I am looking at getting a new bike soon and have been test riding a Yeti SB4.5c. Love the feel of the bike but keep thinking the ASRc might be the more suitable bike. I also like the slightly less moving parts.
I mainly ride from home on roads for a couple of miles to the trails and ride many XC stuff in the woods and across the moors. Will also be looking to do some MTB marathons next year and lots of 3 hour plus rides over the winter.
Any feedback would be good from anyone who has risen one or both of them.

I have an ASRC and love it, personally I don’t have a single negative for it. i do exactly what you describe your riding is, local bridleways to peaks and Scotland trips – love it. XTR race cranks don’t fit though with chainline so I stayed with my trusty xt.

Cheers Muppet! Kind of what I wanted to hear. Its not to flexy is it

I have an asrc, oh my… its amazing

Stick the shock in climb mode and it feels like a hardtail, point it down hill and its far better than the XC bikes I’ve had in the past. I’m 85kg and its not flexy in the least.

Mine is built up with 1x xt, dt spline 1700s, and a dropper, and weighs bang on 24lbs with pedals

That said, whilst it would be amazing for all day rides, marathon etc, its not a ‘trail bike’ as such, and its definitely not as stable a decender as my trance.

Thank tpbiker. I am going from a hardtail carbon bike with only 100mm travel on the front so I think the 100mm of travel of the rear paired with 120mm of DVO travel will hopefully feel much more fun!!

Geometry comparison thing wot we made:

Yeti ASR vs SB4.5 (in medium)

Add your old bike too, if it’s not already in the database.

B

In all honesty I do find the back end a bit flexy when I put the power down however my weight is 100 kg and I was 112 so anything would be. It’s minor compared to how good the rest is. I run 120 up front and whole thing is 24.5lbs.

Having ridden them both I think the 45 is a better all-rounder. With Switch Infinity it goes uphill as well as (if not better) and the ASR due to the extra traction, but just has that bit more to give when you point it down.

I’ve done all-sorts with mine – raced XC and the odd enduro, as well as just spending plenty of time razzing around the local woods. It’s an absolutely brilliant wee bike 🙂

As an aside, I am actually looking to sell my current SB45 (sneaky stealth ad)
PM me for more details.

[edit] I’m aware my reply followed by an ad makes me look biased, but i assure you it’s not bullsh*t. It genuinely is a fantastic wee bike – so that I bought the 2017 version as soon as I got rid of the ’16 version I had

Cheers

I have not ridden either but to my eye the 4.5 looks a bit more versatile. Probably climbs nearly as well, the weight difference is probably not that much, the stiffness might be worth it though and the extra ‘burliness’ might be good?

I had an ASR5C back in the day and the rear was a bit flexy but it was fast and fun!

I’ve just got an ASRC and first shake down ride out with shock pressures off by 10-20% and rear brake dragging I set a PB time on a 28 minute XC loop. (28.5 minutes on a custom Ti 29+, 30.5 minutes on a Capra). There’s more to trim off now it’s fully set up.

Tonight I rode the jump track and only skipped one set. As I get older and spend less time in the air the ASRC will make even more sense as an all rounder.

Summary, very fast up, down, and across. Pretty capable just down too. Would definitely buy again no question!

I have been riding the 4.5 for a couple of weeks in a medium and beginning to love to but not sure of the Fox 34 fork. It does go really well on the up but not sure how the switch would fare on the muddy rides. Been mainly riding enduro trails in the local woods with some other linking roads. The 4.5 seems really good climbing. I don’t try any big jumps but like steep downs. Still unsure on whether the ASR would be a good buy. Have just got the 4.5 in a large to try for size!!
Speccyguy how flexy do you find the ASR? Muppet I have just dipped under 100kg for the first time in years so hoping the flex wouldn’t be an issue.
Thanks for all the tips!!
The final thing is if I get a 4.5 my DVO forks and hope wheels would fit with the boost!!

The ASRC is less flexy than the titanium 29+ but considerably flexier than the Capra carbon. In motion the flexiness isn’t apparent. I’m running it with an RS-1 so both frame and fork are very twisty in the workshop but I call BS on anyone who says it’s a problem, or even detect it, on the trail.