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Not about to pull trigger yet, but I'm certainly thinking about it - money allocated for holidays is now freed up, so maybe get a new bike?
Currently on an Aeris 145LT with coil everything. I'm on the short side at 5"7 although I do have a 31" inside left so clearance not a huge problem. I like the look of stuff like the RAAW Madonna and Privateer 161, but the thought of that big 29er read buzzing my arse on the steeps fills me with dread, so I reckon mullet might be the answer.
The two bikes that have caught my attention are the Banshee Titan and the Starling Twist. Obviously pretty different, but they can both take the mixed wheelsize, they both have good geo and sensible standards like a threaded bottom bracket.
The Starling - never owned a steel bike and the looks of the starling grew on me a great deal when I saw a Murmur in the carpark last month. It's also only got one bearing and no horrible crevices to gather much in. I do worry about brake jack on the rear and the space to mount a water bottle looks tight as on a medium.
The Titan - crappy seatpost insertion, but I should manage a 160mm. UK buying options rather limited. Adjustable dropouts, kinematics look good, bottle mount looks like it should be ok, frame is ruddy gorgeous. Worrying number of bearing to deal with.
What says the wisdom of the internet?
Starling Tellum, when released 😉
https://www.mulletcycles.com/product/the-honeymaker/
These look really tasty. I think Gone Biking Mad are doing them in the UK.
G1? Geometron have been doing mullet bikes for years before they were a thing
Indeed, they are excellent bike, but no water bottle location and that is a deal breaker nowadays.
I might be missing something here, but why is a 29r with the rear wheel swapped out for 650b not an option?
Liteville, the home of the mullet before it was even a term.
https://www.liteville.com/en/267/bikes/301-mk15/factory-machines/
@Blackflag - It knackers the geo - slackens the seat tube and lowers the bottom bracket to a problematic level (on most bikes)
ive had a twist for about 3 weeks now but 150mm front and 140mm rear. its an absolute beast!
one thing that surprised me was how much easier the climbs feel compared to my old bike (remedy 8 2018). alomost beaten every down hill time around my local too 🙂
I must admit I am super tempted to try a G1 hybrid. The ability to mess with the geometry with the mutator chips really appeals.
Those Starlings do look nice as well but half the reviews of bikes I have seen online all mention frames welded wonky which makes be a bit nervous.
Before going through the hassle of sourcing a mullet compliant frame and then the associated inconveniences of the setup for daily use, I'd first try a proper modern 29er on proper step terrain.
It's possible you realise you don't actually need to hang that far bike on the bike and tyre buzz turns out to be a very punctual thing
Orange Switch? No bottle space though, not inside the triangle at least.
Trek slash high setting works great as mullet - gives you both options
As a semi-pro geometry geek, I’ve noticed that although mulleting a DH bike can work well, it’s not so easy on an enduro or trail bike.
On the DH bike you have dual crown forks which allow you to adjust the A2C length, so with using them plus angle adjust headsets you can turn a 27.5 or 29 DH bike into a mullet, sizing up if necessary to get back the decreased reach. But on a bike that you pedal up hills the seat angle matters and it’s harder to sort out the BB height issues.
Converting a 29 to mullet you’ll be knocking a degree off the angles and lowering the BB by about 15mm. Converting a 27.5 to mullet you’ll be knocking almost two degrees off the angles and raising the BB by about 12mm, unless you reduce the fork travel by 20mm in which case you’ll halve those changes.
So you either want a 29er which is inherently steep in both head and seat angle with quite a high BB, or you want a 27.5 which is designed for more front than rear travel and has a low BB and steep angles.
Before going through the hassle of sourcing a mullet compliant frame and then the associated inconveniences of the setup for daily use, I’d first try a proper modern 29er on proper step terrain.
It’s possible you realise you don’t actually need to hang that far bike on the bike and tyre buzz turns out to be a very punctual thing
+1
Tyre bum buzz isn't really a problem IME, but mullet bikes may have an advantage in corners (I've owned a couple and found that anyway).
I did consider demoing an am9 to check the clearance and handling, but that was pre lockdown. I suppose we'll see how things shake out afterwards.
Also considered borrowing a wheel and fork to try out on my 145 but it would ruin the geo so much that it would invalidate any conclusions.
NS have a factory mullet that might be of interest.
I'd wait until this lockdown thing is over and get a test drive on that AM9.
You'll be hard pressed to find a better AM/enduro bike, regardless of price.
It's amazing how that thing combines pedaling and climbing ability with downhill performance. There are better full-on mini DH sleds, and slightly better trail climbers, but in terms of combining those two aspects the AM9 might be on a league of it's own (maybe together with the Ripmo)
Didn't realise the define was available as a mullet - saw one the other day in the flesh and rather liked it.
I think buying anything now is probably a no-no, but interesting to get some other thoughts on it.
Demos galore once this is over methinks.
BIGMAN
I must admit I am super tempted to try a G1 hybrid. The ability to mess with the geometry with the mutator chips really appeals
Surprisingly easy to swap too, you can swap from 29 to 27.5 rear and keep your geo intact with just the seatstay mutators (and a wheel), which are just 25 quid... you can shorten the chain stay also if you want with additional chainstay parts, although they cost a bit more. Had planned to try it myself but not getting much biking done of late.
(I'm on my third Geometron so wholly biased).