Ibis, Yeti and Santa Cruz Bikes Compared: Which Brand to Choose?
Ibis, Yeti, and Santa Cruz are three of the leading mountain bike manufacturers in the US. While both Ibis and Santa Cruz are based in the Californian city of Santa Cruz, Yeti operates out of the small town of Golden, Colorado. All three serve the high-end, competitive MTB market, with in-house teams that have won multiple awards across several MTB disciplines.
A brief overview of three high-end mountain bike brands in 2023.
- All-Rounder – Trail / All-Mountain
- Faster tracks, Steeper hills – Enduro
Ibis, Yeti and Santa Cruz in Numbers
Founded in:
Ibis: 1981
Yeti: 1985
Santa Cruz Bicycles: 1993
Est. number of employees:
Ibis: 86
Yeti: 51
Santa Cruz Bicycles: 200
Est. annual profit:
Ibis: $17mil
Yeti: $20.7mil
Santa Cruz Bicycles: $21mil
Number of Facebook followers:
Ibis: 47k
Yeti: 108k
Santa Cruz Bicycles: 422k
Ibis Cycles Mountain Bikes Range

DV9 – Mojo 4 – Mojo HD5 – Ripley – Ripmo
Ibis is the longest-running of the three companies, founded in 1981 by Scot Nicol and operated by a close group of friends ever since. The brand focuses all its efforts on the development of its limited range of high-quality carbon MTBs for downhill, enduro, and all-mountain riding.
It’s a small, boutique bike company that mostly caters to the professional MTB market, with prices ranging from $3,000 to $11,000.
Ibis’s top-range bikes feature custom-made carbon monocoque frames with DW Link suspension, SRAM groupsets, Fox suspension, and Maxxis tires. The company also develops some of its own in-house components, including handlebars, rims, and seat clamps.
- Ibis DV9 – Front travel: 120mm travel 29″ hardtail – Trail, XC
- Ibis Mojo 4 – Front travel: 140mm / Rear travel: 130mm – All-Mountain, Trail
- Ibis Mojo HD5 – Front travel: 170mm / Rear travel: 153mm: Enduro
- Ibis Ripley – Front travel: 130mm / Rear travel: 120mm – Enduro, All-Mountain, Trail
- Ibis Ripmo – Front travel: 160mm / Rear travel: 145mm – Enduro, All-Mountain, Trail
JensonUSA.com
Yeti Cycles Mountain Bikes Range
Operating since 1985, Yeti is the second-oldest of the three brands but remains one of the most innovative MTB manufacturers in the US. The company philosophy is to only build bikes that they themselves would want to ride. Like Ibis, Yeti produces top-end carbon MTBs for the enduro, trail, and cross country market, with prices ranging from $4,000 to $8,000.
Yeti’s high-end bikes feature TURQ carbon frames with high-end SRAM groupsets, Fox suspension, and finishings from Cane Creek, Race Face, and WTB. They typically use Maxxis tires on DT Swiss rims.
RACE series – SB150, SB 115
RIP series – SB100, SB130, SB140, SB165
27.5” – SB140, SB165
29″ – ARC, SB100, SB115, SB130, SB150
Hardtail – ARC
Full-Suspension – SB

Yeti – Arc
- Yeti ARC – 130mm travel 29″ hardtail – Trail, XC
- Yeti SB100 – Front travel: 120mm / Rear travel: 100mm – Trail, XC
- Yeti SB115 – Front travel: 130mm / Rear travel: 115mm – Trail, XC
- Yeti SB130 – Front travel: 150mm / Rear travel: 130mm – Enduro, Trail
- Yeti SB140 – Front travel: 160mm / Rear travel: 140mm – Enduro, Trail, All-mountain
- Yeti SB150 – Front travel: 170mm / Rear travel: 150mm – Enduro, All-mountain
- Yeti SB165 – Front travel: 180mm / Rear travel: 165mm – Enduro, Downhill
JensonUSA.com
Santa Cruz Bicycles Mountain Bikes Range
Founded in 1994, Santa Cruz is the newest of the three brands and probably the most well known, with the widest range of bikes available. Santa Cruz bikes are less niche than Yeti and Ibis, with some affordable MTBs available for less than $2,000. However, Santa Cruz’s top-of-the-range bikes like the Heckler electric mountain bike retail for over $8,000.
The Santa Cruz factory produces not only high-quality carbon and aluminum frames but also several of its own parts and components, including rims, handlebars, and grips. Santa Cruz bikes typically feature SRAM groupsets with Maxxis tires and RockShox or Fox suspension. Additional parts include Cane Creek headsets, WTB saddles, and Race Face handlebars.
27.5″ – Nomad, Bronson, 5010, Tallboy, Chameleon
29″ – Megatower, Hightower, Tallboy, Blur, Chameleon
Hardtail – Chameleon, Highball
Full-Suspension – Nomad, Bronson, 5010, Tallboy, Megatower, Hightower, Blur

27.5″ Chameleon / 29″ Highball
- Santa Cruz Bicycles Chameleon – Hardtail. Front travel: 120 or 130mm – Trail
- Santa Cruz Bicycles Highball – Front travel: 100mm – XC
- Santa Cruz Bicycles Blur – Front travel: 100mm / Rear travel: 100mm – XC
- Santa Cruz Bicycles Tallboy – Front travel: 130mm / Rear travel: 120mm – Enduro, Trail
- Santa Cruz Bicycles 5010 – Front travel: 140mm / Rear travel: 130mm – Trail
- Santa Cruz Bicycles Hightower – Front travel: 150mm / Rear travel: 140mm – Enduro, Trail
- Santa Cruz Bicycles Bronson – Front travel 160mm / Rear travel: 150mm – Enduro, Trail
- Santa Cruz Bicycles Megatower – Front travel 160mm / Rear travel: 160mm – Enduro, All-Mountain
- Santa Cruz Bicycles Nomad – Front travel: 170mm / Rear travel: 170mm – Enduro, All-Mountain
MikesBikes.com
Hardtail Mountain Bikes: Ibis vs. Yeti vs. Santa Cruz
Ibis | Yeti | Santa-Cruz | ||
DV9 | ARC | Chameleon | Highball | |
MSRP ($) from | 2,200 | 3,600 | 1,949 | 2,799 |
Wheel Size | 29″ | 29″ | 27.5″ / 29″ | 29″ |
Tire width | 2.25 | 2.6″ | 2.3″ – 2.8″ | 2.25″ |
Travel (mm) | 120/130mm | 130mm | 120/130mm | 100mm |
Head Tube | 68.5º | 67º | 67.3º | 69.5º |
Seat Tube | 73º | 76º | 72.8º | 73º |
Chainstay | 439mm | 433mm | 415-430mm | 426mm |
Frame | Carbon | Carbon | Alloy/Carbon | Carbon |
Ibis ARC Frame Size Guide
S – 5′ – 5’5″
M – 5’4 – 5’9″
L – 5’8″ – 6’1
XL – 6’0 – 6’6
Yeti DV9 Frame Size Guide
S – 5’1 – 5’7″
M – 5’5 – 5’11”
L – 5’10” – 6’3″
XL – 6’1″ – 6’7″
Santa Cruz Hardtail MTB Frame Size Guide
Highball
S – 5’1 – 5’5″
M – 5’5″ – 5’9″
L – 5’9″ – 6’1″
XL – 6’1″ – 6’5″
Chameleon
S – 5’0 – 5’5″
M – 5’5″ – 5’10”
L – 5’10” – 6’1″
XL – 6’1″ – 6’6″
27.5″ Full-Suspension Trail / All-Mountain Bikes: Ibis vs. Yeti vs. Santa Cruz
Ibis | Yeti | Santa Cruz Bicycles | |||||
Mojo 4 | Mojo HD5 | SB140 | SB165 | 5010 | Bronson | Nomad | |
Frame $ | 2,999 | 2,999 | 3,600 | 4,000 | 3,299 | 1,999 | 1,999 |
Bikes from $ | 4,499 | 4,399 | 5,200 | 5,500 | 4,099 | 3,499 | 3,599 |
Travel – front | 140mm | 153mm | 160mm | 180mm | 140mm | 160mm | 170mm |
Travel – rear | 130mm | 170mm | 140mm | 165mm | 130mm | 150mm | 170mm |
Head tube angle | 65.4 | 64 | 65 | 63.5 | 65.7 | 65.4 | 65 |
Seat tube angle | 76.6 | 75.8 | 77 | 77 | 77.9 – 77 | 75.3 | 74.5 |
Chainstay | 425mm | 430mm | 433mm | 433mm | 423-432mm | 430mm | 430mm |
Frame | Carbon | Carbon | Carbon | Carbon | Carbon | Al / Carbon | Al / Carbon |
Ibis 27.5″ Mojo Frame Size Chart
Mojo 4 / Mojo HD5
S – 5’0″ – 5’5″
M – 5’4 – 5’9″
L – 5’8 – 6’1″
XL – 6′ – 6’6″
Yeti 27.5″ SB-series Bike Size Chart
XS – 4’2″ – 5’4″
S – 5’1″ – 5’7″
M – 5’5″ – 5’11”
L – 5’10” – 6’3″
XL – 6’1″ – 6’7″
Santa Cruz 27.5″ Full-Suspension Bike Size Guide
Bronson / Nomad
XS – 4’8″ – 5’1″
S – 5’1″ – 5’5″
M – 5’5″ – 5’9″
L – 5’9″ – 6’1″
XL – 6’1″ – 6’5″
5010
XS – 4’8″ – 5’0″
S – 5’1″ – 5’5″
M – 5’5″ – 5’9″
L – 5’9″ – 6’1″
XL – 6’1″ – 6’4″
29″ Full-Suspension Trail / All-Mountain Bikes: Ibis vs. Yeti vs. Santa Cruz
Ibis | Yeti | Santa Cruz | |||||||
Ripley | Ripmo | SB100 | SB130 | SB150 | Megatower | Hightower | Tallboy | Blur | |
Frame $ | 2,833 | 2,999 | 3,399 | 3,600 | 3,900 | 3,399 | 1,999 | 1,999 | 2,999 |
Bikes from $ | 4,199 | 4,399 | 5,099 | 5,200 | 5,600 | 4,499 | 2,999 | 2,799 | 3,799 |
Travel – front | 130mm | 160mm | 120mm | 150mm | 170mm | 160mm | 150mm | 130mm | 100mm |
Travel – rear | 120mm | 147mm | 100mm | 130mm | 150mm | 160mm | 140mm | 120mm | 100mm |
Head tube angle | 66.5 | 64.9 | 67.8 | 65.5 | 64.5 | 65 | 65.5 | 65.7 | 69 |
Seat tube angle | 76 | 76 – 77 | 74.3 – 74 | 77.1 – 76.9 | 77 – 76.8 | 76.8 – 76 | 77.1 – 76.3 | 76.8-76 | 74 |
Chainstay | 432mm | 435mm | 437mm | 433mm | 433mm | 435mm | 443/449mm | 430mm | 432mm |
Frame | Alu/Carbon | Carbon | Carbon | Carbon | Carbon | Carbon | Al / Carbon | Al / Carbon | Carbon |
Ibis 29″ Full-Suspension Bike Frame Size Guide
Ripley / Ripmo
S – 5’0″ – 5’5″
M – 5’4″ – 5’9″
L – 5’8″ – 6’1″
XL – 6′ – 6’6″
Yeti 29″ Full-Suspension Bike Frame Size Guide
SB100 / SB130 / SB150
S – 5’1 – 5’7″
M – 5’5″ – 5’11”
L – 5’10” – 6’3″
XL – 6’1″ – 6.7″
Santa Cruz 29″ Full-Suspension Mountain Bikes Size Chart
Hightower / Megatower / Tallboy
S – 5’1″ – 5’5″
M – 5’5″ – 5’9″
L – 5’9″ – 6’1″
XL – 6’0″ – 6’4″
XXL – 6’4″ – 6’7″
Blur
S – 5’1″ – 5’5″
M – 5’5″ – 5’9″
L – 5’9″ – 6’1″
XL – 6’1″ – 6’5″
Where to Buy Ibis, Yeti & Santa Cruz Bikes?
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