Yesterday was a fantastic day! I got to test the large Yeti SB-66 aluminium bike in the beautiful North Yorkshire Moors. The night before the test, I had a quick chat with Ian, from Big Bear Bikes in Pickering who was due to take a friend and I on the guided test. We had a chat about skill levels, normal riding terrain and pedals. With that sorted, we arrived to a fully prepped turquoise SB-66 outside their shop. I was bowled over by it's confident look and stature in comparison to my trusted Cube LTD Pro.
Ian is a big advocate of natural off-road riding as opposed to groomed trail centers, so we headed towards Dalby Forest, stopping short at a car park overlooking the rolling Moors. It only took a few minutes to get used to the Yeti, which is testament to it's pedaling efficiency in my opinion. I was soon pinning it down hills and catching air off any bump I could find.
One of the highlights of the bike was the Fox 32 Talas 150mm Kashima forks. Without shadow of a doubt, these are the smoothest forks I have seen. On one occasion, they did dive causing a sketchy moment, but I'm told it's a characteristic I'm going to have to get used to on a long travel bike. The real party trick though, is the Talas feature. The SB-66 was no slouch on the climbs (I was, but that's another story!) but to provide even more of an advantage, a quick turn of the right hand Talas dial on the forks will drop them to 120mm. It effectively steepens the head angle by lowering the front of the bike, allowing for improved pedaling on climbs. When you're ready to descend, turn the dial back again and the forks gently rise back to their 150mm configuration. Very, very slick!
My major concern when moving from a hardtail to a long travel bike has been pedal bob. Through some miracle of engineering, at no point did I feel my energy was being sapped through the rear shock. There was no bob but by keeping an eye on the rather hypnotic rear shock, it was clear that the rear of the bike continued to react to the terrain, keeping traction at all times.
As mentioned, this was not the type of terrain my friends and I generally ride, but I know my Cube so well, I know exactly what it would feel like, so I my thoughts are in comparison to that. On a couple of descents, my head was telling me to pick my way through because my hardtail would kick like a mule, but then came the advice from Ian - "When we reach the next corner, fingers off the brake levers and let the bike go". I'm quite good at mind over matter (or talking myself into dangerous situations if you prefer), so I did as instructed and WOW! what a revelation! The Yeti soaked up all the roughness which allowed me to stay on track at hair raising speeds, but ensuring enough confidence that I was trying jumps en route. It was so poised, and never twitchy. When I've read that this bike or that bike will give you confidence, I always assumed it was over a matter of weeks as you get used to it, but it was instant. Seriously impressive stuff!
A benefit I hadn't considered was the lack of pain in my backside at the end of the ride. It was so much more comfortable, so I'm guessing long rides (5-6 hours) would be much more enjoyable.
When trying the scientific weight test (one bike in each hand), I believe my Cube and the Yeti weight almost exactly the same. That's some feat of engineering!
The drive train was XT throughout and I have to say, the gear changes was phenomenal! Maybe it was just that my own setup is getting tired, but the XT was very good. So much so, that I got Big Bear Bikes to give the Cube a full overhaul when we got back!
It wouldn't be fair to write all this up and not give a shout out to the lads at Big Bear Bikes. Their knowledge and willingness to help is unsurpassed. They opted to take us for a guided ride instead of giving us the bike for the day and not making the most of it. In addition, they brought along a Trek Rumblefish 29er to compare against. I was quite excited to try the 29er, but really didn't like it when I was actually on it.
Following the service of my Cube, my buddy and I headed over to Dalby Forest to hit the skills area and first couple of sections of the Black trail. After a few attempts we were clearing the table tops in the freeride section, and believe me when I say these things are BIG! Okay, maybe not Brandon Semenuk big, but big enough for us. It's such a buzz when you take off and make the perfect landing on the down slope instead of catching a wheel on the top.
What a day! And next week, I'm testing the Santa Cruz Nomad C - I can't wait!
Size to choose: Large
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