Why That Bike? | Yeti SB150 4

SuperBike by name, super bike by nature.

If you've ever cruised our Bike Check section, the largest collection of badass bike builds on the internet, you know that Vital members spare no expense when it comes to radifying their rides. Always on the hunt for a backstory, we reached out to the owners of these five fantabulous builds to find out what went into each project. These rigs are all both drool-worthy and shred-worthy, so jump right in to get stoked.

About the Yeti SB150

One of the very latest in a long line of "SuperBikes" from the Colorado brand, the SB150 ticks all the boxes a modern enduro rig should tick. Long, slack, and ready to get rowdy, this bike can pretty much do anything, and it will look damn good while doing it too.

View the Yeti SB150 in our Product Guide.


Jumpin Jack Flash's Yeti SB150

Age: 56

Where do you live? Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Favorite local trail to ride? This bike is too big for my local trails so I take this bike on my bike holidays. Favourites are Blue Derby - Tasmania, Maydena - Tasmania, and Rotorua - New Zealand.

Why did you pick the SB150? I picked the SB150 because it's a Yeti, and to replace an older bike with one that has the latest geo.

Is this SB150 your only bike? I also have a custom built 2018 Yeti SB4.5 Turq.

What bike did this replace / What bike were you on before this? This bike replace my 2017 Santa Cruz Bronson CC.

Did you go for an off-the-shelf build or did you customize the build? All my bikes from 2017 have been custom built.

What’s your favorite part about the bike? The best part of this bike is the suspension, FLOAT DHX2 coil shock and the FOX 36 Grip 2 fork, to which I've added the Push Industries ACS3 conversion.

What would you change on it? The only parts I would change would be a One up Components handlebar, and maybe going to a longer dropper (170mm wasn't available at the time).

How long do you plan on riding this bike? No plans to swap this bike out. But I guess if there are improved geometries developed in the future I would consider it. 

If you could get another new bike (any kind/type) right now, what would you get? At the moment I'm only considering swapping out the SB4.5 to the latest geo. So the short list are the Santa Cruz Tallboy and the Ibis Ripley. 

View Jumpin Jack Flash's Bike Check.


bajk's Yeti SB150

Where do you live? Warsaw, Poland.

Favorite local trail to ride? We don’t really have many interesting local trails here - mountains start about 3 hours drive from my home. My favourite local place is called "Lasek Bielanski (Bielanski’s forrest)” - some jumps and short downhill/uphill sections can be enjoyed there. 

Why did you pick the Yeti SB150? I was a big fan of my previous SB6 and I could see a lot of benefits of the Switch Infinity system. This (and turquoise) basically made me a Yeti fan. My local Yeti dealer (hello Bartek!) was pushing me to test a SB 5.5 - I noticed that with the SB5.5 I was indeed faster on both uphill and downhill sections. Unfortunately the SB5.5 wasn’t as playful as the SB6 was so I passed. When the SB150 was released and I saw its geometry I couldn’t make any other decision than to get it.

Is this SB150 your only bike? I have currently three bikes. SB150, Canyon Endurace and my first real mountain bike - pimped up GT Zaskar from around 2000.

What bike did this replace / What bike were you on before this? SB6. I still miss it from time to time. 

Did you go for an off-the-shelf build or did you customize the build? I bought the base SB150 Turq model and replaced a few things - GX/X01 things were replaced with XX1 and the dropper post with the Kashima version. The seat was also replaced to my favourite one (WTB Volt with carbon rails). The bike came already with the XT brakes but I’m used to seeing “Saint” there so I had to take care of this as well. I’m also into motorsports so I knew what Ohlins suspension can do to a rally car so the last step was to replace rear and front suspension.

What’s your favorite part about the bike? Suspension.

What would you change on it? Not much to be precise. Things that I’m currently planning to change are the handlebar and the stem.

How long do you plan on riding this bike? I think I won’t be getting a new one for 2020 season. Let's see what manufacturers will bring for 2021.

If you could get another new bike (any kind/type) right now, what would you get? I need to get a hardtail for local spin-ups as SB150 is overkill ;-)

View bajk's Bike Check.


atekerian's Yeti SB150

Age: 62

Where do you live? Ramsey NJ, USA.

Favorite local trail to ride? Ringwood-Sterling Forest combined trails.

Why did you pick the Yeti SB150? I ride both trail and Park (Mountain Creek) and was looking for one bike that could crush both. I test rode a bunch of terrific enduro bikes. The SB150 had the best combined ability to climb tech trails and bomb down the gnarly descents.

Is this SB150 your only bike? No. I have a single speed hard tail, a plus hard tail and a road bike.

What bike did this replace / What bike were you on before this? Yeti SB 5.5 which was an amazing trail bike and not bad at the park.

Did you go for an off-the-shelf build or did you customize the build? Custom as you can see from the pictures. Thanks to the terrific guys at Tenafly Bicycle Workshop and their Custom Lab it turned out spectacular.  Pictures were taken by Clark Adams Photography.  Customization include Ibis Carbon i9 wheels, Hope brakes, i9 stem and Bike Yoke dropper.

What’s your favorite part about the bike? Frame for sure. I love the geo and the Switch Infinity suspension.

What would you change on it? Would love to try a coil shock.

How long do you plan on riding this bike? Several years - I have yet to ride a bike I would replace this with...and I demo a lot of bikes.

If you could get another new bike (any kind/type) right now, what would you get? A more trail - XC oriented bike like an Ibis Ripley to complement this baby.

View atekerian's Bike Check.


weekndr's Yeti SB150

Age: 31

Where do you live? Boulder, Colorado, USA.

Favorite local trail to ride? Hall Ranch, Lyons Colorado (specifically Bitterbrush).

Why did you pick the Yeti SB150? Wanted to support a local CO biking company, and after 1 demo ride, I was hooked!

Is this SB150 your only bike? Yes, it is currently my only bike. 

What bike did this replace / What bike were you on before this? My SB150 replaced a 2015 Devinci Spartan Carbon (27.5).

Did you go for an off-the-shelf build or did you customize the build? Completely Custom, hand picked every component, and have been tweaking the build for over a year now.

What’s your favorite part about the bike? The all coil Suspension. PUSH Industries ElevenSix in the rear, and their ACS-3 Coil Conversion kit in the Fox 36. All the plushness...

What would you change on it? It's near perfect, but have been wanting to try the new ZIPP 3zero Moto wheels. This would allow me to drop some weight by removing the CushCore. I would also throw a Shimano XTR cassette on the new wheel set to have an AXSish setup (SRAM AXS/Shimano 12 speed).

How long do you plan on riding this bike? With YETI's new lifetime warranty, for life. Or until I need a crash replacement...

If you could get another new bike (any kind/type) right now, what would you get? I've been eyeing a second bike, possibly a short travel 29er (Santa Cruz Tallboy 4) or a Hardtail (REEB ReDikyelous). But also toying with the idea of building a YETI SB165 mullet bike.

View weekndr's Bike Check.


Kbut69's Yeti SB150

Age: 26

Where do you live? Costa Mesa, California, USA.

Favorite local trail to ride? I can't disclose that information...LOL! Laguna Ridge (T&A) is my favorite sanctioned trail though ;) 

Why did you pick the Yeti SB150? I was looking for a bike with the best climbing-platform to descending-capability ratio. I was between the SB130, SB150 and the Pivot Firebird 29. Through testing all three, I found that the SB150 not only climbs just as well as its shorter travel counterpart, but also has the most confidence inspiring descending platform I have ever experienced riding a bike. The Firebird was ruled out early on when I decided I wanted to transfer my (non-super-boost) WeAreOne wheelset from my previous bike to the new one. I do really love the way the Firebird 29 rides, but once again, the SB150 can't be beat when pointed downhill.

Is this SB150 your only bike? I also have a Raleigh gravel bike that I ride when my mountain bike is out of commission or want to get a quick fitness ride in.

What bike did this replace / What bike were you on before this? A 2018 Intense Carbine. This was a fun bike, however, the reach number that the size Large had (455 I think) was a bit too short for my height (6'1), and the 74-degree seat tube angle hindered its climbing capabilities quite a bit. Again, it was a great bike, but in the spirit of being nit-picky, I feel obligated to call out those details.

Did you go for an off-the-shelf build or did you customize the build? 100% custom.

What’s your favorite part about the bike? Pure speed. The SB150 wants you to go faster than you may be comfortable with. It catches you when you slip though, and calms all nerves with gentle reminders that you're in control. Aesthetically, I love the way that the orange Fox 36 lowers contrasts the dark gray frame. The simplicity that Yeti decided to go with paint/logo-wise for their 2020 line-up is also fantastic.

What would you change on it? I will be swapping my TRP G-Spec Trail SLC brakes for Formula Cura 4 brakes very soon. I do like the TRP brakes but I have been wanting to test Formula's offerings for some time now.

How long do you plan on riding this bike? About a year.

If you could get another new bike (any kind/type) right now, what would you get? I have my eyes on the new EVIL Chamois Hagar.

View Kbut69's Bike Check.


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