2017 Yeti Cycles SB5+ Turq Mountain Bike Frame

1,436.00$

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Description

2017 Yeti Cycles SB5+ Turq Mountain Bike Frame

If you created a venn diagram outlining the domains of XC, trail, and enduro, you’d find the 2017 Yeti Cycles SB5+ Turq Mountain Bike Frame chilling in that tiny space where all three combine. Its geometry stays true to the SB5 standard, but it features a tweak here and there to embrace plus-sized tires for smooth, stable traction across loose, chunky terrain.

The most notable difference is the SB5+’s elevated chainstays, which curve upward from the shock and create a sharply pointed triangle that, combined with the wide Boost hub spacing, opens up tire clearance while keeping the chainstays at a svelte 17.2in. This makes for plush tires and snappy, responsive handling when whipping through switchbacks and rocketing over dusty trails.

This frameset also carries the new Turq designation, which represents the most advanced frames Yeti can create at any given time. For the SB5+ Turq, that means a more precise carbon layup that reinforces key stress points without adding bulk. This process results in strength where you need it, and low weight where you don’t, shedding almost 300 claimed grams compared to the regular version without compromising stiffness and structural integrity.

The SB5+ Turq features a 67.1-degree head tube angle that can’t wait to bomb its way aggressively through steep rock gardens that leave little room for indecision. Out back, the short, snappy rear triangle tracks lines like a hound dog on a fox trail. Furthering this bike’s handling prowess, Boost rear spacing allows for stubby, quick-thinking chainstays that take successive bumps in stride while finessing a tough line.

Yeti’s Switch Infinity suspension is the lynchpin of the SB5+’s versatile capability. Its linear travel hits the sweet spot of anti-squat to keep pedaling sharp across rocky climbs, and it also erases the momentary harshness that its predecessor, the Switch Link design, would display when pushed to the absolute limit. Riding with the shock open won’t condemn you to bottomless squish when you have to transition quickly into a short climb on the other side of a long descent; the bike still claws up anything without leaving you wide-eyed and white-knuckled when you fly down a deep rollover on the other side.

Though it’s undeniably improved, long term Yeti fans will be relieved to learn that the new suspension system is fairly similar to the old. Like the Switch Link, the Switch Infinity slider travels upward under the first phase of compression, when the SB5+ is settling into its sag point. As the rear end compresses deeper, the direction changes, and the DH-inspired slider travels down toward the bottom bracket shell to maintain a steady pedaling platform. This change of direction is smoother, without the above-mentioned dead space, but the effect is the same. Deep in the stroke, it works in conjunction with the upper pivot to produce a vertical wheel path that flattens big hits. On the trail, you’ll be tempting faster lines across the loose and chunky stuff as the SB5 Plus tidies up sloppy, questionable lines and sweeps rider errors under the rug.

Finally, we’d be remiss to omit a note on compatibility and standards. The Boost rear axle wants to be mated to an appropriately Boosted front axle. Don’t let it down. It also demands that you leave your double chainring aspirations at the door: the SB5+ Turq is one-by only and does not accommodate front derailleurs. The frame allows clearance for plus-sized tires, but going any bigger than 3in out back will test the extra space allowed by the Boost spacing. We recommend sticking to 3in or smaller. The frame takes a 44/56mm head set and a PF92 bottom bracket, dimensions meant to stress stability and stiffness all around.

Broaden your horizons on this 27.5+ trail monster

5in of Yeti’s super-smooth Switch Infinity suspension

Slacker front end pairs with a lively Boost rear triangle

Top-end Turq carbon layup blends low weight and strength

Conquers aggressive, techy terrain without bailing on the climbs