Feature -

Pro Bike Check: Sam Flanagan’s YETI SB6c at Emerald Enduro, Ireland

Following the title of the UK Gravity Enduro Champion back in 2012, Sam Flanagan isn’t exactly shy of the limelight with his easily distinguished Yeti SB6C which sports some pretty gnarly colours. This may be a tad late, but his bike is out of this world, and when we caught up with him at the Emerald Enduro where he’s currently sitting in 103rd in the overall rankings, we fell in love.

From previous encounters with the laid back, take each day as it comes EWS rider, he’s always come across as you’d expect in his photographs: a pretty out there, live life to the full kinda guy, as can be seen from a previous ‘expectations interview’ we had with him at the Transprovence race:
“First time here and really excited about how it’s going to go. Love all the big mountain stuff as I’m from the Lake District in England so it’s all this kinda stuff. Just see how it goes I guess.”

YETI SB6c, kitted out with the latest creations from the Hope team over in Barnoldswick
YETI SB6c, kitted out with the latest creations from the Hope team over in Barnoldswick
Rocking Fox Float X CTD
Rocking Fox Float X CTD twinned with some pretty gnarly colourscheme. Only one guy could pull this off…

The Emerald Enduro was pretty well known for Greg Callaghan absolutely smashing it on his home turf, but Sam Flanagan hit an admirable 63rd with a time of 00:30:43.52, which is only three minutes off the Irishman and seeing that the difference between 1st and 2nd was 15 seconds, that’s pretty good going!

Like most of the mountain biking world, we’d kill to be kitted out with the latest creations from the Hope Factory over in Barnoldswick, but alas, our budgets don’t stretch that far. His full-spec can be seen below and it sure is a sight for sore eyes.

DVO Diamond may not be the most well known fork, but it's God damn reliable.
DVO Diamond may not be the most well known fork, but it’s God damn reliable.
Hope
Hope Tech 3 E4 brakes are behind the super fast and agile Yeti SB6c
Hope Cranks
Hope’s tried and tested CNC’d cranks twinned with SRAM X0 drivetrain are something dreams are made of…
...And Onza
…And Onza ERA tires with Hope Pro 2 EVO hubs are just. Sorry, we need a second.
In true Hope style...
In true Hope style…Hope AM/Freeride Stem in glorious purple
No EWS rider is complete without the customized stickers which tell one from another. Go on...Flange?
No EWS rider is complete without the customized stickers which tell one from another. Go on…Flange?
Sam Flanagan with his kitted out, YETI SB6c at Tweedlove
Sam Flanagan with his kitted out, YETI SB6c in Ireland

Specification

Frame: YETI SB6c
Fork: DVO Diamond
Rear shock: Fox Float X CTD
Drivetrain: SRAM X0 groupset
Brakes: Hope Tech 3 E4
Wheels: Hope Tech Enduro – Pro 2 EVO
Tires: Onza ERA Tires
Stem: Hope AM/Freeride Stem
Grips: Hope Lock On Grips

For more info on Sam’s kit, visit: hopetech.com

Words: Andrew Richardson Photos: Trevor Worsey