SB5.5 Carbon XT/SLX Complete Mountain Bike - 2018
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The long-travel 29er market has exploded in recent years now that manufacturers have caught on to the benefits of the big wheels. The wagon wheels simply roll faster, preserving your momentum and refusing to get hung up when daunting rock gardens and gnarled roots threaten to slow you down. With balanced geometry and a good suspension platform, long-travel 29ers climb and corner with the best of them too. Yeti's SB5.5 ticks all the boxes with plush yet efficient Switch Infinity suspension, a stiff carbon frame, and dialed geometry that loves to go fast both up and down the mountain. It's a proven EWS-winner at the hands of Richie Rude, chosen for high-speed courses or those with pedally stages and long transfers. If you're looking for a capable all mountain bike that carries speed everywhere, with plush suspension that gobbles up the roughest lines, all while remaining efficient enough to be pedaled all day in the backcountry, look no further than the SB5.5 Carbon XT/SLX Complete Mountain Bike.
Yeti's Switch Infinity suspension design is among the best we've ridden. It's plush throughout the 140mm of rear travel, offering a smooth ride quality that makes it feel like you've got more travel than the numbers dictate. It maintains impressive traction across chattery small bumps and square-edged hits alike, with enough ramp to confidently soak up sizeable drops. Paired with a 160mm Fox fork up front, the SB5.5 is unstoppable when gravity takes over and the trail points down.
Climbing abilities are equally as important, and Switch Infinity doesn't disappoint. The beauty of this design is the translating main pivot, aka the Switch Infinity link. The link moves upward in the beginning of its travel, creating a rearward axle path, before sliding back down as you progress through the rest of the travel. This initial rearward axle path is what makes the Yeti an amazing technical climber, preventing the rear wheel from getting hung up as you power up chunky climbs. Of course, the pedaling platform is supportive too, with almost no bob when you get out of the saddle to hammer up a steep incline. We found ourselves leaving the shock in open mode for most climbs, except for sustained grunts on mostly-smooth fire roads.
The SB5.5's geometry is another element of the bike's success. The 66.5-degree head angle paired with a 51mm offset fork is stable on descents and high speeds, without making the bike feel sluggish on tamer trails and climbs. The reach and wheelbase are generous, but not overly long, providing a good balance between stability and maneuverability. The 17.2in chainstays aren't short by today's standards, but that's what Yeti wanted, helping the rear wheel stay tracked through gnarly terrain. A low-slung top tube and fairly short standover help you feel more inside the bike rather than on top of it, which is nice with the taller 29in wheels.
Yeti offers two levels of carbon frames for the SB5.5. TURQ is the higher-end carbon, but comes with a hefty price tag. This bike is the Carbon series, which offers the same stiffness and durability as TURQ carbon, with a modest 400g (0.8lb) weight penalty. The 5.5 pedals and handles so well that the weight difference is basically negligible while riding. If money was no concern, we'd all be riding TURQ series frames, but the unquestionable value of the Carbon-series SB5.5 is hard to beat. Plus, it leaves you with plenty of cash to take this bike to some epic riding destinations or even don some number plates yourself.
Yeti is known for their smart build kits, and for the pragmatist this one doesn't leave much to be desired. Shimano SLX and XT drivetrain components offer comparable performance to XTR at a much more reasonable price point. Fox Performance suspension keeps things running smooth, while reliable DT Swiss wheels and sure-footed Maxxis rubber help you stay glued to the ground at speed. To keep all that speed in check, Yeti specs dependable SLX brakes with 180mm rotors.
Details
- A long-travel 29er for all-mountain riding and enduro racing
- 5.5in of travel smooths descents and rockets up climbs
- Switch Infinity design is impressively plush and efficient
- Geometry loves high speeds but isn't sluggish on tame trails
- Carbon construction is stiff & strong with enjoyable ride quality
- Shimano drivetrain & brakes perform reliably at a good value
- Fox suspension damps the trail for confident handling
- The SB5.5 is proven at the EWS level by Richie Rude and Cody Kelley
- Item #YTI00AJ
- Frame Material
- carbon fiber
- Suspension
- Switch Infinity
- Rear Shock
- Fox Performance DPX2
- Rear Travel
- 140mm
- Fork
- Fox Performance 36
- Front Travel
- 160mm
- Headset
- Cane Creek 40 ZS
- Shifters
- Shimano SLX
- Front Derailleur
- n/a
- Rear Derailleur
- Shimano XT
- ISCG Tabs
- ISCG 05
- Crankset
- Race Face Aeffect
- Chainring Sizes
- 30t
- Bottom Bracket
- Race Face
- Bottom Bracket Type
- PF92
- Cassette
- Shimano SLX
- Cassette Range
- 11 - 46t
- Chain
- Shimano SLX
- Brakeset
- Shimano SLX
- Brake Type
- hydraulic disc
- Rotors
- 180mm Shimano SLX RT66
- Handlebar
- Race Face Respond
- Handlebar Width
- 785mm
- Grips
- Ergon GA2
- Stem
- Race Face Respond
- Stem Length
- 45mm
- Saddle
- WTB Yeti custom
- Seatpost
- 30.9mm Fox Transfer Performance Series
- Seat Collar
- 34.9mm
- Wheelset
- DT Swiss M1900, 30mm
- Front Axle
- 15 x 110mm Boost
- Rear Axle
- 12 x 148mm Boost
- Tires
- [front] Maxxis Minion DHF, [rear] Maxxis Aggressor
- Tire Size
- [front] 29 x 2.5in, [rear] 29 x 2.3in
- Pedals
- not included
- Claimed Weight
- 30.8lb
- Recommended Use
- enduro, trail
- Manufacturer Warranty
- 5 years on frame
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