Chris Conroy is the man who powered Yeti into mountain bike's modern era - a highly charged experimental period that produced a number of suspension designs. Yeti's hunger for the ultimate ride spawned a variety of simple single-pivot swingarms, and some out-of-the blue configurations like the 303 downhiller's sliding-track '
Rail Technology' and more currently, the use of a rolling cam to moderate the rate changes of its longer-travel trail and all-mountain suspension. '
Switch Technology' is the name that Yeti coined for its new eccentric-cam suspension and Conroy was on hand at Dirt Demo to share some of the back story of the design as well as to walk PB through its most important features.
Owner Chris Conroy poses with Yeti's SB 66 demonstration frame that is used to illustrate the action of its Switch Technology suspension. The eccentric cam (blue) functions as a short link and in combination with the upper rocker, creates a true four-bar suspension system.
Conroy says that Yeti was approached by Sotto Design Group, who showed him a raw prototype of the suspension system. At that time, Yeti's
mid-travel ASR 5 was based upon a single-pivot swingarm that drove the shock via a rocker link. Conroy didn't bite the first time because the ASR 5's suspension rate curve was very consistent and he felt that its pedaling was as good as an XC-trailbike gets.
The eccentric cam rides on large, sealed, angular-contact ball bearings. The eccentric and upper rocker link pivots are both machined into a single forging to ensure perfect orientation in the aluminum SB 66 frame.
What changed Conroy's mind, was the fact that Yeti's cross-country suspension, like almost every contemporary design, compromises some degree of mid to end-stroke performance in order to provide firm pedaling in the beginning of the suspension's travel. Short-travel bikes don't suffer as much from this problem, but as travel increases, so does the unwanted rate change. The Switch suspension's eccentric cam had the potential to provide the same degree of firm pedaling action without causing the suspension to push through the mid stroke the first time that the bike hit a substantial bump. Shortly afterwards, when Yeti was developing its six-inch-travel SB 66, they realized that they could use the cam's two-way action to control the shock's leverage rate all the way to full compression.
(From left) The key to the SB 66's smooth suspension action it that the Switch cam rotates counter-clockwise, lengthening the chainstay in the initial part of the suspension travel to provide pedaling firmness. As the swingarm moves into the mid-stroke, the cam reverses direction (far right), creating a smooth-acting linear suspension rate.
Conroy admits that there are a couple of AM/trailbikes out there that may pedal a bit sharper than his SB 66, but that, he explains, is a compromise that Yeti can live with. To maximize pedaling firmness, he explained, one must live with a slightly harsher feel throughout the suspension travel. 'Like us or hate us,' says Conroy. 'Yeti has always made our bikes to showcase handling and suspension performance, even if those attributes may compromise pedaling slightly. In the case of Switch, I think we got both sides of that equation spot on.'
The SB 66 features a replaceable dropout insert that can accommodate 142/12mm through-axles or conventional quick release types. Construction is elegantly executed throughout the chassis.
The SB 66 frame is available in either 26-inch or 29-inch configurations. It has rapidly become Yeti's most popular model. The frame and shock reportedly weigh 7.5 pounds in the aluminum version.
When asked about braking vs suspension action, Conroy shouted out a short, but enthusiastic string of adjectives that probably shouldn't be repeated here, but the gist of it was, 'Switch suspension performs extremely well under braking in any situation.' The fact that Switch suspension is a true four-bar system underscores the possibility of braking being decoupled from the rear suspension, and initial ride impressions bear witness to Conroy's battle cry.
Yeti's SB 66 Carbon is almost two pounds lighter than the aluminum version - and with looks that could kill. The compact nature of Switch rear suspension keeps the bike's stand-over height very low.
A close-up shot of the Switch cam illustrates how compact the system is, with plenty of room for the direct-mount front derailleur and outboard, a narrow profile for feet to clear the swingarm. The main swingarm pivot runs through the eccentric, so torsional forces in the frame are countered by the wide stance of the eccentric bearings and by the rigid upper rocker link.
The fact that Yeti's entire fleet of Demo SB 66 bikes were loaned out throughout the two days of Interbike's Dirt Demo indicates that Yeti did something right. We look forward to an in-depth review of the '66 this fall. In the meantime, visit
Yeti's well-organized website to get the 411 on the geometry and specs of the SB 66.
The bike shines at higher speeds and when pushed. Top of stroke is stiffer but that is a benefit when hammering out. Likes to be lofted and float over chatter IMO. I run it at 25%+ sag, no pro pedal. I've had ZERO issues with it
just maybe i'll pop this at no.1 in the 'next suspension style to try' list
The SB66 does ride very well, it corners amazing and extremely stable at speed. Compared to other designs: the Maestro link feels similar in the DH side, but seems a little bit firmer on the climbs. The DW link is much stiffer on the climbs but not nearly as smooth or bottomless feeling. The VPP is more smooth on the small chatter, and about equal on the climbs. There you have it a quick synapse of the differences. The SB66 is a great bike as are many others, my advice would be to ride one and see if it is the right choice for you, it may well be?
people who pay this much for a frame will never admit that it has problems!
saying that the bike is great in the downhills is such a stupid thing imo , anything that i had ever rode on downhill was GREAT even if it was a sliding downhill on a piece of cardboard !
when will the sb650b will be available?
FLAME ON!
They did have a warranty issue with the SB66. Yeti was very upfront about it. The frame was spec'd with the wrong bearing in the switch link in the first batch. The bearings failed almost immediately and Yeti sent out replacements. They've had no other major issues regarding the frame.
Have you ridden one? The feeling isn't in the ride its self but more or less through the pedal stroke as your riding slow threw terrain that is more rough, then smooth. Otherwise the suspension stroke is as smooth as butter, you can't feel the switch activate.....UNLESS your pedaling slowly through a more rough section which compresses your suspension deep into its stroke. Thats when your pedaling platform is interrupted, only in the slightest manor. Im not admitting its a problem, your right, but im not also saying its a problem.....its just a characteristic of the frame/supsension design. You don't agree with it but I love it! Brap!
Smiles for Miles!
I have not experienced any problems with the bearings, or switch components; they are buttery smooth everytime. I have also never noticed anyhing when the switch changes direction, but I may now that I'll be looking for it. I pull everything apart and grease it maybe once a month. The bike climbs great, but I have been riding strictly DH for the 5 years prior so I guess it's all relative. That said, I have noticed very little pedal bob (even when out of the saddle) and generally run the rear compression completely open, with the exception of flat, dusty trails in Central, OR. I also run slightly less sag because I like to sit a little higher in the travel and running the rear wide open helps compensate when it comes to traction. I have only bottomed this bike out on 4-5' drops to near flat.
I did see another poster that was dissapointed in the suspension response of fast chatter and I have noticed this as well on some occassions, however, the bike performs great on successive medium to large hits and the long wheelbase keeps stability in the fast rough stuff. I prefer to skip over the chatter than attempt to soak it up so this bike works great for my style and feels glued to the ground in every corner.
When it comes down to it the same old rule applies -try it before you buy it. I've got a medium if anyone in Portland wants to go out for a ride and swap bikes part way.
its so smooth uphill and it makes so much fun going down!!!
You either rode one set up totally wrong or you work for Specialized/Trek. Crazy.