New Pivot Mach 5.7

I do like it but out of my price range

@Dicko... nah - this Pivot 5.7 is a DW Link design whereas the 575 is single pivot faux bar thingo.

Can't find anything that describes how/why the 575 design works, I just know it does

Hey Rob, I'll explain how it works. If you like...

It's like this...
With all the suspension designs out there, they'll all fall into one of the following categories; rising rate, falling rate or linear. sounds simple enough? Then there are some clever designs that alter the shock rate between those three. What's best? Well, what's best is really the end result, or the feel to the rider. Thus, most designers aim for a linear end result so the feel of the suspension is nice and even all the way through the stroke in all conditions.
So, from the ( correct ) sag point, the suspension wants to a) pedal nicely and aid traction and b) feel the same whether one takes a small hit or a big hit or comes in for a landing. You see? Nice and even. Plush. Linear.
Most modern bikes do this well. What matters is the actual shock plugged into the frame. That shock is a crucial part of the design of that model. We'll start with coil shocks.
A coil shock is almost perfectly linear. So it's easy to have a coil shock and achieve that nice smooth feel. Shocks come in different sizes, that is length and stroke as a way to dictate leveage. A nicer, plusher feel will be achieved easily with a long shock with a lot of stroke. Thus a low leverage ratio. Easy for the wheel to move over obstacles. So why don't all bikes have a big coil shock fitted? Weight. The most common size coil shock found in popular DH bikes is 222mm by 70mm weighs 1kg. This will often give 200mm of travel at a ratio of 2.9 to 1. Shrink the shock for a shorter travel bike and the leverage ratio goes up. This is no disaster for a coil shock but the weight of the shock won't reduce much. Also, it becomes impractical to have a small shock as the spring weight ( that is the drive weight of the spring, printed on the coil ) increases. Enter the air shock.
The now common air shock unit found in most general purpose trail bikes of worthwhile repute is really a marvel of modern engineering, and is a thing of beauty. As each year ticks by and successive generations are developed by the popular brands, the cleverness of this little canister shouldn't be taken for granted. At 280g for the one most commonly fitted to bikes and less for smaller units found in race bikes, the weight advantages are obvious.
Now, coil sprung feel can be achieved by an air unit at a lower weight and smaller size. The only disadvantage is the inherent progressive nature of an air unit as the air compresses, and ramps up or dramatically slows down at the end of stroke. This gives a feeling of restriction, which is what one means when they feel they have difficulty utilising all their travel. This has been widely addressed by using a larger body. Another way is the suspension design itself.
The Yeti 575, and others that have a similiar swing link, feels nice and even and plush because the link is tuning the rate at which the shock compresses. It's a falling rate linkage and the progressive nature of the air shock prevents the suspension blowing through the travel. One cancels out the other and the result is linear. With that said, it's not quite that simple. The linkage tunes the the way the bike uses it's travel so from sag point ( where one sits and is pedalling ) the bike feels spritely yet when taking hits ( big and small and landings ) the whole shebang feels stable, controlled and comfy and then returns for the next hit.
This is why most folk will come out with comments such as " I don't even need to turn on the propedal " and " It feels like it has much more travel " and even " I'm using all the travel, with no harsh bottom out ". All this is owed to the cleverness of the frame designer and also the shock designer too. Also, note that fitting a coil shock to a bike that does not come with one is a recipe for disaster. Not so much in regard to frame damage. More in the sense that it was designed for an air shock, so stick with it. In this example, our Yeti would be mushy when pedalling and blow through it's travel too easily, and thus, feel shithouse.
All this cleverness is why the bike we love cost so much. Remember this. Humans are using their brains to make things work so you can enjoy them and be blissfully unaware why it all feels so good.
Please note: I don't ride a Yeti. I appreciate cleverness as well as simplicity and especially quality manufacture. I'm a bike geek who reads a lot about this sort of stuff and is happy to help the confused get the most out of their supsension. All requests on a postcard to the usual address.
I am Specialized.

Thx Peter - great writeup!

I also prefer the simple but very effective direct-link rear suspension® designed by Huffy.

Lots of happy customers with this one, performs well with varying terrain/skills level. See the reviews:

http://www.buzzillions.com/reviews/huffy-26-inch...

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Happiness is a warm shock.