[Closed] The new Yeti SB66

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For some reason I'd missed all info on this.

This looks very interesting. I've always loved Yeti as a brand, and I think their styling is spot-on, but never quite got on with their previous suspension arrangement.

I'd love to get a go on this!

Marketing videos are so super-slick it almost puts me off!

Looks very very nice. A passing resemblance?
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Good write up/review here:

[url= http://www.mountainbike.com/mountainbikecom/bikes-gear/yeti-unleashes-radical-trail-bike-sb-66 ]http://www.mountainbike.com/mountainbikecom/bikes-gear/yeti-unleashes-radical-trail-bike-sb-66[/url]

Also:

[url] http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Yeti-SB-66-First-Look-2011.html [/url]

Geometry looks damn near perfect for a bike of this type. Takes coil shocks too, very nice!
I'm an ex-575 owner, this could be enough to temp me back...

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One thing I don't really understand.
On Pinkbike they've got the leverage ratio and chainstay length curves.
They claim it's perfect (as they all do!).

But they keep talking about suspension independence from pedalling, but I don't really see how they've achieved this given that at times it's surely acting like a single pivot (albeit with the pivot in a different place to where it started). That whole last part of the chainstay graph.
It still looks to me like it's going to bob in granny.

Still, I'll reserve judgement until I get to ride one.

Looks nice! Yeti's will always have a place in my heart, first ever decent bike was an ASR-sl and went to a few Tribemeets, they're a fun company to be 'a part of' as a customer 🙂

complexity for the sake of it? IGMC

Yeti just seemed to lose kudos some years back for me. Just my opinion.
They really do nothing for me.

GT i-Drive anyone?

Yeah, it's a similar principle, with the main pivot on an eccentric bearing so the pivot point moves with the suspension, but it's not I-Drive as it is a linkage-driven-linkage actuated shock, rather than the bottom bracket being suspended in no-mans land between the front and rear triangles. Looks good, though Brant has tweeted a passing resemblance with a Decathlon Rock Rider of all things!

I've read that it may be a bit similar to the Decathlon NEUF(?) system. Someone on the MTBR forum had asked about possible patent infringement in europe.

[url= http://m.vitalmtb.com/product/feature/First-Ride-Yeti-SB-66-The-Super-Bike,58 ]Looks like these guys got to ride it...[/url]

Apparently Decathlon have some kind of European patent on an eccentric main pivot.

Yeah, bob free pedaling, seems to be the holy grail and no one ever seems to manage it though they keep trying...

[url= http://www.maverickbike.com/ ]Oh hang on a minute, looks like someone already got there way ahead if everyone else..![/url]

Yes, loddrik - I'm trying to find a worthy replacement to my ML7/5, but it's really hard!

Massively long in the top tube for a given size. And how do they get a 1.1 degree slackening with just an extra 10mm of fork? I thought the rule of thumb was 1 degree per 20mm/1 inch of fork travel.

Looks nice though.

Brant has tweeted a passing resemblance with a Decathlon Rock Rider of all things!

I kind of regret doing that. I do hate it when people say "it looks like an X" on my bikes.

However, it's nothing like that Transition in anything other than outline.

The rockrider was the first "eccentric main pivot" I saw - I think it's great. Mountain Cycle use something similar on their new models, but only to drive the rear shock - the swingarm, I think, is still a singlepivot on those.

The Yeti's assymettry is brilliant. I think it's a great bike - and there is a nod to "exclusive licence for 3yrs" to show that someone else has been involved. Be fascinating to hear that side of things.

As for "best looking Yeti ever"? I think the Yeti Ultimate did it best for me 🙂

However, it's nothing like that Transition in anything other than outline.

I've always found Yetis ugly. Apart from the DJ one. Don't understand it.

http://www.singletrackworld.com/2011/06/new-yeti-sb-66/

that swapable bb chainguide mount is an excellent idea!

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This is the decathlon set up.Certainly not as neatly done as the yeti but the principle is the same.
Seems a lot of hassle to get rid of the chainstay pivot though 😉
I like it....which is not something i say much!!

Rickos - Member
Massively long in the top tube for a given size. And how do they get a 1.1 degree slackening with just an extra 10mm of fork? I thought the rule of thumb was 1 degree per 20mm/1 inch of fork travel.

typically a 150 fork is 525 a to c (rev) and a 160 fork 545 a to c (fox, bos)

Nice bike, a possible replacement for my 575.

1.1 degrees slacker for an extra 10mm of travel does seem a bit off.

http://www.sottogroup.com exclusive license givers

They do own a lot of acronyms don't they??

jammer - Member
Nice bike, a possible replacement for my 575.

1.1 degrees slacker for an extra 10mm of travel does seem a bit off.

read my post above, only 10mm difference in travel but 20mm difference in the a to c

Whan Santa Cruz brought out the Butcher & Nickel last year they reduced the cost of the Heckler & Superlight by a good third.

Maybe Yeti will do this with the 575 (pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease :wink:)

I was told by the importer that they wanted to drop the 575 all together when the Asr 5 and 7 came out....but consumer demand was too high!!!So it got redesigned....

That top tube is long isn't it.
24.1" on the medium. What surprised me was they supplied a 90mm stem on the x7/x9 build!

I'd have to see one/ride one. At the moment it looks uglier, more complex, heavier and has more travel than my ol' 575, so I don't think it'll be the bike for me.

For those who are puzzled, don't think of it as a single, moving pivot as described in the article on the front page but instead visualise it as a 4 bar or dual link design. The fancy eccentric pivot assembly is exactly the same as a regular, very short link with pivots as the centres of the eccentric bearing and the swing arm bearing.

Using the eccentric set up means you can have a "virtual" link that is shorter than what might be possible with a "real" link (as you don't have the same constraints with bearing sizes/support and clearances) and its stiffer, but with a weight penalty. You analyse it in exactly the same way as you do with a 4 bar suspension design such as the DW link, FSR or Maestro.

I was wondering who would point out the Decathlon similarity 🙂 The Rock Rider's top link swings the other way giving different characteristics but it shows that the fancy eccentric assembly is nothing new.

love that and i dont usually like yeti's!

Hey guys-
Thanks for all the comments, good and bad. It's always great to get feedback from passionate consumers.

Phototim hit the nail on the head - imagine taking the lower link on a linkage bike and shrinking it down as small as possible. Eventually, you would get an eccentric pivot like we've developed. What sets ours apart from the others (especially the Decathlon) is that our pivot switches its rotational direction as you get to the 100mm point in the travel. This creates a pedaling platform that is unparalleled on anything I've ridden (and I've been around the block a few times) but it also allows for a spike- and wallow-free middle and end stroke. Additionally, it also absorbs small bumps amazingly even when you're on the gas.

But please don't take my word for it. We've got demo bikes shipping all over the world as I write this, including to Evolution in the UK. In the meantime, Vital and mountainbike.com have some honest riders' reviews posted as well.

Drop me a line if you have further questions . . . sometimes it's hard to monitor all of the various message boards.

--John P.
International Sales Mgr
Yeti Cycles
johnp AT yeticycles DOT com

I'm an ex-Yeti rider and still consider myself part of the tribe. I regularly stop by the Yeti site to view the videos.
Another excellent bit of film-making!
[url= http://www.yeticycles.com/#/bikes/SB66/7/ ]SB66[/url]