While Yeti already revamped their enduro & cross-country bikes in the past week, the new in-between SB140 trail bike might be the most versatile of all. Getting back to the purest definition of a mountain bike for all types of riding – both uphill and back down again – this new trail bike bleeds over to all-mountain capability thanks to bigger wheels, refined suspension, and the latest in do-it-all geometry…
2023 Yeti SB140 carbon 29er trail bike
Just like their SB150 EWS bike became the longer SB160 last week, and the SB115 XC became the more capable SB120 this week, no it’s the trail bike’s turn. But Yeti already had a ripper 130mm 29er & a playful 140mm 27.5 trail bike, so now they smash them together into one 140mm travel 29er SB140 that pairs with a 160mm travel fork in the LR Lunch Ride builds or 150mm forks for the quicker standard builds.
What’s new?
Just like the other new bikes, the new SB140 29er gets revised frame shaping with new Switch Infinity V2 suspension updates – with a slightly more linear shock curve that ramps up to 14% progression at the end for a bottomless feel. It’s less of a giant leap aesthetically from the most recent SB130 & SB140. But the functional upgrades are many!
A new return to threaded bottom brackets with ISCG tabs, a new downtube kink that offers better clearance against rock strikes, new dual-density downtube protection & extra-quiet chainstay protector, a new Universal Derailleur Hanger (UDH), upgrades fully-enclosed channel internal cable routing with lock-down cable ports…
…a shift to standard-size Enduro Max bearings now pressed directly into the linkage, and the floating collet axle pivot design that ensures more perfect alignment and thus smoother suspension movement.
Plus, the Switch Infinity V2 translational slider by Fox gets the same improved seals, bearings & hardware for smoother suspension action.
That’s a whole slew of improvements, lurking inside a familiar-looking trail bike.
Geometry & Tech Details
Of course, there are some geometry upgrades too. The new SB140 LR 29er gets the same slack 65° head angle as the previous generation 27.5 bike, with an effective seat angle still at a sweet spot of 77°. The standard SB140 29er is 65.4° up front & 77/5° at the seat, effectively making it a bit steeper like the old 29er – just now with more rear travel.
Fit figures look a bit different on the new Lunch Ride bike, mostly because of the move from a XS-XL range to a S-XXL in the move to 29″ wheels. It’s the same 5-size range, but the bikes all essentially get one size longer Reach, and around 2cm higher Stack thanks to the larger front wheel. Interestingly, rider height off the ground (and center of mass) doesn’t change much as the BB height is only 2mm higher with bigger wheels (i.e. more BB drop). But standover heights increase quite a bit, which essentially explains why Yeti no longer sees fit to call the littlest frame an extra small.
2023 Yeti SB140 29er – Pricing & options
Like all the new Yetis, the carbon SB140 comes in two carbon layup specs – the more affordable but still pricey C/Series and the super-pricey Turq series – and in four color options: Turquoise, Raw Carbon, Sangria purple & Sage green. LR specs get 160m Fox 36 Factory forks, Maxxis Minion 2.5″ DHF/2.4″ DHR2 EXO casing tires & more powerful brakes. Standard builds get 150m Fox 36 Factory forks, narrower 2.3″ Aggressor EXO rear tires & lighter 4-piston brakes.
Only the premium Turq version is available as a carbon frameset and only in the Lunch Ride LR spec (although it’s really the same without a fork anyway), selling for $4500 with a Fox Factory shock.
Complete bikes start at $6400 for the C1 with Shimano SLX/XT or $6700 for the C2 with SRAM GX Eagle. The premium carbon Turq complete bikes with Fox Factory suspension start at $8600 for the T2 with GX/X01, $10,000 for the T3 with XX1/X01/GX AXS.
And they top out at a whopping $11,500 for the Yeti SB120 T4 with XX1 AXS, G2 Ultimate brakes. Carbon CD EXC 1511 wheels are available as an extra upgrade for any Turq builds.
2023 Yeti SB140 carbon 29er all-mountain trail bike,
Lunch Ride specs are about the same but add an extra $200 to the price tag, plus an additional CLR C3 build for $7800 with GX AXS.
