Strengths: Light weight, stiff, comfortable, attention to detail & fast, very fast.
Weaknesses: None yet.
Overall: I'd been planning a new bike for some time and had always promised myself I'd buy a Yeti one day. During 2008 I've ridden several different brands, the last of which was the Yeti AS-R SL. A week later I owned one.
It is easily the most responsive bike I've ever ridden despite mine not having a typical lightweight build. It accelerates well and flies through twisty stuff, even better than my HT, with the carbon rear end eliminating most of the trail buzz. Anything bigger is dealt with by the RP23 shock which is tuned for the frame. Coming from an FSR I was surprised how well the AS-R's suspension works (being a single pivot) but it really does handle the rough stuff without any drama.
Climbing is a revelation and the combination of frame weight & stiffness with great suspension makes it much more 'bearable' than others I've ridden.
It's made me faster on every regular trail I ride so far & the low weight and reduced travel over my previous bike has never caused any issues - and it has been far from getting out of its depth.
Strengths: It's got it all from fire roads to full on rock gardens.
Weaknesses: None really although "Gomez" is showing some wear.
Overall: My first experience of CYB but not for my riding mate on this trip. I was blown away by the place & he tells me it has improved massively over the past couple of years.
Some of the climbs seem never-ending & some of the descents are not for the feint hearted but it is all rideable & there are some sections that leave you grinning insanely once completed. Even the new visitors centre is amazing!
All in all, a brilliant introduction to what can be achieved in the UK & I'd highly recommend a visit.
Overall: Having had a pair of Submerge gloves thru the winter I decided to give these a go.
The BG padding over the Ulnar Nerve does make gloves more comfortable over longer rides. These are also much lighter and more breathable than my earlier Fox ones but still offer decent protection from normal impacts & brambles etc.
I'm not sure how hard wearing they'll be but have absolutlely no real criticisms.
[Update 16/04/07] Much work has been done to eliminate the wet/muddy sections on the singletrack & the signage has improved greatly.
Weaknesses: Signposting & mud
[Update 16/04/07] Eejit dog walkers on singletrack & MTBers insisting on riding it the 'wrong' way.
Overall: Considering this was built from scratch it's pretty impressive for the S.E. The surface needs more tyres on it to bed in properly especially, as we found last weekend, if it's been raining & you venture off line. Felt longer than 13km but that was probably due to the weather & missing signs - it would appear that some clever person(s) has been removing large numbers of waymarks. Apparently the freeride area's decent but can't comment as we didn't find it.
The shop's okay & the coffee & cakes are good. Bike wash & shower facilities are a bonus.
Overall: Having ridden Marin's for 12 years I was persuaded (again) to try something different as a comparison. Didn't expect much as I'd never found anything I'd preferred in the past but that has now changed. Whilst the spec is slightly off the Mount Vision the ride is streets ahead and this is mainly due to the frame & suspension components. Unlike the Marin you can't feel the suspension working but you do get to use all 5 inches of travel. The Septune shock is a revelation and can completely change the ride characteristics - the seven stages make this a much smoother and more tunable proposition than the Triad or RP3.
Whilst you might find a better specced bike elsewhere the ride more than makes up for this - after all, it's easy to change/upgrade components.
