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Funny, I built up an Elevator from the frame this year and was previously on a Honzo ESD. I wanted something more in the "trail" category and settled on the Elevator after looking at a bunch of other hardtails. It's super fun and playful, pretty much what you would expect for a bike with chainstays that short. Even though the geo would suggest it would be a pretty good mullet candidate, I don't think it would work. The chainstay yoke (not really a yoke, but two separate pieces) wraps around the 29" rear wheel and I'm pretty sure a 27.5" tire would rub. Anyhow, it's a rad bike and would definitely recommend.
All my bikes (hardtail, trail, ebike, and DH) are 27.5 F&R. The hardtail and ebike can take 29 wheels, but I can't be doing with a 29 wheel in front, and I don't want arse rub out back. Actually my DH can be set up 27.5 or 26 with flip chips that alter the BB height, and CS length - I usually trash the rear spokes in the Alps, so I took my old 26 wheel as back up, and once it was needed, I've never looked back as it just felt better with 27.5 front, and 26 rear. Unfortunately it's a DH hub, so I can't try it on my other bikes, but potentially the mini mullet could be the best of all!
Every time i go out and ride my 26” xc hardtails, i weep a little bit for the world we used to live in- when every bike accelerated and turned, when you could nose in to the tiniest little transistions and carve arcs feet inside today’s boring bikes.
I miss the days when 100mm suspension forks were considered Long Travel and 110mm stems were considered too short to ride.
Modern bikes are simply too stable and capable for 90% of the trails that actually exist in the world, and it’s kinda ruining the experience of mountain biking. If you told me in 1993 that i would be choosing a bike from 1987 over a bike from 2023 as often as I do, I would have been pretty bummed out.
I like modern bikes, i guess, but there are just so few places to actually push them outside their comfort zones and so much less versatile than older bikes that I rarely ride new bikes outside of unsanctioned, unsustainable, trails or bikeparks.
My most modern bike is a Trek Fuel EX Gen6- which theoretically can run a 27.5” rear wheel…. you lose enough reach, even with a flip chip that the front/rear weight balance sucks, because it makes the bike essentially a size smaller.
That bike is way, way more fun if you put the mino-link in high and drop in 2x 27.5 wheels, or ride 2x 29” wheels in low.
The relative death of the 27.5” fork is already here, and that’s a huge bummer. l stocked up a few months ago, because there will always be a place for a 130mm/120mm 27.5 bike in my dual-slalolm loving heart… for a while we will be limited to frames that are a product cycle or two old… which is fine, because geometrical evolution and suspension capabilities passed by real-world trail riding a while ago…
For when I travel, I keep the same wheel size, so I only have to carry along 1 spare tire.
It's sad to see the industry move towards this homogeneity of builds. and its not just the wheel size, feel like we're almost stuck between 65.5 and 63.5 for 'trail' bikes. 66 is somehow an outlier for XC or 'DC' builds now.
I just think of BMX which historically I've always made fun of for the bikes all being the same and people freaking out over any tiny changes to the tried and true template. but they quite literally come in everything from 29 inch to 12. guess thats the benefit of making the most bare bones bicycles on the market outside of a fixed gear.
I will say I'm laughing at the jealous feeling I encountered when looking at these new Status 'Zero' and Giant 'Faith' builds, 26/27 bikes for kids. I'm that kid! I want that wheel config! I just happen to be 6 feet. Jeez I've never wanted to be 5 feet tall again until now... I just have to be a big boi and recognize I still need to pedal my bike up trails.
Same thing with that kids Jeffsy in 27 when they stopped making 'adult' 27s. I was like I want that! Thing looks awesome. But whatever. that new MX Jeffsy does look pretty sick. Just iffy on sizing/stack height.
Ive got a 2018 Altitude mini-mulleted and it is a ton of fun. Bike check is on here if anyone cares. I've also run it full 27 and felt it lacked joie de vivre, by comparison.
The geo is definitely outdated with a slack and long seat tube, but if anyone is interested in the mini mullet thing, consider tracking one down. You can dial in the bb height you want with ride-9 (note it also changed the progressivity).
Out of what's currently available, I am most interested in the Endorphin. It looks like the high position with 26" would be similar geo to low position with 27" wheel. Size L has a 487 reach, which I consider long enough for me at 6'1".
You can also do such things with a Banshee of course. I would run either the Spitfire or Rune as a minimullet or even full 26, regardless of the Spitfire's shorter travel. I'll be interested to see if this option will remain available on the next gen of Banshees.
I guess given the option I would choose wheel size and travel each independently based on use case. Not linked to each other necessarily. My hardtail is a 29er and works great for how I use it, but I don't feel every hardtail needs to have big wheels.
That is a really great model year of Altitude. Reminds me a bit of my older Kona. Your build looks so fun. I will ask, have you felt comfortable with sourcing 26 wheel stuff? Seems like it's still alive and well in between kids bikes and slope/DJ bikes so you can at least get something like that Spank rim and a few tires. Not sure which patterns are available 26 and tubeless right now.
I've been having a blast on my new dual 27 hardtail. That's gonna be my 2025 project likely. Hoping to get the 'new' Kona sold by January. Then I can start shopping for a new bike more earnestly. I've just been struggling because I do appreciate new bikes for that peace of mind, as anyone might. Just feel like I'm making a compromise no matter which way I turn. Meanwhile the price of used 5010s is getting... Tantalizingly low. When I got into MTB the Santa Cruz's I could 'afford' secondhand were ancient lol. I'm very excited to consider a future where those first lower VPP 5010s are like ~2k, or 2500 for the better builds.
Right now the thing givinng me the most pause is stack and sizing. As the concept of sizing down for my riding style may also mean too low of a stack, where a riser bar reduces the reach 'too much'. So my leanings are basically... Modern medium that actually has high stack, or older large that has decent stack for an old bike. Kinda trying to start at like 625 so I can go as high as maybe 650 if I want, or whatever. Don't really want a 600 stack bike that I'm trying to run Dak's bars on to get it comfortable :/
https://www.vitalmtb.com/product/guide/bikes/giant/faith-51846#product-reviews-533661
ok now Spomer is outright trolling me after my cringe 'wish I was a kid so I could ride these modern kids bikes' narrative
How cool is this thing!? Give me an adult size large 26/27 with the same paint job! lol
I know absolutely no one else on this forum cares about road bikes but here’s my mullet commuter bike. The 27” rear wheel on my shitbike got stolen by tweakers recently (one of the many upsides of owning a shitbike is not being super stressed when stuff like this happens) and I made the unorthodox choice to replace it with a 700c rear wheel for more tire clearance.
So far, my experience riding it lines up with my experience riding mullet MTB’s: it feels almost exactly the same. Pretty much feels like a bike. If you’re the sort of person who bumps into your 29” rear wheel while riding, I think there’s nothing but upside to a mullet setup. If you’re 6’3” with long legs like me? Probably doesn’t matter one way or the other.
Indeed but what about when you want to oppo tail whip a lily pad drop on it? Lower the saddle a bit and send it?
speaking of Semenuk... I am massively jealous at the seemingly fully custom Trek he gets to ride. now THAT looks like a fun and playful bike. toss some 9sp CUES on it and add a dropper and send iiit. i dunno how to verbalize that some people want to ride Rampage bikes even when they're casing 20 foot tables without pissing everyone off. i'm not about this kinkshaming!
LIke shortest travel, or shortest wheelbase, or shortest chainstays?
Check out the Knollys, like I said, i run a 120rear Fugitive with MX, as my "trail" bike. Frames are incredible quality, and are an excellent ride. The Fugee as a short travel MX feels like a play bike, that can comfortably cover ground exploring if thats what the day calls for
Yes, yes, and yes. And the original question is how people see these things balancing out, in more of a 'mixed' build. Obviously a short travel short cs short wb dual 27 bike is... Playful. Conversely a slack long wb/cs and long travel bike is... Well, not playful.
I'm trying to figure out the general mix of features to cook up the perfect batch. Or, at least, in so far as current market options are fairly limited (or expensive!).
The inspiration for this thread was actually another thread comparing Tallboy vs 5010. Which seemed simple enough, choose the rear wheel you prefer. The travel and geo are too close. But I'm looking more so at Izzo vs MX Jeffsy, similar comparison but slightly more separated.
I think the problem is I start discussions mostly for theory. Aka, for fun. But people want to find black and whites and solve a problem. Just community discussion to see if people only run one wheel config or run diff wheel configs depending on the bikes travel/geometry. Of course a simpler way to put it would be... Do you use different wheel sizes for XC vs trail vs enduro vs DH or whatever genres one cares to add. Downcounty and all-mountain -_-
Re 26" tubeless, here's what I know of in the trail/enduroish category.
Maxxis: several older tread patterns including DHF and DHRII, HR2, Aggressor. Typically exo/DC, but there are a couple maxxterra options IIRC.
Continental: Kryptotal Fr & Re, both in Enduro/Soft.
Schwalbe: Big Betty ST Soft, Hans Dampf SG Soft, Magic Mary SDH Ultrasoft.
ooo the kryptos are coming out in 26? that would be the dream rig for sure. Kona 167 with kryptos would go so hard.
I was running them in 27 on my old Kona 153. I should have never let go of that bike and 'upgraded'. sigh.
Can confirm, 26" Krypts are real, though not the easiest to find.
Btw, I don't actually recommend that particular Spank rim. While it's sturdy at a reasonable weight, the inner profile makes tire mounting harder than it should be. Not enough valley for the bead to drop into.
That's probably enough of me derailing your thread into mini-mullet minutiae... 😆
i objectively want your bike. yeah I didn't expect them to be the best, they sound like they're designed to be run with tubes if anything. the WTBs on the Konas are kinda like that I hate those rims. much prefer some DTs or even Stans.
speaking of me hating on every industry standard that exists. getting sick of my pedals basically hitting the floor. not rocks or roots but literally just the trail floor if its even slightly off camber or if i drop a foot for a second. make BBs high and unstable again. i'd rather have an unstable bike and not break my toes if i dare ride a tech trail. meh
I'm replying not to this particular comment but to you and your bike search in general:
Banshee might have exactly the bike you want!
https://www.bansheebikes.com/spitfire-v32
Yes and no. Obviously the sale price is attractive. Otherwise in terms of custom build I could mess around with that new Norco Optic.
I am a bit confused as their inventory options. I'm assuming it's not like built to order, but they just have configs and the config I would want is... They imply its 'for' 26 and the BB would be quite low. In that case I'd actually to run normal 275 tires like 2.35-2.4 on that config with the shorter CS/WB... Not sure if that actually comes up as a clearance issue, sounds like it shouldn't.
Like a lot of options I think it falls into the 'frustrating compromise' territory, although I will give you credit in terms of brand new products under warranty... It basically stands alone as an option and is attractively priced at the moment. I just feel like I'll fully have to pull out the protractor to understand how viable it is for me. Because I do want short chainstays and would love like a 135/140 bike with steeper HTA... But don't want my pedals dragging on flat floor and trying to break my toes in any tech whatsoever if possible.
Bit confused why the 275 config is inherently 10mm longer rear center for that valuable 7mm BB gain (wish it was more if anything).
I definitely have my eye on Banshee and Airdrop and a few other 'lesser known' I suppose options, but in between total cost and various marginal compromises I've felt less committed to those ideas.
Of course if I came across a cheap secondhand listing that really fit the bill I'd be a lot more comfortable 'trying things' more or less. I mean I'm on a Kona now that, on paper, should be more than fine for me (its arguably quite similar to the Banshee and other similar bikes)... And I've really fallen out of love with it. Which I did not expect. At the end of the day, for niche riding like I do... It's REALLY hard to properly demo and test bikes and get the valuable data you need. As of now I've basically nixed a lot of outliers, easily. But I still have a decent range of stuff I'm at least considering. Tryin to narrow it down every day lol
The Banshee folks seem to be easy-to-get-a-hold-of. Send 'em an email with your questions and I bet you'll get some answers that give you a yes/no rather than an "I don't know."
the answer to all my problems... JK not at all but love how this abomination looks. I am potentially hardtailing this entire year and will be more or less forced to upfork whether I like it or not, due to 275 availability as well as brands wanting BBs to touch the floor. probly not throwing a DC on it. and sadly the low BB means no 24/26 tomfoolery... needless to say would LOVE to give this custom rig a rip as my hardtail will never come close to it
Well now, I "upgraded" from a 27.5 enduro bike to a full 29er (a 160/170 bike) because everyone knows 29 is better. And I liked it pretty well. And I would buzz my ass far more often on steep stuff. So, I eventually figured that I would just try out a MX setup since my bike will do that easily enough.
I quickly discovered that it solved my butt buzz problem, and I found out that I really like it a whole lot on steep rolls and such. And then cornering. I also discovered that I could whip corners much better with the MX setup. I'm really loving it a lot and only wish I had converted it sooner. It wasn't the gimmick that I feared it would be.
I don't know if I'll ever put my 29-inch wheel back on that bike again. From now on, any enduro bike that I buy will either be a dedicated MX or at least have that capability.
Well, the good news is that's the new 'cheap' sales pitch. So long as your bike has a flip chip, even if it only changes 5mm it seems the brand is going to TELL YOU its MX capable... In the high mode... Even if the BB is indeed closer to the floor. Though I'd hope these changes get more legit with larger flip chips, separate linkages, and potentially other points of adjustment to micro fix the issues caused by dropping so much BB. As well as just not having the BB on the floor, like Transition is doing going back up to 350mm.
I am definitely glancing at what Zink is doing but I still don't know the business model. Seems to clearly be limited run but is it going to be frame only or will they have at least one stock build, and what kinda part spec would it even have? Mid range? Would be cool if they went full dirtbag freerider and just spec'd it with base Bomber stuff and CUES/Deore or something.
I guess if I wanted a wheel size/travel size per riding genre answer I'd need a poll to even try to get data. But it does seem aggressive riding is leaning towards MX, with the death of dual 27, and maybe only some fortunate tall/long legged riders feel comfortable staying dual 29 in rough stuff. Plus it's cool to see these ultra capable kids bikes coming out in 26/27. Every now and then I see a tiny kid put on a dual 29er because the parent was trying to 'buy for the future' and it just looks like suffering. Poor kiddo lol
Post a reply to: Where do you mix and match wheel size? How do you feel different configs compare?