Yeti Cycles SB4.5 Turq Mountain Bike Frame 2017

Yeti Cycles is well known for its big hit, big travel enduro sleds, so it should be no surprise that its shorter travel bikes bring a bit of that heritage along for the ride. The 2017 SB4. 5 Turq Mountain Bike Frame blends a focus on XC speed with geometry that pushes its capabilities into much larger terrain. This particular frame also carries the new Turq designation, which provides strength where you need it, and lightness where you don't. For the SB4. 5 Turq, that means a more precise carbon layup, carefully molded to reinforce key stress points along the frame without adding bulk and claimed to reduce weight by 300g compared to the regular version. Yeti claims that the SB4. 5 has a stiffer pedaling platform than most of its other bikes. While we don't have numbers to verify this claim, it's definitely a responsive go getter when the going gets mashy, and we think the inclusion of a Boost 148mm rear axle is at least partially responsible for the bike's eagerness on climbs. Coupled with the innate aggression of 29in wheels and the stiff, collet style hardware, the boosted rear triangle certainly feels every bit as stiff as any of Yeti's other models. The frame's aggressive speed is not to be outdone by its slack front end and surprisingly capable Switch Infinity suspension, though. Its 67. 4 degree head tube is one of the slackest we've seen on an XC leaning 29er, and it makes for a boost of confidence while picking lines across terrain that would make a more typical 70 71 degree head tube stumble. The Switch Infinity suspension is equally confidence inspiring, and its linear travel hits the sweet spot of anti squat to keep pedaling sharp across rocky climbs. It also erases the momentary harshness that its predecessor, the Switch Link design, would display when pushed to the absolute limit. Of course, most riders will never experience that dead spot on the Switch Link, but the SB4. 5 isn't for most riders. It's for the all mountain racer who demands that th...