This is the fourth Y bike to join the collection. I'd liked the colour
of the frame since I first saw it here.
I think of this as the "four second bike", because that's how close the
auction was to ending before my bid got in...it went for $710...a bargain
for a late model, large, Y33 in such good condition.
Due to a customs stuff up in Sydney it took about 4 months before I
actually got the bike; normally it's about 2-3 months. It turned out to
be quite interesting and like the other Y bikes, unique in its own ways.
First thing I noticed as I looked in the box was the handlebars and
stem. Exactly the same as the YSL200. Looking over the rest of the bike
at the components it was clear to see that the YSL200 was the model just
above the Y33. Perhaps one of the most interesting things are the Cane
Creek Crono wheels. Instead of the spoke nipples being at the rims, they're
on the hubs. Cane Creek's idea being that you have straight spokes which
are going to stay true longer. Makes sense.
In fact the whole Cane Creek wheelset looks very rugged, but yet lightweight.
Front hub. A 3/16" open spanner is used to adjust the nipples. Unfortunately
the magnet is doing nothing; the speedo had been removed.
Mountain biking is either very popular, or Trek Y bikes had a lot of sales, because this is the 2nd bike I've had from Salt Lake City. And like the Y5, this one still has the rego sticker. This Y33 is a 1998 model; the last year this model was made. The "Trek" label on the frame is the three dimensional kind made out of what seems to be padded vinyl lettering. 1998 was the only year they did this. One wonders if it's more vulnerable to the conventional stickers, but none are missing and the bike has been used off road.
1998 Trek Y33 Specifications.
Handlebars
Icon
Stem
Icon
Headset
Cane Creek Aheadset
Fork
Rock Shox Judy SL long travel
Shifters
Shimano XTR
Brakes
Shimano XTR
Wheels
Cane Creek Crono
Hubs
Cane Creek
Rear Shock
Fox Float RC
Rear derailleur
Shimano XTR
Cranks
Shimano Deore XT
Pedals
Shimano PD-M747
Seatpost
Icon
Saddle
Bontrager Race Lite FS+10
Tyres
Bontrager Jones 26x2.2
Bar ends
System Components (carbon fibre)
The carbon fibre bar ends were an interesting surprise.
The front shock is a Rockshox Judy SL; standard for a Y33 and the rear is a Fox Float RC air shock with adjustable rebound and lockout. It would seem that the lockout could have a remote control attached to it, though I'd hardly say it's inconvenient to reach down and operate the lever when necessary.
The blue lever turns the lockout on or off while the red thumbwheel
adjusts rebound. Also visible is the linkage on the rear brake to ensure
the pad meets the rim with a level surface.
An interesting feature of the brakes which I'd not seen before was a
lever system between the actuators and pads so that the pad surface was
level with the rim. This would appear to provide better stopping with the
full surface of the pad bearing against the rim immediately the brakes
are applied. It would also give better pad wear.
The one thing I was really pleased with was the weight. At a guess
it's about 11.5kg; not much more than the YSL200. And noticeably lighter
than the Y22(at present with the chromoly URT).
The pedals fitted were Shimano PDM747 clipless, and as you'll know
I'm not a fan of clipless, so I borrowed the original pedals off the Y5.
Eventually a pair of PDM650's turned up to solve that problem.
How does it ride?
So far I've only taken it through the Terrace Falls testing track, but
it was immediately obvious how this bike rides so like the YSL200. It's
light and effortless to ride. I'm pleased about this because I was hoping
the Y33 would take over the YSL200 as my high performance and long distance
bike; with the YSL200 being too good to ride all the time. It certainly
has fulfilled my hopes there.
The most strange thing about riding this bike however, is the rear
derailleur. The shifting operates in reverse to the YSL200. So, yet another
kind of gear change to get used to!
