Bit of a dilemma here….
I’ve got an opportunity to buy a SB95 or a SB66.
I mainly do Trail centre riding: 4 to 5 hour rides at most.
I can’t make up my mind which one to go for. Any opinions ?

The SB66 was one of the best bikes of its time, a classic. The SB95 was a rush job, squeezing 29 inch wheels in to the same design.

Get a 66.

But don’t buy a carbon one!

That’s interesting to know.
Is a 66 still relevant with today’s current wheel sizes ?

I’d say so, if you get one for a good enough price, I speak from experience as I sold one last year with a very good spec for 1200.

I wouldn’t pay much more than that.

You can still buy 26 tyres, stans are still making rims, even on the newly released stuff.

I had an SB95 carbon, not long after they came out. Looked so pretty, rode so badly. To be fair, I also had an ASR-7 and that rode similarly badly to the point where I think I just don’t get on with Yeti’s.

I took both bikes to Morzine, the ASR7 was much better downhill where as the SB95 felt lethal – I just couldn’t get it to turn and it felt nervous all the time. However the ASR kept bending pivot bolts which cost a fortune to replace, meaning I ended up renting a DH bike which was better all round (as you’d expect).

Considering the cost of both bikes, I think Ive given Yeti a fair try and found they just don’t work for me. You may be different, but as said above, I’d avoid the carbon one

The 66 is phenomenal bike on downs, especially big Rocky stuff, really just eggs you on.

The down sides are carbon rear tri is dreadful for cracking, and the bearings are poorly sealed and expensive.

Don’t hose it down, and keep the bearings greased defo helps though.

I had a demo ride of an sb95. It was awful, it handled like a supertanker. I’ve never disliked a bike as much.

How much would the 66 be, Alu or carbon, and spec?

If you don’t want to say, fair dos though!.

Doesn’t sound good so far.
Is it worth considering a 575 ?

Would prob be better suited to your riding.

I understand the suspension set up etc is different but in terms of ride, how’s the 575 different from the SB models ?

Dunno.

I take it you just really want a Yeti?

As mentioned, I’ll never have another Yeti. In total I’ve had 3 (although you can’t count a cross bike really can you), all were over priced, all were a bit shit.

As Nobeerinthefridge states, the SB66 would be the better bike to ride, but it would need to be super cheap to consider. Especially when up against a new new bike from the likes of YT et al

Thanks for all your opinions. I was expecting to hear great things about Yetis. Sounds like I need to have a re-think.

Funny you should say that flange, I bought a capra after the yeti, in terms of riding, the yeti was miles better.

But at the same cost for the frame as the while capra, it should have been….

I’d still love an sb66. I had an ASR5 for a few years and it was something special. The frame is still in a box, can’t bear to part with it now 26″ is so worthless.

SB66 were great bikes, designed by one of the guys at praxis, but they infringed a patent, so they stopped making them

the 29 version is not a modern 29er at all, it’s a lash up. dont touch with bargepole.

Nobeerinthefridge – Member
I’d say so, if you get one for a good enough price, I speak from experience as I sold one last year with a very good spec for 1200.

I wouldn’t pay much more than that.

You can still buy 26 tyres, stans are still making rims, even on the newly released stuff.

It’s a point I’ve made before, I can get great 26″ stuff but if I was investing a resonable amount of cash (I just have) it would be 650b/29 boost bike for going forward.

Says a bloke about to try and flog 2 26″Frames, forks and wheels here in Oz…

Interesting I own a sb 95 and run it with a 150 mm fork and can creek dB air and get on with it brilliantly, for me a pretty average rider, it has been stable on the downs and climbs well, downsides eats bearings and tight tyre clearance on the rear.

My 66 was a pile of junk. It went through bearings at a spectacular rate. The manufacturing tolerances were laughable – the first time I took it apart to change them, they literally fell out of the frame. They had been bonded/glued in with BRC & the seats looked like they had been attacked by an angle grinder. It didn’t even ride that well.

Then I actually needed proper warranty assistance. All I will say is, wow.

And that’s not a good wow.

@OP – do you have the chance to test ride one prior to buying? Sounds as though they’re ex-demo bikes you’re looking at, so surely you could have a go to see which one you’d get on with.

Contrary to opinions on here, I never really got on with the SB66 myself (I could see how it rode well, but it wasn’t really my kind of bike) whereas I really enjoyed the SB95 when I test rode it and now ride an sb45, which is the nearest modern equivalent to it. They’re very different bikes, aimed at very different kinds of rider, so it’s not really a decision that can be made on paper.

i’ve got a SB66c had it from new and it’s been faultless…

the OE bearings are frankly pathetic, last time i changed mine i use a set from Gnarly Bikes in Cannock, and they’ve lasted more than double the time of the OE YEti ones and were half the price.

no cracks in the carbon, plenty of abuse, it’s now 4 years old has done about 3ooo miles and it’s regularly ridden in the peaks (and has done the alps and the scottish highlands)

here it is last month on the torridon loop:

i keep looking at new bikes, but then i stop and realise i’ve got too much invested in this to get anything like what i’ve spent on it (what with it being unfashionable 26″) and it’s still a really really good bike to ride… so why bother?

I had a sb95 for three years, and loved it. Did everything from the dyfi enduro, through to dh in Madeira. They need setting up right, longer forks, shorter bar and stem etc. Mine originally had a 100mm stem…..

I still ride a 66c and can’t say better things about it – and that’s having gone from 27.5″ back down to 26″. Aside from a catastrophic failure, or lack of 26″ parts, I don’t see any reason why I would be changing bikes anytime soon. I’ve put it through trail centres, techy natural descents, epic cross countries, holidays in Whistler (better call a lawyer for all those cases…) and it hasn’t missed a step.

Yes, the bearings are expensive but as with all things are cheap enough if you go to the right places…and you can stock up. The upside is that the bike rides so, so well. So much so I wouldn’t be consigning it to the history books ‘just’ yet.

All I would say is watch how much you are paying for one, as some people are still trying to command a high price for what is a 2014 frame set (i’ve still seen ones for sale at £1500-£1600). Yes, the Yeti brand has a lot of price retention on it, but for that money you are going into new YT Capra / direct sales territory.

The last thing I’d say is to also watch the whole 26″ second hand parts market. From when I bought my 66c over a year and a half ago I seem to have noticed a fall in what is for sale; moving from good parts (e.g. wheels) at bargain prices, to pretty worn out and old parts at bargain prices. Just the natural way I guess, but I would put due thought into investing in a 26″ now.

Seems my SB95 experiences differ from the majority.

Owned mine (alloy) for 3.5yrs. 6’1 on a large and fits me perfectly. Originally with 140mm Revs but improved significantly with Pikes – tried them at 150mm but prefer them at 140mm. I replaced all the bearings (with the exception of the big Switch bushing which wasn’t worn) last year with a kit from eBay. Easy job to do, nothing got stuck or rounded off too which helped. I might have an offset bush or two fitting but can’t remember for sure.

Even now after 3.5yrs I’m unsure what I’d replace it with. Weight is the only negative, it’s not the lightest I admit.

Perfect trail bike for where I ride. I can’t imagine ever going back to 26” so SB66 never a consideration for me, I’ve been on 29ers for a decade though.

Advice given higher up in the thread is wrong – the alloy rear triangles are very prone to cracking on the chainstay. The carbon ones are fine.

My SB66c was a great bike at descending. Great fun and very fast! I was sad to see it go.

P.S. Get your frame bearings from here for £65 (probably cheaper for a full frame bearing set than most other bikes!): http://www.mountainbikecomponents.co.uk/bearings/mtb/frame-bearing-kits/yeti/sb66-carbon?

They are Enduro Max as per Yeti’s spec.

Advice given higher up in the thread is wrong – the alloy rear triangles are very prone to cracking on the chainstay. The carbon ones are fine.

The two carbon rear triangles that cracked in 4 months each would beg to differ. first one had 5 cracks, second one, well I gave up counting at 6.

I requested an alloy rear after that, never had any bother with that. Have a look at MTBR 66c thread, if you need dozens more instances.

I believe there was a redesign, ‘shiny’ rear tri had the cracking, matt ones didn’t IIRC.

Ok, I will consider myself told! During my research I saw countless cracked alloy ones (some people had 4 or more replacements) but I never saw a cracked carbon one on MTBR (must not have looked hard enough!)

All I would say is watch how much you are paying for one, as some people are still trying to command a high price for what is a 2014 frame set (i’ve still seen ones for sale at £1500-£1600).

I’d love to find a cheap carbon xl sb66 frame but it ain’t looking likely!

I’ve a Carbon SB95, had for 3 years, regular peaks, trail centres and 3 trips to the Alps, run 140 Pikes and carbon rims, suits me fine for my untalented style of riding. As above, keep thinking about changing but can’t justify it, if I was to change I’d go for the SB4.5c, really like the look of the SB5.5c but I think that’d be very overbiked for my general riding.

Surprised at all the negative comments here, just regrettably sold my asr 5 which I loved but I’m all about 29ers now… brothers got a sb95c and it’s lovely to ride and looks great too. Was after one myself but you don’t see many xl’s around so it’s hard to be picky! I was tempted by an alloy one which was on Ebay but I’d already brought my new bike before that.

Surprised at all the negative comments here

it’s the internet, people only tend to post when something negative to say. My ASR5 was flawless for 4 years and my DJ will be around after the apocalypse.

I’ve had a sb95 a couple of years now & can’t really fault it.I’m just a tad under 6ft & the medium size seemed to fit best with a laycock post for the riding I do. Cracking bike: Good uphill, even better down & a belter on technical stuff with the added traction from the switch technology lol 🙂

I still love my SB66. It’s hanging on the wall & will ride again.
It handled the high speed rough stuff better than my new Spitfire.
Sure, it cracked 3 swingarms & new bearings needed packing with more grease before you banged them in.
Yetis last great aluminium bike.