Over the years, Yeti has increased the travel of their shortest-travel Super Bike. What started as the SB100, turned into the SB115 and now the latest incarnation, the SB120. Through its evolution, they haven’t just changed the shock stroke to get more travel and called it good. No. They have completely re-engineered the entire frame, suspension and geometry to optimize it for the travel and intended use. Now aimed squarely as a trail bike, Yeti still intends for it to blur lines between all-mountain and XC. The cool kids call it “downcountry” and I’m good with calling the SB120 one of the premier downcountry bikes on the market.
2023 Yeti SB120 T3 X0 Transmission Features:
- Light and stiff TURQ series carbon layup
- 120mm rear travel using Yet’s Switch Infinity design
- Optimized geometry that’s responsive and agile
- Built around a 130mm fork (Fox Factory 34 GRIP2 130mm)
- 6 frame sizes, with size-specific geometries
- Internal, rattle-free cable management
- DT Swiss XM1700 30mm wheelset
- SRAM X0 Eagle AXS Transmission groupset
- SRAM G2 RSC brakes with 180mm rotors
- Fox Transfer mechanical dropper post
- Maxxis Minion DHF 2.5 front and Aggressor 2.3 EXO rear
- Yeti Carbon 35x780mm riser bar
- Threaded BB and UDH compatible
- Weight: 29.3 lbs (large, actual)
- MSRP: $9300
Getting trail-ready
Thanks to the myriad of direct-to-consumer brands, even bikes shipped to shops come pre-assembled and nearly ready-to-ride. Yeti does still remove both the front and rear wheels for shipping, but assembly remains straightforward and minimal. As of now, you can’t buy a Yeti direct from their web site and have it shipped to your door. However, CompetitiveCyclist or your local shop will perform the final assembly and have it ready for you to ride.
Dropping the wheels in place and setting up the cockpit was a breeze — with familiar stack and reach compared to other modern downcountry bikes, I felt immediately at home. I swapped out the grips for a set of Ergon GE1 EVO’s but the rest remained completely stock. With a wide, carbon bar and a spectacular build kit, the SB120 T3 X0 leaves nothing to be desired.
Setting up the SRAM X0 Eagle AXS Transmission is a breeze — even compared to the GX Eagle AXS kit. Alignment and shifting just plain works. The AXS Pod Controller is different from the GX AXS Eagle Controller and, I’m not sure I like it as much as the GX model (more on that later).
Shock setup is a breeze using Yeti’s online setup tool. Just punch in your bike info and weight and everything is outlined for you — plain and simple. The results below are what I got when entering this bike and my 173 lb weight.
The beauty of this is it gets everything into the best starting point for every rider. From here, you can comfortably change a click