Ridden: Yeti SB5c Beti
The first time I saw a Yeti, I was with my then-boyfriend and his best friend, Jon, and we were downhilling at the Snowmass bike park. It was only my second time on a mountain bike, but I wasn't scared. Mostly, I was distracted by the striking lines and turquoise hue of Jon's bike.
"What is that?" I asked.
"It's a Yeti," he said. "They're from Colorado."
"Wow," I said. "That's a beautiful bike." Then I looked down at mine, and frowned.
From then on, I was ruined. I panted for that 575 every time I rode with Jon, and for all the Yetis I saw on the trail. When it came time to upgrade, I was done having bike envy: I spent twice my budget to get an ASR5c.
That's why I think it's possible Yeti didn't need to make a women's model—just like me, plenty of female riders had long been captivated by the brand anyway. And when the new SB5c Beti launched this summer, I was glad it shared the identical frame, 140mm-travel fork, and five inches of rear-wheel suspension design as the standard SB5c, which won Bicycling's Editors' Choice award this spring.
Besides the coral paint scheme, differences are subtle: a narrower 720mm handlebar, 30-tooth chainring on the SRAM X01 1x11 drivetrain, shorter 170mm cranks on some sizes, lighter wheels, a women's saddle, and a different shock tune to accommodate lighter riders and keep the suspension more active over rough terrain. And yet, the cumulative effect is profound enough to prove that a women's bike that shares unisex geometry is still worth doing when it's done right.
I rode the standard SB5c during our Editors' Choice testing in Utah this spring, and agreed with the guys that it is one of the best trail bikes available. But when I got on the SB5c Beti, I was immediately struck by a springy, playful sensation that felt new to me: The bike had mad hang time. On the flats, a casual hop delivered twice the air I expected; at speed, small rollers boosted me just a little higher. Maybe it's the different shock tune, maybe not—whatever the reason, I found the women's SB5c even more fun than the original. Rallying down Apex Trail in Golden, Colorado, I wondered, Is this what the guys have been experiencing? I've been missing out!
Like the standard version, the SB5c Beti rode like a longer-travel bike—it could come into rock gardens hot and absorb all that pummeling evenly through its entire stroke. It climbed efficiently and lightly, too—with the suspension wide open, my sub-25-pound tester hoofed it briskly up Colorado's extended climbs. When I got it home to the East Coast, the Beti SB5c proved to be more than ready for rocky, techy terrain; it stomped a local piece called the Boulder Trail and enabled me to clean sections I'd never cleaned before. Traction was better than on any other trail bike I've tested.
I would want the SB5c even if it didn't come in a women's build. But now it does, and what that means is that one of the best trail bikes on the market is just a little different, in all the right ways, to provide an even better experience for me. Which is kind of a problem: As bad as I wanted that original SB5c, I now covet the women's version even more.
What You Need to Know
• 27.5-inch wheels
• Rides like it has more than its 5 inches of rear-wheel suspension
• Identical frame to Bicycling Editors' Choice-winning SB5C
• Available only in Yeti's X01 build, for now
• Price: $6,899
• Weight: 24.8 lb.(S)
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