YETI SB120

BEST TRAIL BIKE PRICE $9,600 (AS TESTED) WEIGHT 29.4 LBS (MEDIUM, T3)

- Matt Phillips

THERE ARE SO MANY KINDS OF BIKES BECAUSE WE like to ride in so many ways. And that specificity allows us to optimize the riding experience in ever-smaller slices. But there is still much to be praised about an excellent multipurpose bike.

Consider the trail bike, the closest we get to an all-arounder mountain bike today. These bikes climb and descend well and are competent in lower-angle topography, something capable in a wide range of terrains. Trail bikes get wedged between racing categories, with cross-country on one side and gravity (downhill and enduro) on the other.

While those bookends have somewhat clear and specific parameters required for elite-level performance, trail bikes get tasked with doing a bit of everything. It's hard enough to try and be one bike for everything, but mix in a literal planet's worth of terrain and riders, and it becomes clear why there are so many different answers to the question "What is the best trail bike?"

An answer from Yeti is the SB120. More accurately, the SB120 is one of three answers from Yeti: The others are the SB140 and SB140 LR. Any one of the three can be the correct answer, but the SB120 is the trio's most complex and interesting bike.

The new SB120-a 29-inch-wheeled trail bike with 120mm of rear travel and a 130mm fork-takes the place of the SB115 (115mm rear/130mm front) as Yeti's shortest-travel full-suspension offering. But the SB120 is more accurately the progeny of the 2015 Yeti SB4.5c, the brand's first 29er featuring its signature Switch Infinity link. The 4.5c had 114mm of rear travel paired with a 140mm fork and was a lively all-purpose trail bike.