MX BIKES

Mullets may be fun but they're also handy when things get hairy; we put three mixed-wheel bikes to the test to find out which is a cut above

- Mick Kirkman

Wheel sizes have been expanding and contracting for over a decade. The original 26in mountain bike morphed awkwardly into 29in wheels with a bang, then there was a backlash, where some brands opted to split the difference with smaller 27.5in wheels. And just as bikes seemed to have reached a status quo, wheel size is going through a period of turmoil once again. And this time brands are mixing and matching a 29in front wheel with a 27.5in rear.

Dubbed MX or mullet, these mixed-wheel machines claim to offer the best of both worlds by blending the superior rollover and grip of a 29in front wheel, with a smaller, stiffer and stronger 27.5in wheel at the back to increase clearance and liven up the handling.

Cynics might (and do) gripe it’s all some marketing ploy to sell new bikes. But five minutes riding the Canyon, Vitus or YT in this test reveals the logic to the set-up and how it’s a decisive handling factor. And because MX bikes mostly target the long-travel sector, the brand’s stories revolve around 29ers being designed for the serious business of enduro racing, where mullets like these ramp up the fun much like the daft haircut they’re named after.

A side story to all this is how mixed-wheel bikes have quickly become the default World Cup set-up for most downhillers. The story is clearly not quite that clear-cut then, seeing as last time we checked, that discipline shares enduro’s fundamental aim of stopping clocks on timed descents.