Finally managed to get the last few bits to finish off this bike, just in time for an unveiling at Keyesville this coming weekend.
What you see here is the first Yeti ever sold to the public (according to JP that is). So you can call it Yeti #1 or not, either way it pretty much represents the genesis of the brand! If you've read my little writeup on the early history of Yeti you've seen a few shots of this bike when I first got it. But it was in unusable shape and not looking very racy. So, here are a few shots all cleaned up and dressed up to roll. I haven't had time to do a proper photo shoot, so the backyard, in front of an old fence shots in direct sunlight will have to suffice for now.
Well here it is. Lots of red here, I kinda wish the cranks were silver or maybe some chrome Bullseye, but this is how I got it after all these years, so this is how it's going to stay.
BMX style bars and stem were a short lived carry over from the Motocruiser days. You can see the foundation of the famous Yeti top tube cable routing, only here it's split across both sides of the top tube.
Famous loop stays, you can see the pronounced OD variation during the transition, I'm guessing JP hadn't quite gotten his sourcing of tubing all squared away.
Shimano 600EX (FC-6206) touring cranks powdercoated red by JP so that Shimano would not ask for them back.
Campagnolo Triomphe front derailleur adapted for Yeti cable routing
Campagnolo Triomphe touring rear derailleur with Bullseye sealed bearing derailleur pulleys.
It took a while to get the 1st generation Yetiman head tube badge redone, but I think it came out great!
Bullseye hubs, straight off of a BMX and adapted for 130mm rear spacing, laced to Weinmann rims
Magura brake levers with Simplex friction thumb shifters.
Badge of honor for any vintage mountain bike
The original Yeti decals had the frosted Yeti and the simple black and white ice axe. Later on some more color was added when Yeti used them again on early Ultimates in 89/90.
Weinmann brakes stop surprisingly well, but not that well.
IRC Racer X-1 tires really complete the aggressive look of this bike.
Lots of Campy here, a bit of foreshadowing of the short lived sponsorship of Yeti by Campy in the late 80s.
Bullseye rear hub with a Shimano 600EX 6-spd freewheel.
Trademark Yeti wishbone stay extension with front derailleur cable stop.
I'm very happy with this bike. Seems like a dumb thing to say as it is a very special bike. It's a neat look into the starting point of what has been one of the longest living mountain bike company and one that has really change the face of the sport many of us have grown to love. You can see John picking out many of the parts and hoping they would make the bike standout from the rest. While it's not the best performing bike I am looking forward to getting it out for a easy trail ride and see how it does. I have to imagine it's not going to be too different from a FRO, but maybe...
What you see here is the first Yeti ever sold to the public (according to JP that is). So you can call it Yeti #1 or not, either way it pretty much represents the genesis of the brand! If you've read my little writeup on the early history of Yeti you've seen a few shots of this bike when I first got it. But it was in unusable shape and not looking very racy. So, here are a few shots all cleaned up and dressed up to roll. I haven't had time to do a proper photo shoot, so the backyard, in front of an old fence shots in direct sunlight will have to suffice for now.
Well here it is. Lots of red here, I kinda wish the cranks were silver or maybe some chrome Bullseye, but this is how I got it after all these years, so this is how it's going to stay.
BMX style bars and stem were a short lived carry over from the Motocruiser days. You can see the foundation of the famous Yeti top tube cable routing, only here it's split across both sides of the top tube.
Famous loop stays, you can see the pronounced OD variation during the transition, I'm guessing JP hadn't quite gotten his sourcing of tubing all squared away.
Shimano 600EX (FC-6206) touring cranks powdercoated red by JP so that Shimano would not ask for them back.
Campagnolo Triomphe front derailleur adapted for Yeti cable routing
Campagnolo Triomphe touring rear derailleur with Bullseye sealed bearing derailleur pulleys.
It took a while to get the 1st generation Yetiman head tube badge redone, but I think it came out great!
Bullseye hubs, straight off of a BMX and adapted for 130mm rear spacing, laced to Weinmann rims
Magura brake levers with Simplex friction thumb shifters.
Badge of honor for any vintage mountain bike
The original Yeti decals had the frosted Yeti and the simple black and white ice axe. Later on some more color was added when Yeti used them again on early Ultimates in 89/90.
Weinmann brakes stop surprisingly well, but not that well.
IRC Racer X-1 tires really complete the aggressive look of this bike.
Lots of Campy here, a bit of foreshadowing of the short lived sponsorship of Yeti by Campy in the late 80s.
Bullseye rear hub with a Shimano 600EX 6-spd freewheel.
Trademark Yeti wishbone stay extension with front derailleur cable stop.
I'm very happy with this bike. Seems like a dumb thing to say as it is a very special bike. It's a neat look into the starting point of what has been one of the longest living mountain bike company and one that has really change the face of the sport many of us have grown to love. You can see John picking out many of the parts and hoping they would make the bike standout from the rest. While it's not the best performing bike I am looking forward to getting it out for a easy trail ride and see how it does. I have to imagine it's not going to be too different from a FRO, but maybe...
