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So I've ended up with a new 2014 frame on my El Mariachi Ti 29er. It's quite a lot more modern than my old 2010 version - tapered headtube, double butted ti tubes, shorter chainstays and longer top tube. I also swapped out the forks for some 15mm bolt through ones.
It's an interesting comparison as all the other parts are identical; I've not done something like this before. The difference really is night and day - the bike is so much more nimble with the shorter chain stays and considerably stiffer than the old frame when sprinting, but still just as comfy as you'd expect from ti. Really impressive and I'm totally sold on the shorter chainstays/longer top tube geometry. The angles are also a bit steeper so it's great on the tighter trails. Bombing down a hill on loose rocks, the fork tracks so much better than my old 1 1/8" QR one.
So, whilst new things often get a bashing for being all hype, in this case all the little tweaks add up to quite a significant whole.
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Still an exponent of 650b for racing, or has this changed that...?
Yep - it's still 1lb or so lighter.