Burning Question: Why Have Some Pro Riders Downsized to a 27.5" Rear Wheel?
Racers can be quick to set trends through the trialing of various components, geometries, and suspension settings, however, once they find a groove, changing their habits can be next to impossible. When 29" wheels first came along, there was some hesitancy from shorter riders, and rightfully so. Even though they are scientifically faster in theory, each rider has their own unique setup quirks which can feel unnatural to others, including wheel sizes.
Front wheels can articulate, but the rear cannot. Could the centripetal force of the larger rear wheel be too much for shorter riders to leverage quickly into a turn? Is this why the 27.5" rear wheel has regained a position on World Cup and EWS podiums? How does the plowability of the 29" front wheel count for all of that confidence to motor through the bomb holes? What makes more of difference for straight-line stability - big wheels or the distance between them? What about head angle?
The level of physics needed to unravel the movements on a bike is mind boggling. Before you throw a floating center of mass like a human pilot, you need to understand that they all handle the bike with their own style, too.
In-house Pinkbike statistician, Seb Stott, broke down the timed results and weighed in with his impressions on back to back runs using both rear wheel sizes. The take away: lots of data and no clear answer.
With looming pressure to deliver the best result, many racers under six foot simply dealt with a full 29" wheeled bike, but their hunger for minimizing seconds on the clock eventually got the better of them. That led to a wave of downhill and enduro athletes taking a step back to a 27.5" rear wheel, whether that was an equipment choice mandated by the team or their own decision.
One thing is for certain, when it comes to these two gravity fed disciplines, all of the top guns are opting for the larger front wheel diameter. As the interviewees will allude to, the ability that the 29" wheel has to silence rough terrain is unrivaled.
We caught up with a few riders that have recently reverted to, or are at the very least, toying with the smaller of the two wheel sizes.
What bike(s) are you currently riding and has it been specifically designed for mixed wheels (29 front, 27.5 rear)?
To confuse things, I have a Forbidden Dreadnought enduro set up with front and rear 29” wheels and a DH specific Dreadnought set up with 27” rear/29” front wheels. With the use of a different link in the linkage you can adapt the frame to either wheel size option.
What prompted the change and were you pressured to ride a full 29er platform?
There is no pressure either way from my sponsors. Just through trialing both set ups I've gone with what works for the occasion.
What is the most notable benefit of the smaller rear wheel for you?
The main difference is the extra range of movement over the back of the bike whether it be swinging off the back down a steep section or trying to squash a jump. You can also feel the bike become a bit more nimble.
What is the most notable disadvantage of the smaller rear wheel for you?
Rolling speed over flatter sections.
How much traction, stability, and rolling speed do you feel is lost with the 27.5 rear wheel?
I don’t really feel a loss in stability, and the loss in traction and rolling speed is probably so minuscule that the average rider wouldn’t notice.
Do all of your other bikes use the same size wheels for familiarity/training purposes?
Like I mentioned before, my enduro bike is set up with 29” front and rear. I find for the purpose of longer enduro type of riding the cons of the mullet setup outweigh the pros. That said, I do not feel I need time to adapt to each setup when swapping over.
Could you adapt quickly to either wheel size if the track suited one wheel more than the other?
I think I could easily adapt quick enough, but unless we went back to a track like Mount Stromlo or Pietermaritzburg I wouldn’t consider it.
Have you done specific timed testing on both wheel sizes? If the 27.5 is slower, why stick with it?
I haven’t done timed training regarding the wheel size setup. My approach is to ride what feels better.
Would you ever go back to a full 29 setup?
Not that I can foresee!
What bike(s) are you currently riding and has it been specifically designed for mixed wheels (29 front, 27.5 rear)?
I’m riding a Kona Process X (medium) and it has a flip chip to accommodate both 29/27.5” rear wheel.
What prompted the change and were you pressured to ride a full 29er platform?
The idea of a mullet was one that I was always keen on and the Operator has the option, so I had already ridden a mullet on my DH bike when the Process X came out. On my DH bike I would tire buzz quite a lot and would get "stood up" in corners. I would sometimes feel that I was just “along for the ride.”
My Process X also has an adjustable chainstay - 450mm and 435mm. I felt that 450mm was too long for me, but in the 435mm setting with the 29” I felt really awkward and struggled to lean the bike over. It’s hard to describe but it never was comfortable for me. With the smaller rear wheel, I’m more comfortable in the short chainstay and feel like I have a better fitting bike. (I also run an angle set to make my bike steeper, which decreased my front centre and makes the balance between my front and rear more comfortable. I struggled to be in the short rear end with a longer reach and really slack bike. Head angle has changed from 63.5 to approx 64.2)
What is the most notable benefit of the smaller rear wheel for you?
I feel that I’m able to use my legs more in my riding - it puts me in a stronger body position to be more active through my legs and feet. Push into corners, move fore and aft, etc... Cornering is better as I’m able to lean and push the bike more, as well as when riding unknown terrain I find it easier for me to change direction quickly if I’m on a wrong line.
What is the most notable disadvantage of the smaller rear wheel for you?
It’s very noticeable on flatter, bumpier terrain how much better the 29” rolls and in some rough sections the 29” takes less energy to generate the same amount of speed.
How much traction, stability, and rolling speed do you feel is lost with the 27.5 rear wheel?
I feel that my traction is maybe better because I’m more confident in leaning and weighting my bike, but rolling speed is noticeable. Stability…I don’t really know. Not much?
Do all of your other bikes use the same size wheels for familiarity/training purposes?
I ride full 29” on my Hei Hei, and my DH bike and enduro bike are mullet.
Could you adapt quickly to either wheel size if the track suited one wheel more than the other?
No. After timing between the two wheel sizes I went back to full 29” on my X and had found that I had already adapted to having more clearance over my rear tire and was getting pretty sketchy on some steeper, and stepped trails on the North Shore. I still enjoy 29” but I spend so much time on my X as a mullet that I don’t believe I could just throw on a 29” race it and feel confident. I could ride it and be fine but wouldn’t race it at this point, because it’s not what I’m used to or enjoy the most.
Have you done specific timed testing on both wheel sizes? If the 27.5 is slower, why stick with it?
I have. I found the times similar but sometimes the 29” was easier to go the same speed but it wasn’t as enjoyable and I didn’t feel as in control. So maybe I had to work a little harder but I felt “sicker" haha. I’m an emotional rider, it’s important to be having fun and feeling confident. After my timing I decided to give full 29 another go but like I said above, just didn’t enjoy it anymore. I had experienced the other side...
Would you ever go back to a full 29 setup?
For smaller and XC bikes, etc.. of course, but for enduro or DH, I doubt it. But never say never.
What bike(s) are you currently riding and has it been specifically designed for mixed wheels (29 front, 27.5 rear)?
I’m riding the Commencal Suprême V5. It’s a mullet - 29 front, 27.5 rear and it has been specifically designed for it.
What prompted the change and were you pressured to ride a full 29er platform?
Commencal went from a full 29’’ to a mullet in 2021, so I was more or less designated to ride a mullet in 2021. I ride whatever they develop. For me, full 29’’ or mullet is not important as long as I feel good on the bike and that the bike is fast.
What is the most notable benefit of the smaller rear wheel for you?
It is easier to move around in the back and I find it accelerates quicker. Even with my long legs, I never had a problem with a full 29er though.
What is the most notable disadvantage of the smaller rear wheel for you?
Maybe less traction riding off-camber.
How much traction, stability, and rolling speed do you feel is lost with the 27.5 rear wheel?
I don’t feel that the bike is unstable with a small wheel in the back. About the rolling speed, under 40km/h it’s probably even better with 27.5 since it accelerate faster. The average speed during a race run averages around 30km/h depending on the track, so I don't think there is a big advantage for the full 29er.
Do all of your other bikes use the same size wheels for familiarity/training purposes?
No. All my trail bikes are full 29’’ and my DH in mullet, but for 2022, Commencal had built the Meta SX trail bike in a mullet as well. I don’t think it’s a problem to jump from one to the other.
Could you adapt quickly to either wheel size if the track suited one wheel more than the other?
I could probably, but I like to have one bike and stick to it. Otherwise you are always asking yourself if you did the right choice and we don’t have a lot of laps to set up the bike and ride all the lines as it is. It would also not be possible for a team like us with five riders to travel with both 27.5 and 29’’ spare rear wheels. We would need a new trailer just for that haha!
Have you done specific timed testing on both wheel sizes? If the 27.5 is slower, why stick with it?
Nope. We received the new Suprême V5, which is a mullet, and simply rode it. The engineer and the developing team are doing enough testing, plus the bike is not compatible with a 29" rear wheel.
Would you ever go back to a full 29 setup?
If Commencal is going back this way, yes. I've ridden and I liked both.
What bike(s) are you currently riding and has it been specifically designed for mixed wheels (29 front, 27.5 rear)?
I am currently riding a Rocky Mountain Altitude - it has not initially been designed for mixed wheels size.
I now run a front shock mount designed for the geometry to remain consistent even with the mixed wheel size. So this was awesome support from Rocky to get this machined and onto my race bike.
What prompted the change and were you pressured to ride a full 29er platform?
I was in spot where I was having a harder time reaching top speed while feeling comfortable on the medium 29er. The bike was definitely fast, but I felt like I wasn’t in control. At 5’6’ and a bit I am in the middle between a small and a medium frame, being a racer I prefer the stability at speed that the medium frame gives me. So I guess the main question that prompted me to give mixed wheel sizes a try was, "What’s faster?”: Being a bit more comfortable on mullet, or is the slight discomfort I have on the 29er?
I think you have to also consider what type of riding you are doing. I would evaluate my answers differently if I was doing DH, for enduro I think I personally give “comfort” a higher importance as we find ourselves riding trails we don’t know as much really fast and it might involve more unplanned decision making.
What is the most notable benefit of the smaller rear wheel for you?
My position on the bike is much better, I can confidently move “within my bike”. I feel like I have more control of where my bike is and my handling is more confident — leading to more speed as I feel able to control my bike.
What is the most notable disadvantage of the smaller rear wheel for you?
I think you can notice the small wheel potentially getting slightly hung up on chunky bits of really fast rolling trails, i.e., a bouldery fast straight line. To me this is easily outweighed by the benefits I have from the mullet.
How much traction, stability, and rolling speed do you feel is lost with the 27.5 rear wheel?
Being a rider who very much drives my bike with my legs and hips, I don’t feel like I lose traction or stability. I actually enjoy the feel of the rear wheel. Sure, I am probably giving away some rolling speed compared to a 29er.
Do all of your other bikes use the same size wheels for familiarity/training purposes?
My XC bike is full 29er, I have a Slayer set up with a DH fork that is also mullet. I spend most of my time on my mullet Altitude because I think there is a lot to be said about maximizing your choices. At some point there is always going to be pluses and minuses. You just have to make a choice and work with what you’ve have.
Could you adapt quickly to either wheel size if the track suited one wheel more than the other?
I have thought about that. I think if I was racing to be at the pointy end of the field in DH I would potentially expand on that idea, but given the fact that my discipline is enduro I feel more confident having one set up that I can be 110% confident on in any track.
Have you done specific timed testing on both wheel sizes? If the 27.5 is slower, why stick with it?
I have done back/forth testing with full 29 and mullet. I gave “priority” to the 29er as it was the simplest and most readily available option for my racing. I did not have a shock link at that time so the recipe to maintain geometry was a bit more complicated. I wanted to see the 29er times be quicker, because “physics” points that it should be the faster bike. It would also be slightly simpler to carry spare rims and tires when we race abroad.
So, in my testing I gave the “advantage” to the 29er, as in the timed laps where I had optimal track knowledge and less fatigue were on the 29er. Whereas the mullet timed laps were when fatigue was setting in.
My results were fairly similar in time, what made the biggest difference was that I felt so much more comfortable at the same speed on the mullet. For me to hit the same time on the 29er I had to push really hard outside of my comfort zone, whereas the riding on the mullet felt “safer”. That’s when I knew my decision was made.
Then I also did back and forth with Thomas Vanderham where he was filming me with a GoPro and the visual difference in my body position was impressive. I looked more stable and confident on the mullet and I think that directly translates to faster times (for me). That solidified the final decision for me. Heading to the races with the mullet at the beginning of 2021 I immediately felt like I reconnected with my top speed, more in control, confident in my decision making, and how the bike would react.
Would you ever go back to a full 29 setup?
I've been pondering about it. I feel like I’ll potentially end up there, but for 2022; mullet!
What bike(s) are you currently riding and has it been specifically designed for mixed wheels (29 front, 27.5 rear)??
The bike I ride 90% of the time is the Rocky Mountain Altitude and it is designed around 29" wheels.
What prompted the change and were you pressured to ride a full 29er platform?
Rocky Mountain is pretty open to letting our team try new things. MX was something that the team expressed interest in, and because of the versatility of the Altitude platform with the Ride 9 chip, it is actually able to be implemented with only a few small changes. So no, there was no pressure to stay on a full 29" set up.
What is the most notable benefit of the smaller rear wheel for you?
I am still in a testing phase of the MX set up and have not done enough back to back testing to confirm whether it is the end all be all answer, but so far I am really enjoying the bike in an MX set up. Ass to tire clearance is a big improvement when you get into extreme positions which is pretty normal in race settings and direction changes seem slightly easier.
What is the most notable disadvantage of the smaller rear wheel for you?
The disadvantage would be roll over on medium to larger square edge hits. It can feel slightly harsher on those impacts than a 29" wheel. The smaller rear wheel also can take some weight off the front wheel in cornering situations but that can be compensated for in suspension and bar height set up.
How much traction, stability, and rolling speed do you feel is lost with the 27.5 rear wheel?
So far without back-to-back testing I would say it is hard to notice a major difference in grip or rolling resistance.
Do all of your other bikes use the same size wheels for familiarity/training purposes?
Most of my time training is spent on my Altitude. The other bike I spend time on is my Element XC bike which is full 29 inch.
Could you adapt quickly to either wheel size if the track suited one wheel more than the other?
It’s possible to go for the “horses for courses” approach but generally I would rather stick to one set up and know how it reacts to all types of terrain.
Have you done specific timed testing on both wheel sizes? If the 27.5 is slower, why stick with it?
Not yet. We will see.
What wheel combo are you leaning towards for this race season?
Very likely that full 29 inch bikes will still be part of my life for a long time.
What bike(s) are you currently riding and has it been specifically designed for mixed wheels (29 front, 27.5 rear)??
I'm currently on a prototype Intense DH bike mixed wheel bike that was designed specifically for 279 (29 front, 27.5 rear).
What prompted the change and were you pressured to ride a full 29er platform?
For me personally it was a switch between manufacturers and the change was just what the current platform the new team was using.
What is the most notable benefit of the smaller rear wheel for you?
The most notable trait was the ability to squash jumps and ride lower in the bike off of steps or ledges on the trail.
How much traction, stability, and rolling speed do you feel is lost with the 27.5 rear wheel?
I have a hard time seeing a big difference in the traction, stability, or rolling speed - honestly, I can't notice a difference.
Do all of your other bikes use the same size wheels for familiarity/training purposes?
I have recently built a mullet trail bike to keep all of the bikes the same, along with my E-bike. I did feel like on a 29er trail bike there was a bit of a difference in how low I could ride over the rear wheel in terms of comfort on steeper trails.
Could you adapt quickly to either wheel size if the track suited one wheel more than the other?
If there was a flat track that would really benefit a full 29er I would be interested in switching back over. I think right now, the steep tracks tend to benefit the mullet setups.. for the most part.
Have you done specific timed testing on both wheel sizes? If the 27.5 is slower, why stick with it?
I have not done any testing back to back.
Would you ever go back to a full 29 setup?
I would not be opposed to the idea. I rode a full 29er through all last year and felt I did just fine on it. In my opinion, there is a trade off for everything. If you did have the choice it would be what are the benefits that suit you as a rider.
What bike(s) are you currently riding and has it been specifically designed for mixed wheels (29 front, 27.5 rear)??
I'm riding a Commencal Supreme MX V4 for downhill, which is designed for mixed wheels. The original design (V4 2021) was built around full 29" wheels and then adapted to mixed with minimal changes. For trail riding, I have a Commencal Meta HT setup as a 29er.
What prompted the change and were you pressured to ride a full 29er platform?
The switch to a mixed wheel setup on my downhill bike was primarily to take advantage of the updated geometry on the Commencal Supreme MX V4. I wasn't convinced a smaller rear wheel had advantages for a taller rider like myself at the time, but was willing to try it.
What is the most notable benefit of the smaller rear wheel for you?
Not buzzing my butt as much. As silly as it is, that's a big benefit. I'm also able to initiate corners easier and faster with less effort. This might lead to the ability to pull out of close calls too.
What is the most notable disadvantage of the smaller rear wheel for you?
Rolling speed is lost for sure. The rear end gets hung up on square edge hits like rocks and roots, which is very noticeable.
How much traction, stability, and rolling speed do you feel is lost with the 27.5 rear wheel?
Again, rolling speed over rough terrain. Stability differences are almost all positive (easier to initiate movements). A loss of traction is not noticeable to myself personally.
Do all of your other bikes use the same size wheels for familiarity/training purposes?
My initial thought was that if I raced a mixed wheel DH bike I would have to ride a mixed setup on all my bikes for familiarity. But now after trying it, I realized a trail bike, DH bike or XC bike are all so drastically different in geometry and the trails you ride them on I don't need a consistent wheel size across all my bikes.
Could you adapt quickly to either wheel size if the track suited one wheel more than the other?
I don't think the time I would gain from switching back and forth would be greater than being comfortable and knowing the bike. On the World Cup circuit I'm not sure there's enough variance in the tracks to make this necessary.
Have you done specific timed testing on both wheel sizes? If the 27.5 is slower, why stick with it?
I haven't done back to back timing. There were clear suspension and geometry improvements from the past model full 29 I had to the current mixed wheel bike I'm now riding. So that made the choice to go to a mixed wheel setup easy for me.
Would you ever go back to a full 29 setup?
Yes. I would be interested to try back to back testing with a 29' rear wheel to see the pros and cons of it again. As a taller rider I think I could take advantage of the bigger wheel.
"the loss in traction and rolling speed is probably so minuscule that the average rider wouldn’t notice."
He's calling us all out for our shitty skillsets!
I didn't even know he knew us
Magic Mary 26” in Super Gravity is likely what you want then. It’s a like 1050g and a step down from the heavy Super Downhill casing.
The negative side of low speed, tight manoeuvring, and the reduced clearance are far greater than the benefits for me. That means I simply enjoy myself riding 27.5” both ends more. I do ride 29” bikes too, and my next bike will likely be 29” and if the bb clearance is high enough, I will switch both ends to 27.5”
"Nope"
"Where are we on 31ers?"
"Not gonna happen"
"Fine, we'll just switch between 27.5 and 29 in 2-3 year cycles"
"Brilliant"
www.mongoose.com/collections/dirtjump/products/fireball-m20
ive seen others, but i am blanking on the company name
Also, if you're sort of in the middle and can comfortably ride both, then it becomes track dependent. Fast and wide turns? 29. Steep choppy bits with sharp chute-like corners? Mullet.
Every 'test' I've seen of these has been exactly the same... On the same track with the same rider, the difference is negligible. Particularly when wide open. Put an average height rider in a super steep twisty choppy track, and you'll see SOME results.
If optimal rear wheel size is dependent on the rider and situation, we've probably arrived at about the right size.
If optimal front wheel size is never less than 29" for DH, enduro, and XC racing, there must exist situations where a larger front wheel would be beneficial.
I am almost certainly going back to dual 27.5, but I wouldn't mind a dual 27.5 bike that could take a 29 front wheel and fork and adjust geo a bit to be slacker but stay in touch of rideable geo.
I think the weird bit is that, objectively, the majority of mountain bike riders are not racing. So they don't need the 29 front or rear anyway, but I think people really enjoy the feeling of "the bike riding itself". And it's something I hate about my dual 29. I'll admit, every now and again I get in a situation where I gently caress my 29 front wheel and thank it for keeping me out of the hospital. But I'd rather just continue to be a more skilled and active rider, than get bailed out by my bike so often that I start to ride like a moron.
But I'll take a bike that can do 2 or even 3 settings for sure. Whoever gets geo adjust to run 3 diff wheel settings will be a legend (stumpy evo could be close even tho spesh has declared full blown war on 27s). But i'll take a dual 27. With geo adjust for 29 front. Sure.
And while some places have modern trails and/or bike parks that are caught up with the times and the design of bikes... A lot of places aren't. And either have old hiking/freeride trails or just limited space if you want to risk it to build a pirate trail, which both make 27.5 a much more valid experience (regardless of ride style).
I absolutely see the merits of dual 29, but now having seen them I'm comfortable in my decision to go back to 27s or give a mullet a go now that they are being purpose built and can be an all around bike and not just a bike park side piece.
You can always get what you want, but when what you want isn't what most people want, you have to search harder to find it.
Hard to decide between Trance X and Canyon Spectral, but I'm glad they exist. Keep 27 aliiive
I also live in SoCal and ride dual 29, totally fun for me. Last bike was dual 27.5, also fun. Traded bikes with my friend for a night (26" Uzzi vs E29, both of us the same height and weight), and still fun. Not sure what you are doing to not have fun on our trails.
Also, the 26 to 27.5 to 29 naming does not match the actual rim diameter difference. Go by ETRTO, and it's 559 to 584 to 662, so silly imperial names should be 26 to 27 to 28.5, if we kept the starting point of 559 = 26". f*cks your pattern right up.
29 got called that because a 2.25 tire on a 622 rim is pretty damn close to 29 inches, despite the fact that a 559 (26er) rim needs only a 2.0 tire to get that close to 26.0 inches.
Either 29 should have been 28.5 based on rim diameter difference, or it was the perfect time to ditch the stupid imperial measurements and go metric/ETRTO and specify rim bead seat diameter instead of overall diameter with one specific tire size, but I guess Gary really liked that "29er" name.
And tons of people said that about 29ers. For some definitions of "tighter twisty stuff" it's definitely true, but for many people the trade-offs are worth it. Could be the same for 30 or 32, won't know until it happens and riders can weigh the trade-offs.
"My partner was very attracted to me and would sometimes be overly flirtatious. Since switching to a mullet, that is no longer an issue."
"would you ever consider cutting your hair and not looking like a 90s caricature of a man from the South?"
Who would've thought......¿
The UCI doesn’t manage to give everyone an equal bike. They try, and I will give them credit, but again when some geometry properties are constant, and others are height dependent, then everyone is not getting the same thing.
Where the goals are aerodynamics and pedalling efficiency; the thing you measure is not necessarily the exact cause of the problem.
Or to take it back to mtb, if the UCI set a standard wheelbase for DH bikes, Minnaar is going to have to choose either a steep head angle, or a tiny reach to meet the rules, but Danny hart is getting a grim donut copy.
27 feels good but I hate the way the 27 rear wheel feels dead and heavy in the air. Also the BB drop to counter the wheels axle rise give me way to many pedal strikes.
My perfect wheel size choice for trail an DH/FR bikes would be 26/27 mullet. Full 26 for DJ an plat/jib bikes. BUT! That's just me an my (yaaawn) bmx back ground ride style.
we all know the media and the industry don't want the costs of producing multiple bikes with multiple sizes. I mean there are so, SO many varied and different bikes available at the mo, more than there's ever been!! Buy only one company offers bikes that fit my needs... and I heard they break... a LOT.
Any long term rider can pick an choose a custopm build to siute they're needs an shred till dead, apart from the media's AND the PB's forum nerds insistence that 26 is dead, 27 is dead.. how long till 29 is dead? With the growing popularity of mullet set ups I reckon full 29 is dead will start to show in forums this summer!!
Another thing to take great consideration in too. is we all different sizes, with different ride styles that take the advantages of all the different wheel sizes. We still all ride different parts of the world with different terrains.
I think the next few years will see an industry wide acceptance of the mullet but, the world's top FR'ers STILL riding custom made 26inch rigs that aren't available to the public.. maybe that acceptance will include 26/27 as well as 27/29
I bloody well hope so! It will be the ONLY thing getting my £€$ for a new bike/frame.
P.S
If you made it this far I must apologise for the badly typed long winded opinion. I've just had a broken an dislocated wrist, smashed ribs yuge hematoma from waist to knee an two bruised black heels.
I'm on a LOT of pain meds.
Cheers gonna poop an then nap zzzzzzz
Ride what you like; what suits you best or what suits what you are doing with the bike and don’t worry what someone else is doing.
But I guess all the advertising and media have to earn a living
I have to laugh out loud when I read reviews of 27.5" bikes that state. "Oh, we forgot how much fun these small wheeled bikes were".
29/27.5 high pivot ebike/shuttle
27.5/26 DH high pivot single speed
26/26 slope bike.
Not sold on the 29er front for the Jumpy park stuff, but do like my 26 mullet setup...
Though
I had a 140 27 fork with a 26 wheel in so, the 27 wheel made the front end a little less tweaky, not that it was a problem before, it just felt a little better. I really liked it an I was a 26 fo lifer. I think ALL my trail FR/DH bikes will be 26/27 from now on..... IF the industry will allow it
www.pinkbike.com/photo/22241409
I'm 5' 8" and really enjoy / prefer steep janky old school trails.
The Patrol has been an ABSOLUTE RIOT so far. Exactly what I've been missing. So pysched. You won't be disappointed.
I would only ride 29er rear by choice on a hardtail and/or if I lived someplace quite flat. I also love the steep and janky, and 27.5 rear already gives enough butt buzzes on a 144mm travel bike to be annoying.
Makes no sense. "scientifically faster" would mean it was tested experimentally using the scientific method and shown to be faster within the bounds of the experiment. That's not "in theory" anymore.
This is exactly what I felt as an average rider in decent shape riding almost exclusively flat, bumpy trails... my mullet experiment was forced by supply chain issues in late 2020; rather than no bike I got a cheap 27.5" wheel for my 29er trail bike. I loved it, but when my nicer wheelset came in I was blown away at the improved speed and 'clawing' traction on punchy climbs; I also found I washed out the rear end less often when really pushing hard through flat corners. That could be as much technique as anything else, but I found the mullet set up felt like it was really carver corners, but in reality gave up traction faster than a dual 29 set up. Sample size of 1, I'm good to continue rocking 29ers. I've been 29 exclusive for trail bikes for 12 years, I've seen the evolution of wagon wheel geo and tires, and watched 27.5 rise and fall... I think the mullet is another fad.
Funny because I have ridden 26, 27.5, 29 and Mullet, and I prefer the mullet out of all of them. It corners better (for me), No buzzing arse on vertical chutes (for me), jumps well (for me) and is faster than 26 and 27.5 (for me)
I initially tried the idea on the altitude and it really woke that bike up in the back end.
I was 100% with you guys on it being a fad until i got to ride a 29er then a mullet of the same bike back to back.
Longer travel 29ers felt like the front end was too high and I was riding a scooter. They also felt like too much bike and I lost a lot of feedback from the ground.
My own ht as a mullet was very interesting but the frame wasn't designed for it so there were important compromises (angles, fit). But loose turns and technical sections felt a lot safer without any adjustment period.
In the end I got a full 27.5 frame mostly due to availability and wanting to use the parts I already own. I will use a 2.6 front and 2.4 rear tyre to get a micro-mullet effect though. If I had the option, a purpose built mullet would be my ultimate enduro bike. Not for racing only, as I only do a couple of races ayear
Yes, longer front-centers reduce the need to get in the back-seat, and longer reaches tend to keep you more forward relative to the rear axle. But don't forget that with long droppers, it's often times getting "down" as opposed to just "back", and with longer travel, the tire is coming "up" a lot, creating potential for interference even without getting way into the back seat old-skool style.
I have come to the conclusion now, that a mullet would be the better choice for me. Which is actually bad, because I will ride my bike for some time still :-/
My favourite type of riding is the technical steep get to the bottom and still be alive trails So I've just placed an order for the commencal Meta Sx!
Only time will tell if confidence will return on a mullet but I'm up for the challenge.
Many bikes in between including 24/7, Black Market etc. 26ers.
Now have Cotic hard tail 29er and Whyte fs 27.5. No body breaks.
THE WISDOM -
Big wheels better, small wheels bring pain.
Small wheels the best fun - mostly when arsing around.
Big wheels fast over distance, but not always fun.
At 5ft7inch I said I’d never have a 27.5, now I mostly ride the 29er hard tail.
NEVER ride your sister’s bike.
EXCEPT -
Probably the most fun bike I’ve ever ridden, week in week out, is my Cotic Solaris 29er. XC, trail, single track etc.
Try stuff - your trail, attitude, skills, ambitions, preferences, physique blah blah are unique to you so if it works all good.
…but really, never ride your sister’s bike (unless it’s a Solaris).
Tyre volume vs wheel size anyone ? What is 29 front 27+ rear ? A fat mullet ? Fat arse, fullet, 97+ ..? (bike marketeers, please contact me for license)
P.S. keep sarcasm real, and pedal.
-not really, what’s mind boggling is former-bmx-rider-now-turned-mtb-expert-journalists failure to to recognize that rider and bike moves together as a system when riding, and as thus must be analyzed as a system. Minor changes in tyre width, tyre size, geometry etc changes the feel of the bike, but has little overall effect on the linear nor the rotational inertia of the system. I.e. the rollover effect of a 29r front wheel can be achieved on a 27.5 with longer wheelbase and slacker head angle. The wagon wheel effect can be achieved by using heavier tyres and rims etc.
The weight thing is that some of the 29er momentum bonus comes from simply being heavier.
Anyhow, can we get opinions from tall riders as well? The only tall guy here is forrest riesco if I’m not mistaken
This comment will age well.
And all I really saw was someone going off about the horrors of having to ride the same bike for two years. Not as bad as I thought.
Mullets are stoopid.
Because that's what their sponsors are now trying to sell to you.
Motocross bikes don't have a Mullet setup.
450 MX bikes tire diameter differences are not as extreme as a 29F/27.5R mullet MTB but it still uses a larger diameter front tire.
Is it really better than full 27.5 ?? I'm genuinely curious