Andeh profile

Yeah, I could drop ~275g running a DPX2 or Super Deluxe instead of coil.  Likewise a Lyrik instead of the EXT would drop about 300g.  100g to take off the bashguide.  50g to run a 180mm rotor.  So that'd put it at like 33.5 lbs instead, but that's still a fairly heavy bike compared to some other brands out there (Yeti, Ibis).  Better to just accept that it's "big boned" and build it how I like it.

WAO Unions with Hydras.  200mm rotors.  X01 cassette.  DD Dissector & EXO+ Assegai.  EXT coil.

It's a great build, but when I look at each component, I'm like, "Yeah, that's the right choice."  Then my buddy tells me his SB165 is 33 lbs with really similar components, and I'm like WTF.

I think you hit the nail on the head where once you start prioritizing performance and reliability, weight just goes out the window.  I still have frustrating conversations with newer riders (or riders on bikes from 1-2 generations back just now looking at upgrading) who obsess over weight without thought of performance.  My Megatrail is sitting just under 35 lbs right now.  I had a Nomad 3 a few years back with similar build intent that was only 30.  Not only has stuff gotten heavier due to getting more reliable, but bikes themselves have gotten larger and therefore heavier.  It's basically to the point where if I really wanted a lighter bike, I'd have to replace the frame (with something that probably is less durable).

I'm also sure there's a lot of us who put stuff on for limited use and just never take it off because we're busy.  I dropped a chain casing a jump a couple years ago, so promptly put on a chainguide (and will never know whether I really need it).  A few weeks ago, I upgraded that chainguide to a bashguide because I was going to ride somewhere really rocky, and probably won't get around to taking it off until this winter.  (I did come back from that trip with a nice ding in said bashguide, so I feel somewhat vindicated about that one.)  My EDC pump is still strapped to the frame from that same trip (and was also used), and is also unnecessary for my local trails.  I have a set of MT7s that are roughly 100g lighter than the Codes I replaced them with, simply because the MT7s have some stubbornly sticky pistons that I got tired of trying to fix.  My EXT fork was a splurge/frustration purchase because I was sick of creaky 36s, and weighs a ~250g more than a perfectly functional Lyrik or similar 160mm fork, but no way it's coming off now.

Interesting that the Float X is intended to phase out the DPX2.  I didn't catch that in the initial press releases.  I'm curious if the internal design is significantly different.  

I've had 3 DPX2s (2 Performance Elites, one Performance) and didn't love them.  The smaller volume made them really sensitive to small changes in pressure, and I had to run them all pretty high pressure (210+ psi) despite only being 170 lbs.  I also could never find settings that provided a combination of good small bump and bottom-out.  They either felt good on small bump but blew through travel, or had decent ramp up but skipped over all the small stuff.  That matches what Vorsprung said about the DPX2:  https://www.instagram.com/p/B2Cq26GH2-Y/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

"The rebound adjuster hugely affects the range of the compression adjuster. ...  All the oil displaced by the damper shaft has to go through either the LSC adjuster orifice or the rebound adjuster orifice in the base valve. Because neither of those have a shimmed or otherwise speed sensitive circuit, it's very difficult to get low to mid speed support out of this damper without risking high speed harshness, unless the rebound is valved quite firmly, so that the rebound adjuster can be run quite open."

"Sure thats a bottle cage mount, as much as a speedo is beachwear."  

I'm glad I wasn't drinking my morning coffee when I read that - pure gold.

Great article!  My suggestion for #1 is good brakes they can reach, especially for the littler ones on 16".  My 4 year old's Commencal Ramones came with some Tektro mechanical disc brakes supposedly designed for kids, but I couldn't adjust them far enough in for him to easily reach with his hands.  My buddy's kid's bike had a pair of Tektro hydraulics that could so I got a pair of those, and he instantly started progressing at braking now that he could cover his brakes.  The Tektro hydraulics are OEM only, so a bit tough to find though.  I'm sure some old Deore 2-pots would work well too - anything you can adjust so that they pull nearly to the bar.

I can't even imagine how slowly a backwards mounted Assegai rolls (last picture).

I'm a 5'8" mullet convert, and have short legs for my height to boot.  I think your guesstimate of 6'+ to feel equally comfortable with 29" in the back sounds about right.  Maybe 5'11" depending on inseam.

It's funny, I was going through my closet the other day to find old jerseys and shorts that I don't wear often to sell, and the 2 pairs of shorts I found from last year (when I was on full 29) have permanent tire buzz marks on the ass.  And I realized I haven't had a single buzz in 3 months since going mullet.

I experimented with less-than-ideal mullets a couple times before finding a setup that worked on my current bike.  A lot of the ride feel can be attributed to the geometry, as you'd expect.  The first couple times I did it (on a Sentinel v1 and a GG Smash), it got very, very slack and low (like 63 HTA, 330 BB height) and behaved like you'd expect.  It railed berms but had pedal strikes on everything, and the front end got super floppy.  But when I did it on my current bike (GG Megatrail, with short headset cup and 160 fork), all the pieces clicked.  The geometry feels like a normal enduro bike, the rear end is easier to move around under my shorter legs, and the bigger front wheel rolls over chunk and holes easier.  It also carries momentum better on straight-aways better than 27.5.

It really depends on the starting geometry and travel.  In general, starting with a 29 will let you keep the travel the same, but drastically slack it out and drop the BB.  Starting with a 27.5 will raise the BB and slack it out, but you can mitigate that if you drop the fork travel slightly.

Someone on Vital came up with a nice website tool that lets you model this:  https://geo.syn.bike/

I started a thread over on RideMonkey discussing what bikes are good candidates for mulleting here:  https://ridemonkey.bikemag.com/threads/mullet-madness.291264/