Which bike would you choose? Video Contents 0:00 - Introduction 1:51 - Build Comparison 2:17 - Geometry Comparison 4:30 - Climbing 5:50 - Descending 7:29 - The Bottom Line 8:36 - Recommendations
Owned my spur for 4 months now, quite possibly the best bike I have ever been on. Suits our riding in Western Australia perfectly, it’s just not steep enough to justify anything bigger for a daily
Building up a custom Spur right now and am stoked to get to riding it! This video only reinforced my decision to add this to the two bike quiver with my Specialized Enduro. Good stuff.
I owned a 2017 Yeti SB5.5 Turq and loved it! Took that bike everywhere. But in Dec of 2020 I sold it and purchased the Transition Spur. The reason I did this was because although Yeti's switch infinity platform was really nice, and the ability to hit any trail I wanted too with a 160/145 suspension was great. I found that I was doing a lot of climbing to hit those descents. So I wanted something lighter. Something that could still hit those descents, but also get me back up that hill with less effort. Allowing me to be fresher for the next downhill gives me longer rides too. The Spur totally fit that bill! Although I must admit, I do miss the longer suspension every now and then.
Great video and good observations. I went from steep and rough to flat and winding when I moved to Texas and the SB115 is really nimble and extremely fun to ride on these type of trails. The Spur is an amazing bike, but they are sold out and will be unavailable for sometime.
Yeti I hope you're listening. It seems since Yeti went lifetime warranty on all there bikes they gained a few pounds as with Santa Cruz bikes. I'm hope Yeti and all the other brands see what Spur, Epic Evo are doing for the light weight aggressive geo market. The future is bright!
So I’ve owned sb100 (and sb5.5) and have Ripley with Pike with Spur on order hoping to get this week. So far Ripley is better to me than sb100. What’s game changing about 115 to you? I’m 5 11 with ibis in xl and ordered large is Spur which seems ideal for me. Love Ripley but hoping Spur will be ideal . So many good bikes
@@jkm8089 Sizing up on the Yeti and slackening out the HTA does wonders for the SB115 and makes it closer to the cinderalla bike the reviewer mentioned.
I want to love the SB115, as I think the SB130 and SB150 are awesome. Unfortunately, as you mentioned, by taking the easy way out by using the older SB100 frame, the geometry (particularly Reach on larger sizes) I miles behind Yeti's other bikes. If I had an SB130 or SB150 (if I could afford them, that is) and I wanted a short travel trail/"Down-country" bike I'd unfortunately gave to look elsewhere.
How about expanding the comparison to DW-link offering since suspension refinement was a factor? Perhaps testing and comparing the Spur to an Ibis Ripley, Pivot 429 of Evil Following.
If the Spur had the Yeti SB115 suspension- it'd totally kick ass. So basically all Yeti needs to do is leverage Spur geo and release a new model (hopefully lighter) that combines the best of both worlds. That may be in the ether already. Unrelated but still relevant - I'm so f'n glad I got the SB115. If I would have bought the Spur back in mid July instead of the Yeti, I'd still be waiting for a bike to ride! Good tip re changing to a -1.8!
Great review. One suggestion though - none of these reviews have mentioned availability since the pandemic inventory crush. I'm sure the spur is great, but it's at least worth mentioning in the review that Transition is sold out of these things until basically forever. FWIW I was very interested in the spur, but the availability issue and Yeti's switch infinity got me in the SB115. Been a great bike and really love it
fair point and we understand the availability issues, but that won't always be the case (fingers crossed, hope we don't jinx it LOL). if a rider is buying used or if they watch this vid a year from now, the info wouldn't be accurate (again, we hope!! haha).
I was interested in both of these bikes but recently went with the YT Izzo Pro Race and couldn’t be happier. Plus the build kit overall including the DT Swiss XCM 1200 wheels are far lighter than what is spec’d on these 2 bikes. I’d be happy on all of these, but for what $5300 USD gets you on the Izzo it was a no brainer.
The SB115 was a way to squeak some more sales out of the sb100 platform. When redesigned I think we will see the bike the reviewer wants with switch infinity suspension with more progressive numbers like the spur. I would love to see yeti follow ibis and start creating some aluminum frames to get the price down. My wife has a yeti betti sb100 and it’s awesome, but we could only buy it because the local dealer was blowing out the discontinued model.
Could you also give your thoughts on the Spur vs Tallboy and Revel Ranger. Also try doing some XC on all the bikes - after all they are 'downcountry' bikes, but (as you mentioned yourself) the BC bike race happens down the road from you, so there's plenty of more XC-type trails for you to try the bike on within a short distance. While I no longer live in the Sea to Sky Corridor, I used to and know the trails you're riding, and know how irrelevant these views on these bikes are riding those particular trails vs what the majority of Spur and SB115 owners will ride.
both have their downsides imo, transition carbon paint is the worst quality, and flex stays don't inspire confidence. But the yetis got that stupid switch infinity and PFbb
@@seanhornchek6440 aokay i thought i was going crazy when i bought my transition patrol. i love that it has a threaded BB but it gives me some clarity to hear another person complain about transitions paint jobs. i managed to actually physically RUB the paint away with the sole of my shoe on my first ride. it was a small rubbed area but still. it's like there's no protective outer layer on their bikes for some reason
@@seanhornchek6440 matte finish is becoming a standard in the industry, unfortunately. My bike is also black matte and yes, the paint does look very vulnerable. Unfortunately is another way for the manufacturer to save a few bucks.
@@pedromiguel1389 I had matte paint on my bronson, that held up fine. Whatever transition is doing w/ their paint is horrible. I got a gloss specialized rn and its real nice.
From Texas so 115 FTW. Also, if I’m dropping that much coin, i’m going with a more sophisticated suspension design like the Ripley or Tallboy over the Spur if I want a more “modern” geo.
It's my understanding that the Switch Infinity system is one of the best suspensions out there. Ibis' might be comparable, but most people say it's steps ahead of Santa Cruz's vpp suspension.
I would go with the sb115. Geometry suits me better for what i do. Although people wont admit it it would probably be best for most people. If i picked the transition, I would go with a medium because of the shorter reach.
The Yeti SB115 has outdated XC geometry. Ideal Trailbike geo is 76* STA, 65* HTA, and 480 reach size-L. The SB100/115 will never be competitive until the geo gets updated. Yeti is quite good at making progressive geo bikes. I sure wish they would apply that talent to the SB100/115.
Picked up a 100mm TurQ 2nd hand in good nick, 34 fork included. Wish I could have got the XL frame as the reach on the large is short. Have to push the saddle back when the seat tube angle is quick slack. But yeah riding mainly XC in my location so it’s a great bike with wide bar, wide rims etc.
Great review! I just test rode a large Yeti SB115 and the suspension works excellent. But a large felt a tad big on my 5.9 frame. I'm more a medium large. It appears that the geometry of a medium Spur might work plus I like the spec build for the value a bit more. thoughts?
can you please explain why you went for the E*13 LG1 EN SS rear for the spur? considering that tire as well for a new spur I ordered and I don't know whether to go for it or not, coming from an enduro background. and I have all types of terrain here in Israel. full hardpack to lose rocks
I like how the description of a gravity oriented rider mentioned dropping the seat the second things start to go downhill... I always have my seat slammed so I guess that makes me extremely gravity biased. (No dropper post gang)
If the climbs are just there to get to the downhill trails, then I'd say you're gravity biased. If you actually enjoy the difficulty and challenge of techy and punchy uphills then you're more xc biased
@@michaelstewart9308 sometimes a short climb can be fun, but I generally dislike them. I’m probably going to go for a Jeffsy or something similar as my do it all bike. I know they can handle park laps, and my friends 27.5 one climbs shockingly well.
I haven't ridden the sb115 but it seems like a poor excuse for a short travel trail bike, you can't just an xc frame, throw a longer fork on it and and tweak the suspension a little bit and expect to get a trail bike. They really should've done a full redesign of the front triangle geometry because as it is, it's just an xc bike with more travel, not a trail bike
7:29 what's the point of buying the Yeti and keep the same stupid and useless "classic XC downhill style". This is pointless to buy this bike and not upgrade your riding style. If the Transition allows a faster ride because it allows better options when it comes to trajectories.... then there is not point of buying the Yeti. Buying a modern bike with no intention to improve your riding style is just a complete non sense and a great stupidity.
Which bike would you choose?
Video Contents
0:00 - Introduction
1:51 - Build Comparison
2:17 - Geometry Comparison
4:30 - Climbing
5:50 - Descending
7:29 - The Bottom Line
8:36 - Recommendations
I chose the Spur! I got 8 QoM's on my test ride, hahaha~
Spur for sure
Spur between these two. But I'd pick the Banshee Phantom over both.
The Yeti SB115 is fast as hell. It's magic how quick the handling is on tight shit. Better suspension too. Gotta go with the Yeti.
@@chrislenahan4477 better suspension? How?
Yeti SB115: "probably one of the best climbing bikes I've ridden in my entire life"
Transition Spur: "you win the climbing comparison, great job!"
Haha
Just heard this also and blurted out, “huh...whattt?”
Owned my spur for 4 months now, quite possibly the best bike I have ever been on. Suits our riding in Western Australia perfectly, it’s just not steep enough to justify anything bigger for a daily
These Vital reviews are just ahead of the game! So spot on and informative. 🤘
Glad you think so!
Agree completely! Anyone else who wants to produce objective bike reviews should watch and learn from VitalMTB.
Wish we could have seen the Spur vs IZZO.
that would be rad, but we did do an IZZO review. check it here - ruclips.net/video/hDN4U0JfcCo/видео.html
We did a fun comparison of the Spur vs Izzo vs Ripley AF. All very fun bikes. The SB115 looks very interesting as well.
They want to review popular mountain bikes. not YT rubbish
Building up a custom Spur right now and am stoked to get to riding it! This video only reinforced my decision to add this to the two bike quiver with my Specialized Enduro. Good stuff.
I owned a 2017 Yeti SB5.5 Turq and loved it! Took that bike everywhere. But in Dec of 2020 I sold it and purchased the Transition Spur. The reason I did this was because although Yeti's switch infinity platform was really nice, and the ability to hit any trail I wanted too with a 160/145 suspension was great. I found that I was doing a lot of climbing to hit those descents. So I wanted something lighter. Something that could still hit those descents, but also get me back up that hill with less effort. Allowing me to be fresher for the next downhill gives me longer rides too. The Spur totally fit that bill! Although I must admit, I do miss the longer suspension every now and then.
How was maintenance on the switch infinity?
@@pherron7471 - very low. In the 3 years I owned the bike, It only required service once.
@@Garred34 Thanks.
exactly why i got the 2019 Rocky Thunderbolt 130/130. climbs like a hardtail decends like a... full suspension i guess.
Great video and good observations. I went from steep and rough to flat and winding when I moved to Texas and the SB115 is really nimble and extremely fun to ride on these type of trails. The Spur is an amazing bike, but they are sold out and will be unavailable for sometime.
Hi there
I also live in Texas, do you still have the SB115?
You still is the best option for what we have around here ?
I own both and an -1.8 angleset on the SB115 is a game changer :)
Yeti I hope you're listening. It seems since Yeti went lifetime warranty on all there bikes they gained a few pounds as with Santa Cruz bikes. I'm hope Yeti and all the other brands see what Spur, Epic Evo are doing for the light weight aggressive geo market. The future is bright!
So I’ve owned sb100 (and sb5.5) and have Ripley with Pike with Spur on order hoping to get this week. So far Ripley is better to me than sb100. What’s game changing about 115 to you? I’m 5 11 with ibis in xl and ordered large is Spur which seems ideal for me. Love Ripley but hoping Spur will be ideal . So many good bikes
@@jkm8089 Sizing up on the Yeti and slackening out the HTA does wonders for the SB115 and makes it closer to the cinderalla bike the reviewer mentioned.
@@mtbsavant5414 nice. Thanks. Cant wait to try the Spur for now. Enjoy your reviews......
@@jkm8089 Enjoy that spur!
Great review and analysis of the right bike for the right trails and type of riding style.
Great job! I love Joel's reviews, he's your best! Very thoughtful and well articulated. Cheers.
These are both incredible bikes, great review
Where’s the Steven Seagal ponytail reviewer? He’s does a phenomenal job as well
well he's not at the hairdresser's...that's all we know.
Great review, literally buying one of these and still can’t choose between the two after the video..
Brought the Spur XO1, shop had it in stock and I was looking at long lead times for the yeti and a cheaper model. So went for it.
That place looks so beautiful, I would love to go camping there.
I want to love the SB115, as I think the SB130 and SB150 are awesome. Unfortunately, as you mentioned, by taking the easy way out by using the older SB100 frame, the geometry (particularly Reach on larger sizes) I miles behind Yeti's other bikes.
If I had an SB130 or SB150 (if I could afford them, that is) and I wanted a short travel trail/"Down-country" bike I'd unfortunately gave to look elsewhere.
I like the Spur better, also with such small differences between the two, the big price gap is a killer for me so no Yeti.
What a great review! Nice objective commentary....well done
How about expanding the comparison to DW-link offering since suspension refinement was a factor? Perhaps testing and comparing the Spur to an Ibis Ripley, Pivot 429 of Evil Following.
If the Spur had the Yeti SB115 suspension- it'd totally kick ass. So basically all Yeti needs to do is leverage Spur geo and release a new model (hopefully lighter) that combines the best of both worlds. That may be in the ether already. Unrelated but still relevant - I'm so f'n glad I got the SB115. If I would have bought the Spur back in mid July instead of the Yeti, I'd still be waiting for a bike to ride! Good tip re changing to a -1.8!
Haha, yeah... I ordered my Spur in July, it gets here in March.
@@gwenramage8419 How do I order the -1.8?
The Yeti SB115 is the clear choice. Fast and fun as hell. Suspension is perfect for trail or XC.
Great review. One suggestion though - none of these reviews have mentioned availability since the pandemic inventory crush. I'm sure the spur is great, but it's at least worth mentioning in the review that Transition is sold out of these things until basically forever.
FWIW I was very interested in the spur, but the availability issue and Yeti's switch infinity got me in the SB115. Been a great bike and really love it
fair point and we understand the availability issues, but that won't always be the case (fingers crossed, hope we don't jinx it LOL). if a rider is buying used or if they watch this vid a year from now, the info wouldn't be accurate (again, we hope!! haha).
I was interested in both of these bikes but recently went with the YT Izzo Pro Race and couldn’t be happier. Plus the build kit overall including the DT Swiss XCM 1200 wheels are far lighter than what is spec’d on these 2 bikes. I’d be happy on all of these, but for what $5300 USD gets you on the Izzo it was a no brainer.
we had a blast on the izzo, too! ruclips.net/video/hDN4U0JfcCo/видео.html
Great review and comparison! Have you ridden the Revel Ranger? That would be interesting to hear where that bike fits in with these two.
Great review comparison.
Thanks!
Great review, will be great something like that in 130-150 segment, lihe yeti sb130, revel rascal, ibis ...
The SB115 was a way to squeak some more sales out of the sb100 platform. When redesigned I think we will see the bike the reviewer wants with switch infinity suspension with more progressive numbers like the spur. I would love to see yeti follow ibis and start creating some aluminum frames to get the price down. My wife has a yeti betti sb100 and it’s awesome, but we could only buy it because the local dealer was blowing out the discontinued model.
Great review! Thanks. What about the new Rocky Mountain Element vs the Spur? ; )
Could you also give your thoughts on the Spur vs Tallboy and Revel Ranger.
Also try doing some XC on all the bikes - after all they are 'downcountry' bikes, but (as you mentioned yourself) the BC bike race happens down the road from you, so there's plenty of more XC-type trails for you to try the bike on within a short distance.
While I no longer live in the Sea to Sky Corridor, I used to and know the trails you're riding, and know how irrelevant these views on these bikes are riding those particular trails vs what the majority of Spur and SB115 owners will ride.
Probably the transition, because i just don't like the yeti and the super expensive frames with press fit bb.
both have their downsides imo, transition carbon paint is the worst quality, and flex stays don't inspire confidence. But the yetis got that stupid switch infinity and PFbb
@@seanhornchek6440 aokay i thought i was going crazy when i bought my transition patrol. i love that it has a threaded BB but it gives me some clarity to hear another person complain about transitions paint jobs. i managed to actually physically RUB the paint away with the sole of my shoe on my first ride. it was a small rubbed area but still. it's like there's no protective outer layer on their bikes for some reason
@@dash0173 Yah I don't think they have a clear coat on the matte bikes. Real bad imo
@@seanhornchek6440 matte finish is becoming a standard in the industry, unfortunately. My bike is also black matte and yes, the paint does look very vulnerable.
Unfortunately is another way for the manufacturer to save a few bucks.
@@pedromiguel1389 I had matte paint on my bronson, that held up fine. Whatever transition is doing w/ their paint is horrible. I got a gloss specialized rn and its real nice.
Thanks for this! Is the Spur playful? Easy to bunnyhop and play around with? Heard that its a bit "dead"???
From Texas so 115 FTW. Also, if I’m dropping that much coin, i’m going with a more sophisticated suspension design like the Ripley or Tallboy over the Spur if I want a more “modern” geo.
It's my understanding that the Switch Infinity system is one of the best suspensions out there. Ibis' might be comparable, but most people say it's steps ahead of Santa Cruz's vpp suspension.
@@11leonidas11 Its is an amazing suspension design. Matter a fact give me the SB130 with a pike over the spur for steeper terrain.
Great review I'd go with the yeti sb 115 how did the sram G2 rsc brakes perform? 🤔 Are as good as shimano xt? 🤔
They are not based on a number of recent reviews I've come across here on YT.
Doesn’t really matter as you’ll be hard pressed to find either one in a bike shop.
😢
Seems like the Spur offers better stability and perhaps is a better all-arounder?
Wouldn't the Revel Ranger vs Spur have been a better option as the Yeti is basically a SB100 with different link?
I would go with the sb115. Geometry suits me better for what i do. Although people wont admit it it would probably be best for most people. If i picked the transition, I would go with a medium because of the shorter reach.
My dream bikes. Perfect for me, if I could afford either! :-/
The Yeti SB115 has outdated XC geometry. Ideal Trailbike geo is 76* STA, 65* HTA, and 480 reach size-L. The SB100/115 will never be competitive until the geo gets updated. Yeti is quite good at making progressive geo bikes. I sure wish they would apply that talent to the SB100/115.
Norco Optic fits that perfectly
@@Bueller611 That would also be the new Stumpjumper!
i'll just hop in and say The Thunderbolt by Rocky as well fits.
Id like to see a 76deg actual STA for us long legged folks. Most are between 68-71 actual.
Southern On. Short chutes, eastern chop, short (ish) climbs, tight trails, I'm thinking Yeti with 120 fork. Dropper not needed.
Picked up a 100mm TurQ 2nd hand in good nick, 34 fork included. Wish I could have got the XL frame as the reach on the large is short. Have to push the saddle back when the seat tube angle is quick slack. But yeah riding mainly XC in my location so it’s a great bike with wide bar, wide rims etc.
Great review! I just test rode a large Yeti SB115 and the suspension works excellent. But a large felt a tad big on my 5.9 frame. I'm more a medium large. It appears that the geometry of a medium Spur might work plus I like the spec build for the value a bit more. thoughts?
agree you’re prob a medium on the Spur
Help me with this question please.
SB 115 Vs Spur, very similar weight models, which one is faster in a flat terrain?
Thank you in advance
can you please explain why you went for the E*13 LG1 EN SS rear for the spur? considering that tire as well for a new spur I ordered and I don't know whether to go for it or not, coming from an enduro background. and I have all types of terrain here in Israel. full hardpack to lose rocks
A little late, but, any loose bolts over testing time on the 2 frames?
Great review - what’s your height and weight?
Would I be ridiculous to get a Large SB115 if I’m 5’9”?
Yes.
Any good cheaper options? Norco Optic, Merida 120, Canyon Neuron?
Surely Yeti are working on a lightweight XC-ish replacement for the SB115, based on the SB130 geo (which is very similar to the Spur) for 2022 MY?
I would be surprised to see a more xc race oriented bike from Yeti, apart from the 115
How do you compare them with the Santa Cruz Tallboy?
These long reach numbers are slow on descents because you have to work harder to weight the front wheel.
the yeti paint job looks the best
Too bad theres no local deals for Transition around here, really want that SPUR, way better looking than that YETI
Norco optic 2021 ??? 😜
What about jumping
I like how the description of a gravity oriented rider mentioned dropping the seat the second things start to go downhill... I always have my seat slammed so I guess that makes me extremely gravity biased. (No dropper post gang)
If the climbs are just there to get to the downhill trails, then I'd say you're gravity biased. If you actually enjoy the difficulty and challenge of techy and punchy uphills then you're more xc biased
@@michaelstewart9308 sometimes a short climb can be fun, but I generally dislike them. I’m probably going to go for a Jeffsy or something similar as my do it all bike. I know they can handle park laps, and my friends 27.5 one climbs shockingly well.
Spur wins, trheaded bb its anything we need
somebody forgot to put the air cap back on the fork 😁
He prefers the suspension of the Yeti and geo of the Transition... in other words, GET AN IBIS RIPLEY!!
My grandma rides a Ripley
How many adverts ffs!!! Nice review though. Yeti should just copy the numbers and try again.
I haven't ridden the sb115 but it seems like a poor excuse for a short travel trail bike, you can't just an xc frame, throw a longer fork on it and and tweak the suspension a little bit and expect to get a trail bike. They really should've done a full redesign of the front triangle geometry because as it is, it's just an xc bike with more travel, not a trail bike
Stop beating around the bush and call them what they are!! Down country bikes :-D
Sounds like you want the Ripley V4
Not in Squamish!! Too small and conservative geo. Though the new version is improved for sure.
7:29 what's the point of buying the Yeti and keep the same stupid and useless "classic XC downhill style". This is pointless to buy this bike and not upgrade your riding style. If the Transition allows a faster ride because it allows better options when it comes to trajectories.... then there is not point of buying the Yeti. Buying a modern bike with no intention to improve your riding style is just a complete non sense and a great stupidity.
Sounds like you need a Tallboy.
Seems everyone lives in British Columbia
just the hipsters...ooooo ima get attacked now.
Take a drink of your beer every time he says "for me".
I think Trak top fuel is that perfect one bike.
#AggroXC ditch the down country identifier, it sucks.
Worthless teaser. Just post the video🤦🏼♂️
Transition is the NBA and the yeti is G league. No comparison
Such a great review on two great bikes.