$9,990.00
THE REBEL YELL OF THE MIDDLE CHILD. FED A STEADY DIET OF SUPER-TECH CLIMBS. THE SB130 WAS BUILT TO CRUSH THE BIGGEST TERRAIN. NO TRAIL “TOO” ANYTHING. POINT IT UP OR DOWN. ENTER A LAST-MINUTE ENDURO JUST FOR THE EFF OF IT. WE SAY NO ONE BIKE CAN RULE ALL. BUT THE SB130? ONE BIKE THAT RULES.
Down Country what?
Description
Climbing
The previous bike I was riding had great pedalling characteristics and minimal to no pedal bob so jumping on the Yeti SB130 I didn’t expect to be impressed yet, I was. Both bikes offer minimal pedal bob so they should climb the same? On smooth terrain sure, but when going up technical and rough climbs the Yeti simply excels. Riding other bikes, it feels like the rear wheel gets hung up on rocks and roots when climbing, which is to be somewhat expected. The Yeti just seems to pull itself over them naturally. All of a sudden, I was climbing more comfortably and getting up technical descents I had yet to complete with ease. I’ve never ridden a mid-travel trail bike with such climbing prowess, the Yeti gets full marks from me in this department.
Descent
The SB130 has been described as a capable descender, but with 130mm rear travel how hard can you push it? I’ve taken this bike everywhere from Gap Creek to Tewantin and the Toowoomba DH track to find out. With a 65.5 degree head angle and 1230.2mm wheel base (large) the bike is long but not too long. I found it to be a great balance, I could ride around flowy trail and all mountain tracks without feeling like I was trying to get a dragster around corners, the bike was nimble and fun. Yet, when speeds picked up the bike was steady, giving me the confidence to hold on and push harder. Only when going flat out down the DH track did the bike start to protest mildly and give me the reality check that I needed.
Yeti’s Switch Infinity linkage handled all I could throw at the bike. Coming across a fast, rough traverse the bike held its geometry well as it used what travel was necessary, no more, no less. Braking hard for the upcoming corner the bike held its line without fault and let me brake hard before letting off the brakes, allowing the bike to accelerate through the corner. The trail wasn’t buttery smooth, it was still rough and challenging and working my arms and legs to absorb the impacts, but the bike remained in control, the only thing slowing the bike down was me. Once I learnt to trust the bike and keep off the brakes I was well rewarded with speeds that I never saw myself achieving on a 130mm travel bike. This is also a reflection of how good a coil shock is for modern trail bikes. For a small weight penalty riders can have heightened small bump sensitivity and extremely consistent suspension through out the bikes travel.
As capable and willing as this bike is though it’s not a big hitting enduro or DH bike and there were times riding this bike where I was made acutely aware of the fact. If you go long and deep off a big jump / drop and don’t eye up that smooth landing you’ll find yourself at the bottom of that 130mm very quickly. It’s not a harsh abrupt bottom out, the leverage rate of the shock makes it as smooth as possible but there’s no doubt that you’ve found the end of this bike’s travel. You can still go big on this bike, bigger than most rides will be willing to go on a trail bike. But, if you’re going to be asking all this from the SB130 its going to ask you to land precisely or endure a rougher landing than desired.
The Verdict
The SB130 is a leading class trail bike that allows you to push your limits on bigger terrain. There are bikes out there with longer travel that will no doubt make riding extreme, rough terrain easier. But, few blend a lively playful nature that allows you to pick lines with ease whilst also remaining steady and true in the rough of it. Turn things around are the SB130 excels upwards as well. If you seek a modern trail bike that will flourish on all mountain tracks, go hard on Enduro descents and still survive DH terrain the SB130 is worthy of your full attention.
-Extract from “YETI SB130 Long Term Review” by fortheriders.com
Additional information
Brand | Yeti Cycles |
---|---|
Colour | Brick, Dark Anthracite, Raw Carbon, Storm, Turquoise |
Build Kit | SRAM X01 |
Model | YETI SB130 |
Size | Large |
Stock Location | Melbourne |
TECH SPECS
SB130 | T-SERIES LARGE Raw Carbon |
Fork | Fox 36 Factory Fit4 29” 44mm offset 150mm Black ‘21 |
Shock | Fox Factory Float X2 |
Headset | Cane Creek 40 Series Tapered IS41/28.6/H9|IS52/40 BLACK |
Bar | Raceface Next R 35 x 800mm 35mm |
Stem | OneUp Components EDC Stem 35mm Clamp 50mm |
Grips | Raceface Grippler |
Crank | SRAM X01 Eagle Boost DUB 170 DirMount 32T XSync2 Lunar Polar C2 |
Rear Der. | SRAM X01 Eagle 12 speed Lunar Max 52T |
Cassette | SRAM XG-1295 X01 10-50 12 spd |
Shifter | SRAM X01 Eagle Trigger 12 spd Luna |
Brakes | SRAM G2 RSC Brakeset |
F. Rotor | CENTRELINE 180 |
R. Rotor | CENTRELINE 180 |
Post | Fox Factory Transfer Dropper Post Kashima Coated 31.6mm / 175mm |
Wheels | Wheelset DT 350 / DT XM481 (RS) |
Tire Front | Maxxis Minion DHF 29×2.5 EXO 3C TR |
Tire Rear | Maxxis Aggressor 29×2.3 EXO TR |
Saddle | WTB Silverado Team Black |
Upgrades | CALL US FOR UPGRADE OPTIONS |