Summary: All-Mountain Showdown 

Thanks! glad you liked it.

Thanks for the kind words. Glad you liked it.

Stoked!

Thanks for the awesome feedback. I really appreciate it.

Hey thanks for the kind words. I really appreciate it. The Sentinel is so good. I’m going to be buried with mine.

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks!

Nice! You’re going to love it!

Glad you like them!

Do it! You won’t regret Utah!

Glad you liked it! I’m going to try to do those difficulty ratings more.

Rad! Glad you’re loving it!

The enduro showdown is in the works. Getting all the bikes together has been a little tricky.

@@bikersedge that sounds like a bit of an understatement these days haha. Thanks for the update!!

Stoked you liked it!

Behind geo and suspension design, tires make the next biggest difference for sure.

The Ripmo is also a beast up tech climbs, front end stays down well and there is no real need to lay on the bars like some smaller trail bikes. Also stays composed when standing up to climb, doesn't blow through the travel like the Stumpy Evo does when standing.

Glad you enjoy it! I'm going to try to use the trail difficulty scale more often.

C link, why ?

Thanks! Glad you liked it. The AF is a solid choice!

We don't carry Bold. Wont be able to make it happen unfortunately.

Thanks! We don't carry specialized. Won't be able to make it happen.

Thanks for watching!

Hey thanks! Glad you liked it.

Glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks for the kind words! It's been a process but I'm getting better... I hope.

Thanks! Glad you liked it.

My wife is a copy editor. She’d kill me for that one.

I'd probably destroy myself up on a hardtail!

Glad you liked it!

Hey thanks for the kind words! Stoked you liked the videos.

Well you're in luck. We already did one with the Spur, Tallboy and Ripley. Go check it out!

Thanks. Watched that also. Thanks for all the videos and reviews, very helpful and informative. I have owned the Yeti SB5, SB4.5 and SB5.5 and loved them all - particularly the way they have confidence through being planted, stable at speed and being very balanced in the air. They had you even if you fell asleep and did something a bit stupid. Now I have an Ibis Ripley v4 and a Yeti SB130 LR. I like the pedal efficiency of both, like to climb but also like to go down. Trails I ride are blue to back diamond with the occasional easy double black diamond. I’m not confident with a lot of air but getting there. I find I ride the Ripley 90% of the time and only reach for the 130 when I’m doing something more gravity orientated, steep, technical and especially if I’m doing shuttles. I’m not sure if there is a one bike but am intrigued by the Spur and the Ripmo. Thanks and keep up the great work.

Hey thanks!

Same here!

Careful. You demo it, you buy it.

Hey thanks!

Glad it was helpful!

Hey thanks!

Weight doesn't matter as much as people think! The AF is an awesome bike.

@@bikersedge Yup, it's only noticeable on longer climbs

Even then it's not that big of a deal. I just did a 7k vertical day on my Sentinel. Sure it sucked, but it would have sucked on any bike.

Get the Ripmo,no question it is way better than the Hightower,handling and overall feeling is way better when riding the Ibis,I personally tested both and I wouldn’t have any doubt..

Hey thanks! Both bikes are really good. It's going to come down to your riding style and priorities.

Good choice! Enjoy!

Hey thanks! We don’t have access to a ton of high pivot stuff at the shop. Don’t know if we could even do a showdown.

I think the lunch ride sits pretty much in the same place on the climbs and descents as the standard SB130. They’re really not all that different.

Glad you liked it! Good thing we all know these four are way better than the Switchblade 😉

@@bikersedge I’ve ridden or owned all of these. I disagree. All rippers though.

@mathew Look it up. It’s in the Geneva Convention!

@Jeff Giles, I own the new switchblade and have taken both the ripmo and Hightower on multiple demos. I don’t think one is better than the others. Just comes down to preference. Climbing, the switchblade is on par with the ripmo - thanks DW. That switchblade is amazing how it is active when needed on technical climbs but firms up on the smooth track. Descending, I give the nod to the Hightower, but it’s a close race. The rest of the differences come down to nit picky stuff like do you mind super boost or not, press fit BB or not, etc.

Rad. It's plenty aggressive for just about everyone.

Size will always affect how a bike rides. I had a tough time picking my size when I reviewed the sight. Wish I could have gotten one to include in this showdown.

Haven't ridden it. We don't carry Marin at the shop. Won't be able to get one for review.

Hey thanks! We've actually done all of those before. look for our Spur vs Ripley vs Tallboy video as well as our Occam vs Trance X video!

@@bikersedge I was thinking of having a shootout between all those models together but I understand what you’re saying. Keep up the great work of these videos!

I'd include them all, but I don't think the Occam and Trance X fit with the trail bikes. They fall in a weird spot between the trail bikes and the all mountain bikes. I'll start calling it all-trail!

@@bikersedge I like that, all-trail! I’ve owned both the Trance X Advanced Pro 1 and currently own the Ripley V4 and I think the Trance X climbs just as well as the Ripley and is a bit more stable on the descent. The difference between the two is the handling. I think the Ripley corners better.

I’d agree with everything there. Although I think the Trance X allows for riding quite a bit more aggressively on the DH than the Ripley.

Not familiar with Michigan trails. Watch this series, and our trail bike series and that should help you find one that suits you best!

Possibly. It’s tough to make bike mullet compatible without making too many compromises. Simply putting a flip chip in there doesn’t work too well because they chain stays are still long enough for 29. You don’t get all the mullet benefit.

Hey thanks! All of the bikes from this showdown would be a big move towards more stability and confidence on the descents.

Thanks for the kind words. We don’t carry Niner at the shop. Won’t be able to make it happen unfortunately.

It's for sure the best climber in the bunch!

Hey thanks. Glad you liked it. I do most of my riding in SLC and PC where theres plenty of rough trails, especially if you know where to look.

@@bikersedge thx!

I owned a LR and I've ridden the standard quite a it. I don't think there's a huge difference between them, honestly. If I was blindfolded I probably couldn't tell them apart. But yes, the LR feels a tiny bit burlier without really losing anything on the climbs. If I were to buy one again I'd still get the LR.

Probably a good one. Haven’t ridden one.

Anti-aircraft artillery /s

Ha! It’s a snow making machine.

@@bikersedge Ahh, I should've known that!

It’s at Alta

I have a Spire on the way. Hopefully we can get a few more of the new enduro bikes so we can do a showdown.

Hopefully there will be a nomad in there 👻💪🏼🤓

I’ll do my best to get one in!

Hey thanks. This is all from the SLC area.

Wolf tooth B Rad bracket with a Blackburn saddle bag.

@@bikersedge thanks!

The Hightower is really good climbing techy stuff because it has a lot of traction, also pedals happily everywhere and it descends very very well.

Any one of these would fall somewhere between what you have and a full-blown enduro bike.

I have the same thoughts as @pierrecarrière. I also own a Giant Trance x adv pro and I'm wondering if it's worth the thousands of dollars of investment to upgrade to a SC or a Yeti? I really love those MTB !! I do not have the chance to try them before buying, it complicates my choice. Any thoughts if it worth the price to go with a better all around mountain bike? I'm looking for a bike that climb as good as it goes down for blue/black trail. Assurément, j'aimerais pouvoir me payer une de ces belles machines un jour! Jo

@@TheJo159 So my Opinion on this is as follows: Its the advanced Pro, so minimum 4000€. For that money you can get a used SB130 or an Hightower aswell. In terms of climbing I think the Giant can't really be besten by the other two. but descending Id day the Hightower and the SB130 don't differ too much. Both a bit more capable then the Trance X. But since it's 4 months ago that you wrote here. With what did you end up with? :)

Hey thanks! We don’t carry pivot. I haven’t ridden one.

@@bikersedge Welcome! Oh ok thanks, I see. Would be interesting to see your feedback if you ever ride one. Loving your channel! 👍

I’ll fight you on that one.

@@bikersedge 🤣🤣🤣. I understand any one bike is gonna have its haters, what don't you like about the stumpy evo? Or is it a brand thing...I know there's a story behind that comment, spill it 😆

We don’t carry specialized at the shop so I’m contractually obligated to make fun of every stumpy fan!

@@bikersedge fair enough 😆

Haven’t ridden that one. Wouldn’t be able to say.

Thanks! Not at all. The Ripmo can handle gnarly stuff just fine. It's not quite as adept as the Sentinel, but it is a more well rounded bike. It climbs better and is more fun and playful on the trail. You made a good call!

@@bikersedge Thanks! (after dropping that kind of scratch second guessing with all of those great bikes out there can become an easy habit to pick up!). Additionally, I'm 5'7" with Michael Phelps length arms and the extra reach on the Ripmo V2 Medium over some of its peers felt really nice when test-riding. Worth repeating, these videos are amongst the most professional and informative out there and always enjoy/look forward to them. Keep them coming!

I've ridden the Ripmo V2 on some proper technical, double black DH lines and it responded and handled really well. If you ride a lot of steep, techy stuff it may be worth adding a volume spacer or two to help with support at the bottom of the stroke. One thing that really stands out is how well the bike handles itself with jumps (both natural and man made). Once you dial the suspension, the bike is eager to get into the air but also maintains stability really well. I covered over 100 miles in 3 days at Trestle and there wasn't a single time that the bike felt like overkill or underkill - including most parts of the US Nat's DH line. I'm not saying you can hold pace with a proper DH bike when things get REALLY gnarly, but the Ripmo handled everything I could throw at it with confidence. On top of that, its a lot of fun to ride on more mellow trails, and since the pedaling platform is SO good, typical trail riding can be approached a bit more aggressively or playfully than you would on some other bikes in my opinion. The Ripmo V2 is just SUPER fun to ride just about anywhere.

@@ijb2105 Hey thanks for the additional help!! Took her for another ride yesterday and with some time logged suspension tuning, the handling got better and better. I'm a very strong climber so it's the downs I always need the extra nudge on. I also have a coil for it for extra gnarly days, and for fun am going to bump up to a Fox 38 just because. Agree completely, VERY easy to get in the air and very predictable landings. Thanks again!

We have a few Sentinels trickling in over the next few months. If you're local we can help you out!

Thanks for the kind words! I think the LR is slightly more capable, but it's maybe not as big of a difference as most people think. Still very similar.

@@bikersedge I think a 160 fork is a big differentiator between “trail” and “all mountain”. I’m suggesting the LR is the actual AM bike and the SB130 decaf is the least AM of the bunch. Still, agree with you that it’s actually very fast and as long as you can deal with the less plushness, very capable anywhere. The 160 fork just makes it a bit more controlled on the burly DH side of All Mountain. Great work on these reviews and your others.

We did a $3000 bike showdown lat year that included the Ripmo AF. Go check that out!

There still aren't a ton of them that come stock as mullets. As we get more in, I'll start making more videos.

Hey thanks!

@@bikersedge You're very welcome, stay safe out there My Friend. And I'll be sure to keep Watching. The Videos are very interesting and informative as well........🤝🏾🇺🇸💪🏾👍🏾

Good choice. that bike is awesome.

Yes. We don’t carry Privateer at the shop.

@@bikersedge that makes sense

Looks like a cool bike though!

Thanks! Really appreciate the kind words!

Same as the Ripmo.

What about the AF with the Jade X Coil?

Same as Ripmo 👆🏼

Same as carbon Ripmo just a LOT heavier. My RAF is 36lbs

@@bikersedge really??? slacker had angle, more weight, more complaint frame material. I would say it has to take at least one notch away from climbing and throw two into descending part of equation.

Somewhere near the sentinel. It’s a bit interesting because it has quite a bit more travel but its suspension feels more firm and pedally.

We don’t carry specialized. Won’t be able to make it happen.

@mikecito Damn dude. No need for that here. @ontheotherside you’re not going to regret the Hightower. It’s an amazing bike!

Need is the correct usage here.

Glad you liked it. Yeah I'd say the Ripmo is the best for getting off the ground.

@@bikersedge cheers !

@@bikersedge local shop have an x01 and Xt build in stock ( bloody miracle ). Plan to demo the XT , not sure x01 is worth the extra 1k

Personally I don’t think components make a huge difference in how a bike rides. Buy the build that best fits your budget. I almost always buy GX or lower bikes myself.

@@bikersedge Yeah, I tend to agree and stuff is pretty easy to replace later anyhow if it becomes a problem.

It’s actually called the down-up-left-right-country bike…

Haven’t ridden that one for a long time. I wanted to include it in the mix but couldn’t get my hands on one. I think it slots in above the 130, ripmo and hightower but below the sentinel on the DH. Again it’s been too long to really say though.

I think most bikes can find their limits there. Ha.

Stoked you found it helpful!

Me too!

Everything else > Pivot In all reality we don’t carry Pivot at the shop so we can’t test or review them. They’re probably great bikes though.

It's a brand called BYLT!

It’s tough putting bikes into neat little boxes. I don’t think the SB130 lives with the Tallboy, Spur, Ripley and Optic. It’s much closer to the Ripmo, Hightower and Sentinel based on actual ride quality. Geo and travel numbers be damned.

@@bikersedge I would put the most of the bikes you just named more into the Downcountry category. I would put the SB130 solidly in the Trailbike category just like the Trek Fuel EX, Specialized Stumpjumper, and Giant Trance X. For a word like All-Mountain to be useful, it has to have a relatively specific definition. Yes, there might be some minor exceptions but in general the rule must hold. It's not helpful to be overly "loosy goosy" when defining what category a bike fits into. Otherwise, mountain bike categories become meaningless.

In my mind, downcountry doesn't exist - those are trail bikes. Unfortunately we kind of have to be "loosy goosy." Bikes usually are more than the sum of their parts. Thats why you can always say 150mm of rear travel = all mountain or 120mm always = trail. I mean look at the SB150 - It kicks ass in the EWS with less travel than most of the other bikes. If you think about it, categories are a bit meaningless anyway. What Richie Rude could do on an XC bike would destroy what I could do on an enduro bike. How do you account for rider ability, preference and style when talking about categories? They're all just bikes!

@@bikersedge In my mind, Trailbikes don't exist. It's Downcountry or All-Mountain with Trailbikes left out. Either get a 120/120 travel, light, lively, efficient pedaling, Downcountry like the Spur or get a 150/160 travel, stout, good descending, All-Mountain like the Ripmo. I recently rode the 130/140 travel, $4700 Stumpjumper Comp; which was truly a wonderful bike. However, it weighed 32 pounds. For that much weight, I might as well get more travel and buy an All-mountain bike like the $5300 Ripmo Deore or even the $3400 Ripmo AF(~34 pounds). The $4500 and $5300 Spur weigh 29 and 27 pounds, respectively. If you're going to ride a bike that weighs 32+ pounds you might as well get 150/160 travel. Why accept 130/140 travel and still ride a heavy bike. Until the 130-140r/140-150f travel Trailbikes go on a diet, they're not worth it. The only way to get one that comes in a reasonable weight is to drop $9000+; which is way above my pay grade.

Wish we could. That’s not a brand we carry at the shop.