10/2/2020 1:47 PM
Edited Date/Time: 10/2/2020 1:50 PM
Hey Rockchomper, you're allowed to look into whatever bike setup you want, my reality check is just trying to help you draw accurate conclusions on the way. You said you borrowed your friends mullet Capra this summer and loved it. There are about 100 different reasons why you may have preferred his bike to yours, and the 29" front wheel is only one of those reasons. Other potential explanations:
-Fork spring pressure
-More or less tokens than your fork
-Coil vs. air fork
-Rear shock sag
-Better or more recent seal/wiper/oil maintenance
-More compression
-Less compression
-rebound speed
-high speed rebound speed
-Fork model, air spring design, and shim stack tune (these features all vary year to year within manufacturer's models)
-Bar height
-Tire pressure
-Tire size
-Tire casing
-Tire inserts
-Head angle
-Chainstay length
-Stem length
-Grip compound/thickness
-Body position on the bike
-Last but not least the placebo factor, which is real. It affects all human subject tests of every kind, and this is no less true for mountain bikers who are excited to borrow their buddies cool trendy new bike.
There are an unimaginable amount of variables that affect bike performance, and that's why pros and suspension tuners try to minimize variables when testing. I've ridden a lot of different bikes, I've tested bikes for manufacturers, and I've ridden all the wheelsizes in every imaginable scenario. I'm not saying wheelsize doesn't matter, that would be too strong, but based on my experience it's really far down on the list. If you thought your friend's Capra rode through rough terrain better than yours, that's great and useful information, but I don't think it logically and necessarily follows that you would benefit from buying a mullet bike.