Transition Sentinel vs Yeti SB150

Apart from the obvious massive price difference, does anyone have an opinion on:

climbing – is the extra yeti thing worth the extra cost
gravity – any comments either way?

Thanks in anticipation of your wise words…x

Not sure you’ll find many who’ve ridden both, or just the SB150 yet, as it’s so new.
I do own a Yeti SB5c and can confirm that the Switch Infinity system is very good. The suspension really does have an almost bottomless feel, even though the SB5 has only 5″ of rear travel. Traction is great and pedal-bob so minimal that I never bother with the Pro-pedal switch anymore. I bought a bigger Enduro bike last year because wanted MORE everything, I would’ve looked at a Yeti but the geometry on their bikes at the time was looking a little dated. The SB150 and SB130 change that. While the enduro bike gets used for the rougher, steeper and uplighted riding, the Yeti is still my go to bike and possible still my favourite.

Hope this helps.

You don’t buy a sentinel because you care about climbing.

Have a look at the Bird AM9 as well

I know which one I’d buy if I had the money.

if you search on mtbr there’s some comparisons and some US bike test comparisons on youtube. I kind of have a sentinel/sb130 pipe dream, I currently have a smuggler so am a big transition fan but used to have a yeti and love them too. The mud clearance on the yetis is probably a problem for the UK, it seems pretty tight clearance with some people even getting tyre rub on the 150. For me it would be the sb130 over the 150 anyway. Transition’s suspension is pretty damn good up and down but I’ve ridden an SB6 for a day and the rear end was something pretty special.

I rode a SB130 and it climbed brilliantly, had a little pedal about on a SB150 and it felt similar.

The tyre clearance was terrible on the 130 and the switch Infinity was covered in mud, it’s right in the firing line and they have made no effort to protect it. I have too many reservations to buy a Yeti, I’m demoing the Ibis Ripmo soon and I hope its as good as the reviews.

If it makes any difference, the SB150 is in short supply to say the least- mines been on order since October and looks like being a month away at least..

Thank you all very much. IInsane booked a text ride on a150. Will let you l know what I think.

The tyre clearance was terrible on the 130 and the switch Infinity was covered in mud, it’s right in the firing line and they have made no effort to protect it.

I run A 2.35″ Nobbly Nic on my SB5c without any clearance issues.
I worried about the Switch Infinity in mud, but it’s a non-issue. Even when it does get caked in mud, which is rare, it works fine.

Pivot Firebird 29, Ibis Ripmo and Evil Wreckoning are worth a test ride too.

I run A 2.35″ Nobbly Nic on my SB5c without any clearance issues.
I worried about the Switch Infinity in mud, but it’s a non-issue. Even when it does get caked in mud, which is rare, it works fine.

Pivot Firebird 29, Ibis Ripmo and Evil Wreckoning are worth a test ride too

The Ripmo has clearance for up to 2.6″ and the Evil has similar clearance and this is pretty standard these days. the Yeti seems quite conservative in this respect. I’ve read on other forums about 2.5″ tyres rubbing the chain stays on the SB150.

The switch link does work fine caked in mud but it’s life span would be better if it were protected, it’s not cheap to replace.

The Evil Wreckoning is awesome on descents, I had so much confidence, Climbing was not good though.

The Evil Wreckoning is awesome on descents, I had so much confidence, Climbing was not good though.

You’re really looking at The Offering now, it’s warranted for up to a 160mm, and is an amazing climber.

I’m assuming you’ve watched all the Bible Of Bike Tests 2019? Well worth checking out for help choosing.

The Offering was the favourite of 3 of the guys testing IIRC.

https://www.bikemag.com/2019-bible-of-bike-tests/

I have, I’d love an Evil but too many horror stories.

Ibis Ripmo soon and I hope its as good as the reviews.

It is. Not ridden the others, but after buying a RipMo I wouldn’t want anything else.

The Ripmo is weird, it’s like a longer travel trail bike. Which is great, if that’s what you want but if you’re looking for a proper enduro race bike, then there are lots of better options.

The Sentinel is a great bike, bit limited in clearance for a proper 2.5 rear tyre, and the shock is a bit challenging to set up right, but if you get the balance right it’s fun to ride, reasonably fast, great allrounder bike.

I have, I’d love an Evil but too many horror stories.

Yet you are looking at a Yeti? Reknowed for their durable bikes & great customer services to back it all up? 😆

The numbers look good on them, but the SB150 already has had its issues if you look elsewhere, and Yeti have been their usual (un)helpful self in fixing them.

Some things never change.

If I was looking for something similar in carbon, then I’d really struggle to look past the new Ransom.

To be honest I would avoid the Yeti based on one of my riding buddy’s warranty experience. It was painful to say the least.

Yet you are looking at a Yeti? Reknowed for their durable bikes & great customer services to back it all up?

I have too many reservations to buy a Yeti

The Ripmo is weird, it’s like a longer travel trail bike

That’s a fair comment. Which is one of the reasons I bought it. I’d argue the Ibis EWS riders are doing okay on it tho 😉 I read a lot of reviews of bikes like the Sentinel which seemed to be saying ‘when you’re going very very fast, it’s amazing, slower than that, not so much’

Anyway as you were!

Ref the Ripmo, I’m guessing why after a brief flirt with them, that’s why the team for the most part went back to the HD4…

It’s a fair comment ref the Sentinel, it’s probably the same for all of the bikes in that genre of riding, they are race bikes, so work best at race pace.

That’s why the Ripmo is a good option to be fair if you’re not racing so much. It’s not so much of a handful 🙂

Yup, it seems the best option for me, I was set on a Robot Bike R130 but that’s not happening now, I sold my Knolly as it pedalled like a pig, I have knee trouble and it hurt to ride it and TBH my Process 134 is just more fun.
The Process was out of its depth at Exmoor Southern Enduro and at Eastridge so I want something that’s fun to ride on the flatter Kent trails I mainly ride but will work better elsewhere.

If you are interested in the Sentinel, the Stumpjumper Evo is worth a look – more balanced geometry (well, a longer rear end), masses of tyre clearance, easy to convert from 140 to 160mm rear travel and apparently a carbon model is imminent. I like mine anyway! The only downside is having to sell on the factory fitted kit if you want a higher spec as no frame only.

Name drop alert. I ride fairly regularly at the same spots as Robin Wallner , occasionaly with him, and he utterly rips on his Ripmo. But then would rip on a supermarket bike.
I’m a massive Transition fanboy. The yeti is gorgeous but yeah it’s too much cash for me, coupled with their history. There is a ‘super sentinel’ coming out apparently too.

What would the bike be mainly used for OP?

“You don’t buy a sentinel because you care about climbing.”

You’ve still got to get to the top though. A buddy has a Sentinel and doesn’t have any issues getting to into the Alpine on the climb up to Lord Of The Squirrels outside Whistler.

Yeah I demoed the bottom of the line alu Sentinel (so basically heaviest) at FoD in November and I didn’t particularly notice anything that bad with it when climbing. I did around 900m of climbing over the course of the day and it was perfectly fine going up.

And when you start to go downhill on that bike… holy moly. It’s something else.

leegee

Subscriber
Yup, it seems the best option for me, I was set on a Robot Bike R130 but that’s not happening now, I sold my Knolly as it pedalled like a pig, I have knee trouble and it hurt to ride it and TBH my Process 134 is just more fun.
The Process was out of its depth at Exmoor Southern Enduro and at Eastridge so I want something that’s fun to ride on the flatter Kent trails I mainly ride but will work better elsewhere.

the New Kona 153 29 climbs waaaay better than the old process bikes did

Its pretty similar to the sentinel in weight & spec in the NX version, I think CRC has still some 2018 bikes cheap at the momemnt

lighter wheels, better brakes & fork damper upgrade & mines is brilliant, even on flatter local trails

Howsyourdad1, what’s your source for the “super Sentinel” info?
Any more details?
Thanks

MTBR and this forum 😛

any reason you are not looking at the Hightower LT?

Having ridden an SB6c for a couple of years then switched to a Nomad 4 because of continued warranty issues with the Yeti, I just wouldn’t buy from them again. They did replace frames, dogbones, switch infinity units all under warranty but each time something went wrong it was a minimum of a month off the bike… plus all the hassle of rebuilding an entire bike. It’s time I would rather have on the bike. In the end I cracked another frame that they didn’t warranty and so I just hit the eject button and got a Nomad 4.

I actually prefer the way the sb6 rode but the strava times show the N4 is faster. I think the N4 has far too low a BB and I would love an SB150 but I’m not giving Yeti any more money (especially given all the issues reported on mtbr). If I was going to spend a wedge I think I’d buy an Unno or possibly a Pole. Those brands fit the “boutique” label a lot better imo.

And Poles are actually not that expensive