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Bike Perfect

Lifestyle

Graham Cottingham

Are 27.5-inch wheels making a return? Yeti's new SB135 is a small wheeled trail jibber

Maxxis DT SRAM Fox Factory Shimano Fox

New Yeti SB135 bike being jumped over rocks

Mountain bikers, for the most part, are in unanimous agreement when it comes to bike tech, disk brakes are better, full suspension is faster and 1X drivetrains are the only option. There is one point of contention though, wheel size. Which has divided the riding community since around 2001 when Gary Fisher started pushing bigger wheels.

Things might have settled somewhat since the convulsive early days of 29-inch wheels, however, there are still some brands that are shaking things up. Yeti are one of them, adding a third 27.5-inch bike to their lineup, the SB135.

Yeti's range splits itself into two categories, the go-faster 'Race' bikes and the more playful 'Rip' bikes. The new SB135 falls into the 'Rip' category, with Yeti saying that the smaller wheels give the bike quick-witted playfulness and agility.

The smaller frame has some significant differences in frame layout (Image credit: Yeti)

As with all of Yeti's best full-suspension mountain bikes, the SB135 is designed around Yeti's four-bar Switch Infinity suspension system. A design that uses a patented translating pivot (that odd double-tubed sliding mechanism positioned near the bottom bracket) to create a more linear main pivot path and influence anti-squat curves and leverage ratios. The SB135 features a new Switch Infinity unit with improved seals, bearings, and hardware.

Up front, the SB135 is specced with a 150mm fork, or a 160mm fork on the LR (Lunch Ride) bikes which feature burlier components.

All pivot bearings have been standardized and use sealed Enduro Max pivot bearings and the bottom bracket is now threaded. Yeti has also adopted the Universal Derailleur Hanger (UDH) interface making it compatible with SRAM's new T-Type transmission.

The SB135 is available in a burlier 'Lunch Time' build spec (Image credit: Yeti)

The Yeti SB135 has a 65.4-degree head angle and 77-degree seat tube (72 to 72.4 actual seat tube angle depending on size). The reach is modest for a 150mm forked trail bike at 460mm (medium) which should help with the bike's playful nature.

The SB135 comes in XS to XL with the smallest size catering for riders down to at least 4ft 11in. It appears that Yeti has put a lot of engineering into catering to riders of smaller stature, including moving the forward shock mount to the downtube, designing an even more compact shock linkage, and making a completely different swing arm. They also minimized stand-over height, maximized seat post insertion, and preserved space for a water bottle.

The rowdier Lunch Ride builds with a 10mm longer fork only come in M to XL and have a 0.4 degrees slacker head angle, 0.4 degrees slacker seat angle, and a 5mm shorter reach.

Both standard and Lunch Ride versions of the bike feature size-specific chainstay lengths and frame flex profiles to ensure a consistent ride across all frame sizes.

The SB135 will fit riders down to 4ft 11in (Image credit: Yeti)

Pricing and specs

There will be two C series and three Turq builds which use a more premium carbon. The SB135 LR comes in one C-Series and one Turq build for those looking to get a little rowdier.

At the time of writing availability and UK/EU pricing are still to be confirmed. More information on the SB135 and the entire Yeti range can be found at yeticycles.com.

Yeti C/Series C1

Frame: Yeti C/Series
Fork: Fox Performance 36, 150mm
Rear Shock: Fox Performance Float, 135mm
Drivetrain: Shimano SLX, 12 speed
Seatpost: One Up dropper, XS-SM: 150mm, MD: 180mm, LG-XL: 210mm
Brakes: Shimano SLX Four Piston, 180mm
Wheels: DT Swiss M1900 30mm
Tires: Maxxis Minion DHF 2.6 EXO / Maxxis Rekon 2.6 EXO
Handlebar: Burgtec Ride Wide Alloy Enduro
Stem: Burgtec Enduro MK3
Size: XS-XL
Price: $6400

Yeti C/Series C2

Frame: Yeti C/Series
Fork: Fox Performance 36, 150mm
Rear Shock: Fox Performance Float, 135mm
Drivetrain: SRAM GX Eagle, 12 speed
Seatpost: One Up dropper, XS-SM: 150mm, MD: 180mm, LG-XL: 210mm
Brakes: SRAM G2 R, 180mm
Wheels: DT Swiss M1900 30mm
Tires: Maxxis Minion DHF 2.6 EXO / Maxxis Rekon 2.6 EXO
Handlebar: Burgtec Ride Wide Alloy Enduro
Stem: Burgtec Enduro MK3
Size: XS-XL
Price: $6700

Yeti Turq TXT

Frame: Yeti Turq
Fork: Fox Factory 36 Fit 4, 150mm
Rear Shock: Fox Performance Float, 135mm
Drivetrain: Shimano XT, 12 speed
Seatpost: Fox Transfer dropper, XS-SM: 150mm, MD: 175mm, LG-XL: 200mm
Brakes: Shimano XT Four Piston, 180mm
Wheels: DT Swiss XM1700 30mm
Tires: Maxxis Minion DHF 2.6 EXO / Maxxis Rekon 2.6 EXO
Handlebar: Yeti Carbon bar
Stem: Burgtec Enduro MK3
Size: XS-XL
Price: $7500

Yeti Turq T2

Frame: Yeti Turq
Fork: Fox Factory 36 Fit 4, 150mm
Rear Shock: Fox Performance Float, 135mm
Drivetrain: SRAM X01 Eagle, 12 speed
Seatpost: Fox Transfer dropper, XS-SM: 150mm, MD: 175mm, LG-XL: 200mm
Brakes: SRAM G2 RSC, 180mm
Wheels: DT Swiss XM1700 30mm
Tires: Maxxis Minion DHF 2.6 EXO / Maxxis Rekon 2.6 EXO
Handlebar: Yeti Carbon bar
Stem: Burgtec Enduro MK3
Size: XS-XL
Price: $8000

Yeti Turq T4 Transmission

Frame: Yeti Turq
Fork: Fox Factory 36 Fit 4, 150mm
Rear Shock: Fox Performance Float, 135mm
Drivetrain: SRAM XX Eagle Transmission, 12 speed
Seatpost: Fox Transfer Factory dropper, XS-SM: 150mm, MD: 175mm, LG-XL: 200mm
Brakes: SRAM G2 Ultimate, 180mm
Wheels: DT Swiss XM1700 30mm
Tires: Maxxis Minion DHF 2.6 EXO / Maxxis Rekon 2.6 EXO
Handlebar: Yeti Carbon bar
Stem: Burgtec Enduro MK3
Size: XS-XL
Price: $10300