Riding Jared Graves' Prototype Yeti SB6c
There are good days and then there are great days, but getting to ride Jared Graves' prototype Yeti SB6c can't be adequately described using either of those words, can it? This is the exact same bike that he rode to an amazing comeback victory at the most difficult EWS race in the series' short history just a day prior, which means that "good" and "great" don't really do this opportunity justice given that I'm more than a bit of a fanatic when it comes to getting the chance to sample bikes usually reserved for the fastest racers in the world. Never mind that the fastest racers in the world don't often let the media take their bike for a spin. In fact, Jared himself seemed a little bit reserved about the whole thing, telling me a few times that he never lets anyone go out on his race bike. FOX was having none of that, though, and I was able to do a handful of runs in the Whistler Bike Park to sample Jared's baby and see what his suspension setup was like for the EWS race so long as I promised to bring it back in one piece.
PROTOTYPE FRAME
Jared first raced the 157mm travel SB6c, the replacement for the popular SB66, at the Winter Park EWS round, and it was actually his first time on the new bike. ''I had one day of practice on it in before Winter Park, that was it,'' he said when I questioned him on how involved he was in the development on the new machine. Like a lot of race-focused companies, Yeti has strong group of trusted development riders and racers whose job it is to put time in on test mules while their top tier athletes toe start lines around the world. This method applies to Graves as well, with him making a list of needs and wants for an Enduro World Series weapon that will allow him to win races. "I just tell them what I want the bike to do, and they find ways to make that happen. As far as the geometry goes, we sat down last year and they asked me exactly what I wanted,'' he explained of the process. ''I gave them a bunch of numbers and that's exactly how it came out. The way it worked out is that the stock medium is pretty much my custom bike. Whatever I wanted for my geometry, that's what the stock medium is.'' Talk about special treatment, right? Then again, when you're arguably the world's best all around mountain bike racer, you get what you need to get the job done.
FOX SUSPENSION
Yeti and FOX have a long history of working together and that has only strengthened over the last year with the creation of the Switch Infinity mechanism that controls the SB6c's suspension. What appears to be two diminutive shocks located just above the bike's bottom bracket are actually short rails, best described by Pinkbike's Mike Kazimer in his review of the shorter travel SB5c: ''It's actually two short rails, the heart of Yeti's 'translating pivot' suspension configuration. Initially, as the bike goes through its travel the carrier moves upwards on the rails, giving the bike a rearward axle path for improved pedalling and small bump absorption. As the rear wheel goes deeper into its travel the mechanism moves downwards, reducing the amount of chain tension for better big hit performance.'' Yeti says that the new rail layout saves about 100 grams over the older design's eccentric system.
The entire Yeti team is also supported by FOX and often has access to the latest products long before consumers ever hear about them, although that actually wasn't the case for Jared's race bike in Whistler - according to FOX, he raced with a production 36 Float 27.5 160 FIT RC2 fork on the front of his very not production SB6c, as well as a standard Float X out back. It isn't quite that clear, however, because while his fork and shock aren't utilizing any one-off parts that you can't find on your own, the valving inside of both has been tweaked slightly after much testing. Mark Jordan, FOX's Global Marketing Communications Manager, explained to me that tunes in both the 36 and the Float X are something that will be on production units in the near future, and are as simple as slight changes to the shim stacks that have come as a result of testing with riders like Graves.
And what sort of setup was Jared running for the rowdy Whistler EWS race? He decided to stick with a 160mm travel fork up front, preferring to go with what he's familiar with rather than mixing it up just before the hardest race of the year and despite much of his competition going with more travel to handle the steep and rough timed sections: "I haven't had time to just go and ride to test things out, but I think we're going to change some fork settings today, and even go up to 170mm. I wanted to go with what I know for the race, and the bike was designed around a 160mm fork, so that's what I'm running right now.'' No point rolling the dice, right? It's no secret that Jared ran into some fork troubles during the race, though, and it sounds like an extremely hard g-out caused air to pass from the positive to the negative chamber, thereby lowering the fork in its travel and softening the spring rate. Both Graves and FOX were adamant that it was the first issue like this that they've seen, and it highlights the importance of testing with riders like Jared who are pushing things to the absolute limit. Unlike a lot of pros who would do their best to avoid talking about the issue, Jared was very forthcoming when Pinkbike interviewed him during the race, even explaining how he got through the first four stages and then partially solved it before coming from behind to win on the day's massive final descent from the top of the mountain.
The bike was set up surprisingly soft given how fast Jared goes and how rough the course was, but he explained that he was looking for traction on the loose ground and forgiveness over the long day more than he needed control on big hits. The 36 Float was pumped to 70 PSI, less than usual, while the Float X shock was running 170 PSI. What about changes to the fork between stages to suit the different timed sections? "Just a few, maybe three or four clicks depending on the stage. I definitely stiffened it up for stage two,'' he said about the fork. The shock is left alone during the day, though: ''I try not to touch the CTD lever on the rear shock because I have a tendency to forget to take it off of Climb mode, so I just leave it."
COMPONENTS
As you might expect, Jared's SB6c sports a number of interesting custom bits courtesy of his mechanic, Shaun Hughes. One of the most interesting is the "ghetto tubeless" setup, something that used to be common until the advent of proper tubeless tire systems, and especially readily available rim tape and valve stems, came about. It consists of a tube that's been cut down the middle along its circumference and then used as a rim strip, complete with the valve still attached. Hughes has employed Maxxis' 24" Welter Weight tubes to fit tight around the DT Swiss EX471 rims, and then sealed the DHF and DHR II tires with WTB's TSC sealant. ''The ghetto tubeless is something that I've mastered over the years. It's just a tiny bit more secure - the tire bead fits tighter, and the small flap of tube that I leave provides a little bit more protection,'' Hughes said when questioned as to why he prefers the original method of tubeless'ing a tire over an off the shelf system. Tire pressures are nearly always at 26 PSI up front and 29 PSI out back, although those numbers might go a touch higher if there's a high risk of flatting.
The bike's brake setup is also out of the ordinary, although you could assemble a matching system if you were to purchase the parts separately. "Jared is extremely picky about his brakes, and so am I, so we have a good working relationship with that one,'' Hughes said of the hybrid setup that consists of Shimano's XTR Race levers with Saint four piston calipers. Anyone who has used a set of Saint brakes knows that the calipers provide an incredible amount of power, but those who pay attention to such things are also aware that the Servo Wave mechanism employed by both the Saint and XTR Trail levers gives the brakes an odd feel that requires more pressure to get the lever blades moving past a certain point. While I don't have confirmation on this, there's a good chance that Jared prefers the non-Servo Wave XTR Race top end for this exact reason. The demanding Whistler course also saw Hughes install Shimano's finned pads, saying ''I'd usually install the standard pads, but for this race I wanted a little more heat dispersion."
Other notable bits include a left XTR shifter that controls the internally routed Thomson Covert dropper post, a setup that Hughes was particularly proud of due to the lever cable anchor mods he had to come up with to get it to function. Jared was also running a prototype Renthal chainring that is the UK company's answer to the narrow ride rings already on the market, and an e*thirteen chain guide with an upper slider and taco guard but no lower roller.
I've had a few chances over the years to spend time on bikes ridden and raced by some of the quickest top pros, and every single time I've come away from the experience thinking that I'm just not good enough to get the most from their machines. Now, it goes without saying that I obviously don't have the skills, fitness or coconuts to ride the bikes like their owners do, but that's not what I'm referring to. What I mean is that the equipment under the world's best gravity racers is often set up in such an extreme way that a regular, expert-level hack like myself is actually hindered by it - the suspension is too stiff and the bike can't hold a line because of it; the brakes, although appearing to be off the shelf units, feel so powerful that they are a touch overwhelming; the tires are pumped hard enough that they can't provide sufficient bite for my more average cornering speeds. I expected much of the same with Jared's race machine, but that wasn't the case.
SUSPENSION
The Whistler EWS course was burly. Burly enough, in fact, that more than a few top tier racers made some critical comments about not just how long the day was, but also how steep and technical the descents were. And having ridden a good portion of the course at a more leisurely pace, I have no trouble admitting that I'd be more nervous than a grown man going in for a circumcision had I been lining up on race day. The mega steep, mega rough sections had me assuming that Graves would be running his suspension quite stiff to both keep the bike higher up in its travel on the near vertical pitches and to deal with smashing into Whistler's roots and rocks at mach chicken speeds, but the bike turned out to be sprung even softer than my personal 160mm travel machine. Jared and I weigh within a few pounds of each other, but I have to confess that I found the bike almost too soft for my liking, at least at first - remember that I was there to ride his exact race setup, not to change anything to suit me better - but realized after going back to come through the same rough section a few times that, while it felt quite soft, it also felt very, very controlled. Despite Jared telling me that he prefers more open damper settings, the FOX 36 didn't want to dive into its travel like I would have expected, instead staying up relatively high given the 70 PSI in its air chamber.
After looking back over my FOX notes from testing back home I realized that 70 PSI is what I ended up settling on with the 36 Float 27.5 160 FIT RC2 fork in our test stable, meaning that Jared's air pressure for the Whistler EWS race is similar to what I run on my local trails. Does that mean that I'm maybe running my fork too stiff? Maybe not, as he did tell me that he has gone with a more forgiving suspension setup for the day's brutal timed stages: "I've definitely been running it a little softer here, just to try and get it to track better,'' he explained when I sheepishly told him that his pride and joy felt a bit under-sprung at first. Isn't that a bit like telling Sebastian Loeb that his car setup is a little off? ''The trails are rough but there wasn't too many big hits. It was just constant, with a lot of roots sticking out, stuff that you want your bike to track over. It wasn't set up for the big hits, but I wanted it to be a bit more supple,'' he clarified, no doubt much nicer than Monsieur Loeb would have been about it. Not surprisingly, Jared was 100% correct about this, and the fork simply erased the roots and rocks under its tires. The same goes for the Float X shock on the back of the SB6c: it felt quite soft yet controlled, and there were no spikes or surprises coming from under me. The other thing to keep in mind here is that Jared was on his bike all damn day, and racing down trails that hikers would have hard time getting up without a few tumbles, so the bike needed to be run more forgiving so as not to make his arms, legs and back do all the work. I don't know about you, but I feel tired just thinking about climbing nearly 8,000 feet and descending close to 11,000 feet, and he had to keep those numbers in mind when setting up his machine.
What does the suspension on Jared's SB6c feel like in one sentence? Forgiving and supple enough for the average rider to enjoy without getting beat up, but more controlled than I expected given the surprising spring rate.
HANDLING
The bike's suspension wasn't the only surprise, though, because it also handled quicker than I would have thought. Again, with such a rowdy course I had assumed that his bike would have been slackened out to create a mid-travel chopper, but again I was wrong. How does that saying go again? Don't assume anything because it makes an ass out of you and me, I think. Jared's compact feeling SB6c felt like a humming bird buzzing in and out of the trees, turning into corners with next to no effort and popping out of them just as fast. The 740mm wide handlebar certainly speeds up the bike's handling a touch, but while its steering felt unicycle-fast, I also wouldn't say that it came across as nervous in the slightest. Pinpoint accurate, maybe, but not nervous. Given his BMX racing background, the preciseness of his SB6c makes a lot of sense, although it doesn't provide the relaxed ride of many off the shelf 160mm travel bikes. It was also obvious to see what he meant when he was talking about allowing the bike to track the ground, as it felt like I had enough traction to do anything thing I wanted. The tire pressure was a touch higher than I would have preferred - 26 PSI up front, 29 PSI out back - but the supple suspension meant zero second guessing when it came time to lean the bike over in the loose Whistler dirt.
As far as handling goes, the package went a bit like this: quick steering that rewards accuracy, and with traction that felt like his Maxxis tires were made from the same rubber that they make erasers with.
What does it all mean?
Jared's SB6c wasn't what I was expecting in more ways than one. Not only was his suspension setup more forgiving than I assumed it would be, but it was also incredibly controlled and supple. My initial pushes on the fork and shock had me assuming that I was going to be pitching back and forth through the stroke with every pull of the brake levers or push of the pedals, but the amount of control on tap from the fork and shock's dampers was next level. And the bike was far from being the slack angled machine that I expected to be aboard, instead offering up razor sharp steering that felt like it was hard wired directly into my frontal lobe. In all honesty, as a solid rider but certainly not a pro by any stretch of the imagination, I'd probably be quicker on a slacker bike, but, as Jared proved, his SB6c is a formidable weapon in the hands of someone who can take advantage of it.
www.ridefox.com
PROTOTYPE FRAME
Jared first raced the 157mm travel SB6c, the replacement for the popular SB66, at the Winter Park EWS round, and it was actually his first time on the new bike. ''I had one day of practice on it in before Winter Park, that was it,'' he said when I questioned him on how involved he was in the development on the new machine. Like a lot of race-focused companies, Yeti has strong group of trusted development riders and racers whose job it is to put time in on test mules while their top tier athletes toe start lines around the world. This method applies to Graves as well, with him making a list of needs and wants for an Enduro World Series weapon that will allow him to win races. "I just tell them what I want the bike to do, and they find ways to make that happen. As far as the geometry goes, we sat down last year and they asked me exactly what I wanted,'' he explained of the process. ''I gave them a bunch of numbers and that's exactly how it came out. The way it worked out is that the stock medium is pretty much my custom bike. Whatever I wanted for my geometry, that's what the stock medium is.'' Talk about special treatment, right? Then again, when you're arguably the world's best all around mountain bike racer, you get what you need to get the job done.
There's something else worth picking out from his words: his race bike sports the exact same geometry as what you'll find on the medium-sized production bike when they begin to roll off the line, meaning that he's not aboard some sort of radical one-off with crazy angles. How is the 27.5'' wheeled SB6c different from the 26" wheeled SB66 in the geometry department? According to Jared, it's running the exact same bottom bracket height (but obviously with more bottom bracket drop), and the head angle is a full degree slacker, putting it in the mid 65° range. It's also longer up front by half an inch, which is how most aggressive bikes seem to be going these days. ''With the SB66, I was always in between a medium and a large, and if I have to pick one I'd prefer a smaller bike with my BMX background,'' he told me when questioned on what size of bike he prefers. ''The smaller bike always feels a bit more natural to me." And, true to form, his race bike is a medium SB6c, despite the lengthened top tube of the new model.
FOX SUSPENSION
Yeti and FOX have a long history of working together and that has only strengthened over the last year with the creation of the Switch Infinity mechanism that controls the SB6c's suspension. What appears to be two diminutive shocks located just above the bike's bottom bracket are actually short rails, best described by Pinkbike's Mike Kazimer in his review of the shorter travel SB5c: ''It's actually two short rails, the heart of Yeti's 'translating pivot' suspension configuration. Initially, as the bike goes through its travel the carrier moves upwards on the rails, giving the bike a rearward axle path for improved pedalling and small bump absorption. As the rear wheel goes deeper into its travel the mechanism moves downwards, reducing the amount of chain tension for better big hit performance.'' Yeti says that the new rail layout saves about 100 grams over the older design's eccentric system.
 |
 An early prototype of the Switch Infinity system on the far left and middle, and a production version shown on the far right. Photo: Mike Kazimer |
The entire Yeti team is also supported by FOX and often has access to the latest products long before consumers ever hear about them, although that actually wasn't the case for Jared's race bike in Whistler - according to FOX, he raced with a production 36 Float 27.5 160 FIT RC2 fork on the front of his very not production SB6c, as well as a standard Float X out back. It isn't quite that clear, however, because while his fork and shock aren't utilizing any one-off parts that you can't find on your own, the valving inside of both has been tweaked slightly after much testing. Mark Jordan, FOX's Global Marketing Communications Manager, explained to me that tunes in both the 36 and the Float X are something that will be on production units in the near future, and are as simple as slight changes to the shim stacks that have come as a result of testing with riders like Graves.
 |
| Coming to a Float X near you - the valving in Jared's shock is something that you'll be able to take advantage of on production models. |
And what sort of setup was Jared running for the rowdy Whistler EWS race? He decided to stick with a 160mm travel fork up front, preferring to go with what he's familiar with rather than mixing it up just before the hardest race of the year and despite much of his competition going with more travel to handle the steep and rough timed sections: "I haven't had time to just go and ride to test things out, but I think we're going to change some fork settings today, and even go up to 170mm. I wanted to go with what I know for the race, and the bike was designed around a 160mm fork, so that's what I'm running right now.'' No point rolling the dice, right? It's no secret that Jared ran into some fork troubles during the race, though, and it sounds like an extremely hard g-out caused air to pass from the positive to the negative chamber, thereby lowering the fork in its travel and softening the spring rate. Both Graves and FOX were adamant that it was the first issue like this that they've seen, and it highlights the importance of testing with riders like Jared who are pushing things to the absolute limit. Unlike a lot of pros who would do their best to avoid talking about the issue, Jared was very forthcoming when Pinkbike interviewed him during the race, even explaining how he got through the first four stages and then partially solved it before coming from behind to win on the day's massive final descent from the top of the mountain.
The bike was set up surprisingly soft given how fast Jared goes and how rough the course was, but he explained that he was looking for traction on the loose ground and forgiveness over the long day more than he needed control on big hits. The 36 Float was pumped to 70 PSI, less than usual, while the Float X shock was running 170 PSI. What about changes to the fork between stages to suit the different timed sections? "Just a few, maybe three or four clicks depending on the stage. I definitely stiffened it up for stage two,'' he said about the fork. The shock is left alone during the day, though: ''I try not to touch the CTD lever on the rear shock because I have a tendency to forget to take it off of Climb mode, so I just leave it."
 | I've definitely been running it a little softer here, just to try and get it to track better. The trails are rough but there wasn't too many big hits. It was just constant, with a lot of roots sticking out, stuff that you want your bike to track over. It wasn't set up for the big hits, but I wanted it to be a bit more supple. The shock only goes between 170 and 175 PSI, but I've been up as high as 85 PSI in the fork depending on the trail. - Jared Graves |
COMPONENTS
As you might expect, Jared's SB6c sports a number of interesting custom bits courtesy of his mechanic, Shaun Hughes. One of the most interesting is the "ghetto tubeless" setup, something that used to be common until the advent of proper tubeless tire systems, and especially readily available rim tape and valve stems, came about. It consists of a tube that's been cut down the middle along its circumference and then used as a rim strip, complete with the valve still attached. Hughes has employed Maxxis' 24" Welter Weight tubes to fit tight around the DT Swiss EX471 rims, and then sealed the DHF and DHR II tires with WTB's TSC sealant. ''The ghetto tubeless is something that I've mastered over the years. It's just a tiny bit more secure - the tire bead fits tighter, and the small flap of tube that I leave provides a little bit more protection,'' Hughes said when questioned as to why he prefers the original method of tubeless'ing a tire over an off the shelf system. Tire pressures are nearly always at 26 PSI up front and 29 PSI out back, although those numbers might go a touch higher if there's a high risk of flatting.
 |
| Don't mind me, I'm just in heaven. For the record, the back of the bike is 17.4'' long, and he runs 26 and 29 PSI. |
The bike's brake setup is also out of the ordinary, although you could assemble a matching system if you were to purchase the parts separately. "Jared is extremely picky about his brakes, and so am I, so we have a good working relationship with that one,'' Hughes said of the hybrid setup that consists of Shimano's XTR Race levers with Saint four piston calipers. Anyone who has used a set of Saint brakes knows that the calipers provide an incredible amount of power, but those who pay attention to such things are also aware that the Servo Wave mechanism employed by both the Saint and XTR Trail levers gives the brakes an odd feel that requires more pressure to get the lever blades moving past a certain point. While I don't have confirmation on this, there's a good chance that Jared prefers the non-Servo Wave XTR Race top end for this exact reason. The demanding Whistler course also saw Hughes install Shimano's finned pads, saying ''I'd usually install the standard pads, but for this race I wanted a little more heat dispersion."
Other notable bits include a left XTR shifter that controls the internally routed Thomson Covert dropper post, a setup that Hughes was particularly proud of due to the lever cable anchor mods he had to come up with to get it to function. Jared was also running a prototype Renthal chainring that is the UK company's answer to the narrow ride rings already on the market, and an e*thirteen chain guide with an upper slider and taco guard but no lower roller.
I've had a few chances over the years to spend time on bikes ridden and raced by some of the quickest top pros, and every single time I've come away from the experience thinking that I'm just not good enough to get the most from their machines. Now, it goes without saying that I obviously don't have the skills, fitness or coconuts to ride the bikes like their owners do, but that's not what I'm referring to. What I mean is that the equipment under the world's best gravity racers is often set up in such an extreme way that a regular, expert-level hack like myself is actually hindered by it - the suspension is too stiff and the bike can't hold a line because of it; the brakes, although appearing to be off the shelf units, feel so powerful that they are a touch overwhelming; the tires are pumped hard enough that they can't provide sufficient bite for my more average cornering speeds. I expected much of the same with Jared's race machine, but that wasn't the case.
SUSPENSION
The Whistler EWS course was burly. Burly enough, in fact, that more than a few top tier racers made some critical comments about not just how long the day was, but also how steep and technical the descents were. And having ridden a good portion of the course at a more leisurely pace, I have no trouble admitting that I'd be more nervous than a grown man going in for a circumcision had I been lining up on race day. The mega steep, mega rough sections had me assuming that Graves would be running his suspension quite stiff to both keep the bike higher up in its travel on the near vertical pitches and to deal with smashing into Whistler's roots and rocks at mach chicken speeds, but the bike turned out to be sprung even softer than my personal 160mm travel machine. Jared and I weigh within a few pounds of each other, but I have to confess that I found the bike almost too soft for my liking, at least at first - remember that I was there to ride his exact race setup, not to change anything to suit me better - but realized after going back to come through the same rough section a few times that, while it felt quite soft, it also felt very, very controlled. Despite Jared telling me that he prefers more open damper settings, the FOX 36 didn't want to dive into its travel like I would have expected, instead staying up relatively high given the 70 PSI in its air chamber.
 |
| Jared's forgiving suspension setup stamped out much of the spikes that would otherwise have been fed through into his handlebar by a stiffer fork and shock, and his SB6c tracked the ground like a downhill bike because of it. |
After looking back over my FOX notes from testing back home I realized that 70 PSI is what I ended up settling on with the 36 Float 27.5 160 FIT RC2 fork in our test stable, meaning that Jared's air pressure for the Whistler EWS race is similar to what I run on my local trails. Does that mean that I'm maybe running my fork too stiff? Maybe not, as he did tell me that he has gone with a more forgiving suspension setup for the day's brutal timed stages: "I've definitely been running it a little softer here, just to try and get it to track better,'' he explained when I sheepishly told him that his pride and joy felt a bit under-sprung at first. Isn't that a bit like telling Sebastian Loeb that his car setup is a little off? ''The trails are rough but there wasn't too many big hits. It was just constant, with a lot of roots sticking out, stuff that you want your bike to track over. It wasn't set up for the big hits, but I wanted it to be a bit more supple,'' he clarified, no doubt much nicer than Monsieur Loeb would have been about it. Not surprisingly, Jared was 100% correct about this, and the fork simply erased the roots and rocks under its tires. The same goes for the Float X shock on the back of the SB6c: it felt quite soft yet controlled, and there were no spikes or surprises coming from under me. The other thing to keep in mind here is that Jared was on his bike all damn day, and racing down trails that hikers would have hard time getting up without a few tumbles, so the bike needed to be run more forgiving so as not to make his arms, legs and back do all the work. I don't know about you, but I feel tired just thinking about climbing nearly 8,000 feet and descending close to 11,000 feet, and he had to keep those numbers in mind when setting up his machine.
What does the suspension on Jared's SB6c feel like in one sentence? Forgiving and supple enough for the average rider to enjoy without getting beat up, but more controlled than I expected given the surprising spring rate.
 |
| With the handling and speed of a go-kart running on nitrous, Jared's compact SB6c is a blast on the trail. |
HANDLING
The bike's suspension wasn't the only surprise, though, because it also handled quicker than I would have thought. Again, with such a rowdy course I had assumed that his bike would have been slackened out to create a mid-travel chopper, but again I was wrong. How does that saying go again? Don't assume anything because it makes an ass out of you and me, I think. Jared's compact feeling SB6c felt like a humming bird buzzing in and out of the trees, turning into corners with next to no effort and popping out of them just as fast. The 740mm wide handlebar certainly speeds up the bike's handling a touch, but while its steering felt unicycle-fast, I also wouldn't say that it came across as nervous in the slightest. Pinpoint accurate, maybe, but not nervous. Given his BMX racing background, the preciseness of his SB6c makes a lot of sense, although it doesn't provide the relaxed ride of many off the shelf 160mm travel bikes. It was also obvious to see what he meant when he was talking about allowing the bike to track the ground, as it felt like I had enough traction to do anything thing I wanted. The tire pressure was a touch higher than I would have preferred - 26 PSI up front, 29 PSI out back - but the supple suspension meant zero second guessing when it came time to lean the bike over in the loose Whistler dirt.
As far as handling goes, the package went a bit like this: quick steering that rewards accuracy, and with traction that felt like his Maxxis tires were made from the same rubber that they make erasers with.
What does it all mean?
Jared's SB6c wasn't what I was expecting in more ways than one. Not only was his suspension setup more forgiving than I assumed it would be, but it was also incredibly controlled and supple. My initial pushes on the fork and shock had me assuming that I was going to be pitching back and forth through the stroke with every pull of the brake levers or push of the pedals, but the amount of control on tap from the fork and shock's dampers was next level. And the bike was far from being the slack angled machine that I expected to be aboard, instead offering up razor sharp steering that felt like it was hard wired directly into my frontal lobe. In all honesty, as a solid rider but certainly not a pro by any stretch of the imagination, I'd probably be quicker on a slacker bike, but, as Jared proved, his SB6c is a formidable weapon in the hands of someone who can take advantage of it.
www.ridefox.com
Author Info:
Must Read This Week
[UPDATED] Final Elite XC Results & Overall Standings from the Mairiporã XC World Cup 2024
42258 views
42258 views
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup
www.bing.com/search?q=bible+of+bike+lapierre&src=IE-TopResult&FORM=IE10TR
the Bible of Bike review.
When Graves manhandles a bike, the bike gets worked... How did you find the suspension to react to sprinting? The amount of damping wizardry in such a soft set-up must be impressive to cope with that.
FYI on the head angle, the old sb66 with a 160 fork is 65.9 HA (presumably with the older taller fox 36. Nevertheless with this one being slacker and longer...,that's definitely pretty aggressive. I think most trail riders should opt for the sb5?
First world problems when one will have a kickass sb66 as a winter bike, it's almost wrong!
Either way, Yeti, paint that frame turquoise and call me for my credit card number and shipping address.
For what it's worth, mechanical negative springs can work well if you match a certain weight/air pressure that it's optimised for. Outside a relatively narrow weight range however, air negative springs are IMO superior.
The only thing that bamboozles me is that a 65 degree head angled bike can be described as having razor sharp handling and 740mm bars be hinted as being too narrow (if it were a production bike available to consumer I think the bar width would be slated!)... how bike design and ride expectations have changed in such a short time!
"I need, neigh WANT the most expensive parts money can buy!"~ Jared Graves
Article was a great read thanks.
The bike was crazy agile, and it manual'd very easily.
If the suspension works right compression and sag shouldn't be needed to fight pedal bob. Would the Yeti platform fall into one of these designs or is it still needed the shock to keep the bob away?
I weigh about 70kg and 110PSI in my Revelations feels soft and plush, Do the new Fox forks run lower pressures as standard? or is Graves a lightweight?
Fogell: Naw, they let you pick any name you want when you get down there.
Seth: And you landed on McLovin...
Fogell: Yeah. It was between that or Muhammed.
Seth: Why the FUK would it be between THAT or Muhammed? Why don't you just pick a common name like a normal person?
Fogell: Muhammed is the most commonly used name on Earth. Read a fuking book for once.
how the hell did you manage to get that ride, man???
—Chris Conroy, President, Yeti Cycles
www.bikemag.com/gear/exclusive-yeti-launches-new-switch-infinity-suspension-platform
Maybe the frame is 5 years and the parts are only 2?
susceptible to stones, mud, water etc, even though there is some protection from the frame...
Thanks for taking the time to answer questions and all the great feedback. I think it's really cool that you guys at Yeti make yourselves available to the media and consumers like this. I'm already a big fan of your products (the SB-66 was one of the best bikes I've ever owned). It's great to see a company going the extra mile like this.
Much appreciated!