May 2012 BoTM Contest - Nominations Please :D

sinnerman":1d9sc1qp said:

sensational.....

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yetifan.com":rbnt00st said:

I took a look around, and I think this is a better picture, hope the blue does not offend anybody and sorry for the state of my yard!

This can be my Bike Of The Month entry please.

The story to go with this bike, if thats cool to put it here is............. and why its important to me to have this particular one.

Back in 1993 there was the Reebok Eliminator race, it was held on the same course as the Kamikaze race, but this was the week before. Jimmy Deaton won it again in 1993. Top speeds were around the 60mph marker, and all the bikes had wonderful but pointless chainrings, and other gizmos and gadgets that started the chain devices and suspension we all know and love now. In 93, the Reebok eliminator was won by Myles Rockwell, narrowly beating Jason McRoy. Mcroy was a hero of mine, being around 17 at the time, he was somebody to look up to, but Yeti was my choice of bike.

Rewind a little, I was at the bike show in late 92 I think, cyclex down in London, I got my first Yeti there, it took some con/begging/promise to my parents to lend me the money, but it was reduced and a fantastic price, so worth the effort! My job at the local Coop paid back for it within 12 months time. I still have that one now. Also at the bike show was Jason Mcroy, He and warner were doing signed posters, so I handed over my crispy £10, and got a signed Jason McRoy poster, I still have it in the tube like brand new. I should get it framed. He wrote, To Andrew, Go big, Take chances.

Fast Forward, Jason McRoy as you probably know was killed not long after. Very sad. I remember having a silence at the Plymouth World Cup not long after, everybody was really shocked. I really should visit the memorial.

Fast Forward more, to 2001, I set up yetifan website, and not long after I had an email off John Parker, he was humbled by my website celebrating his small bicycle company. We traded emails and I asked questions, many questions! I'm like a sponge for this stuff. Not long after this, he said he needed some help selling his unique Yeti collection, So over the next few months, one at a time, I promoted the bikes/frames on Yetifan, and emailed the press and stuff, and then he'd stick it on eBay. the first bike we sold was the Juli Furtado Worlds 1990 C-26. It went for something like $12500. All bikes can be seen on my site somewhere.

After 10 or so frames & bikes, I got a box arrive. Inside was a beat up, well used, very very cool old Yeti ASLT frame. A quick email to thank Parker, and he confirmed it was the Reebox Eliminator frame that had beaten one of my heros Jason McRoy. Parker is a very generous guy, and I am so happy to have spoken to him, I have yet to speak with anybody more interesting. A true character. It will be a shame if I cannot shake his hand someday, he alone has impacted my life so much.

Its taken the best part of 8 years to put it back like this, The chainring was from an Ex Yeti team rider, the forks are Manitou 3's with Manitou 2 decals, exactly like they ran at that race. Ask anybody who has built a race replica, and they will tell you its harder than the 'Brochure Perfect' bike, as the kit changed dramatically from weekend to weekend, so this bike its acurate to probably one hour of one race weekend, and even then they would swap parts as they broke (Elastomers used to melt in one run!). They used to throw away King Headsets every few races too! The Frame has the team only 2 position shock mount. The rear stay brace is all hand shaped and finished, this part alone took 18 months to get from Monkey (Gwins current wrench), the customer bikes had the cable stop welded on. The rims are 36h 261 Ceramics with flat aero spokes, and thanks to retrobike my 5 year rim search came to an end, and now the bike is pretty much finished. Even stuff like Myles & Jimmy ran XT brake levers, as the Graftons were too tiny for their big hands. I am hoping to reunite it with Myles very soon.

I hope you enjoyed the story of this bike. It seems a shame to not share such wonderful MTB history with you all, as you are obviously all very passionate in your own way about our heritage.

Thanks
Andrew

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rc200ti":11o7oz27 said:

With all due respect to the other entries this month, and a great deal of respect is certainly due, the provenance and painstaking rebuild of the Rockwell Yeti must make it Bike of the Month (possibly The Year).

If within the BOTM rules I suggest all other entrants withdraw, in order to be able to re-enter at a later date.

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