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Yeti SB140 Mullet: AXS, Hope, Onyx

Yeti SB140 Mullet

Custom Yeti SB140 Mullet with AXS, Hope, Onyx and more

This Yeti SB140 Mullet has slightly less travel than Yeti’s mullet geometry. With a lower 29″ front end the SB140’s on trail performance is much closer to the balance expected in the 27.5″ configuration.

Attention to detail, and a bit of Covid availability compromise are seen tip to tail on this bike.

Yeti SB140 Ron Burgundy Top Tube

 

The Yeti SB140 Ron (Burgundy) frame really comes alive in natural UV light. With such an original and bold color this build uses shades of gray, black and silver tones for contrast.

 

Custom color Hope Tech3 V4 Brakes by BikeCo

 

Whether you’re looking for small subtly or bold colors our Custom Hope Brake Builder allows just the right accents to your build. Hope brakes offer excellent modulation and power.  Adjustable reach and bite point controls are shown here.  This build features Hope to SRAM 1 piece clamps for a clean cockpit setup. SRAM AXS drivetrain provides crisp, reliable shifting without a cable further cleaning the cockpit look.

Somewhat off topic: The pyramid grip surface on the Deity grips reminds me of perspective and light art classes from school…

 

Absolute Black Oil Slick Oval Chainring

 

The Absolute Black oval chain ring in Oil Slick / Rainbow, black XX1 AXS chain and titanium Cane Creek eeWings cranks offer nice contract on the drivetrain. A carbon MRP upper guide helps with chain retention in the chunkier terrain.

 

HT Components T1 pedals

 

HT Components T1 pedals are extremely popular with Enduro and Trail riders. Available in a variety of colors the T1 pedals tie in well with the medium grays on this build. One trick to the T1 pedals is to run them slightly tighter on the release than you might have run previous pedals. It might seem counter intuitive but running them slightly tighter improves the clip out feel making it easier for many riders.

SB140 Mullet Build by BikeCo

Chris King Dropset

 

Frames with integrated headsets can still take advantage of the Chris King precision performance. DropSet headsets provide unmatched quality of bearings and a variety of colors to accent your build. The King bearing is slightly taller than the Cane Creek integrated option which leads to this small gap on many frames like the Yeti SB140. This gap doesn’t really effect performance and I consider it akin to a badge of honor to run another American made component on my bike!

This SB140 has 20mm of carbon spacers under the stem. Modern bikes have gone back to a bit taller handlebars for improved performance particularly in steep terrain. When your hands are too low the bike often feels like it is being “pulled” backwards out from underneath you in chutes. Having your hands in the proper power position gives you the leverage to essentially “punch back” when the trail tries to take your bike from you!

This client chose the Industry Nine A318 stem in pink to acknowledge Cancer Awareness. Chromag bars weren’t his first choice, but with availability issues they were the best option with proper rise and a good sweep and carbon layup. More and more manufacturers are catching back up (Shimano is one big exception – but more on that some other time) meaning that Covid Compromise is effecting less and less builds.

 

Mullet SB140

 

Another product we’re seeing more and more riders gravitate to are Onyx hubs. Designed for instant engagement and silent freewheeling these hubs are available in a range of colors to accent your build.

The silent hub is much more notably than you might think – when I wheel Onyx bikes out to take pictures there’s always a “what’s missing” feeling until I remember it’s the Onyx hubs… Onyx hubs silent engagement are a touch heavier than other options – but for riders looking to really hear what their tires are doing and what’s around them they’re a cool option.

In the market for a custom bike? Semi-custom? Factory build with upgrades? Or just a stock build? In every case BikeCo is your resource.  We offer the best spec, setup, tune and pricing in MTB. We invite you to chat, email or call our staff today.

See you on the trails!


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Peas & Carrots: Custom Mullet Yeti SB165

Custom Mullet Yeti SB165

Enjoy some shots of this custom Mullet Yeti SB165 build by BikeCo.com. This Yeti Moss Green frame is set off with orange accents from Fox Suspension as well as CushCore valve stems.

Park, big mountain and enduro riding are on the slate for this build. Contact points include Ergon GE1 Evo Factory Grips, Ergon SM Enduro saddle as well as HT Component Pedals.

 

BikeCo Pro Tune Decals on Fox 38 Fork

 

The 29″ front wheel provides additional roll over capacity while slightly mellowing the steering input. The smaller, stock, 27.5″ wheel in the rear gives riders more room to maneuver when jumping the bike as well as turns corners more quickly.  The slightly smaller circumference will accelerate more quickly when you jump on the power out of a corner.

 

Tag Metals MTB Stem and Bar combination

 

A popular “new” entrant to MTB at this level Tag Metals offer an excellent stem. Light and stiff the T1 stem transfers power well. The T1 Carbon bars are stiff enough to be effective without crossing into the “teeth rattler” realm some carbon bars are known to hit. Shop Handlebars here.

Another popular spec here at The Bike Company are Magura brakes. This bike features the MT7 brakes with HC levers. Magura’s 4 piston brakes allow riders to have both power and modulation. Modulation is defined as how the brake ramps into it’s power. For instance putting a stick in your spokes has a ton of instant stopping power, but, it’s gonna be hard to control. Conversely putting your foot on the back of the wheel (remember no brake bikes as kids?) isn’t going to stop you quick enough. These same issues are prevalent in MTB brakes. Some brakes bring the power on too quickly which can make them hard to control particularly in wet or low traction conditions. Other brakes lack the total power to confidently slow riders down. Magura has spent years dialing in the balance allowing riders to fine tune performance with rotor size and pad compounds. Find Magura Brakes Here.

 

Magura MT7 with HC Lever

Magura MT7 Caliper on Moss Green Mullet Yeti SB165

Custom Mullet Yeti SB165

 

HT Components Pedal mounted to RaceFace Next R Carbon Cranks

 

AE03 EVO+ Stealth pedals give the perfect look with their stealth graphics and black traction pins. RaceFace Next R carbon cranks transfer power to the SRAM drivetrain. Shop flat pedals here.

 

Thrust Bearing on MTB Coil Shock

 

The devil’s in the details and here’s a good one… Chat with our team about your next dream bike or dialing in your current rig!

 

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Ibis HD5 Mullet

Mullet Ibis HD5 Build

Ibis HD5 Mullet

Well, like any great mystery there’s only one image of this one, but at least it’s not blurry… This Ibis HD5 Mullet was wrapped up late but we had to shoot it before it went to it’s new home.

This bike features a slightly under-traveled fork to keep the mullet’s 29″ front end at a similar total height of the 27.5″ option. This gives the bike a more “as designed” headtube angle and therefor trail measurement.

Building a Mullet with the same amount of fork travel would notably slacken the bike out. When you go too slack with a bike it doesn’t want to change direction due to increase in the wheel flop as well as the modified contact points.

Working to keep the axle to crown measurement closer to the 27.5″ design allows BikeCo’s mullet builds to maintain a personality closer to the stock design. The advantages of the bigger wheel include increased angle of attack from the larger diameter, slightly mellower handling from the larger wheel / mass as well as notably improved braking.

Highlights of this Mullet HD5

Built for a long-time BikeCo client this is a special bike and it was great to see it leave the shop with a stoked rider.

BikeCo Pro Tune suspension front and rear help personalize the performance window and setup.

Industry Nine stem and Chris King inset headset in orange give the bike some added pop. One-Up carbon bar, seatpost and chain guide. SRAM X01 AXS drivetrain with a 52t copper cassette and a Wolf Tooth Oval chainring drive the bike. Magura MT7 with HC3 levers and Hope 2 piece orange rotors stop it.

And once again this build is highlighted with custom Chris King wheels. The matte mango King hubs are laced to WTB aluminum KOM Tough rims with DT Swiss spokes.

Chris King hubs, serviced approximately yearly, have a near infinite service life. King products are made in Portland Oregon giving your bike some Made in the USA credibility. Wolf Tooth as well as some Industry Nine products are as well.

In the market? Email, call or chat in to go through your riding requirements with our team today.


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Mullet Ibis HD5

Mullet Ibis HD5 Build

Mullet Ibis HD5

Enjoy a couple photos of this Mullet Ibis HD5 before it heads to it’s new home.

Mullet setups consist of a 29″ front fork and wheel with a 27.5″ rear wheel. Generally mullet bikes are based around 27.5″ frames to keep the bottom bracket from dropping as it would on a 29″ bike.

The larger front wheel offers some interesting advantages that mullet riders take advantage of. Notably are the improved roll over or angle of attack from the larger diameter, the slightly mellowed steering input from the larger wheel as well as improved braking performance.

When we first started testing Mullet HD5 setups we gained a lot of insight from BikeCo Pro Rider Brian Lopes. Brian pointed out how much harder he could confidently get on the brakes before and even into a corner on the larger front wheel.

With a smaller rear tire riders are also able to stay lower on the bike in the steeps or the air. The 27.5″ rear tends to be faster and more agile around tight corners in steep terrain as well. This is one of the reasons you see so many Mullet’s on the EWS circuit – although you may have to look closely as not every brand acknowledges the larger wheel option!

Ibis HD5 Mullet Build

Building a Mullet

We’ve been testing a variety of mullet setups over the past couple seasons. What we’ve found is running a slightly under-traveled fork helps maintain the bike’s personality and performance.

Since the last few mm’s of your bike’s suspension really aren’t where you’re living through the stroke few riders notice that compromise. Compare this to adding a bunch of trail and headtube angle (and with those adding wheel flop) which riders will notice quickly when trying to change directions. Almost every rider leans towards having better handling!

The larger front wheel also creates some “false travel” to make up for some of the change to accommodate the axle to crown measurement.

Questions? No problem. Our team has the answers to help you spec the right bike or upgrades. Call, email or chat today.

Build Details

This HD5 build is highlighted with some of the best bits available in MTB.

FOX Factory Suspension front and rear is Pro Tuned for a personalized setup specific to rider weight, aggression, ground speeds and terrain. With Pro Tune suspension we narrow FOX’s performance range for an individual client. This means every click is a more minute adjustment providing riders even more performance from their FOX forks and shocks.

SRAM X01 AXS shift pod and rear derailleur control a 52t copper cassette and 12sp copper chain pulled by RaceFace Next-R carbon cranks and a Wolf Tooth chainring. The X01 AXS derailleur is slightly more robust than the XX1 counterpart – great for aggressive riding in burly terrain.

Red highlights across the bike include an Industry Nine stem as well as Chris King headset.

Red Chris King hubs are laced to WTB rims built in-house. A variety of DT Swiss spokes are available depending on performance and weight goals.

Keeping this Mullet HD5 under control in the steeps are Magura HC rotors with Magura MT5 brakes with HC levers.


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More MTB Mullets – Comparing Travel, Headtube, Trail & Flop

Measure Your Mullet

More MTB Mullets – Comparing Travel, Headtube, Trail & Flop

An interesting question come across my email wondering about MTB Mullet setup. In particular headtube angles and performance. How did the headtube angle compare between the Yeti SB165 in a 27.5″ stock setup with a 180mm fork compared to the Mullet 29″ 170mm concept?

What started as a quick email reply of concept turned into a more thorough review and I thought with more questions on MTB mullets these days we could put it up on a post for everyone.

So, the disclaimers. I couldn’t find Yeti’s published SB165 Mullet geo so I build a model to review. These models aren’t gospel truth on geo, but having been in this game for a lot of years some of the geo’s you’ve seen published I wouldn’t take for gospel either. Point is, these numbers will give you an idea of the concept I wouldn’t bet the farm on precision four points behind the decimal…

Next disclaimer. It could be a thesis trying to explain how these changes directly modify performance so we’re not going there today. We’ll have some basic concept and comparison of how one change directly modifies a whole bunch of the handling.

OK here we go. Continue reading More MTB Mullets – Comparing Travel, Headtube, Trail & Flop