hi frank,
first of all a big thanks for joining in here
thats an early christmas present for all of us
Thanks to you!
i have some questions i'd like to ask:
lucky me got a early yeti arc last year. read a whole lot about that frame and i'm curious to know if the story told about it is really true.
did john parker really forbid you to build that frame from the easton varilite tubeset?
Yes, John was committed to 4130 and despised aluminum for frames
did he really fire you because you did (build the arc proto)?
Yes,
how come he revoced his decision?
Linda had called him while he was at a race (mammoth mtn?) and told him that I had built a frame after being told that "there would never be an aluminum Yeti". John got me on the phone and told me that if the tubes had been touched, I should be gone before he returned. Zapata Espinoza arrived just after this as I was packing my tools. I told him what had happened. He went the office and closed the door. He returned shortly and told me to put my back in the shop and to return to work the following day. John was a powerful leader at Yeti. He had strong opinions and would, without hesitation and with great precision, "cut one to pieces" with words. I was there to do a job and knew that we were doing great things and it was because of John. I was fired several times and quickly returned when called but continued to be insubordinate.
was the easton varilite tubeset the same that answer used for their manitou frames?
No, once the project was underway, we were allowed several revisions of our specifications.
why is it cracking so easily?
The ARC was designed to be a one-season, race specific machine. It was more than one kilo lighter than most bikes of the day. They FAR outlasted our expectations.
are all bikes built with that tubeset in danger of cracking (answer manitou, yeti arc, mountaingoat budslinger ...)?
7005 suffers from severe fatigue corrosion. It gets harder and brittle with age. The more you ride, the faster it ages.
are the split headtubes really replaceable with good results?
I don't want to sound to cocky and will apologize, I have so far had only good results. (I am old, I forget failures quickly)
do you still ride?
I love to ride. I race DH several times a year. I prefer to ride down steep hills and ride up easy ones. My XC bikes are heavy and my DH bike is light.
thanks in advance and greetings from vienna!
The pleasure is all mine, thank you!
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