Yeti's new SB5.5c pushes the 29er renaissance onwards

Yeti's new SB5.5c pushes the 29er renaissance onwards

Pricing, weight and details of this new long-travel 29er

The SB5.5c is designed for aggressive trail riding

Yeti Cycles

Josh Patterson

Published: April 12, 2016 at 10:00 am
The SB5.5c is designed for aggressive trail riding - Yeti Cycles
The SB5.5c has a low-slung top tube with tons of clearance - Yeti Cycles
The SB5.5c has a frame weight of 6lb / 2.72kg with Fox Float X DPS shock - Yeti Cycles
Clean lines and full internal routing on the new SB5.5c - Yeti Cycles
The SB5.5c is offered in three complete builds and as a frame with shock - Yeti Cycles
The SB5.5c is long up front, relatively short in the back, and plenty slack - Yeti Cycles

Yeti has just released details of the latest member of its 'Super Bike' family. The SB5.5c is a long-travel 29er designed for aggressive trail riding.

SB5.5c highlights

  • 140mm of travel via the Switch Infinity suspension system
  • Designed around a 160mm suspension fork
  • 66.5 head tube angle
  • 437mm / 17.2in chainstay length
  • ISCG-05 chainguide compatible
  • Medium, Large and XL frame sizes
  • 6lb / 2.72kg frame weight
  • Complete bike pricing: $5,699 - $10,599 (UK and Aussie pricing TBC)
  • Frame with shock: $3,500 (UK and Aussie pricing TBC)
  • Available in May
The sb5.5c has a low-slung top tube with tons of clearance :

The SB5.5c has a low-slung chassis

As a company focused on designing raceworthy mountain bikes, Yeti took feedback from its top enduro racers, who felt that big wheels could be faster on certain courses, to build a 29er trail bike dedicated to making short work of rough terrain.

The SB5.5c has 140mm of rear suspension travel via Yeti’s Switch Infinity suspension system. Up front, the SB5.5c is designed around a 160mm suspension fork but will happily accept 150mm or 170mm forks, if that suits your particular preference.

At a glance, the SB5.5c looks strikingly similar to the shorter-travel SB4.5c. This likeness is more than just skin-deep. According to Yeti, the suspension curve is very similar to the SB4.5c, though it’s a bit softer off the top to increase traction and make the most of the increased suspension travel. Geometry, too, is akin to the SB4.5c steroids, with long reach measurements across the three size line and a steep seat tube angle that places the riders in a climb-friendly position.

The full carbon frame has a claimed weight of 6lb / 2.72kg with the stock Fox Float X DPS shock. The SB5.5c has full internal cable routing — including the rear brake.

The sb5.5c is long upfront, relatively short in the back, and plenty slack: the sb5.5c is long upfront, relatively short in the back, and plenty slack

Pricing, build kits and availability

The sb5.5c is offered in three complete builds and as a frame with shock: the sb5.5c is offered in three complete builds and as a frame with shock

Yeti will offer the SB5.5c as a frame with Fox Float X shock for $3,500.The company will also offer three complete build packages. The entry-level complete SB5.5c will come equipped with a SRAM GX drivetrain and will retail for $5,699. The mid-priced build sports a SRAM XO1 kit and comes in at $6,999. The flagship build bike comes with an XTR 1x11 drivetrain with a wallet-roasting price tag of $10,599.

UK and Australian pricing for the frame and complete builds has yet to be announced.

Yeti expects to begin shipping the SB5.5c to riders in mid-May.

Want more? Check out out first ride review of the SB5.5c.

Josh Patterson

Contributor

Josh Patterson is a BikeRadar contributor and former technical editor. He has spent most of his career working in the cycling industry as an athlete, mechanic and journalist. He holds a master's degree in journalism and has more than 20 years of experience as a cyclist and 12 years of experience riding and writing for BikeRadar, Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly, Dirt Rag, RoadBikeReview and Outside Magazine. A native of the Flint Hills of Kansas, Josh was a pioneer in the gravel cycling movement, having raced the first Unbound 200 and many other gravel events around the globe. He considers himself a cycling generalist and enjoys road, gravel and mountain biking in equal measure. When not traveling for work, he can be found exploring the singletrack and lonely gravel roads that surround his home in Fort Collins, Colorado. In addition to his love of cycling, Josh is an enthusiastic supporter of brunch, voting rights and the right to repair movement.
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