Lindahl

Actually it sounds pretty damn similar - it's not a couch, it's a bit harsh, but it races, pops and plays (skips/dances) well - pretty much what AJ is saying - I feel like they both nailed it. The difference is purely in how they sold the strengths and weaknesses. I feel like Blister did a better job selling the SB5's strengths and noting it's weaknesses than AJ did - which produced a more unbiased-sounding review. A good reviewer tries to take their own preferences and biases out of the equation as much as possible.

My ride/handling experience with the old SB66 - pretty much the same as this review. A lot of people picking apart Yeti here for the ride feel expressed by AJ. You guys really need to try the bike before bitching. Yes, the bike likes to skip and dance through chunder, instead of plow. But, this results in three things: 1) It's faster. 2) It's precise. 3) It feels nervous and chattery when plowing. Suspension design is always an issue of trade-offs. Considering Yeti's focus on racing, I'm not surprised they went this route. Yeah, when I'm in over my head on a trail that can overwhelm me, I'm not gonna want a 'nervous feeling' bike when plowing through chunder. But when I'm on a trail I know well, and I'm riding within my technical/speed limits, man is skipping and dancing through chunder soooo much fun (and fast!). With the way Yeti has set up their suspension, it's really easy to pop off a rock at the beginning of chunder, skip over the rest, and land right where you want to, on the smoother section of trail. Guess what... thats what makes you fast and win races - not plowing aimlessly through momentum-sapping roots and rocks like a beginner. So yeah... many of you are missing the wagon here. It's not that the bike's suspension sucks. It's that it's for a certain style of riding. And maybe AJ undersold that side of things, because Yeti's suspension design definitely does things well that other bikes can suck at. I enjoy both styles... bikes that dance and skip, and bikes that plow and stay composed. Pick your poison... or, better yet, buy both types and ride the one that suits the trail and your mood for that day.

You know what's rad? Aluminum

"The video you are trying to watch is not available right now. Please check back soon." On an iPad - what gives?

As a result of injury and fatality, the Freeride World Tour has changed how the scoring works to de-incentivize large hucks. The scoring is now more balanced toward riding a line that you can handle with a high level of style and control. You get docked a good amount of points for anything but a near-perfect 4-point landing, or if you look sloppy in the runout. Perhaps this is something that Rampage can consider. However, having Red Bull being the backer makes this pretty unlikely. Their target market isn't really the kind that understands risk and extreme sports, to begin with - hell, they air it mid-day on the weekend! Great for the couch potatoes and night dwellers that tend to pound that garbage.

Good argument for flats right there. Dude doesn't even have his feet off the pedals yet. With flats, I'd be jumping over my bike and landing on my feet if I caught my nose like that.

Keystone/Vail is our Whistler... Winter Park is all jumps and groomed flow trails, except for one trail (Trestle). No gnar there.