First Look: Yeti’s New SB140 – Splitting the Difference – Pinkbike

If you want that 150mm-travel fork and a slightly lighter build kit, pricing starts at $6,400 for the C1 or $6,700 USD for the C2. Turq-framed bikes start with the $8,600 T2 and $10,000 T3, or you can get the top-end T4 for $11,500 USD. There are eleven different SB140s to choose from, as well as the $4,500 frame, so head over to Yeti’s website for all the specs and details.

Frame details

The new look of the SB140 a lot like the previous version, but the differences are more obvious up close…or if you’ve already read about their other new bikes. The low bulbous piece of carbon in front of the bottom bracket has finally been reduced to a slimmer shape that also offers more ground clearance. This is also where you’ll find a dual-density downtube protector that uses a softer inner layer combined with a harder cap bolted to the top, all of which can be removed for easier downtube routing. telescopic saddle.

The cables go in and out at the usual places, but Yeti’s little clamps have been added at each of these points which gently hold them in place and should prevent excess slack from vibrating inside the frame. Other notables include a switch to a threaded bottom bracket shell rather than Pressfit BB92, plenty of rubberized guards on the swingarm, and a relatively cheap and easy-to-find universal derailleur hanger.

Yeti also changed a bunch of things in the suspension department with an eye on reliability, including pressing all of the bike’s bearings into metal suspension components rather than carbon front or rear triangles. It makes sense for all the obvious manufacturing and long-term reasons, but it’s also easier and less risky to remove and install bearings in a piece of aluminum than some expensive hand-laid carbon fiber. There are also new floating-clamp pivot axles to hold it all together, and Turq-series frames see better seals, bearings, and hardware used in the Switch Infinity Slider Unit compared to C-spec frames that use the Elements. from last year.

What’s all this about Turq and the C-series? Both versions of the frame are made in the same location and look identical on the outside, but Yeti says the Turq versions “are made with the highest quality carbon fiber available and offer the perfect balance of stiffness and compliance.” . The C-Series frames receive “small changes to the carbon fiber layup” that make them cheaper to manufacture, hence the slightly lower price for complete builds. Ride quality and frame stiffness are said to be identical, but the sophisticated frame of the SB140 Turq weighs 3,375 grams, which is 174 less than the peasant-y C version when they are both equipped with the same Fox DPS shock.

Suspension details

Some of us thought the new SB160 might use a similar six-bar layout as the motorized E160, but Yeti stuck with a slightly revised version of the Switch Infinity slider design they’ve been refining for years. It’s the same story with the SB140 too, and that’s a good thing; we’ve always liked the balanced nature of the Switch Infinity for the way it’s always managed to do the pedal and shock absorption jobs just as well.

Yeti has an interesting history with unconventional suspension designs, and if you’re unfamiliar with Switch Infinity, here’s the gist. The solid rear triangle floats on two links; the upper drives the shock through a split clevis and is pretty plain, but not so low down. This is where you’ll see the main pivot sits on a black anodized aluminum bracket that slides up and down on two Kashima coated rails and a set of upgraded bushings. Grease ports let you inject love as needed without taking the whole thing apart, and Yeti also added better seals, bearings and hardware.

What is all this for? “As Switch Infinity reverses direction, the anti-squat decreases dramatically for freedom of suspension movement,” says Yeti, with the black stand sliding on the two gold rails in the first part of the bike’s travel for added support. anti-squat and better over-feeling power, before dropping back down later in the stroke so the chain has less effect on the suspension action.

Geometry

Refinement continues in the geometry department, with a few small changes here and there, but also the notable move to size-specific basics. While the previous version had a 433mm rear across the range, the new bike is 2mm longer per size, starting at 436mm for the small and up to 444mm for the double extra-large. The same goes for the actual seat angles which start at 71.8 and go up to 77.3 degrees on the Lunch Ride version (slightly steep on normal models).

Lunch Ride builds have a 160mm-travel fork that puts the head angle at an even 65 degrees, while less aggressive builds with 150mm forks sit at 65.4 degrees. Reaches range from 435mm to 525mm, with a tall seat at 485mm and an effective top tube length of 623mm.