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Post by bgreen520 on Dec 25, 2013 7:59:12 GMT
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Post by Andrew on Dec 25, 2013 9:41:04 GMT
I heard about this a week ago, and was waiting for somebody at yeti to tell me. They didn't reply, so I would guess that the silence is speaking volumes.
I have friends in bike shops and one who works at a different niche brand, they all tell me 26" is on the way out.
Honestly, I can see 29er getting unpopular too expect in a niche area or the sport.
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bigh
Call me Mr YETI
Posts: 16
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Post by bigh on Dec 25, 2013 15:05:05 GMT
Glad I bought mine when I did then. Bit short sighted of these companies if you ask me.
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Post by Andrew on Dec 25, 2013 15:15:55 GMT
I don't think it's the companies, from the people I've talked too, 26" has just hit the brakes in the shops, it's the consumers fuelled by the bike media that's the cause if it's true.
My 66c was the finest bike I've ever ridden, I can't see anything, 26 or 650b that's going to beat it.
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Post by shaun7005 on Dec 29, 2013 3:47:37 GMT
Based on what i have seen... I'm calling BS. They just showed a new 66 alloy with a carbon swingarm as their 2014 model... Also i do like reading that people are confirming that Jared has been testing 650B prototypes. The only 650 bike that he has ridden is the SB75. Wasn't any special proto. But i guess rumours are made up for a reason...
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Post by stuartx on Dec 29, 2013 10:05:25 GMT
26" till I die!!!!
A friend of mine that has a shop and sells Giant showed me their press release info on 650b and 29er and the advantages over 26" wheel but where will all this stop? when we are riding 36" wheels etc? 26" has worked for so long and yes it is the media and the industry pushing it, if it didn't exist then people wouldn't be going on a bout it.
Makes me laugh, its almost as funny as the queue outside Hollister for their sale I saw, lets all be like everyone else, very sheepish behaviour!
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Eric
Call me Mr YETI
Posts: 38
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Post by Eric on Dec 29, 2013 12:27:52 GMT
God thanks that i ordered my sb66c two month ago ...last week i just visited the shop and took a look at all arrived parts...can't wait but still waiting of CK parts and enve rims :S well, feb is coming ^^
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Post by elastictangent on Jan 14, 2014 9:57:08 GMT
If you go back and see the most recent posts on that thread you can see that a guy from Yeti has posted and practically confirmed this now. Sad times.
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Post by Andrew on Jan 14, 2014 10:15:34 GMT
Thanks for the updates and thanks for looking out for this!!
Nobody is telling me anything officially. Or unofficial actually!
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Post by Andrew on Jan 14, 2014 10:50:48 GMT
Here is the MTBR post to save you searching the whole thread.
Seems like everyone is all fired up here. I'd love to give you insight into all of our future plans and the cool bikes we're working on, but I'd probably get fired. I'll do my best to set the record straight, but please understand that I'm bound by a certain degree of confidentiality that allows us to keep our competitive advantage.
Regarding 26ers in general, our staff as a whole loves them. There are a few 29er and 650B guys in the office, but most of us currently ride 66's on a day to day basis because we love its performance and versatility.
Personally, I wasn't a big fan of the first few 27.5's I rode, mostly because they were bikes that were originally designed to fit 26" wheels, but they somehow squeezed some 27.5's in there (bolt-on dropouts, etc.). These bikes handled poorly due to the high BB and wacky geometry that often occurs from after-thought solutions like that, and they never felt like they took advantage of the larger wheel format. Once I finally started to ride bikes that were designed from scratch for 27.5's, I was damn impressed. I really like the 75, and I'm even more excited about some other bikes we have in development.
As some other shop guys have stated in this thread, an interesting thing happened toward the end of 2013 - despite all of you guys (and us here at Yeti!) professing love for 26ers, tangible demand for that wheel size fell off a cliff. In our domestic preseason bookings, in which we literally book hundreds/thousands of bikes for shops, demand for our 26ers was almost zero. Literally, there were less than a dozen 66's on order nationwide. Yikes. Meanwhile, demand on the 75 and 575 (both 650B bikes) was off the charts.
At the end of the day, we have to stay in business, and the way to do that is to sell bikes (duh). We're currently moving through our back stock on 66's, and if demand for that bike suddenly spikes again, we'd be more than happy to ramp production back up. In the meantime, we are finishing up some incredibly cool models that have been in development for almost 3 years now, and they are going to knock you on your ass when you see them. We're not going to release details until these suckers are ready to ship, but remember how nuts everyone went when we first released the SB? Expect to get that excited once again.
In any event, I know this is long winded and vague, but I hope it gives you a little clarity on what we're doing and where we're going. It's funny . . . if nothing else, Yeti should have a pretty strong reputation for innovation and producing high-end, badass bikes (it's literally all we've done for 28+ years now!), but some people out there seem to have little faith in us for some reason ("hypocrites", sarcastic "thanks" notes, etc.). It's all good though - we understand that we're only as good as our last model, and that's why we'll continue to bust our butts to make great bikes and give you the best service.
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Post by elastictangent on Jan 14, 2014 11:24:11 GMT
Thanks for the updates and thanks for looking out for this!! Nobody is telling me anything officially. Or unofficial actually! No problem. Can you stock up on 66c spares please!! Did you go for a SB75 in the end?
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Post by Andrew on Jan 14, 2014 11:43:19 GMT
There are still spares for stuff made in 01, I'd not worry about bits for yours.
They will be available for ages.
Currently- All bikes up to 04 still have complete spares available.
I went for 650b 575. On paper it looks like the best Yeti, a good price and decent weight and travel for 2014 range.
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Post by rocketmagnet on Jan 14, 2014 15:16:13 GMT
Interesting decision but it seems like many companies after pushing 29ers are now pushing 27.5 and claiming this will be the new standard. It's a tougher sell after the last couple of years of claiming 29ers were going to be the standard wheel size going forward. Nothing to do with Yeti it's a general trend (marketing BS if you ask me) but if they aint selling 26ers as a result what choice do they have? Personally I don't truly get using the Switch link on a shorter travel bike as it's benefits must be reduced?.. or is the diameter of the Switch much smaller to compensate?. I wonder if that's the reason why the 29er switch bearings are more resilient than on the 66? Yeti had the right idea with the different wheel sizes for different size frames IMO. The SB75 is getting a varied reception from many reviewers with many saying the SB66 is a much better bike so if it's being dropped then its a shame but what choice do Yeti have as the entire market is doing the same and if your not leading with a 27.5 in 2014 your not at the party. Personally I don't see what's wrong with a 26 and the 66, I certainly had a good time on mine yesterday. Some opinions below on the 75.. id take it with a pinch of salt was they did not do back to back rides of the 66/75. www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWMgTHHAglwYeah I'd probably go 66C or 575 650b if I got another Yeti. I do like the switch on the 66 outside of the bearing issues as it results in an improved controlled stroke where my 575 isn't as controlled (people report this as "plush" but really it's just wasted travel).. its the reason the Switch exists in the first place to "fix" this?. Saying that I still like my 575s feel but it does squirm under heavy loads with the stock shock when the 66 is well behaved, will be a sorely missed bike by many I think..... Maybe 27.5 is the Holy Grail but for the last few years we were all told it was 29. I can see in 10 years time 26 will be the "new" fangled wheel size again .
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