Really close to purchasing a SB5C but haven’t managed to get a test ride yet. (I’m based in Belfast and there are no demo bikes available in Ireland.)
I’d really appreciate any opinions from people who have managed actually ride the thing.
Thanks,
D.

I’ve got one, and it’s f**king brilliant 🙂 Does that help?

Have you spoken to Cycleology in Armagh?
http://cycleologyni.com/

Not exactly on yer doorstep, but I saw on facebook that they had one a while ago. They might still have it?

Thanks pinetree.

Yep – they had them in but no test rides. I’m in Armagh on Thurs & Fri so will call in then. It’s really not far from Belfast. I’d be happy to drive anywhere to get a spin that doesn’t involve getting a flight or ferry.

Can I ask what bike were you coming from and if you considered any others before going for the SB5C?

Ach, what a pain. Surely they can let you have a wee car park bounce at least?

I had given a look to the Mondraker Foxy (test rode one of their forward geo 29ers last year and it was really good) but I’m an out and out Yeti freak, and the SB5C just grabbed me.
I also really liked the principle of switch infinity- it’s a solid idea that makes a lot of sense once you get your head around it. Looks pretty complex, but in reality it’s a very simple idea, with a lot of benefits over other eccentric-type systems.
I’ve had a few Yetis before and they’ve always been great, so I trust that they know what they’re doing with bike design.
The only one I didn’t get on with was the SB66, as it was just too much bike for me (having gotten used to shorter travel bikes in recent years)

I had just come off an ASR-5, and the geo of the SB5C stacked up pretty well with what I wanted. It seemed like a similar type of bike, but turned up to 11 🙂

I don’t know anyone who hasn’t ridden one and loved it.

what is service interval for switch infinity thingy? this is the only thing that made me reluctant of letting them swipe my debit/credit card.

i’m still on ASR5, and can’t find any significant reason yet to replace it.. i’m still waiting for their carbon 575 with no switch thingy and just raw single pivot and Fox shock.

“The fully sealed SWITCH INFINITY mechanism has external grease ports to lube the bushings and seals. Yeti and development partner Fox Racing Shox recommend a lubrication interval of 40 hrs of riding. It is important not to over lube the system and adhere to the recommended interval.”

Piece of cake: A little bit of grease through the grease ports every 40 hours or so is enough. They reckon any more than that is unnecessary, but it depends on riding conditions obviously.
There is no actual servicing of the unit required.

Doubt you’re gonna see a carbon 575 tbh. They’ve spent years and a lot of dolla developing switch infinity- i reckon there’ll be more of those bikes before you see any more single pivots.

Have you got mud in there yet?
Looks bloody awkward to clean even with the crank taken off

I’ve ridden an SB6c and it was pretty amazing, but too much bike for me, an SB5c would have been more appropriate but I’ve gone all 29er instead. It was a wet old day when I rode it and the switch bit stayed nice and clean, I would have no worries about maintaining that anyway, much less so than normal bearings.

If you get to the flight or ferry stage pedals in Edinburgh do or did have an SB5c demo bike, M I think, too small for me though.

A friend here on the south isle has one and is also a Yeti fiend. A mutual friend that is pretty knowledgable rode that and another friend’s Capra back to back at Bikepark Wales, and preferred the Capra.

I realise that it’s not that helpful as it’s only one person’s opinion, so I’d advise that if it’s what you want, go for it. It’s very unlikely to be absolutely terrible. 🙂

I should add – Yeti-owning friend has had no issues with the switch-link-thingy and has ridden it since the first batch landed in the UK. The paintwork is a different matter however… 😐

much less so than normal bearings.

Surely it’s got normal bearings as well…

Capra’s a 165mm bike though, isn’t it? Can’t really compare that to a 127mm trail bike…

Have you got mud in there yet?

Yes. Yes I have.

TBH, i just hosed it down after that. No need for excessive scrubbing!

Capra’s a 165mm bike though, isn’t it? Can’t really compare that to a 127mm trail bike…

Apologies – it’s the SB6, so a better direct comparison.

Irrelevant late reply…

The sliders only move about 10mm and the swingarm puts a ton of leverage on them so dirt is much less likely to be a problem than on fork stanchions (especially as they’re just sliding bushings, no air seals etc).

Thanks for the replies.
I was more interested in hearing people’s impressions of riding the bike rather maintenance issues of the switch infinity.
I’m currently riding a ASR5C.

After seeing the sheer amount of cracks my SB66 rear swingarm has managed to muster up in 15 months, I’m pretty sure I won’t be buying anything in carbon flavour from Yeti again. 😥

I’m quite an aggressive rider. I weigh 75kg kitted up if that matters. I’ve started racing Enduro last year and love proper all mountain riding and fast trail riding plus a bit of DH every now and again. I’m not going to win an Enduro race anytime soon but I do put every effort in and try really hard to go as fast as I can without crashing every time I ride.

I’ve ridden both the SB5C and SB6C on Demo days. Didn’t get along with the SB6C. It was very heavy and didn’t ride like a Carbon bike at all. It really felt like a World Enduro bike to me more than a UK Enduro / Trail bike.

The SB5C was much more like the Ibis HD3 and it’s difficult to put many hairs between their performance. Both scream up and down a trail. Amazing bikes, both of them.

Every carbon Yeti owner I know has had their swing arm snap, though. All replaced by Yeti no questions asked but because of that I wouldn’t actually buy a carbon Yeti but if you wanted to know which of the two Yeti bikes rides better for UK trails it would be the SB5C all the way… an awesome ride.

If I had the money for the SB5C I’d buy the Ibis HD3 instead… I demo’d that too and it was awesome. It just shaded the Yeti SB5C on performance too… it was quicker.

I haven’t yet managed to demo a SC Nomad or Bronson yet… demo day coming up in July though.

I think the Ibis HD3 will be difficult to beat though.

Every carbon Yeti owner I know has had their swing arm snap, though

Not a single problem with my Yeti carbon rear triangle in 4 years

Nobeerinthefridge – Member
After seeing the sheer amount of cracks my SB66 rear swingarm has managed to muster up in 15 months, I’m pretty sure I won’t be buying anything in carbon flavour from Yeti again.

Incidentally, PinkBike broke their SB6c test frame. Bike magazine in the US broke theirs too, and broke a replacement.

Yeti have assured everyone they were preproduction frames etc, etc.

Not a single problem with my Yeti carbon rear triangle in 4 years

My first one lasted 4 months, had 5 cracks on it, replaced by Silverfish/Yeti no problem. Second one lasted a year, one big crack at upper non-drive side pivot bolt, but once I stripped it down and took the protection kit off, I found another 3 cracks.

So if this one lasts a year, It’ll be out of warranty and I’ll be stumped. Not good.

And neither is the fact that they don’t appear to keep spares in the UK, both times I’ve had to wait for a replacement being shipped from the states. In no way am I criticising Silverfish for this, they have been brilliant on both occasions.

Sad, as it’s an absolute beast of a bike, and I love riding it.

I was more interested in hearing people’s impressions of riding the bike rather maintenance issues of the switch infinity.

Good place to ask those questions for those that are interested though eh? 😉

surely it’d be worth a low cost flight to somewhere that has one to demo?

Dales in Glasgow may have one, They have a really big demo fleet nad sell Yeti.

Every carbon Yeti owner I know has had their swing arm snap, though.

Mine hasn’t.

Every carbon Yeti owner I know has had their swing arm snap, though.

I’ve not.

I give my SB5C a proper pasting, and check it pretty regularly (just in case) but am yet to find anything.
Had an ASR-5 with carbon back end which I hammered for a few years too, and never had an issue.

They’ve upped their warranty on the new frames anyway: 5 years, as opposed to the 2 they used to offer. The Switch Infinity system is also covered for 2 years.

Mine hasn’t.

Maybe he doesn’t know you?

I have one and love it. I also looked at Ibis and Santa Cruz but preferred the yeti.

Pedals in Edinburgh have a medium in stock

Maybe he doesn’t know you?

You’re right, he probably doesn’t. But he also doesn’t state how many people he knows with Yetis. Could be 1, 2 or 100. I’m betting it’s either of the first two though.

You’re right, he probably doesn’t. But he also doesn’t state how many people he knows with Yetis. Could be 1, 2 or 100. I’m betting it’s either of the first two though.

This is getting good 😀

This is getting good

And I promised myself I wouldn’t get drawn into arguments on forums anymore… There are no winners really.

Maybe he doesn’t know you?

Good job too. He makes bikes crack.

Good job too. He makes bikes crack

😀

Could be 1, 2 or 100. I’m betting it’s either of the first two though.

Or it could really be “I once read on the internet” 😛

Yeti do a couple of things really well. Turquoise and cracks.

another non cracking Yeti here. ARS5C

Non cracking SB66c here, usually do a mix of UK trail centres (blue/red/blacks) and Alps on it in the last 2 years I’ve had it. *shrugs*

Every carbon Yeti owner I know has had their swing arm snap, though

I didn’t, I managed to crack the top tube before I could crack the swing arm. Love Yetis having owned both an alloy ASR-5 and a SB66c but I would always be a little unsure of taking a 1st production batch carbon bike of them.

Apologies for the hijack of the thread…..have a friend who just got one, pretty ballsy all out rider, loves it.

Ok, not all of the Yeti owners I know have had theirs crack. I know 5 Yeti Carbon owners well. 3 of them have cracked swing arms and have been replaced. One of them had his replaced twice. The 3 of them are highly skilled riders above average fitness.

It’s just an observation from my friend circle. I can’t possibly know what percentage of Yeti carbon bikes end up replaced under warranty. I don’t own a Yeti and I I haven’t broken any during any demo rides. I hope that if I did own one in the future I wouldn’t crack it. They certainly ride very well.

The OP question was which bike rides best out of the SB5C and the SB6C and I have demo ridden both. In my opinion the SB5C is the better more ridable bike for most of the time. It was my favourite anyway. That is my opinion.

I demo rode the new Orange Five, Alpine 160, Crush AM and Segment yesterday. The Alpine 160 was my favourite followed very closely with the new Five. For me the A160 was more stable feeling at speed and into drops and only very slightly heavier than the Five. The Crush was fun but it was slower for me and didn’t grip so well on the short sharp test climbs. The FS bikes dug in on the same climbs. I haven’t ridden a HT in ages but it was fun to try one. It muddied the waters a bit because it was still good fun and a lot cheaper.

Demos are the best way to find out what size and style of bike you like and can throw up some surprises. I found that a Nukeproof AM is faster than a Yeti SB6C for me (might not be for you, go demo them yourself). A Yeti SB5C was quicker than both. An Ibis HD3 faster again and the Orange Five on a par with the SB5C. My results from the demo days I’ve attended. All brilliant bikes though. Splitting hairs to separate them.

I hope some of the info is useful to someone.

OK, back to the OP…

I have a SB5C, bought in January. Ridden almost every weekend (except April – injury) since, through sloppy mud and on nice dry trails (so not massive mileage yet). Switch Infinity link is actually fairly well protected from mud.

Hands down, the most impressive bike I’ve ever owned (FYI: loads of hard tails, 2000 Intense Tracer, 2006 Ellsworth Epiphany, 2011 Trek Fuel EX). I leave my rear shock in ‘Trail’ and forget about it. It’s so confidence inspiring – partly down to the wide bars, long TT, short stem combo and partly down to rear sus, which seems to suck up anything you throw at it. In fact, I need to grow a bigger pair and back off the brakes more when I’m descending. It also climbs very well indeed. My usual riding buddy immediately said that I looked more comfortable and was riding quicker on it, first ride. It’s that kind of bike.

I weigh 15st and have had no problems with cracking swingarms or creaking BBs. Mine is black (so I can’t comment on any issues with paint).

The only problem is with the forks, which Mojo are going to have a look at under warranty.

If you can afford it, buy one!