Reversing a mullet

[ebikerdiary]

As a 70 yr old dude my eOne Sixty is set up for long tours, not track work. I had the 2018 model, now have the 2020, and a 2021 order has landed and I should have it soon.
The two main mods I've asked for is a Di2 system and swapping a 27.5 for the front 29'er. I want to reduce the overall footprint of the bike when its being carried by car so less is sticking out at the side. Yeah, 3/4" aint much but it helps and I'd rather a more compact frame overall for the kind of riding I do and blog about.
Two Qs here: are there any disadvantages in reversing the mullet, given that the bike frame has been designed around a 29" front?
Second, has anyone put a Di2 electronic shift on a Shimano ebike? Theres a lot involved, but with arthritic finger joints I think I'll use my gears more and power less.
cheers, and Happy New Year
Richard
ebikerdiary.com

 

[coregrind]

are there any disadvantages in reversing the mullet, given that the bike frame has been designed around a 29" front?

For the same travel and tire width, a 29” fork and wheel is almost a 40mm difference compared to a 27.5” setup (~20mm fork and ~20mm wheel/tire radius). I’ve seen a 27.5” wheel on a 29” fork. That alone will drop the front end about 20mm with an obvious change to headtube angle and stack height. To keep the front end height close to stock, you’d need to increase the stock fork travel by 20mm, or 10mm with the addition of a 10mm spacer-type lower crown race for the headset. That would retain most of the stock numbers but the trail measurement would still change due to the smaller wheel size.

 

[ebikerdiary]

For the same travel and tire width, a 29” fork and wheel is almost a 40mm difference compared to a 27.5” setup (~20mm fork and ~20mm wheel/tire radius). I’ve seen a 27.5” wheel on a 29” fork. That alone will drop the front end about 20mm with an obvious change to headtube angle and stack height. To keep the front end height close to stock, you’d need to increase the stock fork travel by 20mm, or 10mm with the addition of a 10mm spacer-type lower crown race for the headset. That would retain most of the stock numbers but the trail measurement would still change due to the smaller wheel size.

Thanks for the detailed info; I guess its a suck it and see situation. For my kind of riding 20mm may not make much of a difference. If it does, I'll talk to my suspension expert about the addition of a 10mm spacer.

 

[coregrind]

For my kind of riding 20mm may not make much of a difference.

Looks like you’ve got a fairly tall fit as is, so the smaller front end will increase your need for a higher rise bar & stem combo. As for the frame numbers, the 20mm will likely decrease the HTA & STA by 1° as well as lower the BB height 8mm or more.

 

[ebikerdiary]

Looks like you’ve got a fairly tall fit as is, so the smaller front end will increase your need for a higher rise bar & stem combo. As for the frame numbers, the 20mm will likely decrease the HTA & STA by 1° as well as lower the BB height 8mm or more.

Wow; you know your stuff Chris! Thanks.

 

[coregrind]

Wow; you know your stuff Chris! Thanks.

I’ve been previously toying around with geometry for a minute. Ha!

 

[sparked]

As a 70 yr old dude my eOne Sixty is set up for long tours, not track work. I had the 2018 model, now have the 2020, and a 2021 order has landed and I should have it soon.
The two main mods I've asked for is a Di2 system and swapping a 27.5 for the front 29'er. I want to reduce the overall footprint of the bike when its being carried by car so less is sticking out at the side. Yeah, 3/4" aint much but it helps and I'd rather a more compact frame overall for the kind of riding I do and blog about.
Two Qs here: are there any disadvantages in reversing the mullet, given that the bike frame has been designed around a 29" front?
Second, has anyone put a Di2 electronic shift on a Shimano ebike? Theres a lot involved, but with arthritic finger joints I think I'll use my gears more and power less.
cheers, and Happy New Year
Richard
ebikerdiary.com

View attachment 48653

I love your IG account by the way!

 

[ebikerdiary]

For those interested in the two queries I raised, I now have my 2021 eOne Sixty EP8 and can answer them myself.

First, the Di2 is available only as an 11 speed and fitting it to an eOne Sixty would require a rebuild. Not worth it; Shimano will releae a 12 speed over the next year or so, and it will be a simple upgrade for my ebike.

Second, the decision to get the eOne Sixty minus a mullet has paid off. The bike steering is sharper and the overall feel of the bike is more organic/responsive without the 29er; downhill crashers may feel different but for my riding its been a good move.
cheers, Richard

 

[flash]

You could go Sram AXS. 12 speed. Wireless and would be a solution for your arthritis. Easy install and set up too.

Gordon

 

[ebikerdiary]

You could go Sram AXS. 12 speed. Wireless and would be a solution for your arthritis. Easy install and set up too.

Gordon

Thanks Gordon; have advised off that idea because apparently the Sram version is power hungry and expensive. Have you experienced otherwise?

 

[Neeko DeVinchi]

Interesting. So theoretically, to get near the same geometry by running the same wheelset in a mullet, you'll need to increase the travel up front by 20mm(ish).
Whilst I've not tried a mullet, I did have my sights set on buying a Specialized Status (I know, I know, it's not a emtb) but I always imagined experimenting with that bike and going 27.5 front and rear and going 170/180mm travel.

 

[flash]

Expensive. Definitely. Mind you Di2 isn't exactly cheap.

I have absolutely no battery issues. AXS has it's own batteries. Derailleur/seat post I charge every third or fourth ride but could probably double that. Controller last a year. Little red LED gives plenty of warning. You have to charge the bike anyway......

Gordon

 

[ebikerdiary]

Expensive. Definitely. Mind you Di2 isn't exactly cheap.

I have absolutely no battery issues. AXS has it's own batteries. Derailleur/seat post I charge every third or fourth ride but could probably double that. Controller last a year. Little red LED gives plenty of warning. You have to charge the bike anyway......

Gordon

Very interesting Gordon; must take a closer look. I wonder if there are any warranty issues replacing Shimano with Sram.

 

[ebikerdiary]

Interesting. So theoretically, to get near the same geometry by running the same wheelset in a mullet, you'll need to increase the travel up front by 20mm(ish).
Whilst I've not tried a mullet, I did have my sights set on buying a Specialized Status (I know, I know, it's not a emtb) but I always imagined experimenting with that bike and going 27.5 front and rear and going 170/180mm travel.

For what its worth, I had the mullet in the 2020 eOne Sixty and always felt it had an over-sized front end with heavy steering. Now that I have a 27.5 the bike feels more in scale and the steering organically precise. I like it and will not go back to a mullet...but then again I'm not a down-hiller which is what its probably been designed for.

 

[coregrind]

Interesting. So theoretically, to get near the same geometry by running the same wheelset in a mullet, you'll need to increase the travel up front by 20mm(ish).

With a 27.5” installed on the 29” fork, a 20mm travel increase up front will keep the angles and BB height almost identical as stock. As mentioned, the Trail measurement will still change slightly. The Trail number in this scenario will decrease, therefore lightening the steering feel so less stable at high speed but an advantage in low speed tech stuff.

 

[Kaulin]

With a 27.5” installed on the 29” fork, a 20mm travel increase up front will keep the angles and BB height almost identical as stock. As mentioned, the Trail measurement will still change slightly. The Trail number in this scenario will decrease, therefore lightening the steering feel so less stable at high speed but an advantage in low speed tech stuff.

And actually, if you swap wheel to 27.5"+, geometry numbers should remain the same. I did it to my e160 8000, but I have 27.5"+ also in back, so my bikes geometry is changed. I have plans to increase travel to 170mm or 180mm.

 

[R120]

A lot of the YT pro free riders have un mulleted their decoys and running 27.5 both ends.

 

[flash]

Very interesting Gordon; must take a closer look. I wonder if there are any warranty issues replacing Shimano with Sram.

In Oz, no. You can change parts if you like and warranty isn't affected unless....

1. The part you put on puts the rest of the product out of spec. For example put a 180mm fork on a bike designed for a 100mm and then crack the frame. You're on your own.

2. If the part causes the fault. For example you change brakes and they damage the rotor. Your fault (maybe the brake manufacturer).

3. The part is incorrectly fitted and that causes a failure.

4. The modification is illegal or takes the bike beyond its designed operating parameters. Adding a speedbox to a motor for example.

I have upgraded my eZesty from NX/GX to AXS X01 and replaced the SRAM brakes with XTR. Also new wheels and different tyres and a 160mm Lyrik to replace the 150mm Fox (160mm is OK for this bike). Currently getting a motor and frame replaced under warranty, no problems, because those parts had nothing to do with the failure.

This is Oz. Some other countries if you modify the bike your warranty is void.

Gordon

 

[p3eps]

Expensive. Definitely. Mind you Di2 isn't exactly cheap.

I have absolutely no battery issues. AXS has it's own batteries. Derailleur/seat post I charge every third or fourth ride but could probably double that. Controller last a year. Little red LED gives plenty of warning. You have to charge the bike anyway......

Gordon

You could quadrupole that and still be safe! I’ve been running AXS for a year now, and have ridden over 1500miles. My derailleur battery has been charged 5 times (just charged it after my last ride), and my seat post 4 times. I check the light colour after each ride when lubing the chain. If it’s red, it gets charged, if it’s green it gets left.