Yeti MT: Our Full Review

My favorite bike of all time is the SB140. I’ve owned 2 of them, and truly believe that it is the 1 bike quiver killer or perfect balance to an E-MTB. So I was excited (and slightly apprehensive) to try the new replacement for this bike, the Yeti MT. Does the move to a Sixfinity trail bike (6 bar suspension platform) really stand up to its amazing predecessor… let’s see. 

Why I Love The SB140:

It’s worth outlining what makes the SB140 a great trail bike and setting the ground rules before we go into the MT. The SB140 is a bike that definitively knows what it is. It’s a trail bike and it focuses on doing that really well. The bike climbs in a manner that makes it pedal-able on faster group rides, it descends so well that you very well mistake it for having more travel than it does, and it has a very premium frame fit and finish that is arguably the best in the industry. The one area of improvement would be adjustments; the SB140 does not feature a flip chip, geometry adjust, or even the ability to run an angle or reach adjust headset. Luckily they got the geo spot on so this wasn’t really needed. 

Yeti MT - First Impressions (from a Mechanic):

Pulling the new MT out of the box felt familiar, perfect protective packaging, stunningly good paint, and a warm feeling of getting to ride a new bike. Getting the bike in the stand gave me the opportunity to really inspect the frame and confirm that it does have the same premium finish that we have come to expect with Yeti bikes. The frame ports on the bike are my favorite in the industry, the carbon layup in the frame looks immaculate, and they built on the SB140 by allowing more frame adjustment, such as with the shock leverage adjustments, and by adding in internal frame storage. 

My only “negative” comment on the bike comes in regard to the tube in tube internal routing. The bike does have this, but for some reason it ends a few inches before the bb, so you are left with the job of fishing the brake line the last little bit. Not a big deal at all, but we highly recommend getting an internal routing kit (such as the Parktool IR 1.2) if you plan on building the bike yourself, or just have us build it for you ;). 

Side Note: The build kit is pretty standard for a premium bike in this category, so we are going to gloss over this quickly and really focus on the frameset. Build kit features: X0 T-Type Shifting, Sram Maven Brakes, Fox Factory 36 / Float X, DT Swiss Carbon Wheels, Conti Kryptotal / Xynotal Tires.

Ride Dynamics and Impressions: 

This bike rips. Simple and plain. I spent multiple days riding this bike across many different terrains and trail types. From bike parks and big jumps, to local trails and XC loops. I put the hours in on this bike so we can give you a full comprehensive breakdown.

In the bike park this thing feels incredible. Planted in the chunk, perfect braking over the blown out bumps, and nothing but stability when taking it into the air. The first couple of laps I had this thing under-sprung but didn’t really feel it (I saw that the sag ring was bottomed out, but the bike was supportive enough that I wasn’t feeling the bottom out). Once the pressures were corrected this bike truly lit up and showed me what it was capable of. 

The stand out area for this bike is the rear wheel. Traction through the back end is something that I was expecting to feel, but I wasn’t expecting to have so much grip that it would make breaking the rear end loose difficult. I’ve felt this on the LTe, MTe, LT, and now the MT, Sixinfty isn’t just a gimmick and does have some benefits that the everyday rider can feel. 

Being transparent, I didn’t see any geo charts before riding, so everything was based on feel. Comparing directly to an SB140, the reach and fit of the bike felt immediately familiar, though the front end was just a tad taller than what I personally like. Going downhill MT feels like it carries about 10% more capability. It’s a touch more stout, more planted in fast / rough sections, and feels very stable in the air. Efficiency when going up the hill felt about the same as the SB140, however when climbing technical sections of trail, the MT does better because of more traction. The first bit of travel feels more supple than switch infinity sprung bikes and the support when things get hairy is very confident. 

Let’s just say that I am very happy with the MT. Once I get my personal bike and can build as I want, then I will report back on if this is my new favorite bike of all time. Time will ultimately tell. 

So, Who Is This Bike For?

The industry is changing, and we see that most riders are asking for 2 bikes: their E-MTB and a do it all trail bike. For me this perfectly fits into that do it all trail bike category. It climbs well, is playful, fun to ride, and most importantly, also carries enough capability to ride almost any trail in the world. The bike is not cheap, but it’s one of those times where we can guarantee that you only have to buy once and cry once. 

If you are local to Southern California, then I highly recommend you come by our Newport Beach store and try this bike for yourself. We have a demo in a size large and have a medium on the way. Click here to demo.

Click Here To Shop Yeti MT