Yeti SB135 Lunch Ride T3 Turq first ride review

The Yeti SB135 is the Colorado brand’s mid-travel, small-wheel, hooligan trail bike, built for slapping turns, exploring creative lines and agile handling.

As you’d expect from the name, the rear end has 135mm of bounce. And, while ‘regular’ SB135s get 150mm of travel further forward, this ‘Lunch Ride’ version has been given some special treatment.

Yeti’s Lunch Ride builds are inspired by what the engineers like to ride themselves, and so the SB135 LR gets a sprinkling of aggressiveness in its componentry – a longer fork, punchier brakes and burlier rubber.

Having briefly tested the bike, I’m aching to go and ride it with the BikeRadar team, because the SB135 is an absolute riot.

Forget your preconceptions about 27.5in-wheeled bikes hanging up on every bump, this little ripper absolutely shreds.

Yeti SB135 LR T3 frame and suspension details

Carbon is the material of choice here, with Yeti’s top-spec Turq carbon heading the frame spec list.

Yeti claims it has used hundreds of virtual simulation comparisons, and plenty of real-world testing to make sure the layups across the five sizes offer the required ride qualities for all riders.

As you’d expect, the SB135 family uses Yeti’s Switch Infinity Link suspension system, whereby the solid rear triangle’s main pivot floats on a small shuttle that moves up and down as the shock is compressed.

The shock is driven by a compact alloy wishbone linkage, with plenty of effort going into maximising frame space, stiffness and longevity.

All this is done to give the bike Yeti’s desired suspension feel.

The designers wanted a suspension linkage on this bike that provides a straighter, rather than super-progressive, suspension curve. Overall, there’s 14 per cent progression – much less than the 20-25 per cent often seen on trail bikes of this ilk.

When it comes to the silhouette of the bike, Yeti has ensured both capacity for a water bottle and a much more compact shape.

This means there’s a low standover height, while the seat tube length has been designed for longer-travel dropper posts.

There’s also a less prominent ‘belly’ of the bike, with the down tube gaining ground clearance.

On the size S and XS bikes, not available in this Lunch Ride build, Yeti has completely re-built the chassis. The forward shock mount enters the down tube, rather than top tube, there's a more compact link, and an entirely new rear triangle, to make sure even the smallest riders can shred unencumbered.

When it comes to the finishing touches, Yeti secures hoses as they enter the internal routing to reduce rattle, gives you an alloy threaded BB shell, two-piece, replaceable down tube protection that also offers up access to the internal routing, and ISCG05 mounts for a chain guide.

Yeti SB135 LR T3 geometry

The bike has a modern shape, with geometry numbers that are on a par with many other aggressive trail bikes.

This means on-trend reaches, a slack-ish head angle and an efficient-feeling seat tube. In a Large bike, you get a 475mm reach, a 65-degree head angle and a 76.5-degree seat tube.

The regular SB135 gets five sizes, however the Lunch Ride version only comes in Medium to XL.

Yeti SB135 LR T3 specification

The Lunch Ride build here gets kit that's more suited to aggressive riding.

Highlights include a pair of Fox Factory dampers, in the shape of a Float X shock and 160mm Fox Factory 36 fork, both featuring plenty of adjustability.

There’s also the new X0 Transmission from SRAM, which requires no derailleur hanger. It’s paired with the brand's excellent Code RSC brakes.

EXO+ cased Maxxis tyres are present front and rear, with an Assegai in 2.5in width up front and a 2.4in Minion DHRii out back.

Yeti SB135 LR T3 performance

I tested the SB135 LR over a number of rides in the UK's South West. These were predominantly on my usual wooded test tracks, in dry, summery conditions, with a mix of fast flow and rooty jank.

I also took it to BikePark Wales for a day of rattling through the rough to get a more complete picture of the bike.

I had no particular issues setting the Yeti up, running my preferred tyre pressures of 20psi at the front and 22psi at the rear (I weigh just under 80kg kitted up).

As for my suspension setup, I ran the fork’s compression dials as fast as they went, as I usually do with Fox’s GRIP2 damper. I ran the rebound dampers relatively fast, to suit my preferences and the terrain.

At the back, the shock’s compression damper was run three clicks from fully open and I added four clicks of rebound damping from fully open.

As with any bike, your individual settings are likely to differ, depending on your weight, riding and trail style, and the conditions.

In essence, though, there was nothing special about how I set the bike up.

Yeti SB135 LR T3 climbing performance

The SB135 LR isn’t exactly built to get you to the top of the hills at warp speed. It’s very much a bike with a focus on descents.

Despite this, the SB135 LR leaves little to complain about.

The Switch Infinity Link looks complex, but it’s certainly effective.

Under normal circumstances, the shock remains calm – Yeti has done a good job of separating the shock from pedal-induced movement.

It’s not completely static and you can feel the shock bob through its travel a little. However, unless you really charge on the pedals, it doesn’t feel as though you’re being robbed of power.

When you do stand up and power along, the shock starts to cycle through its travel, dulling forward motion a little.

The shock has a lockout lever, but I rarely used it during testing. Put me on a long tarmac climb, though, and that might change.

On rougher climbs, despite polite pedal manners, the rear wheel seems free to track the ground well, enabling the chunky rear tyre to maximise its grippy potential.

The seated position is good, and with ample space between the saddle and bar, even with the steep seat angle, the bike felt a comfortable place to be.

Yeti SB135 LR T3 descending performance

Like a wine that improves with age, the SB135 gets better with speed. Open the throttle over repeated rocky hits, and the bike seems to lift up like a hovercraft inflating its skirt, smoothing the way unlike any 27.5in-wheel bike I’ve ridden in recent times.

While the rear end doesn’t completely isolate the pedals from what’s going on underneath, the Switch Infinity suspension feels incredibly smooth, fluttering over the small stuff and only gently communicating with bigger obstacles.

While bigger 29in wheels are said to be the ultimate in speed-retaining smoothness, Yeti’s engineers have managed to give the SB235 plenty of speedy swagger when the going gets rough.

When you’re through the fine trail chatter, the moderately supportive mid-stroke works well to prevent you sinking too deep into the bike’s travel, leaving plenty of margin for error if you erroneously slam into a bigger rock or root than planned.

Through repeated berms, the SB135 pumps with the best, while quick pedal strokes don’t deepen the bike’s position in its travel, leading it to feel relatively perky when you’re deeper into the stroke but still wanting to put some effort in.

When you make an awkward landing, the suspension enables you to get full travel, as proved by the shock’s travel-indicating o-ring hanging over the shock shaft’s eyelet on many occasions.

Fortunately, despite this, I don’t recall any unpleasant bottoming-out bangs and crashes.

Yeti claims it wanted to make an agile-handling bike, and it’s fair to say it has achieved that aim.

The small wheels are noticeably different in feel from the 29er hoops I’m most familiar with. The bike drops easier onto its shoulder, and the rear wheel is so much easier to scurry round a tight corner.

A dash of rear brake sees it breaking traction with grin-inducing effect, as the back wheel slaps round until it finds some support.

435mm chainstays and a smaller-radius wheel make lofting the front end easy, too, so you’re only a pull away from getting airborne.

When it comes to front-end performance, there’s no doubt the Factory 36, with 160mm travel, is more than a match for the competent rear end.

Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t induce any arm or hand fatigue when rattling down BikePark Wales’ rocky runs. The GRIP2 damper used to cause me all sorts of arm-pump problems, but this seems to have abated in the last 12 months or so.

When it comes to kit, I’m a fan of Maxxis’ EXO+ casings – they have a damped feel, almost as calm as the heavier DoubleDowns, but without so much weight. The Assegai and Minion DHR II combo is also a winner in my book.

At $9,500 / £9,799, it’s not a cheap bike by any stretch. The spec list features some fancy kit, but some may hope for carbon hoops at this price point (though whether that’d give a performance advantage is debatable).

Yeti SB135 LR T3 initial verdict

If Yeti wanted to make a rowdy bike to tackle lines with maximum creativity, it has achieved that with aplomb.

The SB135 LR is agile, quick-witted and a hoot to ride. It’s no enduro bike, so if you’re looking to maximise your speed, you’ll need to look elsewhere.

However, if you want to cut loose, twist and turn, and pull up at every opportunity, the SB135 LR might well be the machine for you.