@@jb-il3vh not many new wheels are tacoed, the dropper posts are far longer, the brakes are better, the drivetrain is more reliable, and the frames are more beefy. Although this bike is pretty heavy for its class - my xl rascal I built up with all aluminum all mountain parts weighs the same amount
@@andrewminty3250 shoot! my 2019 Cannondale trail 7 is worth -500 in 2021. My 2020 Marin rift zone will be worth worthless in 2023. Well. Guess I gotta buy new bikes :)
After fixating for two days on what decision to make between a 21 SB115 and a 23 Norco Optic, this video sealed the deal for me 🤙🏼 hung up on the Norco for the color and the local support. You saying the differences between them are so negligible that you should go with the color and brand you want over anything else was the deciding factor 👏 much appreciated. None of the other 100 videos put things into perspective as well as you did.
I value Transition Bikes for their achievements, their aesthetics, their premium wine-like treatment to their boutique bikes, and why not saying, their unsurpassed humor while doing/presenting stuff... having said that, the Yeti appeals much more to a Joe like me trying to get through in the mountains in the noobest possible way. Transition thinks this bike as an XC bike for freeriders, I wouldn't get the short offset and forward geo of the bike unless I polish myself with a lot of technique. Some of us just want to have the horse ready and pedal uncomplicatedly
I agree with you that bikes are so good these days, choosing a bike really does come down to personal preference in brand/styling/colors, etc. I've never liked the swoopy look of the rear triangle on the Yeti's and the sharp lines of the Spur (also the deep see green color) pointed me in Transition's direction. When I spend this much money on a bike, it needs to excite me when I look at it AND when I ride it! 😁
You should not have bought the Yeti. As you stated same frame as the 100. The geo on the 115 is not current because they re-used the front and rear triangles. Yeti, has done this in the past for transition bikes ala the SB-75, which went away quite quickly. This is a layover bike, wait for the redone SB115 that comes out next year. .02
A bike over the $3000 price-point doesn't make you a better rider it just makes you a guy with a nice bike. I usually buy a new bike when I feel like I have transcended it's capabilities and I think people who constantly look for new bikes need to consider owning a modern hardtail. When you feel bored of the full-suspension, ride the other and switch back and forth. The grass is not always greener on the other side. Learn to ride each, improve your skill, and appreciate the qualities and experiences bikes provide.
Amen! Hardtails make everything more exciting, and the good ones are still better than most riders. I've spent more time on hardtails than squishy bikes over the years because they are so engaging. When you get back on a full suspension bike after time on a hardtail, it's like cheating they are so smooth.
SprSonik13 I own both as well. The hardtail isn’t as flashy as my Full squish but you best believe I’m having a ton of fun on it! When I want to full send and plow through steep and chunky trails, I usually pick the fully. When I’m looking to crunch miles on smoother single track, the hardtail is super engaging more than. The more time I spend riding my bike, the less time I have to look at the “newer” ones. The trails and my buddies are all I need.
I live in Colorado so I ride a commencal because their hq is 15 minutes away. My dad rides a gorilla gravity because the owner is his friend. My buddy rides a yeti because it’s 3 minutes away from commencal. All three make incredible bikes and at a certain point it comes down to who you want to support the most. Hell, call these shops and base your experience off of the bike you buy.
Picked up the SB115. I like it as a back up to my Canyon Lux SL XC. Definitely a little more capable on techy terrain. But yes, crazy heavy stock. Mine was around 28.5lbs. Traded the DT’s for Roval Control carbon with 2.3 tires, installed a lightweight cassette, carbon bars. Dropped a full 2 lbs. Can’t wait to take it out and get a feel for the upgrade.
I keep hoping Yeti will update the SB100/SB115 with better geometry. If I could get the SB100 with a 76* STA and 66-65* HTA, I would rush out and buy one. I want a very short travel bike with progressive geo. Yeti, I'm waiting?!
Whats interesting about Savants is that they are unbelievably tuned into only one aspect of life, to the sacrifice of absolutely everything else! Glad you found your strength ;)
I noticed that the Spur has Nobl carbon wheels on it, while the SB115 has the stock DT Swiss wheels, which a pretty heavy. Different tires too. I think Standardizing the wheels and tires would make for a more fair comparison
Great to see you back, you make such fantastic videos ! You make people think rather than go with the flow ! I think that's a good thing ! Myself at the moment I'm getting over Covid, I'm not infectus just fatigued ! I'm an outdoor junkie so you can imagine very frustrating at the moment off work ! Etc ! My point I'm having to think 🤔 I'm 58 mtbing a long time ! Emtb or mtb ? Rail 9 or Forbidden druid custom build from frame only ?
@Ben-sb1xu being 2 years later turns out it was not a jump "slayer" lol I moved to a YT Jeffsy and it's 1000x times better. Though nothing beat the Yeti in the climbs except an e-bike
Oh man, that opening sequence of you ripping down Cinderella made me miss the east bay! I used to ride straight up to Joaquin Miller from my house in Berkeley. Not like it's a short ride to get there, but still. And I mean, I'm down in Pacifica now, a mere 10 minute ride from Boyscout, so I REALLY can't complain, but I do still miss the east bay! Gotta make it back over to ride soon.
Another great job on this one, now the stay tuned will be about the Ibis Ripley, just kidding... Love the Spur, it looks amazing and I take your word for it. The Yeti though, I'm a little disappointed they did this when they could have done more with it or given it 120mm. I think the Yeti still more XC bike category. Down country, the heck is happening? Love the beeps! 😂
You're ripping hard down CInderella. I still ride my brakes down most of it. I've never seen that trail at 4:50, I stick to Big Trees, Palos Colorados, and CInderella
I bought the SB115 back in October and I honestly have no issues with the weight. Compared to the old aluminum hardtail I rode for over a decade, this thing is incredibly light. I might agree that the saddle feels just a little too far back on the climbs. I would have liked to have tried out the Spur but it just wasn't available for months. Curious to learn more about the durability of the Spur frame and rear suspension linkages after a few years of heavy riding....let us know how it fairs at the two year mark!
Another amazing video! Very talented bro! For me the Spur is hands down the best bike “for me”. Yetis ride well but the continuing maintenance and warranties are rather extremely annoying. So far Transition has had the best customer support and just generally want to talk to their customer base.. which is rad. The Spur can handle a wide variety of terrain and is just a joy. My project will be to beef up the Spur with a 130 Pike and possibly a different rear shock. 👊🤘
Confirm with Transition that you can overfork it without voiding the warranty! I remember reading somewhere that it will void the warranty. Better safe than sorry!
@@ddialogue I don't think it will void the warranty, but they're saying the bike is designed around 120mm. I may try and overfork it just as an experiment, but honestly I'm pretty happy with the 120mm SID on it now. it's sooo good!
Sheesh! I have a '93 Cannondale...Bought it new.....Tons of fun!!! I have upgraded it along the way as things break/wear out...Thank god I haven't become a chassis snob....
I mean, damn. One thing for sure they have the cleanest looking frames that's for sure. I can't say you should get one as I haven't used one, but, maybe it would be a good idea to get one to ADD to the bike shed?
I was seriously considering buying a yeti. many people are happy with the performance of the bike, but after I saw so many complaints about cracks in the frame I gave up. There are also many complaints about the maintenance of SI.
I am considering the 2021 115 T-2 with the XO/XX-1 groupset, its the BLANCO/WHITE color. That one is 27.2 but yeah can cut a pound with good carbon wheels and swap out that front 2.5 DHF for maybe a 2.4 thats no so aggressive. Price is $7800.00
Don't really like how the switch infinity is mounted, not having a more rigid thru axle on each end rather than merely mounting each individual end to the stay. Looks like an opportunity for unneeded flexing. Saves weight though.
@@mtbsavant5414 Really? Looking at it I would think the opposite but I trust Yeti more than my eyes. They clearly know what they are doing having created arguably the best suspension in cycling. Gorgeous too.
the Yeti's whole 100-140 line would be great - in 2010 - geo wise. read some time ago a review on Rocky Mountain's 2020 Growler hardtail (64° HA, 75° STA, ST on L 460mm, reach for L 480mm), where reviewer said - 'all things considering; good geo is free'. I can't stress enough how truthful that is. that's why it's MANDATORY to have non-IS headtube, so you can put an angleset - although 9point8 now makes an angleset for that as well. but is raises standover, and a bit of BB height. I'd also add that progressive linkage design is also free. it's 2020 - I think we should be past linear(ish) kinematics already. and with ARC hardtail - 67° HA? that's like 69° when riding. that's what - 2005? great great (but waaay overpriced) and beautiful chasis with futuristic linkage, but man, they should go out and see what's going on in the world. same goes for Evil as well. [sorry for the rant lol]
The added height from the 9point8 slackr kit is minimal. 10mm of added height on the front end which which is mostly offset from the fact a slacker HTA lowers the bike in general since the front wheel is pushed out further. It's a rad kit, ask me how I know :)
@@mtbsavant5414 yes, but you also have to have 20mm extra of steering tube. I love anglesets. and, besides slacker HTA, it also gives you more trail. and that is important.
I love anglesets too, and they're finally catching on as some manufacturers are supporting them or including sets with frames. Yes you need to have 20mm of extra steerer tube total. 10mm at the bottom at a minimum as mentioned and 10mm on top, which in my case simply meant removing existing spacers. If you're the type that has their bars slammed + run a flipped stem and zero stack headset, you probably won't like the 20mm added stack. Then again you're probably not the target market for this product either.
@@mtbsavant5414 that 20mm extra gets flattened because of slacking of HA, as you said. I'd use it if I'd need to, no problem. new Stumpy evo is a great example of giving ppl the option of different geo numbers. I'd also spec the shocks with middle strokes - with 210 e2e, I'd put 52,5mm stroke, so you can reduce the travel with shortening the stroke to 50, or extend it to 55mm. same for 230 e2e. actually, new SC Nomad has 62,5mm stroke. and you can extend it to 65, or shorten it to 60.
Everything functions properly ru-vid.comUgkxHL1v1R3NE5x4KiYfyt8dnQmyNYz7qi5L Nothing was damaged in the box aside from a decal on the fork. The decal was missing a piece of a corner but I ended up peeling them off anyways. Assembly is easy BUT make sure you tune up the derailleurs. Both the front and rear need adjusting. I'd advise going to a bike shop but I opted out and put in 10+ hours with the help of RU-vid. Ended up fraying a shifter cable but all in all I learned from the experience. The Brakes work well but the front caliper needs adjusting or at least mine did because the rotor was rubbing against the pads. Make sure you swap out the seat, grips, and pedals. For the short run you'll be fine though. I've read that this bike isn't built yet for hard trails but I just need it for the city. PA has some of the worst roads and being in a mountain this was a great choice. Worth the investment!
so the color and size and kit I want is available for preorder... and i really want this bike. but at the same time, it’s 6000 and i could do a lot with 6000. I don’t know what to do, upgrade from a trek roscoe 7 or just stick with this for a little longer
Why does Fox struggle so much to make their suspension feel good off the top? I've got a performance elite fork and have the same issue. People have been complaining about it for years.
I don't have a problem with Fox suspension as many people like how they feel. it's just the new RS stuff is purpose built for these aggressive XC bikes and I prefer them a little more
@@mtbsavant5414 Cool man, thanks for responding. That FIT 4 damper definitely steps up when you have it on a fork you want punching above it's weight class. Do you believe the RS fork you had in this test gave up anything to the fox?
Not the guy you’re asking but I ride there a lot. IMO the best time to ride is early in the morning during the week to avoid the crowd of walkers. During the summer when the days are long it is empty in the evening too
Why you ask, Tim? Plan to expand Apple’s line of products to mtb’s?? Dude, imagine the integrated tech you guys could build into bikes! Wireless brakes, even wheels gliding on frictionless magnets instead of hubs...I’d purchase an Apple down country!
honestly the way transition doesn't route the brake cable through the frame is an absolute blessing for a patrol owner like me. having to do brake servicing with an internally routed cable frame is a fucking nightmare and i'd sacrifice slight looks in order to have a significant gain in easy of maintenance
@@dash0173 I agree with you, but that’s not the case here since the cables are all internally routed but stick out underneath the BB, so you don’t get the functionality improvements you get with Transition and the clean appearance of internal routing is also interrupted, so it’s a lose-lose.
@@TheMirrorVision right. agreed 100% it's just bad design choice. you can slightly mitigate the issue just but pulling the cables tight against the bottom of the bike but still the issue remains. not really sure what yeti was thinking
MTB Savant Yeah is light always better? Or carbon for that matter. I mean theres some kind of momentum and stability with my hightower, even climbing, i dont really get with a lighter xc-bike so to say. Anyways bought a alloy Tallboy in small for my girlfriend today. Seems pretty light actually, well not light-light, but ill try to use it some to, even if its way to small. 😊But i havnt all adapted to new geo of my hightower 2 yet and use d to just ride dirtjump bikes big as BMXs. Anyway take care, really enjoy your channel.
He was censoring the word "down" in "downcountry" because a lot of people don't like that term, which refers to an efficient bike that's both good at cross country riding and going downhill.
I like what you're saying, just not the way you're saying it. The fluctuations in your voice sound like you're reading me a children's book before bedtime, and the music makes it very hard to listen to this said book. I did however make it to the end because I was interested in your opinions, and greatly appreciate the information that you share with us.