29er vs Mullet, Neko Mulally's Comprehensive Testing to Find the Fastest Bike 9

Neko asking Intense for 460mm chainstays on a size-large bike. Worth noting.

Its weird I can find tons of videos comparing a 29er to a Mullet but I cant find a single video comparing a 27.5 to a mullet !?!?!

That...is an underrated comment. You win question of the day.

All I know is I love my 27.5 trail bike. Just bought and rode my full 29er DH. I learned really quick that if I get into a squirrelly spot or try to tweak the bike too hard back/forward/sideways that big rear wheel will eat me ALIVE.

Curious as well, being someone who doesn't really like monster trucking and riding at warp speed.

I think this comment answers the question... riding at “warp speed”

27.5 bikes aren’t faster and they never will be. That being said I think the average person can benefit more from riding a 27.5 bike. It’s just easier to ride in a lot of situations and can make the ride more enjoyable. Think about skiing - no one uses super g and downhill race skis as their daily skis for a reason. Idk why we want to use the bikes racers use.

Would love to see a ski resort after manufacturers stop making 155-180s.
"205's are scientifically proven to be more stable at speed so we're moving all production to size 205. " Would pay MONEY to sit a few hundred yards below mid-station on MLK Day weekend. 😆

Mullet 29/27 should be faster than straight 27 while giving up some flickability, no?
There are 27/26 vs 27 comparisons out there in the bowels of various forums from 2016, but I couldn't find a video on those or the straight 27 vs 29/27.
I really like my 29 trail/enduro bikes and their ability to monster-truck all the things. As Mulally says, the 29 is great for a less aggressive riding style and carrying speed, which works great for me.

I'm still waiting for the mud test. 2 identical Demos, one with 27.5 rear wheel, one with 29 rear. Test is in gooey mud, slightly roll down hill, turn, then sprint to the end of straightaway. Half dozen timed runs of about 30 seconds on each rear wheel. Don't think anyone has ever answered that specific question of "Does a 29" rear create more drag & with the added weight, cause a slower sprint from a near stop? Or does the mud caked 29 rear wheel spin up to speed and then overtake a 27.5 rear wheel over the length of a long sprint straight. My thought is that on the first sprint or 2, the 29 can win, but on runs 3 to 6, rider fatigue will let them wind up the smaller wheel and keep it rolling over a long, muddy sprint whereas the 29's weight and stickiness in the mud will exhaust that same rider before they reach top speed or the end of the sprint