I’ll be looking for a new frame soon and these are my current favourites. I’ll probably be buying second hand so the 575 would be the old model (09 or 10 probably). I’ve seen a couple of deals on a new hustler frame so might stretch to that. Won’t be able to test so I’m trying to get an idea of which would suit me best.

I’m looking for something that climbs well and is lighter than my pitch but still solid enough to fly down some rocky descents. If I went for the yeti would I be able to use my lyrik or would I need a smaller fork? For the hustler, I would have to change to a 140mm fork but that’s no problem. Really can’t decide between the 2. The only thing putting me off the 575 is that the back end looks a bit weak and flexy. But then the hustler might build up to be a bit heavy.
The other option would be a heckler but prefer the look of the other two really. Any owners of these care to shed some light?

Cheers

Saracen Ariel!

Is the Hustler (or a Saracen ariel for that matter) any lighter than the Pitch frame?

I would say that if you have the money – go for the yeti. They are incredibly stable/stiff and, whilst they look weak and flexi, stick to the alloy rear and you will be fine. I have a Yeti asr with less than 4″ of travel and guys on bigger bikes have a real problem with the fact that it can really fly down the hills – soaks up the knocks and climbs like a goat (which the bigger bikes struggle with). I have ridden the 575 and you can feel the pedigree is the same. Not knocking the Cove as this is a great bike as well (I own a Stiffee – 8O) and you can make this up to be real light but you will need to spend alot to do this as it sounds like you are buying just the frame. Not sure about the lyric on the 575 – depends on what it comes with when you buy one second hand – as you may not want to change it. Hope this helps.

I’ve not noticed any major rear flex issues on my 575. It squealed a helluva lot when I had elixirs on though. Got m4s and the shop made sure the mounts were faced etc… Much better. Cracking bike, I went from my 04 enduro to it and it’s great. Just as good a climber, as light, and more gnar on the downs and drops.. And the enduro wasn’t bad to start with.
In other words, I would recommend the 575.

If you get a Yeti, dont get one with a carbon rear end.

Great help thanks. I’d be looking at either a frame or full build depending on what’s around. Like the idea of the yeti as it should be the lighter bike as long as it won’t break on me. Might struggle to find one with an alloy rear though.

I’ve got an ’09 Yeti 575 with the carbon seatstays / alloy chainstays, should be just the ticket for you. Sorted ride, feels planted and confidence inspiring. It doesn’t feel flexy at all in my opinion. Built up with Fox Float 140’s up front, XT kit, and Hope Hoops. Comes in around 27lbs.

One of my riding buddies has the carbon rear version and that doesn’t feel flexy either.

Keep an eye out in the classifieds and you should be able to pick one up for £600 – £650 ish in good condition.

My Hustler is great. With Pike dual air forks, a droppy seatpost and middling components it came in at just over 30lbs. It’s a small.

It has now got a set of 150mm Fox 36s so is a bit heavier. Great bike, taking it to Cwmcarn for the uplift this Saturday. Cable routing for the rear derailieur is a bit Sram un-friendly but that’s my only gripe.

It pedals reasonably well on the ups. I rarely use the lock out on the RP23, but then again I’m happy plodding along as I’m no mountain goat.

I’m looking for something that climbs well and is lighter than my pitch but still solid enough to fly down some rocky descents.

I have some experience of this. I went from a 575 to a Pitch!

A 575, sadly, will never be as good downhill as a Pitch. It’s just a different bike. My Pitch is FAAAAAR better downhill than the 575 ever was. AND they both had Pikes on them….

I understand that there will be a compromise downhill. I just want more of an allrounder than the pitch. Not all of my riding warrants such a capable bike downhill and although the pitch climbs well for what it is and i could just get fitter, i think as an only bike, it’s a bit much for me. I’ve owned 2 orange 5’s in the past and thought they were great. Probably a good compromise up and down the hill. Don’t want to go for another as i’m in between sizes and fancy trying something different. Definitely leaning towards a Yeti at the moment although limited mud clearance puts me off a little and don’t know how it will compare wih something like a 5 downhill.

Bit of a curve ball,try an ellsworth epiphany,fantastic up and down and its very light also no nasty carbon fibre

Just looked up the epiphany. Looks really good and i don’t think i would see many on the trails. Would probably struggle to find a second hand one though. Keeping an eye out for a 575. May as well give one a try.

I’ve had no issues with Mud clearance and I’ve been out in some shocking weather with it.. Last 2 rear tyres have been mk2.25 and NNs the same size. No issues with tyre rub, mud room etc.

That’s great news. Is yours the carbon or alloy rear end?

I know of 2 575 rear ends that have snapped. Hence why I went for the spicy instead
Just another to consider

Just looking at the 575 frames on CRC. The ’09 has full carbon rear triangle and the ’08 seems to show an alloy chainstay although the description states a full carbon rear. Anyone know the differences between the two?

Hustler is a no brainer, well made and good geometry.
I’ve owned both and the hustler is a great all rounder but the pitch is also great but more so for dh imo.
I would go for the hustler and ignore any weight issues 😀

I loved my hustler, the geometry is fantastic and it’s a blast downhill. Mine was built heavy (34lbs with Saint, 823 etc) so climbing was compromised but you could build it way lighter than mine.

Andy, I’m full carbon at the back. I’m not out as much as I used to be, maybe 2 or 3 times a month. Not into downhill as such but it handled the big drops at omega man, caddon bank etc.. fine, just sucked them up and kept going. I have heard of a lot of snapped rear ends (at the seatstay/chainstay junction) but mine has been fine.. Think yeti are generally good on the warranty front too although I guess no one wants to find that out.
Not sure what the issue is with the carbon/alloy back ends on crc though?

JRA frame failure of a Hustler in July this year, owner thought he had a rear puncture until he looked down & saw the gap between the seat tube & top tube.

2008 Yet 575 had an alloy chainstay coupled with a carbon seatstay, the 2009 version went to an carbon chainstay as well with an alloy chainsuck guard. I have the 2008 version which was bought new in 2009. No problems at all and mud clearance isn’t an issue. I run 2.35 Maxxis High Rollers front and rear. Great all-rounder and would suit your needs.

Something else to consider… Haven’t Orange brought out a 17″ version of the Orange 5 for the new season to get over the fact that lots of potential buyers are between sizes??

Still haven’t found a reason to change my ’06 (proper shape 😉 ) 575.
Yeah, I don’t ride it enough lately, but whenever I do I think, “What could possibly be better than this?!” 🙂
I also have a Cove, which I can’t see myself changing, but it’s not a Hustler.

Dez, you’d have to spend silly money now to get anything very noticeably better then your 575. Stick with it buddy 😀

I knows it 🙂

Had pretty much decided on the Yeti but all this talk of snapped stays is putting me off. I suppose any frame could break and you only really hear about the bad ones online. I’m not too heavy at 12 stone but i’ve always owned fairly solid bikes and i’d hate to have to ride with part of me worrying if i’m hitting things too hard. I suppose that’s the price i may have to pay for a lighter, better climbing frame. Undecided now as the hustler looks a bit more solid with great geometry but the 575 should give me a lighter build and looks so good, which is important too.

I’m with Dez on this one. I’ve had my 575 coming up 5yrs and I’ve only looked at changing it for a newer one, then thought why bother? It’s the longest I’ve owned a full suss

Andy , i used to own a well spec’d pitch pro until it was stolen the day before a trip to the lakes . I ended hiring a very nice hustler @ grizedale and can give you a good comparison , oh and i’m about the same weight .
Yes the pitch is much more of a bomber bike but can still be built/ridden well , mine had hope hoops , revelation 150 air forks and was at the point of being a much better climber than it used to be .
The hustler felt odd to start with being a touch shorter but one thing i did notice straight away was how much stiffer it was ! After about 20 mins i really started having fun on it and could climb pretty well compared to the pitch , it felt pretty darn good descending too .
My friend used to have a 575 and i had a ride on it ( well around car park / down a track ) i think the geometry felt a bit steeper upfront and had that ‘sitting on ‘ feeling . Not my cup of tea but obviously not the best test for it ! I would have gone for a hustler with my insurance money but i got an ’11 enduro for the same price as a new pitch 🙂

Pitcherpro, thanks for your reply. My pitch has coil lyriks and is a bit small for me so i’m sure a good fitting hustler should be easier to climb on without going too lightweight. I suppose that’s what i’m looking for really and i can see myself worrying about the Yeti breaking. If i could find a 575 with an alloy rear, i would have to seriously consider it but i think i’ll have a look for a Hustler. Hustler owners, what fork do you rate for the frame? I’ve seen Pikes on most of them but would a revelation be better/as good?

Boo!! I have no issues with being “sat on” the bike, 6ft, 12.5 stone, feels much plusher and has better give than my enduro.. My mate had a go at GT, he’s about 13 and a bit stone but he commented that he felt “in” the bike more than his fsr stumpy.
I was very concerned about the yeti stays after reading reviews, horror stories on yetifan etc, but I’ve had no problems in nearly 2 years of decently gnar riding. For every snapped stay story theres a happy one, and those that have gone have almost always been sorted with no probs.. Yeti owners love them for a good reason!
That said, my xbox just packed up after 7 years so who knows!!
(Yeti! Yeti! Yeti! Etc)

cove say the 150mm revs are too tall.
I’ve read some people have put 160mm lyrics on theirs.
asides from a tiny dent on the downtube mine is fine,2ys old this month.

Andyflaw

CRC have 2008 Yeti 575’s in their sale with the alloy chainstays, all colours / sizes available with Fox RP23 Shock. Their photo just looks like the chainstay has a carbon section but it’s actually the neoprene Yeti chainstay guard. The full carbon rear wasn’t introduced until 2009.

😀

Thanks Paceman. I had seen those but the description states they have a full carbon rear. Might have to give them another look if the carbon rear didn’t come out until ’09. Just when i thought i had decided on the hustler too.

That’s just CRC being lazy with their description of the product 😉

I’ve previously run Dual Air Pikes at 140mm. The bike was great. New Revs at 140mm would be good.

I now run 150mm Fox 36 Talas. The bike feels a lot more DH without affecting the XC riding too much.

Just recently started to get the wheels off the ground more and the Hustler feels very stable.

I see no reason to change.

I’ve got an 09 575 with carbon rear end and I can’t say I’ve noticed any flexing with it at all, and this includes a day at Cwmcarn on the downhill run. It feels just right to me, and I still think it looks the nuts too. On top of that, it’s an anodised frame and the paintwork is as hard as nails. Still looks pretty new after a couple of years or mis-treating it. Mind you, what suits one person won’t suit another so maybe you’ll only decide after riding both. As for the rear end snapping I’m sure I remember a similar thread on Yetifan where it was revealed that they’d had more failed alloy rears than carbon ones. I think everyone worries that carbon’s too fragile but it seems to be the way all the high end bikes are going these days so it seems unlikely.

JRA frame failure of a Hustler in July this year

Hey that’s my bike or rather was my bike 😯

It was always a very good ride before that happened. Still counting my blessings that I spotted the failure before the downtube folded any further