I finally got around to watching Lenosky's video and felt it was great and proved some very good points. He is such a good rider and rides so many different terrain and styles that I bet his senses on what works and doesn't is way better than the average rider and even better than people that primarily ride one discipline (DH, FR, XC, etc).
this is The first bike I’ve builtwith a mixed wheel size. I’m running a 27 x 2.8 on the rear and a 29 x 2.35 on the front. It sounds like it would be fucking crazy to ride but it’s really nice. It feels totally normal now and a 29er rear wheel.actually feels really goofy. The traction when climbing Is superb. Most of what I didn’t like about a true 27+ bike is erased with a 29er front wheel.
I have heard from a few really good sources that this (mixed wheel size) is going to become more common place in the next couple years. It’s already happening on eBikes in a big way. DH bikes too
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That mullet setup looks totally moto! I would be curious to what the height difference of the 2 tires is. I'm guessing it might not be that much. And that ride you are liking is more due to the traction and side wall flex of that fat 27.5 tire. And having a lower volume front tire probably "carves like a knife" compared to a 27.5+ front end.
It almost makes me wonder why mtb tires don't have the same measuring as a 4x4 tire like 255/85-16.
Most people are riding bikes that are too big and long. Interesting article, read through the fluff and get to the part where the pros are sizing down and riding narrower bars:
Which is the fastest enduro bike of 2020? With most of the 2020 season cancelled, we decided to put on a race of our own to answer that very question.
enduro-mtb.com
Bike industry is like any other, creating solutions to problems they created. Your long, slack, low bottom bracket having big-wheeled sled was the best thing ever last year. Now they need to sell more bikes (that they can’t even make yet), so the solution to getting your agility back is mullet bikes? Get out of here. Maybe ride a bike that fits you, and not what fits the latest trends?
The problem with that article is they say the Yeti size M is the fastest and guys were sizing down but the reach on that medium Yeti (460mm) is the same as some Large's (YT's for example). I think the test info could have been better. Charting just weight, travel and wheel size where those parameters are pretty damn close (every bike was a 29" save for the mullet GT) why not make it easy to compare reach, CS length, BB drop and HT angle?
I know I'm old and have been riding for a while but I wouldn't call a 750mm bar narrow. It doesn't seem long ago I happily ran 685 wide Answers ProTapers.
I'll take the "problems" with the newest trendy bikes. The shorter stems, 27.5 wheels, 2.5 tires, longer front ends, pedal-able 160mm of travel and dropper posts are so much more fun and comfortable than bikes from even 10 years ago and light years above bikes from the 80's and 90's. But I agree with your points when I see smaller riders that are shorter and/or have narrow shoulders that are holding a modern day handlebar with arms spread wide and riding 29" wheels that are over their waist.
I do agree that the BB are too low. I think with the bigger wheels, slacker HT and more travel that the BB could come up and add more "snap" to the ride while still being stable enough. There was mention of it on another thread but Paul Aston says it well with his Nicolai build:
"Bottom bracket height: The BB is currently about 375mm. Blasphemy! I'm not a super fan of low bottom brackets, especially in Finale where there are plenty of things to catch a pedal on. My theory is that low bottom brackets were great to improve stability on tiny bikes with small wheels a few years ago, nowadays we mostly use bigger wheels so we instantly have higher axles and more BB drop, plus this bike is so inherently stable that a higher BB lets me ride through rocks and ruts with much more confidence.
I find it also switches direction easily with my style of riding: I pump the bike a lot and unweight it between corners, at full extension I am standing above the axles and so it tips over easily. This also keeps the bike leaned over in turns better: if you are standing far below the axles your weight pushing through the BB is trying to stand the bike up."