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.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Spring 2023-Ausgabe von Bicycling US.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Spring 2023-Ausgabe von Bicycling US.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
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A Celebration of Junk Miles
No longer dreading my next bunch sprint, I felt like I belonged on my bike again.
THE 92-MILE FAREWELL
THE SEA BREEZE OF THE LONG ISLAND SOUND FELT DELIGHTFUL, AND I WISHED I COULD RIDE WITH MY EYES CLOSED AND TRUST THE REST OF MY SENSES TO STEER ME BACK HOME.
CHECKING IN ON MY CYCLING SELF
BUT, TODAY, PEOPLE OF ALL SORTS OF WONDERFUL, COLORFUL CULTURES WHO LOVE THE WIND IN THEIR HAIR HEAR THE SOUND OF A MILLION ANGRY HORNETS ON THEIR TAIL.
EVERYONE KNOWS 52x11 IS BIGGER THAN 48x10. EVEN THOUGH IT ISN'T.
THE HUMAN THRESHOLD FOR 'LEAST NOTICEABLE DIFFERENCE' IS GENERALLY ON THE ORDER OF 10 PERCENT CHANGE OF A VALUE.
I RODE THROUGH PAIN. YOU SHOULDN'T. HERE'S WHY.
AND WHILE \"PAIN\" AND \"SUFFERING\" ARE OFTEN THROWN AROUND IN THE SAME BREATH, WHEN IT COMES TO THE BODY THEY'RE NOT, IN FACT, THE SAME.
THE RACES ARE FASTER. ARE THEY CLEANER? AND DOES IT MATTER?
THE LAST TWO EDITIONS OF THE MEN'S Tour de France were among the three fastest.
BRAYDON BRINGHURST VERSUS THE BEAST
THIS FORMER POLE VAULTER IS THE RARE ATHLETE WHO CAN BLEND EXPLOSIVE POWER WITH PRECISION AND CONTROL. BUT HE'D NEED A LOT MORE THAN THAT TO RIDE HIS BIKE UP THIS INSANELY TECHNICAL DOWNHILL TRAIL.
THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FRICTION-FREE
CONSIDER THE HUMBLE LIKE CHAIN. IT'S AN OFTEN OVERLOOKED BICYCLE PART COMPARED TO FLASHIER COMPONENTS WHEELS, CRANKS, AND DERAILLEURS. BUT THE CHAIN IS THE CRITICAL LINK IN THE DRIVETRAIN BETWEEN THE RIDER'S POWER AND THE BIKE'S REAR WHEEL.
MOLLY'S LAST RIDE
Twelve-year-old Molly Steinsapir crashed onto the pavement from a Rad Power e-bike and never woke up. With a poorly regulated electric-bike industry, WHO IS RESPONSIBLE WHEN A CHILD DIES?
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU COMBINE AETHOS WEIGHT, VENGE AERODYNAMICS, AND BUTTERY SMOOTHNESS?
Building a great bike is hard. Making a great bike better is even more challenging. Yet every three to four years, brands that make race bikes for their professional road racers take on this challenge.