experience on SB130LR or SB150?

Rob Munro

Well-Known Member
Next season is new bike season! I'm not entirely sure I'll even pay the "Yeti tax". However, it has been a while so I'm leaning toward spending too much. I like what I've seen/read of the SB130LR (lunch ride) AND SB150. 70% of my rides are "trail/XC" (chimney rock, LM, 6-mi., Nassau) the other 30% is a bit "more"; Allamuchy, Blue Mountain Reservation, Sourlands, weekend trips and a couple enduro races per season. For reference I currently ride a 26" Blur LTC w/160MM Fox 36 and Float X2 shock. nice and squishy, but its beaten up and a bit outdated. my style and preference is definitely on the DH side, but I do like to push myself on climbs.

Anyone have experience on both bikes? In summary I'm leaning toward the SB130LR as a little burlier than the SB130, but not so big and cumbersome(?) as the 150. Would love to hear from anyone who has ridden one or both around here.
 

bergsnj

Well-Known Member
I ride an SB150 daily on my local xc/trail type stuff. Its a big bike but it gets around the tight stuff just fine when you get used to it. I have plenty of top 10 strava times on the local xc type stuff. I also ride it at rockier stuff like wildcat, ringwood, jungle, etc and it has no problem handling all the trails at mountain creek. It does everything ok and goes downhill really well.
 

Rob Munro

Well-Known Member
I ride an SB150 daily on my local xc/trail type stuff. Its a big bike but it gets around the tight stuff just fine when you get used to it. I have plenty of top 10 strava times on the local xc type stuff. I also ride it at rockier stuff like wildcat, ringwood, jungle, etc and it has no problem handling all the trails at mountain creek. It does everything ok and goes downhill really well.

thanks man, this may be all I needed to hear. I really wanted to make the 150 work. I'm willing to suffer a little extra weight and "big" for that unstoppable DH feeling.
 

Rob Munro

Well-Known Member
thanks again. I had seen that one (and probably every video posted on every long travel 29er) I love youtube, and I do tend to obsess over things. so any 'dislikes' on your part? I'm seeing mostly rave reviews but a lot are in the mid-west/west with their LONG persistent climbs (fireroad-like) followed by LONG (and awesome) high speed descents.

Maybe I should fly out and demo the Yeti on their home turf. That would not suck.
 

Turbotrix

Well-Known Member
My son and I picked up demo bikes from Yeti HQ here in CO a few months ago. He wanted to try the SB165...just because...and I went for the 150.

I was extremely impressed with the 150. It's actually one of the best bikes I've ever ridden. I was surprised to find that it felt very similar to my Pivot Mach 5.5 (a bike that I absolutely love) and I'm pretty sure that if I spent time dialing in the 150 I'd actually prefer it over the 5.5.

It'll climb way better than your old bike and pretty much do anything you want it to do on the descents. It anit cheap and it might be overkill for a lot of the NJ trails but it's pretty sweet. I'd certainly recommend it.

Jeff

Screen Shot 2020-09-25 at 11.49.45 AM.png
 

bergsnj

Well-Known Member
thanks again. I had seen that one (and probably every video posted on every long travel 29er) I love youtube, and I do tend to obsess over things. so any 'dislikes' on your part? I'm seeing mostly rave reviews but a lot are in the mid-west/west with their LONG persistent climbs (fireroad-like) followed by LONG (and awesome) high speed descents.

Maybe I should fly out and demo the Yeti on their home turf. That would not suck.

i really have no dislikes. if i had to nitpick i would say a shorter bike does better on steep up-hill switchbacks. but i still make it through them, you just have to plan for it.
 

Rob Munro

Well-Known Member
My son and I picked up demo bikes from Yeti HQ here in CO a few months ago. He wanted to try the SB165...just because...and I went for the 150.

I was extremely impressed with the 150. It's actually one of the best bikes I've ever ridden. I was surprised to find that it felt very similar to my Pivot Mach 5.5 (a bike that I absolutely love) and I'm pretty sure that if I spent time dialing in the 150 I'd actually prefer it over the 5.5.

It'll climb way better than your old bike and pretty much do anything you want it to do on the descents. It anit cheap and it might be overkill for a lot of the NJ trails but it's pretty sweet. I'd certainly recommend it.

Jeff

View attachment 140057

thanks Jeff. doesn't hurt that its such a beautiful bike. I need to start saving my allowance.
 

02camaro

Well-Known Member
i have a sb150 and sb100 currently and have owned an sb5.5 and sb95 previously. the sb150 is great for going down and being able to get you back up, but in my experiences its way to unwieldy to be fun on trails in nj. its long, slack and slow to react, its not spirited like i would want a trail bike to be. that doesnt make it a bad bike, its a enduro race bike designed to point and shoot and go fast over anything not mash xc miles and tight switchbacks. if you only had one bike the sb130 or LR if you wanted that little more would be best suited as a 1 bike quiver. the geometry and travel compares very closely to the sb5.5 which i did a ton of trail and enduro and dh riding with and was alot of fun everywhere.

but honestly if you wanted just a trail bike that does it all at all trails, check out the sb100 or sb115. my sb100 is a beast, i run it with a 130mm fork and have 2 wheelsets. 1 superlite for trail/xc with fast tires and one burly for aggressive riding with knobby tires. ive ridden that bike on trails from wawayanda to blue ridge mountains in Virginia and many places in between and it so much fun. not sure if i would be in love with it at dh park but im sure it would be fun.

you cant go wrong with any modern bike, the updated geometry alone will make you much faster. demo some bikes, belmar bikes and tenafly bike workshop are yeti dealers in the NJ area.

cliff notes:
places i ride my sb100- everywhere thats not a bike park
places i ride my sb150- every bike park and glen park.
the sb130 splits the bill and does everything
 
Last edited:

goldsbar

Well-Known Member
but honestly if you wanted just a trail bike that does it all at all trails, check out the sb100 or sb115. my sb100 is a beast, i run it with a 130mm fork and have 2 wheelsets. 1 superlite for trail/xc with fast tires and one burly for aggressive riding with knobby tires. ive ridden that bike on trails from wawayanda to blue ridge mountains in Virginia and many places in between and it so much fun. not sure if i would be in love with it at dh park but im sure it would be fun.

People tend to underestimate how capable modern "short" travel bikes are...and I wouldn't even put a 130 29er in that category. The big stuff gets the attention now that you pedal them somewhat efficiently, but they're still big bikes that have the associated downsides.
 

02camaro

Well-Known Member
People tend to underestimate how capable modern "short" travel bikes are...and I wouldn't even put a 130 29er in that category. The big stuff gets the attention now that you pedal them somewhat efficiently, but they're still big bikes that have the associated downsides.
absolutely, tons of people just go for broke and buy the biggest bike they can, when they really only need 120mm of travel. the sb100/15 even has "dated" geometry compared to the newest releases of aggressive short travel bikes but it still kicks ass. revel ranger and transition spur really have my eyes.
 

Captain Brainstorm

Well-Known Member
Next season is new bike season! I'm not entirely sure I'll even pay the "Yeti tax". However, it has been a while so I'm leaning toward spending too much. I like what I've seen/read of the SB130LR (lunch ride) AND SB150. 70% of my rides are "trail/XC" (chimney rock, LM, 6-mi., Nassau) the other 30% is a bit "more"; Allamuchy, Blue Mountain Reservation, Sourlands, weekend trips and a couple enduro races per season. For reference I currently ride a 26" Blur LTC w/160MM Fox 36 and Float X2 shock. nice and squishy, but its beaten up and a bit outdated. my style and preference is definitely on the DH side, but I do like to push myself on climbs.

Anyone have experience on both bikes? In summary I'm leaning toward the SB130LR as a little burlier than the SB130, but not so big and cumbersome(?) as the 150. Would love to hear from anyone who has ridden one or both around here.
I know it’s not a Yeti, but you should check out the Ripmo also. It was between the 130LR and Ripmo for me, I went Ripmo. Both climbed equally well, both descended well, however the Ripmo felt more agile and responsive in the slower corners and tight low-speed tech despite having almost 20mm more travel. Don’t really think you could go wrong with either TBH, but at this price I wasn’t compromising. Neither bike is as agile as my old/current bike, which I think will be better in some situations because of its old-school (4-yr old) geometry.
 

xrjx

Member
I know it’s not a Yeti, but you should check out the Ripmo also. It was between the 130LR and Ripmo for me, I went Ripmo. Both climbed equally well, both descended well, however the Ripmo felt more agile and responsive in the slower corners and tight low-speed tech despite having almost 20mm more travel. Don’t really think you could go wrong with either TBH, but at this price I wasn’t compromising. Neither bike is as agile as my old/current bike, which I think will be better in some situations because of its old-school (4-yr old) geometry.

+1 on trying a Ripmo. I recently demoed both a SB130 and a Ripmo, in that order. I like the SB130 a lot when i tested, but then rode the Ripmo and was blown away. Thought it handled the chunk on climbs better - maybe a slightly softer/less supportive pedaling platform, but still got to the top faster due to comfort over rocks. On descents, the ripmo's extra travel makes it feel significantly more capable. the Yeti might accelerate out of corners a bit better, but i still had an easier time keeping speed through all sections on the ripmo. overall the SB130 felt more racy and the Ripmo more fun and capable.
 
Top Bottom