Well I have 3800km on the bike, so it is about time for an update.
Firstly, my back is healing well. I'm pain free 95% of the time, with just a dull ache after a long day on my feet at work, or if I have to do too much twisting with my upper body. Overall, pretty damn lucky really, could have been a lot worse....
I'm starting to get fit again, but I'll doubt I'll ever be as fast as I was before the accident. I've been especially enjoying climbing, which the SB100 is actually very efficient at, despite the 30% recommended sag.
I have had a couple of small issues with the bike. The first is the dreaded loose pedal spindle on the Race Face Next SLs. The spindle has come loose and has actually caused the arm to crack. I am pretty disappointed with the response from Race Face, this was the first generation of these carbon cranks which very clearly had a manufacturing issue, but they have not offered to warranty them. They say they were released with a 3 year warranty, and these are 7 months outside that. I am pretty sure the original crank was released with a longer warranty (lifetime?) but I can't find my original documentation. There are a couple of old posts online regarding the crank which mentioned this lifetime warranty.
The second issue with the Crest rims cracking again on the rear drive side spoke holes. This seems to be a recurrent issue, my front rim lasts forever but the rear only lasts 12 months before it needs replacement. With 3 replacements since I bought them they are still much cheaper than carbon would have been, but it has been a bit annoying.
Overall the bike is amazing, and I haven't had any of the creaking or flex issues reported elsewhere with the SB100. Given all the parts on it already had 7700km when I built it they are holding up remarkably well. That means the Race Face chainring and Shimano XTR cassette are still going strong after 12,500km which is pretty remarkable.
Plans for the future? Well it seems the new Yeti SB115 has the same front and rear triangle, but with a different shock and linkage. I'm considering retrofitting this if it becomes available, but it might be expensive as I would need:
- Shock and linkage kit
- New 130mm fork
- If I get a Boost fork then I may as well build some Boost wheels (although the Now8 Boost adapter on the back has been fit and forget)
Maybe I'll just keep it as an SB100 and ride it till it dies.