Rail (750Wh) Mulleting the Rail
- Thread starter Dave_B
- Start date
Jag009
New Member
I thought about doing this to my bike ,but after riding a couple of mullets now on a nice varied trail i know well ,i am not going to bother , yes they turn a bit tighter and are a bit lighter , but i was no faster on it (not my bike so did want to bend it ) but the guy who was on my bike and is a more talented rider than me was quite a bit faster on mine than his bike
Both bikes are very very similar spec barr mine has electric shift , but he does not reckon that should have made that much of a difference, he is now scratching his head
Both bikes are very very similar spec barr mine has electric shift , but he does not reckon that should have made that much of a difference, he is now scratching his head
Jag009
New Member
a couple of tips in this vid if you do want to change
Doug Stampfer
Well-known member
If you don't have a problem with a 29 rear wheel don't bother but if you want better handling around really tight corners & less arse buzz on steep stuff then they're a winner. That's prob the only reason to swap.
I find my mullet awesome I wouldn't say I was faster on any of the tracks with a mullet but I can ride tracks I struggled with before - going fast isn't a priority with me, getting down horrible tracks without breaking my body is more a priority. I'd never go back to a 29 rear wheel.
Downsides - pedal strikes, hang up on roots easier.
I find my mullet awesome I wouldn't say I was faster on any of the tracks with a mullet but I can ride tracks I struggled with before - going fast isn't a priority with me, getting down horrible tracks without breaking my body is more a priority. I'd never go back to a 29 rear wheel.
Downsides - pedal strikes, hang up on roots easier.
Can someone help me with this? If a 27.5 wheels does not affect the wheel base of the bike and said bike has no geo change of the chain stay how does a mullet bike turn better.? I understand that it helps with tyre buzz but it will also drop bb height and slacken out head angle unless flip chip is used to compensate for this!
- Thread starter
- #6
That’s the reason I asked.
The flip chip has to be used to compensate for BB height, but other than that I can’t really see the point if chainstay length remains the same.
Mullet bikes are designed as such and benefit from a shorter chainstay provided by the smaller rear wheel.
The flip chip has to be used to compensate for BB height, but other than that I can’t really see the point if chainstay length remains the same.
Mullet bikes are designed as such and benefit from a shorter chainstay provided by the smaller rear wheel.
Doug Stampfer
Well-known member
As the fatrat says they turn in a lot quicker. I can ride tighter uphill corners I couldn't get round with the 29. The wheel kinda drops over into the corner easier. On the tight downhills I would have to drag the 29 rear wheel around locked up whereas I find the 27 rear will get around without me thinking about it.
Some others that have tried it went back to the 29. Really depends on the trails you ride- on flowy trails I don't think there's any benefit & I think if you're doubting whether you need to mullet you probably already have the correct answer.
I didn't really mullet mine to be with the cool kids but was blown away by & wanted to get the same handling as my wifes factory mulleted bike
Some others that have tried it went back to the 29. Really depends on the trails you ride- on flowy trails I don't think there's any benefit & I think if you're doubting whether you need to mullet you probably already have the correct answer.
I didn't really mullet mine to be with the cool kids but was blown away by & wanted to get the same handling as my wifes factory mulleted bike
Desert_Turtle
Active member
I run my new Rail as a mullet. It’s an absolute game changer. It’s a totally different bike. It’s a highly recommended change. The only downside is the BB height which hasn’t been an issue for me.
Gman086
Member
When using the high position of the flip chip you actually shorten the chainstays (though not enough to make a major difference). The bigger effect has to do with carving using a smaller rear wheel... without going into an in-depth physics lesson you basically need to understand how wheel radius lengths work when leaning the bike over and carving at high speeds (you will actually be counter-steering with the front wheel). Beginners and intermediate riders that don't throw their bike over on turns won't see the difference as starkly. To visualize... take a long stick and try waving it back and forth and then do the same with a shorter stick. On a mullet the rear end comes over quicker like the shorter stick while the front wheel counter-steers at speed thus allowing for noticeable turn-in advantages. You are shortening the effective radius of the bike's carving ability similar to using a shorter radius snowboard. This has ZERO to do with chainstay length or wheelbase which become more important for slow speed cornering. Another massive advantage is the bike is now rotated slightly to the rear (yes, even in the high flipchip position) and the pivot radius of the rear wheel is now shorter so you can manual far FAR easier now making "active" riding a pure joy (again, beginner and intermediate riders won't see much gain here). I'll close by saying short chainstays on e-bikes is just flat out over-rated in large part because the frame designer needs to offset the weight of the motor with much of its weight in front of the crank spindle. I used to think like you and look at that number first but it doesn't have that much of an affect on ebikes... in fact my mullet Rail out-corners my Canfield Balance with 425mm chainstays by a good margin (in part due to the better traction of a heavier bike).
As to whether or not one should mullet... there is a nice thread in the Trek forum already about this. My opinion is if you mainly trail ride then stick with stock; it rolls faster and climbs better. However, if you're an advanced/expert rider that likes to ride the steep and deep, and if you have a 30" inseam or shorter, then you absolutely 100% should be on a mullet IMHO. I won't be changing back but I will likely get a Fuel EXe at some point for a pure trail riding bike/all day epics.
Have FUN!
G MAN
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Regiobike77
Member
My rail 7 is mullet and 9.7 29", i really love how the mullet setup feels on enduro trailsz fast cornering, and climbs nice. Its XL frame. Definitely my next mod is 155 fsa cranksz not much pedal strike but it happens, mostly going up. Do I recommend it? 10000%
RustyMojo
Well-known member
I run my rail mullet, I prefer the feel of the bike set this way. Just feels more nimble. I don’t ride trail centres just steep, mucky off piste UK riding. I have little legs so find the additional ‘space’ is a big game changer. The BB is low and my motor guard has taken a bashing. But I run 155 cranks so don’t get pedal strikes at all. Just the odd hand up if I miss time my technique. I am thinking of lifting my zeb 10mm to 170 to help raise the BB a touch more. But I’m pretty happy with the set up. I’m on a large Rail, if that helps and I’m 5’9 but with a 30” (if I’m lucky) inside leg.
Regiobike77
Member
Which cranks do you use, fsa, hope?
RustyMojo
Well-known member
hope
- Thread starter
- #16
These ?
www.sprocketscycles.com
Hope E-Bike Crankset | Sprockets Cycles
This crank model is most suitable for Bosch gen 2/4 systems and Yamaha PW-X systems | Designed for maximum ground clearance | Self-extracting system for easy fitting and removal
www.sprocketscycles.com
RustyMojo
Well-known member
That’s them. I’m not a massive hope fan boy, but they are easy to use and tick the box
I mulleted my Rail last week as an experiment. I really like how it handled, but ground clearance was a bit of an issue for me. My local trails are really technical with lots of granite, my motor guard was getting hung up constantly. I'm going to keep the 27.5" wheel that I built and swap it in for bike park days though.
alexiow
New Member
What about mullet with a 170mm fork? Anyone done that? 
alexiow
New Member
Good fun all round? Mini link in high? 155 cranks job done?
Better to buy Slash+ which is designed as Mullet (imo).
alexiow
New Member
Can I borrow it after you?I'll just get a Time Machine and go back to December 2019 when I bought my Rail shall I?
Let us know how you get on with mulleting the Rail. 12 months maxI'll just get a Time Machine and go back to December 2019 when I bought my Rail shall I?
Try 4 years...
The only reason it's back on 29s is that it's now my commuter bike and I'm buggered if I'm buying wheels and tyres for it when I've got a 29er Eddy Current on a wheel in the garage. On the rare occasion it's used off road it gets the 27.5 back on it.
The only reason it's back on 29s is that it's now my commuter bike and I'm buggered if I'm buying wheels and tyres for it when I've got a 29er Eddy Current on a wheel in the garage. On the rare occasion it's used off road it gets the 27.5 back on it.
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