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Hey
Been looking at these two as potential options for a new 29 trail bike with that sort of rear travel, for riding in the Peaks/pennine areas around Huddersfield/Sheffield
Currently running a Turner Flux 27.5
Any experience with the above bikes,
Or any other ideas please
If I was shopping for such a bike, it would be the Ripley V4.
What I’d be considering...
Santa Cruz tallboy/Hightower
Pivot switchblade/trail 429
Hope HB130
Forbidden Druid
Deviate have a 130mm 29er in the works.
Very different bikes. The Yeti may only have 10mm more rear travel but with a 150mm (or even 160mm) fork up front it's a more of a light enduro bike as opposed to the Ripley, much more of a burlier XC bike in spite of the geometry. For me I would prefer the Ripley I think, new Tallboy also worth a look.
Hi
I’ve demoed the cheaper version (5k) of the SB130 and whilst it was nice it didn’t blow me away. Heavy for the price but very very capable nevertheless.
If I was in the market the new Ripley would be very high on my list but so would the new Hope.
Cheers
Steve
I've demoed the SB130 and it's definitely a 'bigger bike' than the Ripley (not ridden the new one though). There's lots of choice in that market now - Stumpy ST, Whyte S120, Evil Following MB, GT Sensor, Trek Fuel EX etc etc
Having looked very closely at just about every single 29er in that travel range I just ordered a Canyon Neuron CF 9.0 Ltd in the end of season sale at just over £4k (linky below). The Yeti and Ibis were both high on my shortlist, along with various other high end options, but the Canyon just blows them all away on price (build kit is awesome) and reviews suggest it is every bit as good as anything else out there. Climbing ability in particular is always rated top notch, descending more average for the class but with scope for running more aggressive tyres etc. Even has a threaded BB!
Disclaimer - I haven't actually ridden any of these bikes, lol. I'm coming from a longer travel enduro bike (2015 Spesh Enduro 29er) but wanted something a bit more lively and nimble for local techy and twisty singletrack.
Other bikes on my shortlist in no particular order were:-
Specialised Stumpy ST
Pivot Trail 429
Scott Spark
Trek Fuel Ex (new 2020 model)
Yeti SB130
Ibis Ripley
SC Tallboy (new 2020 model)
SC Hightower
Orbea Occam 2020 (looks like great value too, but sizing doesn't work for me)
YT Jeffsy Pro Race
Whyte S120
Whyte S150
test ride the tallboy, then wait till 2021 for a decent colour, hopefully matt black and get saving for the kashima gold forks, is my plan..
get the Ripley
I own a SB130. I'm 5'10" and choose a large with 480mm reach – way longer than my previous SB5C. It's a fast bike – which sounds silly but it's true. I'm not a particularly fast/talented/gnar rider, but I go faster, uphill and down, on this bike. And I enjoy the "runaway train" feeling on the descents that the extra length and stability provide. Haven't had any issues with tight corners or 'washing out' the front end. That said, I'm still getting the suspension and my position sorted so hopefully it can only get better. I built mine up with full 12-speed XT and DT Swiss XM1501 wheels, but I wouldn't say it was light at 31lbs. It feels sturdy and solid through the pedals over repeated hits though, so I guess that's the payoff. I also demo'd the Evil Offering twice (in both M and L). Lovely bike, but felt rather more ground-hugging/supple in the rear suspension. The SB130 makes me laugh like a kid when I ride it. The Ripley is an awesome-looking bike but I'm afraid I haven't ridden one so I can't compare directly. The only way you can really tell what's right for you is to ride it, I'm afraid.
I demoed a Ripley against an SB130, an SB150, and a Megatower. Overall I didn't find much to choose between the Ripley and the SB130. The Ripley rode really well at trail speed, but took more effort to crank it up there - compared to the Yeti which just wanted to accelerate all the time, everywhere. The Ripley had (for me) the best riding position - when seated pedalling, my spine was in the closest to a neutral position. I also found the BB height pretty low on the Ripley, I had quite a few pedal strikes on the Ripley.
Ultimately I ended up going for an SB130 custom build in a 'Lunch Ride' spec with 160mm up front and 136mm out back.