Full 27.5 bikes make you a better rider. Because that front wheel can get hung up more, you have to become better at reading the trail, and then you have to do little manuals through the holes, and also have to learn how to ride light. These are skills that are essential to becoming a better mountain biker, even on 29ers. Too many people want to just let the bike smash through everything without even paying attention to the trail and consequently never get better at technical riding. My trails are full of those holes between the down and the up and I’ve never gone OTB- bc I manual through them- and I suck at manuals- I can’t do a cool bruh parking lot manual to save my life, but I can do enough of one to ride a 27.5 properly. Sorry but so much that is said about 27.5s is bs. M If ridden right there is no reason for everyday riders someone on 27.5 can’t be just as fast. If you’re counting seconds and milliseconds, then maybe on certain trails there will be a difference, but when you’re out riding with your friends there will be no difference. And the person on the 27.5 will have more fun.
As a 5'6 rider, 27.5 would be my call, IF you are riding solo at your own pace or truly just going for a chill fun ride on a Sunday with your buddies. But in the group rides I do, where all my friends are taller and ride 29ers, you can tell the difference in speed trying to keep up, so I own a 29er. It is what it is. I also must say I miss the old 5010 before the redesign because that was THE jibby, fun bike to ride. I just felt in the bike as a part of it and could move it at will. It was agile, felt bottomless, and so much fun.
Would you say 27.5 is better for shorter riders? *new to mtb and still learning stuff. Was thinking of getting the Pivot trail 429, Transition Spur, or the Ibis Ripley but now idk. They’re all 29rs. Appreciate any advice you send my way!
@@ryanrodriguez1234 I've had the 5010 & now have the new Trail 429. The 27.5 tends to be more agile in tighter, windy, fast flowing trails & as a shorter person feels more manageable & easier to step off when you need to compared to most longer. slacker, taller 29ers. However, the Trail 429 might be the exception. To me it's the Porsche of 29er trail bikes. It has a low standover height, the seating isn't too steep so you feel "in the bike" not on top of it, you can reach the ground better should you need to step off, and it is rider friendly & don't have to front load the front tire as much as other. All that makes it easier for a shorter rider.
I rode old school 26 for the LONGEST time…when I bought my Stump at 27.5 ‘they’ were already pushing 29s. I just don’t like the feeling of 29s on my trails…and I’ll drag my heels on a 27.5 for as long as I can! I’ll def give the 135 a hard look.
I've also heard good things about that one. Personally I got the Switchblade and sadly it's too much bike for my needs. The bike itself is very good, but I just don't get to enjoy it as much as I could given what I ride the most.
I’d like to see this comparison as well. I demoed the Shadowcat and really loved how light but capable it felt in Sedona to the point where I have been considering selling my 29er and purchasing the Pivot. Now I want to check out the Yeti SB135. Glad there are still a couple of options in the 27.5 category. Thanks for the video and in depth review.
the pov footage is insane, like some high res video game! I find it a bit cringy how people complain about about problems with 27,5" on technical terrain having ridden 26" on real gnarly stuff in the older days. And you can ride fast if know how to ride fast with the advantage that it feels faster resulting in more fun! And you get rewarded for technically clean riding instead of smashing the wheels into stuff.
Hey thanks. Not necessarily complaining, just providing feedback on how they feel in rough terrain vs 29. 29 is much smoother and better at holding momentum, although, they are tougher to navigate. Pros and cons to each.
Definitely don't overlook the 27.5"! I rode mine for 5 years up until it got stolen last year. I got a good deal on an SB130 as a replacement though. Although I'm still adjusting to the 29er, 27.5 will always hold a special place for me. The thief left the wheels behind since they were locked to my 1Up rack, so maybe one day I'll get to use them as part of a build.
Getting front wheel caught up is way more about head angle than wheel size. You can tell by going from a xc 29” to a trail 27.5 ie the transition scout. No comparison. Way more trust in the smaller slacker wheels
Gotta have variety in the bike industry. Expecting the bike industry to only make 29" monster bikes would be like expecting the ski industry to only make powder skis. There are millions of different people riding millions of different trails and no one type of bike is going to be right for all of them.
Nice review. What about this vs the Mojo 4? Seems like an obvious comparison. I have both the Mojo and a Ripley AF, and at 5'9" the Mojo is more fun, and it's not close. Running a 2.6" front tire on the Mojo helps with the smaller front wheel issue.
Hey, another great vid I always enjoy your points. I’m 6’4” have a SB140 27.5 and I absolutely love it. I brought a sb 130 a couple of years later and it’s a great bike and rolls a lot faster but I always couldn’t get the 140 out of my head so I put a 29 fork up front on the 140 and it’s the best ever bike. You should try Mx on the 135 the best of all worlds, I think it will take you do everything bike up a level. Cheers again for the great vids
27.5 in front does offer a weight advantage, and only that, oh, and probably the fact that bike companies need to get rid of 27.5 stuff anyways, otherwise business up front party in the back makes much more sense.
I’d have to disagree after riding this bike. Overall it leads to a shorter wheelbase and different handling characteristics. Before riding this thing I was convinced I was done with 27.5. Now I’m all sorts of confused.
So Yeti cancels the SB 140 27.5 and makes a 140 29er. Then they come out with a SB 135 27.5. Why not just keep the SB 140 and offer it in 27.5 and 29er? Seems redundant to take a sweet bike, the SB 140 27.5, and repackage it with a 135mm shock.
I honestly think it’s just to simplify naming conventions. Most folks aren’t going to notice any difference between 135 and 140mm of travel. I wouldn’t be surprised to see future 27.5 bikes with an “SBXX5” convention.
Personally I love my SB130, superb climber and a comfortable all day ride, I also love my Mojo HD4, its not a great climber, its comfortable and a shed load of Enduro fun on the downs, more so than my SB150 which I sold in favour of keeping the Mojo, both wheel sizes bring different attributes to the party but whatever you ride remember to have fun.
Still wish I got a more playful bike than I got which was my intention, but because of all the bike shortages and what not I had to jump on a opportunity when it eventually presented itself. Yes it's fun to plow down stuff, but you also got to get up there *_somehow..._* Most of the time I'm riding it is slow stuff, as well as going up, up and then some more up. I really feel the extra tweeks here and there that are aimed for going down, and I'd like a more balanced and playful bike. The one I got now needs to be pushed before you see its potential, and I wish that was not the case.
That's a tricky balance, finding a bike that you don't have to push too much to get it to come alive. Stick around for our 5010 showdown against the SB135 to see if these might fit your ride style better for a future bike!
Thanks for another great video. Very insightful as always. Curious to see a mullet option with 140 front and 135 rear. Can't wait to see what Yeti does to update the 165.
People put to much on wheel size and travel imo if you didn’t know it was 27.5 bet you probably wouldn’t know lol wheel size is like penis size not what you got but how you use it 💯🤘🏻
Im loving all the bikes that yeti has been putting out recently and I thank you for testing them, love that you got the chance to ride it out in moab and everything looks sick.
Fun/playful/snappy is the number one thing I look for in a bike. Feel like I would really enjoy a 27.5 bike but I can't help but worry that wheel replacements and tire choices will be limited in the future, if not already. I need to buy a bike and hold onto it for 5+ years so the fear of obsolescence kinda keeps me from looking at a 27.5. Would definitely grab a demo though!
Dont think 27.5 will ever disappear. I mean especially the support for them cause there are soo many mixed wheel options these days. Santa Cruz has countless mullet options
@@StokedExplorer all the mixed wheels are enduro/aggressive trail bikes. Wouldn’t make sense for tire companies to make XC 27.5 tires (or just have limited options) and really just stick to the heavier casings, aggressive tread, etc. I don’t think it will go away entirely, but if I have 100 maxxis options for 29er tires, I may only have 20 options for 27.5 in the future. And maybe no XC options.
@Bikers Edge do you guys ever publish your routes? Sometimes it's the trail I'm more excited about than the bike in these videos. Lol. I'm next door in Colorado and try to come over once a year.
I try to be sensitive about broadcasting trails on the internet. Happy to answer on an individual basis. This is a mix of captain Ahab, Mag 7 and navajo rocks.
Thank you for another really solid review! I ride a transition scout, so this one was particularly interesting. Would love to know your thoughts on a sized up 27.5 vs a sized down 29/mx - maybe as part of the 5010 showdown. (As follow up to your excellent previous video on size up or down.)
I could see what I can do to get a smaller size. Personally I would ride the same size frame regardless of wheel size, but it could be interesting to try.
Seems a dangerous move making such a niche bike during a major bike industry decline. You could mullet it, but it would jack up the geo without a frame triangle adjustment. Everything is 20-30% off and still not selling.
Something I don’t see mentioned is the 135 has an all new frame design and the small and XS have a different frame than the rest of the sizes. The shock mounts to the seat tube on the M and larger but to the down tube on the S and XS allowing a lower standover for riders to 4’9” I think. My GF is 5’ so this is on the Christmas Bonus list. Plus her e*thirteen CF wheels will fit it 🎉
Glad you liked it. I’d say it’s probably time for an upgrade. The suspension updates on both Yeti and Santa Cruz over the last few years have been really good.
That's comical what you say about 27.5 lol 27.5 is all I ride. I don't see the hype about 29ers. To me all 29ers are is a fad and its definitely caught on. I do have half of a 29er/mullet but even so it's the rear 27.5 that makes the bike more playful. 27.5 is just more fun and IMHO way more potential than the wagon wheel.
While the traction, efficiency and agility are there on this bike, it doesn’t quite hang with the Ripley. The Ripley is built to be much lighter and faster uphill.
New to mtn biking and have been binging your content. First, thanks for all you do. I know putting together these videos isn’t exactly easy. Second, I’m also 6’2” and curious what makes you choose XL over L. I know we’re all so very different, and the best thing I can do is demo as much as possible, but just curious why someone with your experience goes that route. Hope this wasn’t too stupid of a question 😊
For someone who has a sentinel as their bigger all mountain/enduro bike for PNW riding, would the SB135 overlap too much for fun flowy/less technical trails (wasatch crest or other longer rides around PNW and Utah) with a better climbing platform? Or would a SB120/Spur be a better pairing?
It's not extremely progressive but it's at 14% with a pretty sharp uptick right at the end. Paired with the stock air shock it feels pretty solid. At the end of the day it has 135mm of rear wheel travel so it's not the best bike for huge hits as there just isn't a ton of travel of extra travel for things like that. I didn't add any extra volume spacers to mine and hit some moderate sized drops to relatively flat landings with no issues.
@@marktechsci Prices seem to be coming down these days. The top tier 135 build is just over 10K. Not saying that's cheap but things are moving in the right direction.
@@bikersedge with AL Wheelset and a dropper with a cable. 😜 I have about 11k into my 2021 C series (130c_lr XT). Retail was about 6500. Less to upgrade on the top tier, but still some extra stuff you can put on. Like a fancy stem and bars. The saddle you normally use, nice pedals…. See. Cha Ching, cha Ching, cha Ching.
