Yeti SB130 vs. Outdoor Gold Enduro //Smashing Good Test Ride and Review

Shortly after the release of the SB150 in 2018, Yeti Cycles promptly revealed the new SB130 version of a nearly identical bike with shorter Travel. With 150mm of fork travel and 130mm of rear, the Yeti SB130 is more than adequate to handle whatever you have to throw at it. In this video, we will test ride and review the Yeti SB130 through the vaunted Outdoor Gold Enduro.

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I have been equally excited to ride the SB130 vs. the Outdoor Gold Enduro, especially considering the 130 has a shorter all round travel number against the SB150. However, modern suspension is so good, that these days, sometimes less can be more. I didn’t want this to be an SB130 vs. SB150 video, we’ll save that for another day, yet my focus is on an independent review of the SB130.

The SB130 is a bike billed to handle it all and all I threw at it. I handpicked some of my favorite local trails for a three ride blitz in what called The Outdoor Gold Enduro. The OGE consists of 6 trails in which I get to handpick 3 specific to the bike. This test has everything, from fast flowy trails, to very techy climbs, slow speed and fast speed descent. Rides intended to match your local trails.

Stage I: 18 Road (Fast and Flowy)

PBR and Joe’s Ridge is what I serve up for the SB130 in a test of beginner and intermediate terrain. Downhill pedaling is a criteria here and the SB130 really exceeds at that. Solid pedaling platform with turq stiffness and the switch infinity stood out to me. The downhill vibes are really nice on this bike but the cornering is precise and rapid. In general, a lightweight, but very playful and fun bike on easy terrain.

Stage II: Moore Fun (Technical Trail)
Moore Fun is the most technical trail in Fruita with monstrous climbs and wicked slow speed downhills. I expected this bike’s strength was in climb technical singletrack well and it did, but the lower bottom bracket height vs. the jagged terrain drew more pedal strikes than what I was accustomed to seeing. This is more a case of operator error, but I think it could take some getting used too. The seattube angle puts the rider in the right climbing position and that noticeable. The downhill was excellent as well, again the headtube angle was perfect for the steep stuff. This was a very easy bike to control and it handled tight corners, switchbacks, and rock slabs very well. The Platform wasn’t as stable as the 150, but the bike was very responsive.

Stage III: Free Lunch/Max Gnar (Enduro Trail with features)

This final stage eats bike and parts for breakfast and only premium offerings can escape its jaws. Drops are sort of the main course with a few ranging in the 6 foot + range and the SB130 handled them. Interestingly enough, they felt natural on the 130, but rest of the trail told a different story. The higher speed chunky bit bucked the rear end around a bit and the 130 seemed to demand cleaner and more optimal line choices. This doesn’t mean the 130 won’t perform at a high level, because it does. Instead, I think it requires that the rider marry experience to trail knowledge to get the most out of the bike. Either way the bike recovers exceptionally quickly and I never felt like I lost control.

Skinny review:

I overall was really impressed with the SB130 post ride. As a general overview, I think this bike is very complex, but in a good way. At first glance, in a casual ride setting it felt like a standard 130 mm bike, but the more I threw at, I quickly discovered that wasn’t the case. I found the ceiling of potential that was higher than I expected and certainly higher then other many other bikes in its class. I think seasoned mountain bikers really need to sink their teeth into this build as overperforms its specifications and that it would justify taking an extended period of time to be able to adapt to its capabilities. To me, this bike seemed to demand premium lines, and I mean it thrived when I knew the ins and outs of trail such as pucker up. Knowledge and experience blended really well with this bike.