Which is the very best wheel dimension? Mullet Vs 29er enduro bike

Whereas the vast majority of bikes available on the market are 29ers, manufacturers are more and more providing mullet configurations as a substitute. And whereas the early blended wheel fashions have been little greater than frankenbike mash-ups, the bikes you should purchase now are normally bespoke variants with out compromises in geometry. 

However why would you select one? What are the professionals and cons? And may you are feeling the variations on the path? Armed with two of INTENSE’s newest enduro bikes, the Tracer 279 and Tracer 29, we got down to discover some solutions. 

The idea

A number of the oft-repeated generalisations about mullet bikes are that they’re extra agile, playful, and certainly enjoyable, than full 29ers. Hand in hand with that’s the assertion that mullet bikes change course extra simply, and that they take much less effort to handbook or raise the entrance finish.

Moreover, the smaller rear wheel offers extra bum clearance, and it helps with acceleration and braking, on the expense of improved bump rollover and excessive pace stability. 

The bikes

The Tracer will get 170mm of journey entrance and rear and is available in two wheel dimension choices, with close to similar geometry and specs, making them a extremely good selection for attempting to isolate and determine any variations on the path. 

Certainly, once we measured the 2 bikes in dimension giant, the one actual distinction was within the chainstay size, with the Tracer 279 mullet bike operating a brief 437mm rear centre, and the Tracer 29 coming in at a extra frequent 450mm. 

INTENSE suits the Tracer with a flip chip, and the bikes come inventory with the 29er within the low place and the mullet bike within the excessive place. This provides close to similar geometry and BB heights. 

The largest spec distinction between the 2 bikes is the shock. On the mullet it’s a coil shock and the 29er will get an air shock. As such, we ran each bikes with 28% sag. Different minor variations embody the tyre treads (Maxxis Minion DHF/DHR II on the mullet, Assegai on the 29), however the casings and compounds are each the identical. 

On the scales, the 29er was the lightest, though solely by 150g. What’s fascinating is that the rear wheel is lighter on the mullet bike – it’s smaller, in spite of everything – whereas the shock is heavier, so the mullet bike truly has a slightly higher sprung-to-unsprung mass ratio. 

With the identical dimension chainring and cassette on each bikes, the precise gearing on the 29er is barely taller due to the bigger rear wheel. Becoming a 32t chainring on the mullet bike would even issues out. Equally, the brake rotors are 203mm on each bikes, however the bigger rear wheel on the 29er would profit from a much bigger rotor, particularly on lengthy descents.

	Tracer 29	Tracer 279 (mullet)
Flip chip	Low	Excessive
Head angle	63.9º	64.0º
Seat angle	72.7º	72.8ª
Efficient SA	77.4º @ 740mm	77.6º @ 740mm
BB peak	343mm	343mm
Chainstay	450mm	437mm
Entrance centre	820mm	820mm
Wheelbase	1,270mm	1,257mm
Down tube	756mm	756mm
Seat tube	450mm	450mm
Prime tube	620mm	620mm
Attain	478mm	478mm
Bike weight	16.18kg	16.33kg
Rear wheel weight	3.25kg	3.01kg
Rear wheel diameter	749mm	704mm
Rear mech clearance	140mm	120mm
Excessive gear	88.5in	83.2in
Low gear	17.4in	16.3in

Timed runs

We undertook timed runs on each bikes, utilising a brief downhill and a gradual fireroad climb. After some familiarisation runs, an A-B-A sample was used, with two runs on the mullet bike, adopted by 4 runs on the 29er, and ending up with two runs on the mullet. 

The downhill was intentionally chosen to favour the mullet bike, with a sequence of alternate turns down a reasonably steep hill. A straight, pretty easy, reasonable gradient fireroad was used for the climb. Effort was saved low (beneath 140bpm) utilizing a coronary heart fee monitor and restricted respiratory. 

On the downhill there was not sufficient variation to attract any conclusions from. The mullet bike achieved the quickest occasions, however the common occasions have been just one.1% totally different. The climb, alternatively, confirmed a bonus to the 29er of 4%, mixed with a barely decrease common coronary heart fee. 

Rider suggestions

The very first thing we seen when shifting between the 2 bikes was that the 29er felt roomier. Prefer it was a barely greater bike. It’s because we shifted our weight again between the axles when standing as much as compensate for the longer chainstays. Conversely, the mullet bike felt smaller, as a result of the shorter chainstays inspired us to shift our weight ahead to maintain the identical weight distribution. 

We diminished the stress within the fork on the mullet bike by round 10%. It’s because our weight was additional again over the rear axle relative to the 29er whereas descending, leaving a number of unused journey and the entrance finish feeling too excessive.

On the descent, each bikes felt equally manoeuvrable and keen to show, though we buzzed our backsides on the 29er each run. Till we swapped bikes a 3rd of the best way by way of the take a look at, when each riders have been actually tuned into the dealing with. At that time, the rider switching from the 29er to the mullet bike used an excessive amount of pressure to show, whereas the rider who had simply jumped on the 29er ploughed straight on on the first nook. 

Clearly we had calibrated our inputs to 1 bike, and switching to the opposite had thrown them out. The mullet bike wanted much less effort to alter course, whereas the 29er wanted extra. 

However, whereas that run confirmed a marked distinction, on the following descent we had each recalibrated our brains and the dealing with felt utterly pure. Neither rider felt there was a noticeable distinction in climbing capacity between the 2 bikes, regardless of the distinction in occasions.

Conclusions

Whereas not a definitive take a look at, our little experiment did increase some fascinating factors. The primary one being that there’s not the yawning hole in efficiency and dealing with between the 2 bikes that you just may imagine from the advertising. Equally, people are amazingly good at adapting to small modifications. One run was all it took to make the delicate change in steering pressure when switching between the 29er and the mullet bike. 

Was the mullet bike extra agile and simpler to show? Sure, however not a lot that you just’d lose any sleep over. Was it extra enjoyable? That relies upon the way you outline enjoyable. The one factor you possibly can’t argue with is that there’s extra bum clearance on the mullet bike, and in the event you’re using steep tracks, and also you’re of common peak or much less, then that may very well be a deal maker. 

Conversely, in the event you’re racing enduros then the 29er will prevent power on the climbs, and that’s a acquire price having. 

For essentially the most half although, deciding between a mullet bike and a 29er will come right down to your peak. For those who’re between 5ft 9in and 6ft, then you possibly can select both bike relying in your priorities. Anybody beneath 5ft 9in shall be higher off on a mullet bike, not just for the additional clearance, however as a result of the entrance and rear centres are higher proportioned, it’s extra agile, and the bike feels smaller than the 29er despite the fact that the attain is similar. Which implies these of you over 6ft are higher served by the 29er, for the alternative causes.