Frame Brand/ Model and Size: Yeti ASR, Medium
What is your name?
Matt Hornland
How long have you been in the industry?
I was involved in bike event organizing early out of university in the early 2000s but didn’t jump into the sales and marketing side until 2013, and joined on with Race Face / Easton Cycling in 2017. 9 years with the Race Face / Fox Factory family!
What do you do at Race Face?
I handle our PR and Content Strategy, which includes our other Fox Factory brands. From connecting with media on product reviews, to supporting the storytelling behind the products, as well as finding opportunities to amplify Race Face community voices, the job can be really varied. It’s really exciting to be at the nexus of so many incredible coworkers and the riding community we support!
How often do you ride?
I’m learning to balance two amazing kids who are under 5, so a little less than I used to, haha. At least 3 times a week, if not 4-5 if I am counting the kids on the cargo bike!
What type of riding do you find yourself doing the most?
That’s a great question. I’m splitting my available time between gravel, XC and All Mountain – I’ve been lucky to hit a few Downcountry races like Back Forty and The Haulback, as well as BCBR recently and like to keep up on my aggressive XC style riding since it’s always fun to hit things on the little bike!
What is your favorite local lap?
I’m a huge fan of the new Neds rebuild - it’s a challenging descent, combined with the climber, and makes for a solid lap if you’re trying to emulate some of the stages in BCBR. If I have all the time in the world, which is rare, I have also really enjoyed hitting Bring On The Weekend in Whistler on the bigger bike – really worth the hoof up there.
Worst mechanical to happen mid-ride?
Destroying a rear derailleur.
Favorite song right now?
Throw Yourself to the Sword by Die Spitz
Solo ride or group ride?
Love a group ride – dad schedule usually means solo ride timing.
Do you actually stretch or just say you will?
Hahaha.
What part of your bike body is definitely not okay right now?
I demolished my ankle a few weeks ago - hoping the ligaments are on the mend!
What’s the one bike trend you’ll never adopt?
I agree with William - PressFit Bottom brackets on MTBs.
What made you pick/build this bike and the components one it? And Why? Any interesting setup/custom parts/things you are excited about?
When I was looking for a BCBR bike I was already riding a Yeti SB120 and the recent release of the ASR had me thinking I would really like the ride characteristics of a smaller Yeti. Doing a lot of Gravel racing, I was surprised at how light you can build up a dual suspension bike these days, and getting the ERA SL wheels on as the first of the ERA SL family was a big goal – I was lucky enough to test the wheels with some epic BC downcountry riding ahead of their launch. The new Shimano 12 Speed wireless has been awesome as I’ve become accustomed to the speed of shifting on XTR and it doesn’t disappoint!
The changes to the bike have included the new Era SL cranks and Era SL handlebars which have been an absolute pleasure to ride. The new bars have been really cool to mess around with, and I’ve tried the Turbine SL stem and the flippable bars in different orientations ahead of settling on the current fit with the bars in the positive position, stem in negative, which allows for the Garmin mount on top.
Speaking of the Garmin – my daughter helped me make my little friendship bracelet tether that has both of the kids initials – it’s just a cute reminder the kids (and wife!) are a huge part of my support network when I’m lucky enough to be out in the woods staring at my stem while riding hard 😊.
