2024 Yeti

SB140 27.5 LR T1

Colorado-based Yeti is one of the true OG American bike brands, having been around since George Michael and Wham were Careless Whispering in 1985. It’s not overstating anything to say it’s created some of the classic designs and innovations that have helped define modern mountain biking, and also somehow successfully made the colour turquoise entirely its own in the MTB world. In recent years, distinctive Switch Infinity bikes with the SB prefix have been the brand’s go-to design across multiple travel brackets, with this latest SB140 sitting in the middle of its range and aimed squarely at trail riding. – Short of time? Click here to skip to the verdict – Alongside the famous turquoise, Yeti’s 140mm rear travel rig also comes in black and this gorgeous sparkly racing green. All colours share a unique silhouette thanks to a pair of little gold Kashima-coated shafts above the bottom bracket, which, judging by how many times people asked me on the trail, look like a tiny pair of suspension forks or miniature dampers. The encased sliders are in fact essential components of Yeti’s unique SB suspension design that shifts how the bike pivots and behaves as it moves through the travel. I’ve tested multiple SBs, including most recently the SB165 I raved about last summer, and also this SB140, albeit in a slightly different guise. I’ll fess up and admit that when I reviewed Yeti’s trail bike before, I’m not entirely sure why I wasn’t as blown away as I was with the performance of the full 29er with 160mm forks here. Maybe I’d recently crashed and taken a bang to the head or something? Whatever held me back from rating the SB140 as an absolute favourite left the chat quicker than a phone battery dying this time out. I can’t stop telling anyone and everyone that will listen how it’s one of the best mountain bikes you can buy in 2025. You’d certainly expect Yeti’s machine to delivers too, as – shock horror – it costs a pretty penny (especially in this Turq version using the brand’s best carbon). There are plenty high-end parts on board, and the whole frame is obviously full fibre, but some might still suspect an element of Yeti’s status comes built into the high cost as well. Or, in other words, you’re paying extra for the name. I’ll try and explain why I’m not entirely sure this is the case though, there’s a good reason Yeti has maintained its cachet and boutique reputation as one of the most desirable in mountain biking for decades for nothing. And that reason is, ride feel, build quality and attention to detail. All are exceptionally high on the SB140, so maybe it’s high performance that built Yeti’s standing in the first place. Design and specifications In terms of travel, 140mm is pretty much the established benchmark for trail bikes. Not all 140mm bikes feel the same though, and Yeti’s SB140 definitely resides at the deeper-feeling end of the travel …Continue reading »

Read Review

Is Yeti’s all-round ‘mountain bike’ the ultimate blend of iconic brand and innovative technology? Guy Kesteven has been enjoying the last few months finding out.

Read Review

How did the YETI SB140 LR T3 X0 fare against the competition in our big 2024 trail bike group test?

Read Review