Yeti SB150 and Ibis Ripmo Reviewed by Vital MTB's Top Member Reviewer and Jenson USA Award Winner 2

Every month we award the Top User Reviewer with a little prize, and this month Jenson USA pitched in another $100 gift card! Vital member yetimike2019 took home top honors in March after writing two detailed reviews of some intriguing 29ers. Here's a brief recap:

2019 Yeti SB150 TURQ X01 Eagle Race - "This bike rips. I’m not sure I have been on a long travel bike that felt simultaneously so planted and stable while also being so happy to leave the ground. This bike will soak up roots and rocks at dangerous speeds and track like a laser beam. Credit the suspension design and the impressive FOX X2 and Factory 36 components. I spent more time tinkering with the shock setup than on most bike I have ridden, but that’s because the SB150 deserves to be dialed, and for the price you pay for this beast you deserve to learn to dial it in. I set a whole heap of personal records downhill on this bike. All that being said, the tires... I went through a few rear tires and one front tire. On a bike this capable, a bike that almost screams race me, it should probably come with The DD casing. The aggressor in the back is sub-par in mud obviously. I ended up switching to the Maxxis DHR 2 front and rear with the thicker casing and that certainly helped. 

Overall I hope this short review helps a few people put when deciding on this bike. 5 stars for me as the spec is 95% race ready. And no, despite my username I am in no way affiliated with Yeti or the bike industry. I did, however, order a SB150 Frame..." - Read the full review»

2018 Ibis Ripmo X01 Eagle - "Super fun, able to boost off jumps and pumps well in the whoops. It flies out of corners, and speaking of corners, the Ripmo is about the best cornering bike I have been on. At low tire pressure with narrower rims I always found my tires folding a bit under hard cornering. This was not the case with the Ibis wheels, and the traction was second to none. I do find you have to weight the front a bit in order to corner hard, but not near as much as the Yeti SB150. Unlike the SB150, which only seems to have fun on the steepest gnarliest descents, the Ripmo, while capable of racing enduro, seems much more fun on the slower and more technical trails. Indeed the Ripmo is light on its feet and is very precise in handling allowing you to tiptoe around obstacles as well as plow over them. I wouldn’t hesitate to race this bike, however, it’s probably more of a trail bike in nature.

I would say this is one of the best bikes all around bikes I have been on. The Ripmo does everything well. Most bikes compromise something, and I’m not sure I have found that compromise on this bike, other than price maybe.

I gave the Yeti SB 150 a 5/5 star review as a race bike, and this Ripmo deserves a 5/5 as a trail bike. Where the Yeti SB 150 excels is the gnar, the Ripmo excels everywhere else, and yes it’s also plenty gnar." - Read the full review»

Want to be in the running for April's award? Review the parts you use in the Vital MTB Product Guide and keep an eye on the Top Reviewer leaderboard. We'll announce the winner in early May.