[Mcfein]

So i am a one-quiver bike rider...I have been riding a 2012 stumpy (Alloy) - stock set up with only one real upgrade (Carbon Roval Wheels).

Ready for my new bike.

My riding style is somewhere between trail and all mountain, and 29r.

Not price sensitive, as the three bikes are, in no particular order:

1) Stumpjumper SWorks

2) Fuel EX 9.9

3) Yeti SB130


What will it be? Help?

 

[Millennial29erGuy]

The trek has a proprietary shock which has gotten very mixed (read: poor) reviews. This is just my take on it.

Have you ridden them? The stumpjumper and yeti have pretty different feeling suspension. Both are pretty nice bikes IMO

 

[Mcfein]

Thanks George

I have ridden the new stumpy and the yeti on dirt...Both demo days on pretty basic trails, so it was hard to get a real test out of them. Both rode very well for what was there. However, as much as i liked the Yeti, I am a sound Nazi, and their was a lot of sound coming from the rear triangle....the guy said it was probably dirty...but it did impact my riding experience.

As far as the Trek, i have only rode on the street since i dont know of anyone that has one for me to try and i cant find a demo to do on trails....However, i liked the bike and i also have seen some good reviews about it....I have not since any negative reviews on the shock that you are referring to...all i have seen has been pretty positive...please if you know where there are published negative reviews, could you point them out to me?
thx

 

[mtnbkrmike]

I would head to the Yeti board and do some reading...

 

[YogiKudo]

Forbidden Druid

 

[mrallen]

I would head to the Yeti board and do some reading...

I have to agree with this one. And that is coming from a guy that has owned three Yeti's and liked them. The issues would scare me away.

 

[minimusprime]

Have you demo'd all 3 bikes on your list? I would not purchase any current bikes without riding them. Especially bikes like the 130 and modern geo bikes.

these days it's more about the suspension design that fits your riding style and the frame that fits your body the best. It's hard to find a stinker these days where back in 2012, half of the bikes on the market sucked.

 

[Mcfein]

Care to elaborate on what issues scare you?

 

[Mcfein]

I have to agree with this one. And that is coming from a guy that has owned three Yeti's and liked them. The issues would scare me away.

care to elaborate on their current issues...the ones that scare you?

 

[mrallen]

So i am a one-quiver bike rider...I have been riding a 2012 stumpy (Alloy) - stock set up with only one real upgrade (Carbon Roval Wheels).

Ready for my new bike.

My riding style is somewhere between trail and all mountain, and 29r.

Not price sensitive, as the three bikes are, in no particular order:

1) Stumpjumper SWorks

2) Fuel EX 9.9

3) Yeti SB130

What will it be? Help?

The latest Stumpjumper is a pretty nice bike. Updated, but not bleeding edge geometry. Pedals much better than the previous model required use of the trail/climb switch IMO.

Too many issues with the new Yeti and the company's response is terrible considering the premium they are charging compared to the rest of the market. They have lost me as a customer.

The Fuel is firmly in the Trail category at this point rather than all mountain. Whether that is better or worse for you, only you can answer.

There are some really good bikes in this category if you aren't set on these three. The Evil Offering, Ibis Ripmo are a couple. Might be worth a look.

 

[Nurse Ben]

Thanks George

I have ridden the new stumpy and the yeti on dirt...Both demo days on pretty basic trails, so it was hard to get a real test out of them. Both rode very well for what was there. However, as much as i liked the Yeti, I am a sound Nazi, and their was a lot of sound coming from the rear triangle....the guy said it was probably dirty...but it did impact my riding experience.

As far as the Trek, i have only rode on the street since i dont know of anyone that has one for me to try and i cant find a demo to do on trails....However, i liked the bike and i also have seen some good reviews about it....I have not since any negative reviews on the shock that you are referring to...all i have seen has been pretty positive...please if you know where there are published negative reviews, could you point them out to me?
thx

Sounds of what?

Want an honest opinion: I suspect you have not really narrowed your field for the right reasons, ie reviews, test rides, etc... instead it seems like you're choosing based on what is convenient.

When I look to spend thousands of dollars on a bike, I try lots of bikes and read lots of reviews, and I could care less about noise cuz noise is what you make when riding a bike.

You can always change out the hub or grease it until it's quieter.

Trek and Specialized are like buying a Buick ... are you conservative like your parents or are you cut from a different cloth?

Explore, look around, the bike choices in this category are amazing ... and I'm not talking about Specialized or Trek

 

[NHMB]

Im sorry to be that person but take a look at guerrilla gravity trail pistol.

runs along the lines of what you want. bad a$$ U.S. company. new carbon production.

 

[eb1888]

And the next step for you is to go beyond what you did with your last bike. Start with the frame and pick all the parts to maximize your one bike. My pick for suspension would be Manitou Mattoc Pro and McLeod shock.

 

[mrallen]

care to elaborate on their current issues...the ones that scare you?

Actually, it's more the company response and the fact that they've never addressed them directly other than to be dismissive. There is a huge thread on the Yeti forum that you can browse. I would characterize most of it as quality problems which are understandable if you address the reason as a company and fix the issue. And some of them are strange. 3 Yeti seatposts cracked in the same race here a month or so ago. Weird coincidence.

And, just to be clear, I was a real fan of their bikes before the latest generation. They might ride great, but it's enough to concern me.

 

[PhillipJ]

The trek has a proprietary shock which has gotten very mixed (read: poor) reviews.

They're using normal sized shocks these days so OP could get a McLeod or DPx2 if necessary.

 

[410sprint]

I would head to the Yeti board and do some reading...

Wow. I had no idea...

As an owner of serveral Yetis in the past, I was surprised to learn about the issues people are having with the new SB's. My Yetis were always 100% reliable. Any frame can have a defect or quality control issue, for me it's how the brand handles the problem that really counts. People (the tribe) have been very loyal to the Yeti brand because of their product AND how Yeti treated the customer. Yeti's most powerful marketing is their customer.

Reading the "SB130 and SB150 problems" thread and the attached NSMB article has me wondering if Chris Conroy has shifted Yeti's focus away from their relationship with the customer.

Back to the topic:

My wife rides a Fuel EX 8 with the RE:aktiv shock and we have zero issues. Easy to set up, rock solid with good performance. The shock can be replaced with RS, Fox or Manitou. Or, for less than the cost of a new shock, Avalanche offers a custom tune and a SSD/HSB piston assembly for the RE:aktiv shock.

 

[Verbl Kint]

Of the three that you've mentioned, the best choice would have to be the SWorks Stumpy. It's not bleeding edge geo or any of sort of experimental linkage/design on the bike. It just works.

However, I hear the 2020 Ibis Ripley is about to be released very soon, and, judging from your description of your type of riding, it will probably be perfect for you.

 

[MassgraveX]

Knolly Fugitive!

 

[Shartist]

Sounds of what?

When I look to spend thousands of dollars on a bike, I try lots of bikes and read lots of reviews, and I could care less about noise cuz noise is what you make when riding a bike.

You can always change out the hub or grease it until it's quieter.

I perused the Yeti thread a week or two ago and if I remember correctly, I believe the noises being referenced here are of the more concerning variety than hub noise. The noises seem to be a symptom of a bigger problem with the rear triangle flexing and contorting in ways that are leading to structural failures.

 

[*OneSpeed*]

Spec- No
Trek- No

Check out the Knolly Fugitive, Transition Smuggler, GG Trail Pistol, Intense Primer, Pivot Switchblade, Salsa HT, Fezzari Cascade peak, Devinci Django, so many others

There's lots of good bikes out there.