Yeti SB66 vs. Whyte 146XI ?

halffattony

I am turning 50 soon and have decided to celebrate the occasion with the purchase of a new bike to replace my ageing Marin Mount Vision, I have short listed the Whyte 146XI and the Yeti SB66 or SB66 Carbon but have not reached a final decision on which to go for.

This will probably be the last bike I ever buy as although these are high end bikes, I do not earn much more than the minimum wage, so this will be a big purchase for me that I will expect to get at least 10 years use out of my final choice.

What do you think?

lawman

What kind of riding do you plan to do? Both are very different to your mount vision! The 146 is a very aggressive trail bike, IMO it's one of the best around, but it is a lot of bike despite its low weight and the slack geometry will be completely different to what you're used to. Marin and whyte used to share a lot o stuff but in the last few years whytes have left their old conservative side behind and gone for a more radical approach. Obviously if you feel you're riding justifies such a bike then it's bloody awesome, but it is completely different to a mount vision, likewise the yeti.

If you want to really push limits the whyte or yeti are great bikes, but if you want something like the mount vision then the yeti asr5 would be a better choice and it can still be riot on the downhills too

rockmonkeysc

Yeti's seem to last forever so might be good for a long term bike. A couple mates have had Yeti's for several years and don't get bored with them. Have you looked at the Intense Spider or Tracer? They are both very nice.

lawman

Could always look at Ibis (can't believe I didn't mention them first time! :shock:)

Ibis customer service is legendary should you ever need it and the bikes ride really nicely too. The Sl-r might be just what you're looking for and is cheaper than the sb66 and you can build a super light bike very easily.

styxd

halffattony wrote:

I am turning 50 soon and have decided to celebrate the occasion with the purchase of a new bike to replace my ageing Marin Mount Vision, I have short listed the Whyte 146XI and the Yeti SB66 or SB66 Carbon but have not reached a final decision on which to go for.

This will probably be the last bike I ever buy as although these are high end bikes, I do not earn much more than the minimum wage, so this will be a big purchase for me that I will expect to get at least 10 years use out of my final choice.

What do you think?

10 years use out of a 150mm trail bike? If you're riding it properly then I'd guess you'd be lucky to get 3 years out of it before something on it breaks.

Have you considered something less "hardcore"?

For what its worth, Nicolai have a very good warranty (5 years). I'd consider them if you want a bike that lasts.

Or what about something like a Cotic Rocket? Steel, so if something did go wrong it may be easier to repair than an alloy or carbon frame. Also, good customer service.

lostboysaint

Can't help thinking that what you ACTUALLY want isn't either of those but is a 120-140mm travel less extreme full sus such as the Ibis mentioned, the Tranny Bandit, the Yeti ASR5 Carbon - fundamentally something that is a little less "extended" in the geometry and a much better allround ride as a result.

rockmonkeysc

10 years use out of a 150mm trail bike? If you're riding it properly then I'd guess you'd be lucky to get 3 years out of it before something on it breaks.

Thats bollocks. I know of several AM bikes which are still going after nearly ten years of hard riding.
As his post does not say what type of riding he intends to do how can you say that a 150mm bike isn't right?

styxd

RockmonkeySC wrote:

10 years use out of a 150mm trail bike? If you're riding it properly then I'd guess you'd be lucky to get 3 years out of it before something on it breaks.

Thats ****. I know of several AM bikes which are still going after nearly ten years of hard riding.

I call BS. AM bikes didnt exist 10 years ago.

Trail centre riders?

rockmonkeysc

Not quite 10 years but early Hecklers, Orange Patriot's & Specialized Enduro's can't be far off that (Enduro I think is actually 10 years old). They do the Megavalanche on them every year and ride the local DH trails every weekend riding blasting down then climbing back up, they were riding gravity enduro before it was invented.

styxd

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Not quite 10 years but early Hecklers, Orange Patriot's & Specialized Enduro's can't be far off that (Enduro I think is actually 10 years old). They do the Megavalanche on them every year and ride the local DH trails every weekend riding blasting down then climbing back up, they were riding gravity enduro before it was invented.

Could be pure luck! The old Patriots and Enduro's had problems with cracking from what I remember.

But still ,I dont think they're in the same category of bike. Heavy old alloy frames compared to 150mm travel super bikes that weigh little more than an XC bike. Somethings gotta give?

rockmonkeysc

Don't Specialized give a lifetime warranty & Giant Give 10 years? Others also give long warranties. They wouldn't do that if they weren't confident that the frame would last.
Carbon frames are very light but they are also very strong.

lawman

Carbon frames are mega strong, I believe Yeti now offer a 5 year warranty though I might be wrong. Ibis has a year warranty, after which any problems for the original owner will be cost price, so dirt cheap, and even then they have been known to help out others after buying second hand. Fantastic bikes and a fantastic company!

rockmonkeysc

lawman wrote:

Fantastic bikes and a fantastic company!

Are you on commission?

sofaboy73

to the OP - have a look at the santa cruz nomad carbons. i looked at all three and after a few test rides, went for the SC. felt like the most versatile and fund out of the lot of them imo

ricardo_smooth

bear in mind the rear service link kit for an SB66 is nigh on £400..............factor that into our price 'at some point'

EH_Rob

lawman wrote:

Ibis

lawman wrote:

cost price

lawman wrote:

dirt cheap

Not sure I quite agree on the dirt cheap thing.

Also, believe it or not, there are other manufacturers out there who make bikes. Honestly.

lawman

RockmonkeySC wrote:

lawman wrote:

Fantastic bikes and a fantastic company!

Are you on commission?

Not at all, wish I was though! The brand itself is more than just selling you the bike, the after care is unbelievably good, just take a look at MTBR and you'll see countless good stories and I've yet to hear of anyone at all who's had issues with them.

I'm a big fan of their designs too, its how it should be... "here's where the important stuff needs to go, do what you like with the bits in between". The quality in my experience is second to none, everything is superbly finished and put together and they look stunning. There's no marketing BS either or a change of colour or model every year and I look forward to which direction they go in future, asking the people what they want as they did on MTBR is going the right way if you ask me.

supersonic

But you had to get the shock completely redone to get it to work right?!

;-)

rockmonkeysc

There are other manufacturers who's customer service is as good as you describe. I have found Nukeproof's customer service to be amazingly good and spares availability & prices are better than any other manufacturer I have dealt with. Giant, On-One, Orange & Charge are also extremely good.

lawman

supersonic wrote:

But you had to get the shock completely redone to get it to work right?!

;-)

It worked fine, but now its better :P Anybodies bike would benefit from a shock tune for their preferences, it has to deal with a whole range of weights and riders so its unlikely to be absolutely spot on out of the box. No bike is absolutely perfect off the shelf imo, there will always be something you want to change.

Bikes from the US typically are a touch steeper, shorter and higher than those designed here in the uk, and its noticeable with Ibis, which is maybe the one criticism of them. Everybody has their own personal preferences after all

Wrekin 7

Hi got a sb 2012 fox float ctd xt /slx build and love riding it climbs fantastic haven't used pro pedal ,descends really well puts a smile on my face every ride out what else can I say ! Good luck with your choice demo as many as you can .

Dick Scruttock

I have to laugh when people say they dont touch the Pro Pedal leaver.

jairaj

why?

Dick Scruttock

jairaj wrote:

why?

Do not feed the troll.

jairaj

Wasn't meant to be trolling, it was a genuine question.

If people don't feel the need to change the pro pedal setting then what's wrong with that?

Whether they keep it off all the time because they prefer better small bump sensitively and traction or if they keep it on all the time because they prefer less suspension bob. Its a personal preference no real right or wrong.

I have little experience with full suss bikes so I might be missing something?

cooldad

I only ever use mine if I'm riding on a road to get to a trail. Never needed it off road.
Depends where you ride, and the bikes geo. I get minimal pedal bob.

lostboysaint

cooldad wrote:

I only ever use mine if I'm riding on a road to get to a trail. Never needed it off road.
Depends where you ride, and the bikes geo. I get minimal pedal bob.

That. But as my susser rarely touches the road I don't think I've ever touched it on this one.

Anyway, back to the OP and Rockmonkey's comment about riding - given that he currently rides an MV it's reasonable to assume that he's now looking at (very nice) bikes that are overkill for the riding he's doing. Hence the comments about being more sensible to look at more XC/trail biased bikes such as the Yeti ASR5 Carbon, Tranny Bandit etc. These will be lighter, livelier ('cos of the less slack geometry, which he probably doesn't really need!), faster and more suitable for the sort of XC or XC+ that he's doing. In fact, even those are the sort of bikes are overkill for most UK riders, who'd be perfectly ok on a decent hardtail, but hey - that's marketing.

Wrekin 7

Rick Draper wrote:

I have to laugh when people say they dont touch the Pro Pedal leaver.

Just being honest , glad I made you laugh

Dick Scruttock

Wrekin 7 wrote:

Rick Draper wrote:

I have to laugh when people say they dont touch the Pro Pedal leaver.

Just being honest , glad I made you laugh

What do you ride? I would love to find a full suspension bike that I never feel the need to touch the pro pedal lever on. I ride on roads (2 miles) to the trail then on long fire road climbs its always worth clicking the lever over to the pro pedal position. Try it you might llke it on a climb.

halffattony

lawman wrote:

Could always look at Ibis (can't believe I didn't mention them first time! :shock:)

Ibis customer service is legendary should you ever need it and the bikes ride really nicely too. The Sl-r might be just what you're looking for and is cheaper than the sb66 and you can build a super light bike very easily.

I had a demo ride of the Mojo SL, a short time ago, It hadled quite nice but didn't wow me like the Whyte did, unfortuantly the only one left to take out was a small frame, concequently it maynot gie me a true perspective on how good the bike is, also it was equipped with SLR componants, which I think for a frame that high end was not doing it justice.

Thanks for your opion though, maybe I should try one the right size next demo day.

halffattony

lostboysaint wrote:

cooldad wrote:

I only ever use mine if I'm riding on a road to get to a trail. Never needed it off road.
Depends where you ride, and the bikes geo. I get minimal pedal bob.

That. But as my susser rarely touches the road I don't think I've ever touched it on this one.

Anyway, back to the OP and Rockmonkey's comment about riding - given that he currently rides an MV it's reasonable to assume that he's now looking at (very nice) bikes that are overkill for the riding he's doing. Hence the comments about being more sensible to look at more XC/trail biased bikes such as the Yeti ASR5 Carbon, Tranny Bandit etc. These will be lighter, livelier ('cos of the less slack geometry, which he probably doesn't really need!), faster and more suitable for the sort of XC or XC+ that he's doing. In fact, even those are the sort of bikes are overkill for most UK riders, who'd be perfectly ok on a decent hardtail, but hey - that's marketing.

Yes, I get that the two bikes seem to be overkill for the sort of riding I do, but I already have a short travel full suspention bike so I wanted a bike that could cope with more demanding trails than I normaly ride.
I don't usually like large travel bikes, I had demo ridden several that have disappointed me because they were such hard work to ride.
What I loved about the two bikes that I have short listed is the don't feel like you are on a large travel bike, both seemed to climb as well as the XC bike that I ride currently.
My dilemma is do I go for the Whyte of which I have been a die hard fan and is an off the shelf bike but with lifetime warrenty on frame & bearings or the Yeti with is custom build and has all the wow that comes with custom build?