Yeti Cycles

SB150 Turq X01 Eagle Race Mountain Bike

We figured once Yeti reconfigured the Switch Infinity system on its SB100, making it possible to fit a water bottle inside the front triangle, and with the almost universally accepted move to a shorter 44mm fork offset on 29ers across the industry, to accommodate those slacker geos and longer wheelbases, we'd be treated to some new Yeti big wheel bikes soon. Well, we're excited to report that Yeti's newest 29er, the SB150, has arrived and it's the biggest and baddest wagon wheeler yet from the firm that calls Golden, CO home. Six plush inches of travel governed through its much-lauded Switch Infinity provides the kinematics creating a ride that simply gobbles up the burliest terrain and big hits at warp speed with ease, yet pedals with an amazing amount of efficiency so you'll never pass it up on those all-day epic rides or feel like you're wasting a ton of energy on enduro stage transfers. Further cranking up the capability of this bike over the SB5.5 includes adding an extra 10mm of travel up front to the FOX 36 fork, bringing it to 170mm, slackening the headtube to an almost DH-friendly 64.5-degrees and steepening the seat tube to 77-degrees, stretching the wheelbase, and shortening the chainstays down to 433mm, afforded by the new 1x-specific design. These changes all contribute to a ride that’s extremely stable when the going gets rough and the trail is steep, but it doesn't sacrifice that nimbleness, agility, and pop we desire on tighter trails. Furthermore, Yeti tested this frame to downhill standards, which it passed with flying colors, and goes to show where it reckons this bike will find its riding environment on a regular basis. This particular bike, the SB150 Turq X01 Eagle Race Complete Mountain Bike, does an excellent job of proving exactly what we want in a build, like a TURQ frame, FOX Factory goodness, and SRAM's X01 group, providing the weight savings, durability, and performance were after without having to win the lottery.

With DH World Cups and enduros being contested and won on big wheel bikes these days, the legitimacy of wagon wheels is here to stay with even the likes of Yeti's own Richie Rude piloting a 29er on certain Enduro World Series courses. Of course, modern geometry, updated materials, boost spacing, and refined suspension designs have all gone a long way in removing almost all of the complaints and preconceived notions folks had with 29ers and instead allow riders to focus on the incredible roll-over ability and outright speed big wheels contribute to the ride. If you're looking to cover ground quickly or have any ambitions to race super-d events or enduros, we would absolutely recommend the SB150. It's ideal for going fast when the trail takes a downward trajectory with its 64.5-degree head tube angle providing tons of confidence when pointing the front end down a precipitous drop, however, the shorter offset FOX fork brings the front tire's contact patch closer to your center of gravity, so traction isn't compromised over loose surfaces.

This model's frame benefits from Yeti's TURQ Series carbon fiber which consists of the highest quality materials Yeti can get its hands on and it offers up the perfect balance of stiffness, strength, weight, and compliance. This contributes to a ride that's more composed over chunky sections of trail and surefooted in high-speed corners or anytime your stepping on the gas. By using a higher modulus carbon fiber, Yeti is able to shed around 400 grams from the standard Carbon series frames which will certainly lend a helping hand on climbs and pedal-heavy trail sessions. Yeti is so confident that it's perfected its carbon manufacturing process that its now offering a lifetime warranty to the original owner on the frame.

The heart of Yeti’s suspension design is its Switch Infinity platform and with the new SB150, its use of some clever new linkages and a metric shock provide that unmistakable Yeti ride while now appeasing mountain bike forums as it offers water bottle placement inside the triangle. You can expect the same excellent support deep in its travel, super sensitive small bump compliance, with an excellent amount of anti-squat needed for efficient pedaling and serious climbing. On paper, given the geometry and travel numbers, this bike qualifies as a ripper of a descender, that's a given. What surprises us is how well it goes uphill too. Not only were we impressed with how little the metric Factory X2 shock is bothered on the assents, it provides an amazing amount of traction when needed for clawing its way up the loosest, steepest, and most ledgy terrain we could find. We're sure the steep 77-degree seat tube angle has something to do with it too, but whatever it is, Yeti nailed the formula. Furthermore, both the custom-tuned shock and the bike's unique variable leverage ratio allow for excellent mid-stroke support that keeps the bike from wallowing in its travel, provides excellent support while railing berms, and offers a playful, poppy feel that doesn't have any problem getting sent off any jumps, hips, or transitions the trail or bike park put in front of you.

As we mentioned above, this build checks off everything important we look for spec wise and doesn't have us wishing for any upgrades anytime soon. It also leaves a little more in our wallets relative to the XX1 build that we'll happily put towards travel and race expenses. This SRAM X01 Eagle Race build differs slightly from the standard X01 build with the aim of dropping weight and adding some performance touches. The wheels are upgraded to DT Swiss XM 1501 Spline Ones and instead of the XT brakes, downhill-worthy SRAM Code RSC brakes get the call-up, which is a smart choice since you'll be needing to reign in all that speed with equal parts outright power and modulation with one digit. FOX Factory suspension with Kashima coating handles the squishy bits offering a wide range of adjustments to help dial it in for your individual weight, riding style, and terrain so you can charge the hardest lines and revel in how composed the ride is. The frame has clearance for modern 2.5-inch trail rubber and Yeti has bumped up the seat tube diameter from 30.9 to 31.6mm. Lastly, this frame update also features a new internal tunnel routing which makes the bike a lot quieter and a whole lot easier on the maintenance front so you can keep this all-mountain slayer performing in tip-top condition all year long.