I own a 2020 TB4 XO1 Reserve 30 build. It climbs everything well but not necessarily as fast as an XC whip. Point it downhill, and the bike is AMAZING!!!

I don't know about the Yeti's capabilities as I haven't ridden that particular bike yet. But a quick look at the geo chart on it says it is not as steep of a seat tube angle or as slack of a head angle. More conservative overall.

So it depends on what blows your hair back. I ride everything uphill so I get to go back down it. Does climbing matter to me? Yes. But these days I am more excited by technical riding and going downhill. So I would get the TB4, if I were me. Haha!

(For what its worth, I live in the southern intermountain west where we have long steep climbs and lots of chunk and chunder. So depending on where you live and ride mostly, get the bike that will perform the best on the trails you ride. In other words, demo the bike first!)

 

The TB4 will be more capable on the descents. The Yeti will climb better mainly due to it's lighter weight. The SB115 is basically a SB100 with more travel. Check out the geo chart on Yeti's website. I have ridden the SB100 and SB130 and the new TB4 feels closer to the SB130. I really liked the TB4 it's a great all rounder.

 

TB is great for long climbs—I like the climb lockout for these. Downhill it’s awesome. One of the best short travel descenders.

If you are doing short climbs and short descents, I’d go with the 115. It’s lighter, doesn’t go downhill like the TB.

Have you ridden the TB or the Yeti 100/115?

 

TB4 all day. That being said, good luck getting a Santa Cruz right now. Everything is slammed. My LBS did tell me that Yeti's were much easier to get though. Supply/demand being what it is.

 

There's no shortage of Santa Cruz bikes at the bike shops around here. But i'm in Santa Cruz, so my perspective may be distorted.

 

The one thing which could sway a purchaser one way or the other is reputation. Santa Cruz has a very good reputation for building strong, durable bikes while Yeti does not enjoy the same regard. SC bikes are heavier than Yeti, but Yeti has a very long history of frame failures. I wish this wasn't the case as Yeti does make a great handling bike in all their different configurations.

 

This is one reason I went with the Tallboy. I expect it to handle 15'+ gap jumps, drops to flat, rock gardens, etc because that's how I ride it. At 210 lbs I don't really trust the sub 26 lbs bikes.