Those crafty Colorado folk at Yeti have come out of nowhere with a wild new suspension design called Switch Infinity. Conceptualised by Yeti, manufactured by FOX Suspension, and built into a new Yeti SB5.
The popular SB platform with the Switch Pivot (SB66, SB95 and SB75) is a phenomenal design, just read the reviews, see them on the trails and look at Jared Grave’s results on his SB66. But the design was not without its flaws, it was often criticised for not handling sharp, square-edged impacts on rougher trails as well as other bikes, plus another big name frame manufacturer was rumoured to be concerned that the Switch was infringing on an existing patent. So, Yeti have thrown their best at a new design, and this is the outcome.
Combining the efficiency of the Switch on the existing SB bikes, with their crazy ‘rail’ system on the 303 DH bikes (which allows vertical wheel travel) the Switch Infinity is born.
We’ve ridden one briefly, and will be putting more time on one soon, but for now hear what Yeti have to say about the SB5 and stay tuned for a proper Flow review soon. We’re as curious as you are.
[divider]Yeti[/divider]
THE SB5C IS OUR INTERPRETATION OF WHAT A TRAIL BIKE SHOULD BE — LIGHTWEIGHT, GREAT PEDALING UPHILL AND A SCREAMER GOING DOWN. THIS BIKE WILL MAKE YOU SMILE.
We’ve taken all we’ve learned from our popular Switch Technology and merged it with our bump smashing 303 Rail Technology to come up with a completely new suspension design called Switch Infinity.
This new system allows the suspension to achieve seemingly contradictory characteristics. In the early stage of the travel it displays superior pedaling efficiency and excellent small bump sensitivity. As you move deeper into the travel, it is well supported and responds effortlessly to square edge hits.
What does that mean from a rider’s perspective? You can hammer away in all conditions, including rough, chunky ascents with zero loss in efficiency. You don’t get knocked off-line, and you have amazing traction. Point it down and it’s very fast. The controlled mid-stroke keeps the bike composed through rough terrain and g-outs, while allowing it to open up when encountering bigger hits deeper in the travel.
Our geometry has always been progressive and mirrors our gravity-influenced riding style — long top tube, low bottom bracket, and slack head angle. This allows the bike to achieve great front to rear balance when descending. When pounding the pedals uphill, you’ll appreciate the seat tube has been moved forward a bit to put the rider in the optimum pedaling position. It feels right from the moment you get on it.
And here’s the bell ringer — the frame weighs just 5.1 pounds and is very stiff, so you can hold your line no matter how hard you push.