Ultimate Yeti Arc Hardtail Setup: Employee Bike Check with John’s Upgrades & Mods
At our shop, we believe every bike tells a story. Today, we're diving into John's customized Yeti Arc C1—built to tackle both trail rides and the commute. This hardtail setup is packed with John's favourite components, built for performance, and optimized for versatility
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Rider: John
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Age: More than 30, less than 40
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Height: 197cm
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Weight: 95kg
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Bike Size: XL
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Suspension: Rear: Legs, Front: 95psi -10 clicks of rebound, compression somewhere in the middle and 4 volume reducers.
Why I Chose the Yeti Arc Hardtail
All purchases start with a purpose, at least we tell ourselves that. The purpose of this was to put a mountain bike together for doing trails in the woods and doing the 10-mile commute back to Canterbury from the shop.
As a fan of the Yeti brand, and looking for a hardtail like this, the Yeti Arc was the obvious choice. It’s a lightweight frame, it’s neat and tidy and you can pretty much build it as you want.
Some of the parts on the full build were a little weird and some weren’t quite my flavour so before I even opened the box I had big plans.
Frame Geometry & Build Setup
The build on these frames is super easy, tube-in-tube cable routing, IS41/52 internal headset and a press-fit 41 bottom bracket.
Unlike my previous Yeti SB150 which was synonymous with weird cable rub, once everything is secure and clamped down, there’s not a rattle in sight. That’s always a big plus for me, I hate rattling bikes.
The geometry compared to modern bikes is a little small, on the XL only having a 490mm reach initially put me off from getting one of these but actually, the riding position is pretty spacious with the seat tube angle a bit slacker and the saddle back on the rails I found it very comfortable even though it’s quite a bit smaller than my other bikes.
When the dropper is down, and you’re pointed down it’s easier to understand the design, the rear end is super short at 433mm and the bottom bracket is super low. It gives it that low-slung look even in the bigger sizes but it stands you up taller and connects you to the bike in a way that encourages hijinks and terrifying near misses with trees.
Components Overview
Bars and Stem: Oneup Carbon handlebar and Oneup EDC stem. 35mm rise handlebar left at full length and a 50mm length stem
I’ve been a huge fan of Oneup components since they first launched in the UK and I think I’ve used everything they make at some point. The bars, though you can’t actively feel the flex if you push down on them have a very damped feel which pairs well with the little Fox 34 performance on the front.
The stem is neat, tidy and feels super secure.
Shop Oneup Carbon Handlebar and OneUp EDC Stem
Dropper Post: Oneup V3 dropper, the longest I could fit at 240mm in length and in a 31.6mm diameter. Having used every version of the Oneup dropper and rebuilt more than I can count I know them pretty well at this point. The V3 feels more solid and smoother than the previous iterations. The new bushings, seals and cartridge are definitely much more robust and it’s required far less maintenance than other dropper posts out there.
Saddle: SDG Bel Air 3.0 in black. Unobnoxious, comfortable with a good pedalling platform. Once you find a saddle that works, stick with it.
Grips: I’ll probably get in trouble for this because we don’t sell them but I use Sensus Meaty Paws on all of my bikes. They’re huge, comfortable and the best remedy for hand fatigue when you have bigger hands.
Fork and Suspension Setup: The Fox 34 Performance 29” is currently set to 130mm. The contrast from the direct feel and stiffness of the frame to the flexy fork was a little disconcerting at first and it took me a little while to find a set-up I liked. The Grip 2 damper on the factory fork would undoubtedly solve the problem but I opted to max out the volume spacers and keep it somewhere in the middle of the compression. I found this gave me the best chance of keeping the fork a bit higher in its travel when things got a bit bumpier while not losing too much compliance and grip.
Shop Fox 34 Performance or if you're feeling fancy the gold Fox Factory version
Drivetrain: Shimano 12 speed, a bit of a mix with XTR cranks and chainring, derailleur and shifter paired with an XT chain and cassette because the weight increase for me is less important than the cost on wearable parts.
That being said, the Shimano XTR shifts incredibly well. It’s a very positive feeling system compared to the XT and SLX and it looks super sophisticated like a fancy watch.
Brakes: Shimano XT 4 piston, sharp, easy to bleed and easy to live with. The rattle on the stock pads is super annoying but nothing you can’t solve. They lack the power of equivalent brakes from other brands but the simplicity and price is unmatchable.
I’ve got these paired with a 180mm rotor on the back and a 200mm on the front to give me a similar feel to my bigger bikes.
Wheels: Reserve alloy HD, 30mm internal width 29” diameter. These are the heavy-duty versions of these wheels but the weight increase is worth the extra burliness.
I’m a really big fan of these wheels, the rims are quite damped and compliant, they pair well with the stiff frame and allow a little extra comfort without worrying about bending a rim.
These are laced on to DTswiss 350 hubs, the ratchet is smooth, quiet and a doddle to service and clean out.
Tyres: Maxxis Forekaster V2, 29” x 2.4”. Maxxterra Exo. Ever since that Jackson Goldstone video, I’ve wanted to try these. They’re about as slick as I dared go and way less burly than I’m used to. That being said for anything but the claggiest mud they have never let me down. They can be a little skittish under hard braking but I haven’t washed out yet so that’s a plus.
I use Stans Sealant and Reserve Fillmore tubeless valves. The least faff and the most easy to clean and maintain.
Pedals: Hope Union Trail pedals in black. These are the ones with the smaller cage. They’re not super light and have their own Hope-specific cleats, but compared to other pedals out there, longevity is king. The bearings and internals have done two winters and a ton of summer riding on two bikes and still feel new. I think the cage will wear through before they need a service.
The clip in and out is crisp and easy to locate, you can adjust the tension like Shimano but the larger stainless steel cleats are much easier to live with.
Final Thoughts on the Yeti Arc C1 Build
All in all, it’s a great bike. I wouldn’t want to take it to a bike park and It could benefit from a bigger fork and a burlier front tyre but that would ultimately compromise the bike for the riding I want to use it for.
It’s a mile cruncher, it’s super simple and when I want to leave my front door and just ‘go for a ride’ this is the bike I take.
You can find the bikes and frames on our Biketart store here