Yeti 575 Review - BikeRadar

The 2008 incarnation of Yeti's classic almost-six-inch-travel trail bike adds extra carbon wonderfulness to an old favourite.

Yeti build simply beautiful bikes and have always maintained a balance between smooth, simple looking bikes and a highly technical design. The 575 is no exception, with its trademark team turquiose mainframe and carbon/ aluminium rear end – although production versions now have a full carbon rear end…

Ride: handles as good as it looks

Sometimes riding such a beautiful bike can mess with your head – we’d already made up our minds that we loved the Yeti before we climbed aboard. Thankfully it didn’t disappoint.

Cornering hard made the bike feel planted without being too low. We were surprised how supple the rear end is – the linear feel made small bumps disappear, offering tremendous grip over roots and in turns. It didn’t ramp up as much as other designs, so we used all the travel a fair bit, but there was no noticeable feeling of being sat too far into the travel.

The only thing we noticed was how well the bike propelled forwards through rough sections. It felt the same whether in the beginning stroke or most the way through the travel – great for a proper trail bike.

Our size large was adequate for most testers, but a little on the short side for those over 6ft. The top tube is roomy at 23.5in (virtual), and combined with the 17in chainstays made for quick acceleration and stable handling at speed. The bottom bracket was spot on at 13.5in above the deck.

Frame: Great frame/shock combo with plenty of mud clearance

Using a hydroformed front end, the 575’s dropped top tube has great standover, and the front main frame is roomy with a fairly slack 68.5 degree head angle – bang on for the type of riding the 575 is designed for.

A Fox RP23 shock, mounted under the top tube, is actuated by a swing link that controls the suspension rate and helps increase rear end rigidity. Attached to the swing link is a gorgeous carbon fibre rear end that pivots on Enduro Max sealed bearings – there’s no friction back here.

With 141mm (5.75in) travel, the single pivot Yeti fits in perfectly with the huge trail centre scene that’s blooming in the UK right now. Fortunately, the folk at Yeti know the UK is infested with mud so there are no clearance issues as such, and the tough paint finish will still look good after many a jet wash.

Equipment: Top kit for a top frame

It would be a sin to spec a frame of this quality with anything less than top kit, and UK importers Evolution kitted it out beautifully. Chris King hubs on Mavic rims with Magura Louise brakes keep the wheels light yet robust. The transmission is Shimano XT and the finishing kit includes Thomson seatpost and stem, with Easton Carbon Monkeylite bars and an SDG Bel Air saddle.

It all makes for a sensible build that’s ready to be hacked. The 12.8kg (28.4lb) weight is reasonable and it’d be easy to take it down to the mid-20lbs without sacrificing too much.

Want to test ride this bike yourself? Then visit the National Demo Day website now!

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