Yeti Cycles

SB5 Turq XX1 Eagle Complete Mountain Bike - 2017

Yeti Cycles' 2017 SB5 Turq XX1 Eagle Complete Mountain Bike brings trail dreams into reality with top-tier carbon construction and a build kit that'll garner more than a little attention at every trailhead. This SB5 gets the A-list treatment: ENVE's M60 Forty HV carbon hoops roll smooth and fast on DT Swiss' renowned 240 hubs, and SRAM's superlative XX1 Eagle drivetrain offers up precise shifts and the ultimate 50t bailout gear. That mega cog is part of the storied XX1 cassette, a rare find on stock builds that boasts a Ti Nitride finish to reduce shift friction and increase longevity over non-coated cassettes. The only non-XX1 piece is the crankset, which Yeti smartly trades out for the more trail-ready X01 Eagle carbon. It's still exceptionally light and stiff, but it has a hint of added reinforcement to better match the SB5's all-mountain capabilities.

This SB5 also carries Yeti's new Turq designation, which represents the most advanced frame the company can make. For the SB5, this means a more precise carbon layup, carefully molded to reinforce key stress points along the frame without adding any unnecessary bulk. This results in a frameset that has strength where you need it and much appreciated weight reductions where you don't for a claimed weight saving of 350g compared to the standard SB5 Carbon.

2017 sees some tweaks to the SB5's geometry, which manifest as a slightly slacker head tube, dropping from last year's 66.8 degrees down to a 66.5-degree angle. This pairs with a slightly longer wheelbase and reach that combine for increased stability when blasting through steep rock gardens. Conversely, the longer, slacker front end is tempered by a steeper seat tube angle and stiff, stubby rear triangle that keep handling responsive and snappy as you deftly navigate tricky root systems and washed out trails.

The Switch Infinity suspension system is the key to the SB5's versatility. Switch Infinity has a more linear travel arc than the Switch Link design it originally replaced, so the eccentric link changes direction without getting caught in that minute dead spot that was a weak point of Switch Link. Aside from that, the two suspension systems are fairly similar. Like the Switch Link, the Switch Infinity slider travels upward under the first phase of compression, when the SB5 is settling into its sag point.

As the rear end compresses deeper, the direction changes, and the DH-inspired slider travels down toward the bottom bracket shell to maintain a steady pedaling platform. This change of direction is smoother, without the above-mentioned dead space, but the effect is the same. Deep in the stroke, it works in conjunction with the upper pivot to produce a vertical wheel path that effortlessly flattens big, square-edged impacts.