Hi all,
I am new to mountain biking, so apologies in advance for any ignorance. I came across an interesting deal for a 2023 SB160 C1 SLX. Seller claims it’s in excellent condition & has agreed to sell for $2000. Did some research on the bike, and overall people seem to enjoy it. I plan on hitting some gravel trails with some medium difficulty dirt trails. Not anticipate any crazy drops, or going hardcore mountain biking now. I do however want to future proof my desire to up the intensity w/o having to update my bike. Given all this, do you guys think that $2000 is a good deal for bike & needs?
by nismospecz
19 Comments
Suspiciously good deal, if it’s in good working order.
Yep. Current mountain bike prices are rather fucked, so it’s tough to judge the market. But yes – that is easily a 2k bike. It’s an all-mountain (if you live in the mountains), maybe a bit overkill if you live in the flatlands. Either way, solid deal on a bike you could ride til the put you in ground… plus it was probably selling for 4-5k a few years.
So if everything checks out, that’s a really solid price for that bike. I’d get some maintenance records if possible and see when the fork and shocks will need major servicing.
A nice bike is kind of a double edged sword, it will perform excellently in demanding and technical situations however if (when) you inevitably break something it will cost you much more to replace.
Tbh this is way too much bike for “just riding dirt trails”, you don’t even need full sus for that, but if you want it, go for it.
Ya that is a good deal, yetis pedal so well and come alive the more you push them. But, a sb160 is kinda of a lot of bike for the riding you listed. Have an honest conversation with yourself and ask if you will truly ever be consistently hitting trails with large jumps, gaps, and just more “expert” level riding in general. I always advise the riders at my shop who are trying to decide on a bike to break their riding into a percentage, like if you were able to ride whenever you wanted would you be doing trial riding 50% or more or would you do park or more downhill adjacent riding. Im leaning towards its not the right bike for you based on your post. If it was an sb140 id say go for it cause that bike is less travel and will pedal better. Also idk why the seller says slx, when the bike has the basic sram gx spec. Makes me a little suspicious unless that nomenclature is common for yeti.
Yeah, going to agree with the others. Killer price. especially if the frame and linkage are good.. check the frame everywhere. go take it for a spin..
So… I own a 23 SB140 Lunch Ride in XT. I paid like $6400 for it new. I love the bike. 2k probably is still fair if it is good shape.
The one caveat I will say to your original question. Man if I have one reservation on my Yeti is I don’t live in Whistler, I don’t live by a bike park. I have modest trails in my area and my 140 is almost too much bike for it. It turns many trails into a bike path. If you are planning to do some gravel and some moderate trails the 160 might feel like riding your living room recliner down the trail.
What is that orange army truck thing? That thing is sick!
I have a friend who bought this full price, I feel so bad for him now that’s a crazy deal. Make sure there aren’t any cracks though, that is a crazy discount.
You don’t need an enduro bike.
2k is a great deal. If you plan to get more into mountain biking I think it’s for sure worth it. That’s a hard price to beat.
Not a bad price. But for gravel that’s not a good fit. I use a sb115 yeti for that kind of riding.
For mtb you don’t really future proof the way you described imo. Different bikes for different riding and skill.
I’d offer $1500 cash.
I would ask the seller the last time that the shock, fork, and pivot bearings were serviced. Factor in an extra $1400 to the price if they answer “never/idk”.
You will have to do regular maintenance on the Switch Infinity system if you own this bike. Not a pro or con, just a fact.
As a second owner, the bike has no warranty, as you know.
It seems like a good price to me, as long as everything is in working shape and it fits you.
Check your local FB stolen bike pages/bikeindex.org / whatever resource is used in your region to make sure you aren’t buying a stolen bike.
This is essentially buying an Aston Martin for a first car. It is cool and technologically advanced, and will likely be overkill for the green and blue trails you will ride for a couple years. It will also have maintenance requirements that require you to strike up a relationship with a trusted local bike shop (preferably one that sells Yetis).
You will have to tune your shock and fork to your specs and riding style. Go with factory recommended specs, as you will have no reference point.
The amount you spend on maintaining this bike will likely equal the purchase price of a good new hardtail mountain bike.
Are you in a mountainous region? This bike is made for smashing difficult technical trails, and owning it could pay off if you are drawn to enduro style riding -not exactly nimble on the climbs (but not bad either), but capable of handling everything through bike park downhill days.
MY OPINION: Ultimately I think that this is too much bike for a beginner; I would recommend a hardtail from the last five years.
That being said, it’s a sweet bike, and you would never be able to blame the bike for your performance 😂
I think that this Yeti is a good second bike; one to buy if you are finding yourself really into enduro style riding.
HARDTAIL EVANGELISM: You likely won’t get “too good” for a modern progressive hardtail, and it will help you find what aspect of mountain biking you enjoy most.
I love to ride my hardtail on easier blue and black trails despite owning an enduro bike. I think you would be well served by a rocky mountain growler, commencal meta HT, Transition Trans Am, Santa Cruz Chameleon, Marin Team Marin, Diamondback Syncr, or similar.
That’s way more bike than you need for gravel paths and medium trails. That bike was designed to race Enduro World Cup, it’s one step away from a dedicated downhill bike. Think riding extremely rough trails that are steep and riddled with large rocks at high speed. It’s going to feel sorta large, heavy and overkill for moderate trails unless you’re ripping. The price is good, if not suspiciously so. However, that is when the market for enduro bikes especially started to crater, so owner also could have gotten a ripping deal to start.
Solid price, but not the bike for you based on your riding description.
It depends. I’d be curious how long it’s been for sale. There are a plethora of used bikes for sale. You prob have some room to negotiate. Two yrs ago I got a 2020 Yeti SB130 T2 build in excellent condition for $1400.
These posts are hilarious. I’d buy it to try it out and just resell it if it wasn’t what I was wanting. I’ve been through 13 bikes on marketplace 🤷♂️ that’s a smoking deal though, at least in central Texas it would get sold immediately.
Thank you all so much for your input. Truly was all very helpful and made some good points. General consensus seems to be that the deal is good, but I agree this bike seems to be overkill for my geography. I am leaning towards letting this one go & finding a much cheaper bike that better fits my riding intensity. Again, thanks a bunch for all the help!
I try to zoom in on the drivetrain and it gets too pixelated to see. It doesn’t look like SLX to me