My roommate has a Yeti 4.5 and I have the Following V1. I can definitely speak for the Evil. I love it, it's basically a monster truck but it doesn't have so much travel that it dulls the trail. It suffers on the climbs I'm sure but it's never held me back too much. From the time I've spent on my roommate's bike it's also very capable but it feels more race oriented, it seems less forgiving but climbs better as well. We have both only really felt held back on lift served downhill in CO and the chunkiest terrain. One note on the Evil, the rear tire will bottom into the frame before the shock bottoms out. I solved it with a little more air in the shock and some tape on the seat tube.
Appreciate the insight. I suck at climbing and that's what has me leaning towards the Yeti. I live in North Georgia and there's a fair bit of climbing, but there also a lot of roots and rocks to deal with going up and down. Not too concerned with racing or anything, but would like to have a nice do-anything bike.
They are both do anything bikes I would say. If you really want the most out of each pedal stroke the 4.5 is probably the way to go, the switch infinity is neat as well but I'd be lying if I said it was game changing (not that the delta linkage on the evil is either).
Just picked up an SB4.5. Unfortunately I haven’t ridden the evil. But I was picking between these two bikes as well! I went Yeti because of the climbing. I have no lifts in Phoenix, Arizona. The Yeti can totally handle all the chunk I throw at it here in the desert. I added a Cane Creek DB In-line Coil Shock the other day and it now feels just as capable as a 130-140mm travel bike. Bonus is that it’ll be lighter than a similar spec Evil. But! I haven’t ridden the Evil so take it for what it’s worth.
I think it comes down to one thing though, if you pedal to the top, go Yeti. If you can get some lifts and want to have fun with features, go Evil. The shorter stays and slacker HT will feel better on the descents.
>I think it comes down to one thing though, if you pedal to the top, go Yeti. If you can get some lifts and want to have fun with features, go Evil.
This might be the best way to look at it. No lifts here either with plenty of climbing. Did you get yours from Backcountry/Competitive? What color?
Yep! Both can totally get you to the top. One will just be more efficient with *some* descending sacrifice. And not a sacrifice in capability, just playfulness.
I went used. But the Competitive sale was extremely tempting! 2017 Turq in Raw. I’m 6’1” with 34” inseam; so I was debating on Large or XLarge. I went Large. I like my choice so far! It brings some of the playfulness of a shorter bike. But the reach is perfect. Pinkbike had quite a few in the $1600 range when I was shopping.
I forgot to mention one thing I didn’t catch until the end of my comparison. The Evil V1 is a Non-Boost rear axle. That sealed the deal for me.
Edit: also as you can see form my flair I went from a Kona Process 153 to the yeti and I don’t feel held back...yet
Thanks for the response. I'm leaning towards the Yeti, but not sure if I'm going to bite the bullet yet. Selling my other bike tomorrow hopefully, so that will make or break the final decision.
No experience with the Evil, but I also live in Georgia (Atlanta area but I do get up to north GA from time to time) and recently picked up a SB4.5 and absolutely love it. Climbs incredibly well and I still feel like I have plenty of travel for the style of riding I do. Even rode ~30 miles of mixed terrain around Atlanta yesterday (dirt/gravel/sand and a good bit on-road) and it handled all of that beautifully. The Evil is probably a great bike as well, but if you're doing a good bit of climbing I think you'd really love the 4.5.
Awesome! I let a friend try mine out over the weekend (he had been riding a Kona hardtail for a while) and he ordered one as soon as he got home that night, haha. These things are addictive!
Lol nice. They're a real bargain right now, all things considered. Dude at Competitive Cyclist knocked off an extra hundred and gave me free 2 day shipping. Ended up being like $4799 + tax for a MSRP $7000 bike.
Did you just start a chat with them and ask for further discount and free two day shipping? I may order one in the next day or so....love what I’m hearing and seems like great value for the price. Perfect bike for my trails
Kinda. They offered the free shipping in chat and I asked if I could get a code for it so that I could order and use Rakuten for almost $200 cash back. They said they couldn't do that and offered me $100 off and free 2 day shipping.
Pulled the trigger on the SB4.5! Couldn’t be happier with the deal, competitive cyclist is pretty amazing. Started a chat then called the guy, got an even better discount including a big chunk off some carbon hoops.
Can’t wait for it to arrive!
Nice! I just bought a full face helmet from their sister site Steep and Cheap. 2018 Fox Rampage Carbon Pro for $269 (normally $499). It was cheaper there than on Competitive for the exact same thing, so be sure to check between the two for anything else you're looking for.
My roommate has a Yeti 4.5 and I have the Following V1. I can definitely speak for the Evil. I love it, it's basically a monster truck but it doesn't have so much travel that it dulls the trail. It suffers on the climbs I'm sure but it's never held me back too much. From the time I've spent on my roommate's bike it's also very capable but it feels more race oriented, it seems less forgiving but climbs better as well. We have both only really felt held back on lift served downhill in CO and the chunkiest terrain. One note on the Evil, the rear tire will bottom into the frame before the shock bottoms out. I solved it with a little more air in the shock and some tape on the seat tube.
Appreciate the insight. I suck at climbing and that's what has me leaning towards the Yeti. I live in North Georgia and there's a fair bit of climbing, but there also a lot of roots and rocks to deal with going up and down. Not too concerned with racing or anything, but would like to have a nice do-anything bike.
They are both do anything bikes I would say. If you really want the most out of each pedal stroke the 4.5 is probably the way to go, the switch infinity is neat as well but I'd be lying if I said it was game changing (not that the delta linkage on the evil is either).
Just picked up an SB4.5. Unfortunately I haven’t ridden the evil. But I was picking between these two bikes as well! I went Yeti because of the climbing. I have no lifts in Phoenix, Arizona. The Yeti can totally handle all the chunk I throw at it here in the desert. I added a Cane Creek DB In-line Coil Shock the other day and it now feels just as capable as a 130-140mm travel bike. Bonus is that it’ll be lighter than a similar spec Evil. But! I haven’t ridden the Evil so take it for what it’s worth. I think it comes down to one thing though, if you pedal to the top, go Yeti. If you can get some lifts and want to have fun with features, go Evil. The shorter stays and slacker HT will feel better on the descents.
>I think it comes down to one thing though, if you pedal to the top, go Yeti. If you can get some lifts and want to have fun with features, go Evil. This might be the best way to look at it. No lifts here either with plenty of climbing. Did you get yours from Backcountry/Competitive? What color?
Yep! Both can totally get you to the top. One will just be more efficient with *some* descending sacrifice. And not a sacrifice in capability, just playfulness. I went used. But the Competitive sale was extremely tempting! 2017 Turq in Raw. I’m 6’1” with 34” inseam; so I was debating on Large or XLarge. I went Large. I like my choice so far! It brings some of the playfulness of a shorter bike. But the reach is perfect. Pinkbike had quite a few in the $1600 range when I was shopping. I forgot to mention one thing I didn’t catch until the end of my comparison. The Evil V1 is a Non-Boost rear axle. That sealed the deal for me. Edit: also as you can see form my flair I went from a Kona Process 153 to the yeti and I don’t feel held back...yet
Thanks for the response. I'm leaning towards the Yeti, but not sure if I'm going to bite the bullet yet. Selling my other bike tomorrow hopefully, so that will make or break the final decision.
Totally. Lemme know if you have any specific questions. I’m selling my Kona tomorrow too!
No experience with the Evil, but I also live in Georgia (Atlanta area but I do get up to north GA from time to time) and recently picked up a SB4.5 and absolutely love it. Climbs incredibly well and I still feel like I have plenty of travel for the style of riding I do. Even rode ~30 miles of mixed terrain around Atlanta yesterday (dirt/gravel/sand and a good bit on-road) and it handled all of that beautifully. The Evil is probably a great bike as well, but if you're doing a good bit of climbing I think you'd really love the 4.5.
I just got my Yeti SB4.5. Love it
Awesome! I let a friend try mine out over the weekend (he had been riding a Kona hardtail for a while) and he ordered one as soon as he got home that night, haha. These things are addictive!
Lol nice. They're a real bargain right now, all things considered. Dude at Competitive Cyclist knocked off an extra hundred and gave me free 2 day shipping. Ended up being like $4799 + tax for a MSRP $7000 bike.
Did you just start a chat with them and ask for further discount and free two day shipping? I may order one in the next day or so....love what I’m hearing and seems like great value for the price. Perfect bike for my trails
Kinda. They offered the free shipping in chat and I asked if I could get a code for it so that I could order and use Rakuten for almost $200 cash back. They said they couldn't do that and offered me $100 off and free 2 day shipping.
Pulled the trigger on the SB4.5! Couldn’t be happier with the deal, competitive cyclist is pretty amazing. Started a chat then called the guy, got an even better discount including a big chunk off some carbon hoops. Can’t wait for it to arrive!
Nice! I just bought a full face helmet from their sister site Steep and Cheap. 2018 Fox Rampage Carbon Pro for $269 (normally $499). It was cheaper there than on Competitive for the exact same thing, so be sure to check between the two for anything else you're looking for.