2020 Yeti SB140 T2
(discontinued)

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Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply.
The Ultra-Playful Yeti SB140 Reviewed
The last bike in Yeti's lineup to receive their latest and greatest tech is a mid-travel ripper. The 27.5-inch SB140 brings more capability to the table and replaces the SB5.
Rating:
Vital Review

A27.5 bike update when 29ers are on such a big rise? Absolutely. First and foremost, Yeti's newest bike is made to rip. They're not shying away from the fact that their bigger-wheeled bikes are best for those looking to race. The SB140, on the other hand, is a trail bike that's made to play around. This massive refresh to the SB5 includes 13mm of additional travel out back, 10mm up front, updated geometry, and all the other fine touches and features gained through Yeti's latest platform evolution.

Strengths

Weaknesses

  • Light feel
  • Makes chill, flowy, everyday trails a blast
  • Good support from suspension
  • Floats over flat rough bits well for a 27.5" bike
  • Planted feel on the pedals
  • An efficient climber that rolls quickly
  • Wide range of sizes
  • Steering is a bit twitchy (swap to 40mm stem and higher bar height suggested)
  • Brakes and rear tire leave room for improvement
  • Heavier than the SB5 it replaces
  • Expensive

SB140 Highlights

  • 27.5-inch (650b) wheels
  • 140mm (5.5-inches) rear travel // 160mm (6.3-inches) front travel with shorter offset fork
  • Switch Infinity suspension system with two-piece wishbone-style shock extender
  • High-end TURQ and more affordable C-Series carbon models (220g frame weight difference)
  • Tapered integrated headtube (41mm/52mm)
  • Custom downtube protector and chain guards
  • Internally molded carbon tubes inside of the frame for improved cable routing
  • Integrated axle and derailleur hanger system
  • Boost hub spacing front and rear
  • Press-fit 92 bottom bracket with ISCG05 mounts
  • 180mm direct rear brake mount
  • Clearance for a standard-sized water bottle inside the frame
  • Lifetime warranty and crash replacement program
  • Actual Weight: 29.2-pounds (13.2kg, size medium, no pedals)

"Happy to pedal. Greedy for more. Boost confidence as you boost everything. The mayor of jibtown, proudly wearing the rip crown. The SB140. Down to fun." - Yeti Cycles

Geometry

As the little brother to the recently introduced, rowdy-ready SB165, this thing has some pretty big expectations to fill. Compared to the SB5, Yeti has made several great updates along these lines. First and foremost, it's a good deal longer and slacker. Reach values are 23-40mm longer across the board, and the 65-degree front end is also 1.5 degrees slacker than the SB5. That's a big change. Yeti pairs this with a shorter 37mm offset FOX 36 fork.

Out back, 4mm shorter chainstays add to the agility side of the equation without going crazy short. Of course, you're looking at a 77-degree effective seat tube angle, which is a full 3.5-degrees steeper. This takes what was already a great pedaling bike and improves on it, no doubt about it.

The SB140 was designed for riders from 4'11" to 6'7", so you'll note low standover heights that are great for shorter riders, women, and getting on or off the bike with ease. 30mm shorter seat tubes also expand dropper post compatibility.

Suspension Updates

The bike uses the latest version of the Switch Infinity suspension design, which allowed Yeti to make room for a water bottle and have a tunable platform to carry into a wide variety of bikes. It also shares a lot of hardware with the newest generation of Yeti bikes.

Switch Infinity uses a translating pivot built by FOX that switches direction as the bike moves through its travel, helping to dial in anti-squat and suspension performance across the entire stroke. With the up and down movement of the translating pivot Yeti aims to provide good pedaling traits across a large range of sag values, but have things fall off deeper in the travel to prevent pedal kickback.

I loved this bike in more casual, everyday terrain at moderate speeds where it's a pump, pop, and jump machine. Playing around on it is an absolute joy.

The SB5 had a low 7% progression built into the linkage design and relied heavily on compression damping. While it was bested by others in terms of terrain sensitivity, it provided riders with loads of manageable trail feedback and a quick response that made it feel like you were flying. The SB140 sees an increase to 13% progression and more subtle amounts of compression - making the ride a good deal more supple and accommodating in chunky terrain.

Leverage Curve
Anti-Squat

The new bike eats up the chop surprising well for a 140mm 27.5 bike. It's a nice smooth feel and the suspension design allows the rear wheel to get up and out of the way quickly. This helps maintain speed in flatter, rougher terrain. It's not a hyperactive bunny rabbit on the trails, but instead the rear end strikes a nice balance between planted and playful. The feel is quite supportive and you can get that last-second pop you desire. On the gas, it's quick to respond and bottom-outs have been a non-issue.

Build Kits, Pricing & Availability

Yeti has five SB140 builds across their C and TURQ-series starting at $5,399, all with a lifetime warranty. TURQ frames save 220g (0.5-pounds) over more affordably made C-Series frames. Both types of carbon achieve the same stiffness ratings according to Yeti.

C-Series C2 Build
Frame Only Option

View C-Series Builds | View TURQ Builds

  • C-Series C1 (GX) - $5,399 USD
  • C-Series C2 (X01/GX) - $5,999
  • TURQ T1 (XT) - $6,899
  • TURQ T2 (X01) - $7,399 (Tested)
  • TURQ T3 (XX1) - $8,299
  • TURQ Frame + Shock - $3,499

The SB140 is available now.

What's the Bottom Line?

Yeti recently recategorized their lineup as bikes to race and bikes to rip, and I fully agree with the "rip" designation for the SB140. I loved this bike in more casual, everyday terrain at moderate speeds where it's a pump, pop, and jump machine. Playing around on it is an absolute joy. This is a good option for those who prefer 27.5 wheels and are out to maximize their fun levels on mild to moderately technical trails with lots of undulations. Just spend some time dialing in the front end feel to suit you best.

For anyone wanting what feels like a little extra bike, the 29-inch SB130 is an excellent ride.

Visit www.yeticycles.com for more details. Thanks to H+I Adventures for the first ride experience.

Vital MTB First Ride Rating: 4.0 Stars - Excellent


About the Reviewer

Brandon Turman - Age: 33 // Years Riding: 18 // Height: 5'10" (1.78m) // Weight: 170-pounds (77.1kg)

"I like to have fun, pop off the bonus lines on the sides of the trail, get aggressive when I feel in tune with a bike, and really mash on the pedals and open it up when pointed downhill." Formerly a mechanical engineer and Pro downhill racer, Brandon brings a unique perspective to the testing game as Vital MTB's resident product guy. He has on-trail familiarity with nearly every innovation in our sport from the past several years and a really good feel for what’s what.

Photos by Ross Bell // Video by John Reynolds and Brandon Turman

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1 member reviews

SB140 First Ride Review
Rating:
The Good
Switch Infinity is a great platform.
Quick and Agile.
The Bad
Low Stock handlebars.
27.5 wheels.
Expensive.
Overall Review:

The Yeti SB 140 is a very fun machine.  I only have one ride on this bike so please take my “review” with a grain of salt.  I have been on every recently released Yeti bike, so I do have some comparative thoughts about this bike.

First off Switch Infinity is a great suspension platform.  I Set up my bike with the Yeti Cycles calculator, and it was almost dialed.  I like a bit more compression and a tad slower rebound than recommended since I had some nice jump lines planned.  Jumping this bike is a joy.  Very intuitive, and the bike is easily thrown around if you are strong with the Steez.

My first thought on the climb up a long hot fire road was that my Yeti SB150 climbs as good or maybe better?  I have a nice 34t chainring vs the 30t that was on my bike so I felt like the big gears were slowing me down.  I also have the ceramic speed BB and pulleys on my 150 so this may have been the difference as well.  All I’m saying is the SB150 climbs at least as good(up fire roads) and is way more capable going down.   Perhaps tight, technical switch backs would better highlight the 140 attributes(baby wheels). 

Coming down a flow trail I found the bike accelerated incredibly fast compared to my larger wheeled bikes.  It was definitely at home under loads of power on up and down terrain.  The 140 was also really easy to jump off just about anything.  I find that the SI system helps with this on all their recent bikes though.  When the trail got chunky I had no problems keeping up with a really fast buddy of mine on his enduro bike, but I couldn’t plow over terrain quite as confidently as I am used to on my larger wheeled bikes.  I also think the low rise bars with a lower than usual bar height was forcing me in to a more awkward position, even with all the spacers under the stem.  I’m used to weighting the front of the bike, just not used to being so hunched over.  Looking back I should have swapped to a shorter stem and higher rise bars anyway as the 60mm stem feels a bit silly on this bike.

My last thoughts on this bike is why?  Why would someone choose this over an SB130?  I am certainly not convinced I would want the 140 over the fantastic 29ers that Yeti has recently released.  Sure the small wheels were not so bad that I would have any problems recommending this bike, but when you compare it to the SB130 well, I think the 130 is more capable, probably climbed at least as well, and is just as easy to manual, whip, and get loose.  Even though the 140 is a fantastic bike I was personally thinking what if they made a SB 140 29er?  Does that sound ridiculous considering Yetis current line up of bikes? Maybe, but I still think it would have made this bike better. If you are dead set on a 27.5 Agressive trail bike, definitely put this on your short list.  



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Specifications

Product
Yeti SB140 T2
Model Year
2020
Riding Type
Enduro / All-Mountain
Trail
Rider
Unisex
Sizes and Geometry
XS
S
M
L
XL
Wheel Size
27.5" (650b)
Frame Material
Carbon Fiber
Frame Material Details
TURQ series carbon fiber with internal cable routing and molded rubber frame protection
Rear Travel
140mm
Rear Shock
FOX Factory DPX2
Fork
FOX 36 Factory GRIP2. 37mm Offset
Fork Travel
160mm
Head Tube Diameter
Tapered (41mm/52mm)
Headset
Cane Creek 40 Integrated
Handlebar
Yeti Carbon 35mm dia. x 780mm width
Stem
Race Face Turbine Basic, 35mm dia. x 50mm length
Grips
ODI Elite Pro
Brakes
SRAM G2 RSC with SRAM Centerline 180mm rotors
Brake Levers
SRAM G2 RSC
Drivetrain
1x
Shifters
SRAM X01 Eagle
Front Derailleur
N/A
Rear Derailleur
SRAM X01 Eagle
ISCG Tabs
ISCG 05
Chainguide
None included
Cranks
SRAM X1 Eagle 170mm
Chainrings
30 tooth
Bottom Bracket
SRAM DUB Press-Fit BB92
Pedals
None included
Chain
SRAM GX Eagle
Cassette
SRAM X01 Eagle XG-1295 10-50 tooth
Rims
DT Swiss M1700 wheelset, 30mm inner width
Hubs
DT Swiss M1700 wheelset
Spokes
DT Swiss M1700 wheelset
Tires
Front: Maxxis Minion DHF EXO, 27.5" x 2.6"
Rear: Maxxis Rekon EXO, 27.5" x 2.6"
Saddle
WTB Volt Custom
Seatpost
FOX Transfer, travel on size XS-S: 125mm, M: 150mm, L-XL: 175mm
Seatpost Diameter
31.6mm
Seatpost Clamp
Standard single bolt
Rear Dropout / Hub Dimensions
Boost 12x148mm
Max. Tire Size
27.5" x 2.6"
Bottle Cage Mounts
Yes
Colors
Grey, inferno, turquoise
Warranty
Lifetime frame warranty and crash replacement program
Weight
29 lb 2.3 oz (13,220 g)
Miscellaneous
Frame features:
- Switch Infinity translating pivot
- Custom downtube protector and chain guards
- Internally molded carbon tubes inside of the frame for improved cable routing
- Integrated axle and derailleur hanger system

Upgrade options:
- DT Swiss XMC 1200 wheels, 30mm inner width
- SRAM XX1 AXS drivetrain

Price
$7,399.00
More Info
What do you think?
Where To Buy
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply.
Free shipping on orders over $50 (continental U.S. only).
International shipping available. Some exclusions apply.
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