[Renegade]

I built this up a couple months ago, medium frame, '04 Super T, most evrything else came off my previous bike, those are my xc wheels, I have a more durable set of wheels and tires for more aggressive riding. This is one solid bike!

 

[poksy]

My 2003 Monster-ASX

Here is a pic of my DH/Freeride baby, i'm currently deciding between the 575 or specialized enduro any opinions?

 

[Captain Crash]

Here is a pic of my DH/Freeride baby, i'm currently deciding between the 575 or specialized enduro any opinions?

Personally, I'd go 575. The Enduro is a pretty nice ride but, 1 they seem heavier and clunkier (a word?) than the 575. Also, the Enduros are like bellybuttons - everyone's got one.

Just ask any of the guys here if they'd trade thier 575 for an Enduro Pro.

Nice AS-X BTW.

 

[minkhiller]

Too quote MBA in a recent review of the 575..."...aggressive cross-country types will be hard pressed to find a match for the Yeti 575's can-do performance". Strong words.

 

[esquire]

Greatly impressed

I have a Yeti 575, as well as an ASX, and I'm incredibly impressed with the 575's ability to handle hard, rugged trail riding. Recently, after 2 straight lift days with the ASX, I thought I'd be in trouble doing some xc/trail riding with the 575, simply because of being used to the ASX. The 575 handled everything I gave it down some rocky, loose soil, steep downhill sections, to the point where I wished I'd had more fork up front, to match how well the rear suspension was working. I'm convinced right now that a talas up front, isn't enough for this bike, for rugged trail riding. Perhaps a 6" SC fork, with ETA, or some other sort of travel adjust for the uphill climbs, might work quite well.

Its not like the Talas doesn't work well, its just that I'm pushing that thing to its limits, with the rear suspension asking for more. Hmmmm, maybe a Maverick DUC32??? Might be an option for the 575. Light, 6" travel, etc. Granted, thats a double crown, but the more I ride the 575, the more I think its tough enough for full on trail bike accolades, yet light enough for xc riding.

 

[ride red]

Hey Esq., since your a bike shop guy with great rides every year, and I know in the past you have had some sort of experiance with a 5 Spot, how do you think that a 575 will stack up against a 5 spot? Im just kinda wondering, I havent really seen you chime in on a topic like this in a long while, esp with either of these two bikes.
Its been a tough road for the 575 I think even though its still rather new, most poeple dont think it can handle tough duties, but you are now coming around. I road a 575 at Mammoth Mtn a month or so back, very fun bike and I think it can handle some tough stuff. Most of the weight loss these frames have are in the shock, but still every one says its just to light, but if you put a 5th Air on most 5" travel frames they will drop atleast a pound and some will get down to the weight of the 575. Anyway, just wondering what you think now that you have some time on it compared to the trail bike kings like a 5 spot or X5.

Thanks, bawb-bee

 

[bonkey]

I'm not esq, but IMHO...

I've ridden both the 5 spot, and a spot with 6" rockers. 575 is up to snuff with either. I have yet to have a harsh bottom on the 575 (with the RP3).

tscheezy did a review on 575 and liked it quite a bit; he eats and drinks Turner if I remember right.

Can't wait to try out a 575 with a nixon or a '05 firefly, both are right around 150mm.

Anybody running a z150 on their 575? How is the geometry?

 

[esquire]

There is a reason

There is a very specific reason why I haven't chimmed in on the comparison.........I'm not done..... I think extended riding gives you more of a feel of the bikes, than parking lot rides, of course, but even more than slightly extended rides too. Lets put it this way, I've had less problems with the 5th AIR than the Romic's that I've seen on the 5-spots. Granted, thats not DT's problem, but by the same token, at the beginning of the year, I seriously doubted the 5th Air's durability and even tried in vain to get a coil onto it.

The 575 literally sprints uphill, period, when the 5th is set up right. It hooks up better than my hardtail, and the frame is less than 2 pounds heavier than my hardtail. On the downhills, unfortunately, I haven't been able to compare an apples to apples test of the 5-spot and the 575, because I can't keep forks in long enough for them to have the same forks. The 5-spot usually has a Z1, Z150, or a Maverick on it (by far my favorite recently), and the 575 I've only ridden it with the Talas. Even with this apples to oranges comparison of bikes, the 575's rear suspension soaks up descents and handles drops every bit as well as the 5-spot.

I haven't seen brake jack, period, out of either, but as I've said before, you need to actually use the brakes to experience something like that. The only thing I can see as a weakness of the 575, is lateral stiffness. And I say it as a weakness only because "in comparison" to the other competitive bikes I've ridden a lot (X-5 and 5-spot), I can feel a bit of lateral flex in the 575. In order of laterally stiff, it goes X-5, 5-spot, 575. In quality of descent for rear suspension, just the opposite (575, 5-spot, X-5). As I also said before, I believe with a longer travel fork on this bike, it will be even more of an impressive descender.

Don't get me wrong, there were problems with the 575, but mostly my own doing. For at least 2 weeks, I continually redished my rear wheel because I thought it was rubbing on the chainstay (Its a 2.3" UST), due to the low air pressure. However, I neglected to look for the simple solution first, that being a slightly too long front deraileur cable, that rubbed during deep compression. The second issue I had was rear cable routing. I couldn't get the over the bottom bracket to work very well, during deep compression, as it would ghost shift from either being too tight, or getting held up somewhere, and it was starting to cause a great deal of cable rub. I finally went back to my original routing under the bottom bracket, and haven't had a problem since. I know its not optimal, but it works.

I've tried different sized stems, riser bars, wheels, tires, and brakes on this frame, and by far, my favorite combo has been a 1.75" riser with a 90mm stem, 2.3" UST tires, and Hayes Hydros. I'm on a medium and I'm 5'10", and a 30" inseam. This does give me a set back position, which optomizes the dowhills, but the bike sprints uphill, and I haven't had a problem standing up in the cockpit and getting my weight forward, if I need to. I have some Juicy's that came with the bike but when those wavy rotors get wet, I can't sneak up on game trying to cross the trail, and the pistol in my pack is getting bored (I put that last part in there to see if people really pay attention to this). I've tried slightly filing down the rotors, and it helped, but they are still noisy.

To make a short story long, the 575 has impressed the hell out of me, in many ways, and its definately a bike I look forward to seeing what Yeti does with next year.

Without a doubt, when it comes to best trail bike for around 2k, the 575 gets my vote. I'd have to leave a wheelset and crankset off the 5-spot and X-5 to get it around 2k..........

 

[ride red]

Thanks bonkey and esquire for the reports, I have read many of your posts in the past and respect your views. I have ridden both the 5Spot and 575 at a CA local ski resort and like both of them. I do think that the 575 fits me a little better, Im 5'6 1/2" tall, with a 29" inseam and ride a small 575 and a meduim 5 Spot. I was a bit worried that the 22" top tube of the small 5 Spot would be to small so I went with the med Spot. I do like the shorter TT lenght of the 575, about 22.5". Its more of an upright seat position, and seems easier to pull up on the bars over rocks or ruts.
The rear ends both work very well, and I can use all of the 575's almost 6" of travel on the trails I ride, the Spot's rear works great, and seems endless too, For someone on a budget the 575 is the first choice for me to recommend, and if someone doesnt have a budget, I still would recommend a 575 as well as a Turner.
I cant wait to try a 150mm fork on a 575, Craig at Yeti said they work great and dont have any handling flaws, several guy's there are setting up there 575's that way.
When I road the Turner at Mammoth last week I rode with guy's on Bullits and VP Free's, I really needed more travel than what the 5 Spot had, I still had fun, but having more travel makes those tuff trails more fun, so a Free or even a ASX would have been better, so its kinda unfair for the little Spot because the conditions were perfect when I rode the 575 before and had the best time ridding in Mammoth in a while.