- Ooh! Hopefully you got that. (laughs) (upbeat music) (hiphop music) Hey everybody. I'm Mike Levy, and welcome back
to another field test video. Who remembers Yeti's SB100? I sure do because even though it was released way back in 2018, it's still one of my favorite bikes. Well, now Yeti has
something new, sorta new, but I'm gonna explain
that in a little bit. First, meet Yeti's SB115. Yetis paired that 115
millimeters of rear wheel travel with 130 millimeter travel Fox 34. And its specked components
like a 50 millimeter stem, 780 millimeter wide handlebar,
long travel dropper posts, and 30 millimeter wide rims from DT Swiss. Not only that, but the stock build comes with a 2.5 inch wide
Maxxis DHF on the front and a 2.3 inch wide Maxxis
aggressor on the back, both with XO casing. So while the Scalpel and
the Epic are more likely to see Lycra and maybe one
or two Post-Ride Beers, bikes like this Yeti, along
with the transition in the Revel are gonna see baggy shorts,
and maybe a few pre-ride beers. The SB115's new name, it makes
all the sense of the world given how much travel it has. But the front and the rear
triangles are not new. Those are actually the exact same as what Yeti used for the SB100. What is new is that small linkage piece that drives the shock, and the shock itself is also
a slightly longer stroke to deliver more travel. All this stuff down here, Yeti calls it the switch Infinity system. And no, those two little gold
tubes are not tiny shocks. The black carrier moves up and down and it lets Yeti control
the bike's axle path. Initially, as the bike
goes into its travel, the carrier goes upward and that provides a rearward axle path. Then as the bike goes
deeper in its travel, that carrier moves downward,
which reduces chain tension and it lets the suspension deal
with hardened packs better. Okay, let's look at some other details, including two ISG tabs around the BB92 bottom bracket shell. So that lets you mount
one of those little tiny upper chain guides if
you think you need it. Cable routing is all internal,
and it's also tube in tube. So that means you just push it through and it should come out the other side without you having to scream
or throw anything at the bike. Another thing to mention, look how far that top tube drops down. With the seat slammed, this
thing feels like a BMX bike. You have a ton of stand over clearance. If we're comparing bikes,
which is what we're doing here, you probably noticed that the
Yeti has some conservative, but still modern numbers. And now that's because, like I've mentioned a few times already, this is based around that SB100 frame. They're using the same mold. So of course the geometry
is going to be similar. It's important to remember
that its slacker and longer, but it doesn't mean better. We're all shaped differently,
we ride different trails, we like different things. So look at the Yeti's geo chart
and see what works for you. One last detail to point out, Yeti's done a real nice job
with frame protection here. There's a nice pad
underneath the down tube and the chain stay and the seat stays both have protection on them as well. Okay, let's talk about models and pricing. The range topper, it goes for $8,000 and it comes with an XX1 drivetrain. This one that I've been riding, it's the $6,900 USDT 2 version that comes with an XO1 drivetrain,
Fox factory suspension, and DT Swiss's XM 1700 wheels. So all that adds up to 27.1 pounds with our Schwalbe control tires and no pedals or bottle cage on the bike. Frame rate? Well, Yeti
says that the turq frame, a medium sized version weighs
5.8 pounds with a Fox shock. So those are all the details
about Yeti's new SB115. Up next, we're gonna talk
about how this bike rides. (hiphop music) - We've been riding these
bikes since Squamish a ton but before we get into that,
tell me about your ride set up. - [Levy] Of course we
installed the Schwalbe tires and they were inflated
to the same pressure as all the other bikes. Now, right out of the gate,
the Yeti is good to go. It has a short stem and a wide handlebar, and a long travel dropper
posts that make it obvious that this bike is ready for
some challenging terrain. As far as suspension goes, on
the front, there's a Fox 34, which is different than the SIDs that are on the front
of all my other bikes. So this is actually 130 millimeter 34 with a fit forward cartridge. And I kept that in the open setting, and for the rear, 30% sag. (hiphop music plays) - And that brings us to climbing. How did this thing climb? - Yeah, so there's actually
two different stories here with this Yeti SB115. It definitely could turn
tighter, steer quicker, steer sharper than bikes
like the Spur, and the Revel. In those situations where
you're going zero miles an hour, you know, when you're
snaking back and forth and it's just like switch
back after switch back after switch back, yeah, the Yeti definitely took less effort than those other two bikes. - And then what about on
the less technical climbs? Does it feel really active or does it feel like it's sufficient? - [Levy] So yeah, when
you're out of the seat and you're throwing
your body weight around, it does move more than those other maybe a little bit more
cross-country oriented bikes. And that active suspension also helps it in the tech tricky climbing as well too. The bike feels like it
has a lot of traction. And then the result is, I mean, you just look where you
wanna go and this thing (mumbles) goes up the stuff. Where maybe those less forgiving bikes, you kind of have to think
a little more, you know? - [Sarah] You don't have to
choose your line too much. You can be a little bit-- - [Levy] Right. - [Sarah] Less cautious about where you're pointing the bike. - [Levy] Right, exactly. So bottom line, there
were times when the SB115 almost felt like more of a trail bike than a cross-country bike. (upbeat music plays) The SB115 definitely has a
bit of a unique character where the SB100, it felt
like this knife that like ... You ride it precise. The 115 is a lot more forgiving
as you would expect it to be with that 130 millimeter fork upfront. And because of that,
you can carry more speed over the rough stuff, the
bike takes less out of you, and it definitely feels more forgiving than some of the other bikes here. - [Sarah] What about
on higher speed trails? What was that like? - [Levy] On a higher speed stuff, you can feel that this bike is shorter. You can feel that the frame
is the same frame as the SB100 with a 450 millimeter
reach for this large. It's shorter and it's less stable. You know, it can feel like this sometimes. It is a weird sort of
combination of quickest handling because of that, and forgiving suspension, which really suits terrain
that is rolling and tight, and maybe not super steep, or super fast. Those sorts of places,
that Yeti can really cover a lot of ground. When it does get steeper and when it does get going really fast, yeah, I mean, you can't keep
up to bikes like the Spur and the Revel. That's bottom
line. That's what it is. And that I think comes down
to the geometry of this bike and it's based on the SB100. Yeti's other bikes are fairly progressive if we're talking geometry, and this isn't. And compared to a handful
of these newer bikes that we have here, that's obvious. Bottom line, if you have
challenging terrain, yeah, it was going a little
slower on the descents and a little slower
when things got tricky. (upbeat music plays) - It's time to look at the timed laps. How did the Yeti SB115 fair? - Yeah, so the overall
lap, the entire lap, that includes obviously
the descent, and the climb, I was fifth overall out of five bikes. (mumbles) The descent, it was fourth out of fifth. And then we did the efficiency test. This Yeti had the slowest time. I mean, it's six pounds heavier than-- - [Sarah] Yeah, that makes a difference. - [Levy] Than the epic Evil, right? - [Sarah] Yeah, yeah. Like people, you know, change
their wheels out to shave a couple of grands. - Yeah. It-- - 'Cause it sounds like
you're gonna notice that. - Exactly. So it was the slowest bike on the efficiency task, but on the trail, it felt more like a quick trail bike. (upbeat music plays) Yeti made a whole lot of smart decisions when they specked this bike. It's ready to go. It has some wide aluminum
rims from DT Swiss that have held up very well, and 130 millimeter Fox fork on the front which I think makes a lot
of sense for this bike with a three position fit damper. The cockpit, big wide
handlebar, short stem, and a long travel dropper
post and four piston brakes. So right out of the gate,
this thing is ready to go. (upbeat music Plays) - Well, let's get into pros and cons then. What were some of your favorite
things about this bike? - I think my favorite thing about this bike is the suspension. It stays super quiet. It doesn't move around
when you're moving around, it doesn't move around
much when you're peddling. but at the same time, it's very compliant, it takes in all the small
stuff, it feels supportive, it doesn't bottom out hard, so they've done a really good job there. (upbeat music plays) - And what about the not so good stuff? What were some of the cons? - Honestly, I think Yeti
missed a bit with the geometry. The reach could be longer, the front end could be
a little bit slacker. As it is, it can't really
compete with the likes of like the Spur and the Revel Ranger. It feels, handling wise, like
it'd be a little too quick. But I mean, you know, if your
terrain is tighter and slower, it might be just the ticket. (upbeat music plays) - All things considered.
who's gonna buy this bike? Who's the SB115 for? - Yeah, I'll tell you who it's not for, and that's for somebody who's
going to race cross-country. It's definitely not a race bike. What it is though is extremely forgiving, and it still has nimble handling. So if you want something that maybe is a little more forgiving than your average cross-country bike, but you don't need those slack angles, or anything like that, the
SB115 might be a good option. Okay, there you have it, Yeti's SB115. Stay tuned for more reviews
and round table discussions from the Cross-Country Field Test. (upbeat music plays)
