Jared's Yeti SB140 Bike Check - Third Time's The Charm?

Words & Photos by Jared Erickson

Yes, I do have a bike part addiction. This is my second Yeti SB140, and this happens to be the third different drivetrain and brake setup I've run on this exact frame, with a few other tweaks and changes here and there that I'll get into. Now, without any backstory or specifics that might sound insane... and even with the backstory that might still sound insane. I will fully allow my sanity to be questioned, but for now, let's dive into the details and allow me to explain.

Drivetrain

The first version of this bike used a perfectly good SRAM X01 Eagle drivetrain, paired with this very same RaceFace ERA crank that has held up incredibly well over the years. This might be the third or fourth bike I've run this crank on and I've put thousands of miles on them in the years I've had them. The stainless steel wear plate has done its job admirably and the carbon has shown minimal wear in the way of rock strikes. Back to the drivetrain - I decided to cannibalize that X01 drivetrain for another build when I started testing Shimano's XTR Di2 Drivetrain and brakes, which is now on my Yeti ASR and is where it will likely live for years to come. I happened to get my hands an Eagle 90 derailleur and it all snowballed from there - I'd been wanting to try mechanical T-Type on one of my bikes since it came out and now I've finally pulled the trigger (shifter).

I felt like the robust nature of Eagle 90 paired with my all-mountain slaying SB140 was the perfect match. The whole idea of this bike build (rebuild?) was to build a bike that had a robust drivetrain that I could thrash, as well as familiar components that could be fixed on the trail if needed. AKA no electronic things that can fail or batteries that can die. Not that that's ever happened to me or anything.

This Eagle 90 build is made up of a standard Eagle 90 derailleur & trigger shifter, an X0 T-Type cassette & chain, and said RaceFace ERA cranks & carbon chainring. So far I have been impressed with how smooth the shifting is under power and I love the simplicity and looks. The setup process for mechanical T-Type is a bit interesting and has it's own particular processes, but once you get it dialed it's extremely impressive. Some lament the lack of options for a higher end mechanical T-Type shifter, and to be honest it's not extremely satisfying to use like some of SRAM's higher end options, but it gets the job done.

Brakes

I know what you're probably thinking... Code RSC's? Aren't those brakes like 8 years old? Well, yes they are, but they still work amazingly well and have that familiar feel that I previously mentioned - I have probably had codes on 10 different bikes at this point, so when I hop on the bike it's like reuniting with an old friend. You know that saying "if it aint broke, don't fix it"? I'm a huge fan of these brakes, and the metallic pads paired with 200mm SRAM HS2 rotors front and rear I have plenty of consistent power on tap for everything I'm doing on this bike. Plus, they still look great to me, and I like how the levers keep the cables a little further off the handlebars unlike a lot of the newer brakes on the market that are seemingly optimized for internal headset cable routing.

When I first built this bike it was running a set of Magura MT7s which I liked for a bit but became frustrated with their extremely tight tolerance window and had an unnerving lever inconsistency with large altitude changes. Now I can really set em and forget em - I've never had a problem with Codes. The lever feel is light and they have incredible modulation that I absolutely love. Maybe one day I'll splurge for a set of Mavens, but for now there's no need.

Suspension

Is the Fox 36 the ultimate all mountain fork? It might be, but in this world you are allowed to like whatever you want, and there are plenty of incredible suspension options these days. I happen to have an affinity for Fox suspension and the Grip X 160mm Fox 36 happens to suit this bike quite well. The Grip X has plenty of adjustment for my needs at this point, and I have never really felt like it lacked at any point in my riding. I may splurge for a Grip X2 at some point but that may just be my curiosity taking over my sensibilities. 

In my opinion, the Float X is the most underrated rear shock on the market. Or for all I know it might be revered but also overshadowed by some of the sexier options out there. But it's versatility, reliability and performance are seriously impressive and I've always gotten along with it. I have been absolutely thrashing this shock for nearly two years now and if I'm honest I have never even removed the air can. Probably not something I should admit. But it works so well and it's the perfect pairing for a do it all bike. Kind of like how I have considered putting a Grip X2 damper in the fork, I too have considered putting a Float X2 rear shock on this bike to really up the plush factor and downhill performance, but that also lands on the side of "definitely don't need" and "stop spending money on things that are totally fine". Maybe one day my curiosity will get the better of me and if it does, you'll know.

Wheels & Tires

I've played around with plenty of tire setups over the last couple of years. Too many to count. For this bike I was really looking for a combination that balanced rolling speed and grip, until I found the Schwalbe radials. Then I fell in love. These tires have an incredibly damped feel on the trail that I am obsessed with, and the grip is on another level. Especially on trails with embedded rocks, you can really feel the way the tire conforms to the terrain. I've been running the Magic Mary up front in the trail casing and supersoft compound, with the Albert Trails in the soft compound out back. They aren't too heavy or slow and I feel like they really work quite well on this bike, and they allow me to really push the limits of what this bike is capable of. 

These RaceFace ERA Carbon wheels have been extremely impressive in the time that I have been riding them. They have proven to be exceptionally reliable and I have yet to even touch them with a spoke wrench in the nearly two years I have been riding them. They continue to spin damn near perfectly true and the Vault hubs have been quite trouble free as well - I've never had an issue with them and they have great engagement as well as a nice freehub sound to go with it. Not bad at all for some of the lighter carbon wheels made for this type of abuse.

Dropper Post & Lever

You might be seeing a theme here with my components in that a few of them have stood the test of time and abuse. The latest Fox Transfer dropper post is one of them. Lots of people have had issues with prior generations (including myself) where the post would stick part way through its travel and would have a hard time topping out, some people were even unlucky enough to have that issue right out of the box. This post has been one of the most trouble free dropper posts I've ever used, along with the Transfer NEO I have on my ASR. One thing that Fox fixed on this post is the ability to adjust the pressure and in turn the return speed. I recently serviced this post for the first time and all I did was remove the collar of the post, add some slick honey, top up the pressure in the cartridge and it was better than new. 

Another product I've been keen to try since its release was Wolf Tooth's ReMote Pro. It offers a unique cam to increase leverage at the lever and as a result it produces an extremely satisfying top out of the dropper post with each actuation. One of my favorite parts of electronic components like electronic dropper posts is how easy they are to actuate and once I swapped the Transfer NEO onto my ASR I was hoping to get that ease of actiation back to this bike. With the ReMote Pro I feel as though I was able to get as close to that feeling as I could. I would definitely put this in my top dropper levers of all time.

Cockpit & Contact Points

You already know Trail One is the name of the game when it comes to the cockpit. On this bike I'm running a 32mm Rockville stem paired with a 35mm rise Crockett Carbon handlebar. I've come to really love higher rise bars in recent years. Maybe it's me aging and getting less flexible or maybe I'm just really honing in on the type of setup I enjoy on my bikes. For a do it all bike, I think 35mm rise bars are essential, especially if you may find yourself on some steeper trails. These really help you get into a more upright riding position and can work wonders for your form and comfort on the bike. Grip duties are taken care of by a perfectly worn in set of Hell's Gate grips and my gorgeous Trail One top cap and spacer kit tie the whole thing together.

As far as saddle duties go, I have a hard time going with something other than an Ergon SM Pro since that is what I have been running for years now and have no problems with it - it's what my bum knows and loves. I have been lusting after one of those fancy 3D printed saddles but have a hard time splurging for something that would replace a perfectly good component.

Speaking of replacing perfectly good components that I am very familiar with, I have a hard time running any clipless pedal other than the legendary Crankbrothers Mallet E. I am a huge fan of these pedals and been running them on my bikes for 10 years now, since they hit the scene. They are serviceable, work great, look good and do the job well. They might get some flack for durability issues but they just need to be serviced like any other pedal. Even the most robust pedals need to be rebuilt and serviced and these are no different.

Accessories

I'm always looking to optimize things, and accessories are no different. I'm a big fan of frame pumps over always having to keep track of CO2 cartridges, even though those have their place. I've been a fan of Lezyne pumps for years, then I tried one of the new Wolf Tooth pumps which I also really love. I like how you can close it up and seal it from the elements, and that also seems to keep it nice and quiet when you are riding. As far as anything else I'm always keeping on the bike, I keep a lightweight tube as well as a spare master link in my trail one stem bag that's affixed to my frame via a WC x Occam BOA frame strap. Once you use one of these frame straps with a BOA, you'll wonder why you didn't get one of these years ago. It makes it extremely easy to swap between bikes, or access those items quickly and easily.  

I'm also a fan of these Wolf Tooth Morse bottle cages. They keep your water in place, have a bit of a utilitarian vibe to them, and I appreciate all of the different mounting holes to really place that bottle exactly where you want it in your frame.