Yeti’s new SB100 features a Switch Infinity suspension design like you’ve never seen before

Yeti-lovers get your wallets ready; there’s a brand new full suspension 29er in town, and it’s called the SB100.

Deviating from Yeti Cycles’ current naming structure, the SB100 is labelled as such because it uses the same Switch Infinity suspension design as the rest of the SB bike line, and it features 100mm of rear travel. Paired to a 120mm travel fork, 29in wheels and a stunning carbon fibre frame, the SB100 isn’t an angry XC racer, but rather a lightweight trail bike designed for going very, very fast.

There have been clues. Many will have noticed that Yeti’s short travel full suspension bike, the ASRc, had disappeared from the lineup a little over a year ago. Up until today, the shortest travel option from the Colorado-based brand was the SB4.5c – a great bike, but most definitely a trail bike.

With the SB100 however, Yeti brings out a lighter and tighter option to the SB4.5c. It features a sub-3kg carbon frameset, a roomy cockpit, and suspension that’s been tuned for out-of-the-saddle hammering. It’s an XC bike, but with muscles.

The SB100 frame will be available in the UK as of today, and the complete bikes are due to arrive by the end of this month. Pete from Yeti’s UK distributor Silverfish paid us a visit earlier in the week with one of the only SB100s in the country, so we got up close and personal with it to see exactly what makes this bike unique.

Yeti Cycles SB100 Features

• Lightweight full carbon XC/trail bike
• 29in wheels
• Available in T-Series & C-Series carbon frame options
• Switch Infinitysuspension design
• 100mm rear travel
• 120mm fork travel
• 44mm fork offset
• 67.8° head angle
• 74° – 74.3° seat angle
• Reach: 407mm (Small), 432mm (Medium), 452mm (Large), 472mm (X-Large)
• 437mm chainstay length
• 1x specific frame design
• Clearance to fit a water bottle inside the front triangle
• PF92 bottom bracket shell
• 148×12 mm boost rear hub spacing
• Sizes: Small, Medium, Large, X-large
• Claimed frame weight: 2.5kg (5.5lbs) T-Series / 2.75kg (6.06lb) C-Series
• Frame RRP: £3,299
• Complete bike RRP: £5,999 – £6,999

Like the rest of the Yeti line, the SB100 features a full-carbon fibre mainframe and carbon fibre swingarm. There are two grades of carbon available: T-Series, and C-Series. The T-Series stands for ‘Turq’, and that represents Yeti’s highest grade of carbon fibre. The T-Series frame is claimed to come in at just 2.5kg (including hardware and the Fox Float DPS rear shock), and is available aftermarket for £3,299.

The C-Series frame is only available in a complete bike, which kicks off at $5,999. Although the C-Series frame looks identical, it uses a heavier grade of carbon fibre that allegedly offers the same stiffness and strength levels, but at a 250g weight penalty.

Unlike the single-pivot suspension design used on the previous ASRc, the SB100 employs a more complex, and heavier virtual pivot system. Like the longer travel SB bikes, this design has been employed to balance pedalling stability with traction-searching control and comfort.

The one-piece carbon fibre swingarm is rocked through its 100mm of travel via the Switch Infinity platform, which has been proven over the last few years on the SB5, SB6, SB5.5 and SB4.5. The Switch Infinity design relies on a small upper link that drives the rear shock, which in this case is a dinky little Float DPS number from Fox. The forged alloy link rolls on large sealed cartridge bearings and tucks in neatly in between the mainframe and the carbon swingarm, where it is largely hidden out of sight.

 

 

 

Down below is the primary pivot for the swingarm, which connects to an alloy shuttle that slides up and down two Kashima-coated alloy rods. This is where the ‘Switch’ part of the name comes from, as it refers to the fact that the shuttle moves both up and downwards during the full cycle of the rear wheel travel. The shuttle travels upwards in the early part of the travel, which creates a small amount of chain growth for limiting pedal bob. As the suspension goes further towards full travel though, the shuttle then switches direction to reduce chain growth, limiting unwanted pedal kickback on those bigger and faster hits.

Compared to the Switch Infinity suspension design found on other Yeti models such as the SB4.5 and SB6, the orientation of the Switch mechanism is different on the Sb100.

Instead of the two Kashima-coated rods sitting front-to-back, they actually sit side-by-side. The rods are also smaller in diameter and they’re shorter in length due to there only being 100mm of travel. This makes the whole configuration a lot more compact, and that’s allowed Yeti to increase clearance inside the front triangle so you can fit a water bottle cage on the downtube – an essential for many long distance XC and trail riders.

Otherwise the Kashima rods are still manufactured by Fox Racing Shox, and they still feature serviceable grease ports that allow you to pump in fresh grease when the need arises. There’s also a plastic port cover that bolts over the top of the Switch Infinity linkage so as to better protect it from mud, water and general filth being sprayed off the rear tyre.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Complete SB100s will come fitted with Fox’s brand new 34 Step-Cast fork, which was only announced as of yesterday (check out our review here). The SB100 appears to be an ideal candidate for the lightweight 120mm travel fork, which weighs in at just over 1600g despite featuring 34mm diameter stanchions and the same adjustability as the standard 34 fork.

Yeti has selected the shorter 44mm offset option for the 34 SC fork, rather than the standard 51mm offset that you’ll find on most 29er forks. The shorter offset is becoming a more popular option with certain brands (such as Transition and Whyte), and in this case it’s been employed to increase the effective trail figure to provide a more ‘steady’ feel to the bike’s steering. Again, it all points towards the SB100 being a more competent and confident short travel trail bike, rather than a twitchy XC racer.

 

 

 

Although the SB100 technically replaces the old ASRc, it’s clear that this is quite a different beast. Amongst the broader market, the new Yeti sits in a growing niche of progressive XC full suspension bikes that are electing to run slightly slacker and longer geometry, a chunkier fork, and a more capable parts kit to eke out more capability from their lightweight chassis’. Other short-travel 29er bikes that spring to mind include the new Intense Sniper, the Pivot Mach 429, and the Saracen Traverse. All bikes that are capable of going fast, but are also designed to be fun to ride too.

So, what do you all think of the new SB100? Is it floating your boat? Or sinking your ship? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below!

And for those wanting more information on pricing and availability, head to the Silverfish website for more details.

Yeti Cycles SB100 T-Series X01 Eagle Spec

• Frame // T-Series Carbon Fibre, 100mm Travel
• Fork // Fox 34 Step-Cast, Factory Series, 120mm Travel
• Shock // Fox Float DPS, Factory Series
• Hubs // DT Swiss M1700, 110x15mm Front & 148x12mm Rear
• Rims // DT Swiss M1700, 25mm Internal Rim Width, Tubeless Ready
• Tyres // Maxxis Minion DHF EXO 3C MaxxTerra 2.3in Front & Aggressor EXO 2.3in Rear
• Crankset // SRAM X01 Eagle, 30t X-Sync 2 Chainring, 170mm Arm Length
• Rear Mech // SRAM Xo1 Eagle, 12-Speed
• Shifters // SRAM GX Eagle, 12-Speed
• Cassette // SRAM XG-1275 Eagle, 10-50t, 12-Speed
• Brakes // Shimano Deore XT, 180mm Front & 160mm Rear Rotors
• Stem // Race Face Turbine, 35mm Diameter, 50mm Length
• Bars // Yeti Carbon, 35mm Diameter, 760mm Wide
• Grips // Ergon GE-1 Lock-On
• Seatpost // Fox Transfer Performance Series, 150 mm Travel
• Saddle // WTB Volt Custom
• Sizes Available // Small, Medium, Large, X-Large
• RRP // £6,999

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