT. The negative travel (sag) really helps keep the rear tire in contact with the trail, regardless of terrain. Maybe not so good for the out-of-the-saddle-hammering kind of climbs, but better for the sit and spin sort of stuff.

I also have a 575 in turoquoise, and a month later still completely blown away.

congrats

 

[Flyer]

Good choice on the Yeti. The 575 is an awesome ride. If you have the RP3, play with it a bit so it isn't going into most of its travel right off the bat. I find the bike climbs much better with a tighter setup.

 

[Magish]

Alright, here are a few pics for you all . Not my best photography, but it will do.

And a gratuitous Stumpy picture before the poor bike broke into many pieces

 

[Big Jim Mac]

Cool! Was it cheaper to order your bike in black and white?

From an old-school photojournalist, I approve of your B&W images. I think this color thing is just a fad that is going to go away eventually...

 

[Magish]

Cool! Was it cheaper to order your bike in black and white?

From an old-school photojournalist, I approve of your B&W images. I think this color thing is just a fad that is going to go away eventually...

Sadly, no I didn't get a discount for that .

I've really started to enjoy black and white photography as well, and especially as I am *starting* to get the hang of the camera I bought a few months ago (Nikon D70), I really like it. Film photography has always pleased me, however going digital has made it so easy to shoot many many pictures without feeling guilty.
-Jeff

 

[Big Jim Mac]

That's a great camera. I just did an epic ride (Berryman trail in Missouri) with a D-2 and two lenses stuffed in my Camelback. Just about killed me but I made some great photos! I've got a Topeak bag that will hold a D-2 with a 300 mm lens attached. Lets me sneak up on the wildlife riding the bike. Keep those photos coming!

Jim

 

[Cisco43]

congrats on the new ride.......
nice pics too......

 

[Magish]

That's a great camera. I just did an epic ride (Berryman trail in Missouri) with a D-2 and two lenses stuffed in my Camelback. Just about killed me but I made some great photos! I've got a Topeak bag that will hold a D-2 with a 300 mm lens attached. Lets me sneak up on the wildlife riding the bike. Keep those photos coming!

Jim

Wow, bringing a D-2 with you on a ride . Thats some determination. . Would you mind providing any pictures? I'm interested to see some of your stuff!

Thanks everybody for the comments! I've now gotten about 40 miles out of the thing, with the only issue being a mis-adjusted front deraileur that kept throwing the chain off the big chainring. However, once I got home I quickly adjusted that and it worked beautifully again .
-Jeff

 

[Big Jim Mac]

Here's some stuff from a story I did on mountain biking. It was all shot at Council Bluff Lake trail south of St. Louis. It's hard to shoot mt. biking in Missouri because it's all in heavy woods so you have to balance available light with flash.

http://www.pbase.com/stlbiking/burning_2005&page=1

No Yetis here, I don't think there are many in Missouri -- yet!

Jim

 

[Magish]

Well, one dissapointment has come up, less with the bike but more with the shop I bought it from.

After riding this evening with a riding buddy who also picked up a new 575 a few days ago, I was dissapointed to find that even though I explicitly asked what the difference between the '06 and the '07 was at the shop, the somewhat brain-dead guy who was helping me and his pushy assistant manager told me nothing besides the 140mm front fork (not important to me). However, now reading a bit more I find that it actually gets the RP23 rear shock, which I liked better when I rode (just thinking it was a better tuned RP3). Even though I got the "lesser" bike of the two, I still paid the same amount. :skep:.

I'd think if I was spending as much as I did on the bike, they would at least let me know that I was chosing between the two shocks. I'm going to call the place tomorrow and see if I can get a RP23 put on instead of the RP3, or at least at a discounted cost. Its not really that big of deal, but I think given how much I paid I should ask for the best bike possible.

More pics coming tomorrow, as I'm breaking out the camera for the bike's first ride on Golden, CO's Dakota Ridge trail.
Cheers
-Jeff

 

[Chaser]

Hi Magish,

I think the RP3 is better than the 23 - Performance wise they are identical, the only difference is that you only get 2 levels of adjustment on the RP23 - off, and pro pedal on.
Granted you can change the pro pedal level, but with the RP3 you have off, and 2 levels of pro pedal anyway.

I would stick with RP3 - newer is not always better!

Chase.

 

[Big Jim Mac]

Hi Magish,

I think the RP3 is better than the 23 - Performance wise they are identical, the only difference is that you only get 2 levels of adjustment on the RP23 - off, and pro pedal on.
Granted you can change the pro pedal level, but with the RP3 you have off, and 2 levels of pro pedal anyway.

I would stick with RP3 - newer is not always better!

Chase.

There's a review on all the new Fox stuff including the RP23 in the new MB Action magazine, just got mine today. They liked the lighter weight (7.5 inches) and about everything else on the new shock. "noticebly better over sharp impacts." Not sure this stuff is out there yet? These are 2007 forks and shocks. Sounds like some pretty good offerings from Fox. The new Talas is kind of strange, from what I gather it doesn't give you infinite range but rather three adjust on the fly settings from 5.5 to 4.75 to 3.9 inches. If you get the mag look for the Yeti 575!

 

[Magish]

Hi Magish,

I think the RP3 is better than the 23 - Performance wise they are identical, the only difference is that you only get 2 levels of adjustment on the RP23 - off, and pro pedal on.
Granted you can change the pro pedal level, but with the RP3 you have off, and 2 levels of pro pedal anyway.

I would stick with RP3 - newer is not always better!

Chase.

Well after toying with the thing last night, and going for a ride today with the pro-pedal on its strongest setting, and that fixed things right up. Besides, I don't really want to go through getting the new shock with a race and a long ride this weekend.

Nice ride this morning, but the goddamed camera ran out of batteries before the first pictre :madman: :madmax:. Maybe next time I'll get some action pics.
-Jeff

 

[Chaser]

RP23 v RP3

Well after toying with the thing last night, and going for a ride today with the pro-pedal on its strongest setting, and that fixed things right up. Besides, I don't really want to go through getting the new shock with a race and a long ride this weekend.

Nice ride this morning, but the goddamed camera ran out of batteries before the first pictre :madman: :madmax:. Maybe next time I'll get some action pics.
-Jeff

Regarding the article in MB Action which tought the RP23 was better - I checked with Mojo who are the UK service agent, they said apart from the pro pedal adjuster, the RP3 is technically identical!

Have a good ride @ the weekend.

Chaser

 

[eatdrinkride]

MBA almost ALWAYS likes new over current stuff, if they didn't what would they write about? Lol but true.

Don't sweat it.....spend a few days (or a month in my case) getting the pressure set right on your RP3 for the desired trails. It only gets better once you do that. I've said it before and I'll say it again...even after 8 or 9 months on my 575 I love it more every day, no joke!

Enjoy!

 

[Magish]

Well thanks everybody for the helpful comments. And I frogot to complement Big Jim Mac on your photography which is great! Maybe lugging the big camera around is worth it afterall.

This bike really does seem to get better and better. After further playing with the rear shock, bumping up the pressure to above the recomended for my weight, and putting pro-pedal on its strongest setting, I believe that I am getting closer to the perfect tune. Today's early morning ride before work gave me about 22 miles of varied terrain, with the most technical streaches its had yet. It took a couple little short tech. hills to get used to it, but once I got going I found it to be quite remarkable on the rough slow stuff. This bike just continues to impress me every time I ride it .

More pics to come, promise! Battery is charging as we speak
-Jeff