Pinkbike Poll: Does Mixing Wheel Sizes Make Sense?
Probably world's most notorious mixed-wheel mountain bike.
I'd thought bikes with two different sized wheels had disappeared with the Specialized Big Hit, but the advent of 29” downhill bikes seems to have breathed a little more life into the concept. For those who aren't familiar, proponents claim it's a best-of-both-worlds scenario, with a bigger wheel up front for better rollover, and a smaller wheel out back for quicker cornering, increased stiffness, and more clearance between rider and tire.
The mullet configuration has seen success on the DH World Cup and Enduro World Series circuits, although the “correlation does not imply causation” concept does need to be kept in mind. In some cases, riders were on mixed wheel sizes because their sponsor didn't have a dedicated 29” wheeled bike ready yet, and they wanted to at least benefit from some of the advantages that come with an increased wheel diameter. In other cases, it's the rider's height that steered them towards the mullet setup. Especially on a DH bike, when you have 190mm or more rear travel and a rider with short legs it can be difficult to avoid buzzing the rear tire. Anyone who's ever felt the 'bzzzt' of a mud spike at full speed knows it's not the best feeling in the world.
The new Canyon Sender has mixed wheel sizes for the small and medium frames.
Multiple companies are now offering DH bikes in the mixed wheel configuration, but the trend hasn't really caught on to the same extent in the enduro / trail bike world. In many cases companies will offer a bike with 29” wheels for the large and extra-large sizes, and then include a 27.5” wheeled option for the smaller sizes. Having wheel size based more on a rider's height makes sense to me, and it's the premise for this week's poll.
Will mixed wheels will end up being the norm for medium and small bikes, with matching 29" wheels for taller riders, and matching 27.5" wheels for extra-small riders? Or is it just a flash-in-the-pan trend, doomed to disappear just as quickly as Plus bikes?
Either way, I'm curious where the interest in mixed wheel sizes lies – are shorter riders more likely to gravitate towards the concept? Find your height below and cast your vote in the appropriate poll.
Would you rather have 29" wheels or a 27.5" / 29" setup?
For riders 5'3" (160cm) and below.
Would you rather have 29" wheels or a 27.5" / 29" setup on a trail / enduro bike?
For riders 5'3" and below.
For riders 5'4" - 5'6" (161 - 168cm)
Would you rather have 29" wheels or a 27.5" / 29" setup setup on a trail / enduro bike??
For riders 5'4"-5'6"
For riders 5'7" - 5'9" (169 - 175cm)
Would you rather have 29" wheels or a 27.5" / 29" setup setup on a trail / enduro bike??
For riders 5'7" - 5'9"
For riders 5'10" - 6'1" (176 - 185cm)
Would you rather have 29" wheels or a 27.5" / 29" setup setup on a trail / enduro bike??
For riders 5'10" - 6'-1"
For riders 6'2" and taller (186cm and up)
Would you rather have 29" wheels or a 27.5" / 29" setup on a trail / enduro bike?
For riders 6'2" and taller
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How many of us have ridden a proper (not ghetto) mullet setup?
try this for size 20/7?
www.pinkbike.com/photo/19310752
Re the Ghetto builds, Come on Man - It's just numbers and geometry :-)
Get the HTA you like, hopefully the BB is somewhere that works, and enjoy.
Every bike - mullet or not - has their own set of numbers... With any wheel size category Geo is varied...that's what makes the ethos of the brand!
Are my home made mullets Janky Ghetto builds?
Not sure, but they ride great and the components to build them are very good. And the Geo on my Wolfridge and Levo mullets are super close to Alchemy's Nine7Five Mullet - a true non Ghetto factory build that's a proven winner.
Just build one already! ...or buy one cause they are finally coming available. SC will have them in non DH MX form soon as will every big brand manufacturer. It's not even a question any more, thank goodness.
I don't race and don't care about bigger wheels - I see them as a big disadvantage. Not to mention the majority of those that are screaming "29ers are faster!!! " are slow as hell on the trail. So what's the point, if you get smoked by people on 26" bigger wheels won't help you get faster - fitness and technique get you fast.
Spesh Status ?
I'm against pushing them to everyone and leaving 27.5 on size S frame, wtf is that? And then we get to mullets, which again comes from racing.
Note: My primary bikes are large and medium 26 inch 2012 slayers. Medium is for jumps and super tight stuff, large for everything else.
I guess if you ride manicured bike park stuff and like to just do jumps and berms 27.5 is perfect.
29 gives you a bit more for proper mountain terrain
Point being, it is cheaper to shred away your rear tire and when it finally has no knobs on it replace your front tire and put the used front on the rear. Who has money for new tires because you wanted different size wheels?
Since I pedal everywhere and I use a soft/high grip compound in the front, it would really slow you down if used at the back. Not to mention that the softer compound doesn't last very long at the back. So in the long run, it may even be cheaper to use a different rear tire since it may last longer that way.
Great for enduro, but I would switch back to 29 for rides where I want efficiency and roll-over (xc, or light trail). spare tubes is a slight concern, but surely those tubeless plug things have put that issue to rest?
I do however agree that 29 is slightly faster, and that it looks a bit stupid with huge people on small wheels.
Yeah. As a tall rider, I think 29 is better than the alternatives in every respect, but I'm not gonna lie--this probably influences me more than any other consideration. Don't wanna look stupid.
I'm 6'1", so I don't have a huge problem hitting the rear wheel in the steeps, but I'd absolutely try a mullet... if it was designed in that way to begin with/their geo wasn't screwy.
Dirt bikes/MX bikes have different sizes wheels front and rear. And whats more, they have had different size wheels for at least the last 30 years.
Most current full size MX bikes are 21in front wheels, with 19in rear wheels.
powersports.honda.com/off-road/competition/crf450r/specifications
It was kind of a big deal about 15-20 years ago when they went from 18in rear wheels to the now current 19in rear wheels. They did it for the shorter sidewalls, to get less "wallow/squirm" from the rear tire while slamming them into berms/etc.
Mullets are not wanted purely for hype, it just happens to be hyped as its THE new solution for average and smaller riders where a 29er results in less space to move on the bike AND have that tire grind your ass. No one one wants to compromise on comfort and space to work just to ride 29s.
Mullets are literally the best of both world, corners way better,manuals and hops better/easier while having all the space we need to work and with the truck feel/capability up front.
nuff said
The problem is that it only works (well) if your bike is designed for it, otherwise you run the risk of the variation in geometry having more impact than the smaller wheel in the rear.
Remember the time when we stuck 27.5 wheels in our 26” bikes? I do. Felt great but not sure if it really was
And much like the grim donut works on a certain course we will see 32” wheels. Its basic physics imho.
I guess it's time to put a mullet setup on my list of things to tinker with this winter and try next year. I've held off because I like the way 29ers roll, but I'll admit I'm curious to try it out!
It makes sense for the whole bike to be scaled to fit the rider, and that includes smaller wheels for smaller people.
for a trail bike (130-150) I'd take 27.5 wheels for playfulness/jibs, which is what i like most.
for a leisure trail/enduro (155-180) bike I'd _probably_ pick 27/29 for a middle ground in maneuverability/stability.
for an enduro bike for races or focusing on speed (strava w/e) I'd pick 29/29 all day.
also, i haven't yet ridden many proper mullets but many 27ers and 29ers
www.mulletcycles.com/technology
The first bike I recall having mixed wheel sizes was the 80's Ibis Comp trials (24" front and 20" rear).
I hear the guys that just want a playful bike because that’s me too. But in trying to design a bike that fits the current trend (and rightly so in many ways) of massive stability that you can still rip down the jumps; the mullet setup has been an awakening for me.
I dare say some of the pros riding mullet setups have realised a similar thing.
I almost know this is true but I chickened out halfway. Put the 29er fork on but stayed with a 27.5 wheel. Still had to dial the travel back 20mm to maintain geometry. Still 140F/130R but was designed for 160mm fork.
Although different wheel set, boxxer ultimate this year versus World Cup last year, and put Cushcore in the back this year so lower tire pressure than I’ve been able to run before.
So not an exact comparison, but close.
And riding the same trails which I know well, I generally get between 70 and 80 Park days a season.
So it’s a pretty level playing field I say.
I hide my Strava profile because it’s just for me, but it tells me without a doubt that this set up is faster.
There could be other factors, but in my opinion that is the obvious difference.
Not surprisingly it feels faster in the rough straight stuff. Surprisingly, it corners better.
Have only ever tried one lap on a full 29 DH bike. Didn’t like it, but to be fair the bike was one size smaller.
Is it time to long fork it and have a 24"/29" uber-mullet? Surely thats EVEN faster than a normal mullet.
grim donut = mixed wheels
sensible bike = mixed wheels
Btw I thought I like the idea of 29”/27,5” but then I rode the new Spec Status.
LOOKS wrong but feels fine?
www.pinkbike.com/photo/19310752
But do carry on, whatever makes people happy. I could give two shits .
Coolest bike in the world 20”
Where you at ????????♂️