[William42]

I broke my repaired Giant again and I'm looking for something new. I experimented with 29" wheels like a girl in college, and now I'm looking to have actual fun by going back to smaller wheels.

Who's still making 160-180mm travel range enduro bikes with 27.5 wheels?

So far the pickings seem slim.

Yeti SB165
Pivot Mach6
Some older Nomads 5's are still available.

I'm pretty lazy about maintaining my bikes, and that doesn't really endear me to the Yeti or Pivot, and despite giant discounts in the bike industry, the older Nomads seem hard to find in my size and even harder to find reasonably priced, going for more than a new MX wheel nomad (when considering discounts etc).

Anything else out there worth considering before I expand my search to MX wheels? Might consider going used and picking up a Capra, since that seems like it would fit the bill alright and can be had pretty cheap, but generally like clapping my own bikes out, not having somebody else do it for me, and then needing to spend a bunch of my time tracking down teething issues with worn new bikes.

 

[johnbryanpeters]

Interested, I'm going to get into this whenever my Tracer decides to die.

 

[jonKranked]

Banshee Rune.

Rune V3.2 — Banshee Bikes

www.bansheebikes.com

 

[jonKranked]

Norco Shore (might be a bit more park bike than what you're after)

Shore | Norco

www.norco.com

 

[jonKranked]

Commencal Clash (again, might be more bike park than what you're after)

Sites-commencal-us-Site

COMMENCAL

www.commencal.com

 

[sethimus]

those shore a super cheap right now

 

[Jozz]

Revel Rail.

 

[Redwood Mulch Chucker]

Airdrop Edit

Edit 27.5 Frame & Rockshox SDLX Coil Ultimate

A premium alloy full suspension frame with 160mm rear wheel travel, designed for 27.5" wheels and fitted with a Rockshox Super Deluxe Ultimate coil shock. Airdrop Bikes is an independent British MTB brand based in Sheffield. All our bikes are designed in-house, made in small batches and built to...

www.airdropbikes.com

 

[djjohnr]

I love my Shore, but calling it an enduro bike is a massive stretch. It's a DH sled that happens to be dropper compatible.

 

[toodles]

Airdrop Edit is available in either MX or full 27.5 as well
Commencal Clash

*edit* sniped by that Mulch Chucker guy

 

[jonKranked]

Airdrop Edit is available in either MX or full 27.5 as well
Commencal Clash

*edit* sniped by that Mulch Chucker guy

Sniped on the clash too

 

[toodles]

Sniped on the clash too

Crap. I need more coffee.

I suppose you could still include the Transition Scout considering it can be run as 150/160

Can you still get Nukeproof Mega 275 frames at all? Mine has been a brilliant bike

 

[schwaaa31]

Propain Tyee is still available full 27.5.

 

[djjohnr]

I think a lot of MX bikes would ride better as full 27.5. Easy enough to convert.

 

[Gary]

If you still like low BBs almost every manufacturer

 

[jstuhlman]

I love my Shore, but calling it an enduro bike is a massive stretch. It's a DH sled that happens to be dropper compatible.

View attachment 209297

dammit now i want a shore.

and yeah...do a nomad unmulleted. hell i ran my n4 w/26" for a while in the high setting and it was super fun.

 

[canadmos]

Banshee

Can run any wheel size or even non boost rear wheels if ya got those.

 

[William42]

Thanks for the responses! The Rune and the Clash are pretty much exactly what I'm looking for. Hesitant on the Nukeproof although I've heard good things about how it rides, nervous about getting replacement parts for it what with... ya know.

Anybody with real world experience with the clash? I'll have to do some pedaling on it, and once a week or so it'll have to function as an XC bike when I ride local trails, but for the most part it'll be intended for some of the rowdier trails in the pisgah area for the next few years.

 

[SuspectDevice]

The clash is a park bike. Like all commencal’s its always wide af at the rear end- if you like a narrow stance, it’s gonna rubbyer boots. I keep seeing the headtubes fall off the FRS and Clash frames. By the time that happens to you, I wouldn’t be surprised if Commencal no longer has stock of 27.5 front wheel designed frames to replace it.

At this point people who like 27.5 front wheels should be hoarding things like fork lowers, it doesn’t look like the 27.5 front wheel is likely to survive at the high end through another product cycle.

 

[HardtailHack]

If you can handle a touch less Travel, Kona have the Process 153.

 

[djjohnr]

Thanks for the responses! The Rune and the Clash are pretty much exactly what I'm looking for. Hesitant on the Nukeproof although I've heard good things about how it rides, nervous about getting replacement parts for it what with... ya know.

Anybody with real world experience with the clash? I'll have to do some pedaling on it, and once a week or so it'll have to function as an XC bike when I ride local trails, but for the most part it'll be intended for some of the rowdier trails in the pisgah area for the next few years.

I had a large 2019 Clash. Since then it went from split pivot to faux bar and the reach got a little longer, but otherwise it seems to be roughly the same bike. It was a really good bike for me - cornered well, was pretty middle of the road between poppy and plow and climbed pretty well for what it was. There were times when my trail bike was down that I'd swap wheels/tires over and take it for long xc-ish rides and it did surprisingly well; on the flip side it also did bike park duty at Whistler and Northstar. Overall it would make a good gravity-oriented one bike solution.

 

[djjohnr]

At this point people who like 27.5 front wheels should be hoarding things like fork lowers, it doesn’t look like the 27.5 front wheel is likely to survive at the high end through another product cycle.

A 27.5" wheel handles just fine in a short offset 29" fork. If it's on a mullet bike you can correct geo with either a longer air spring, tall bottom headset cup or a tall crown race.

 

[SuspectDevice]

A 27.5" wheel handles just fine in a short offset 29" fork. If it's on a mullet bike you can correct geo with either a longer air spring, tall bottom headset cup or a tall crown race.

Yeah, but homeboy is asking about enduro bikes. Nobody should have to run 190mm of travel up front just so their bike handles ok.

Bikes that go uphill, at all, definitely don’t benefit from higher front ends or longer air shafts…

 

[Andeh]

Can't you run an external cup lower headset to take up some space? 20mm of that and keeping a 29 fork would preserve the geometry.

 

[jonKranked]

Can't you run an external cup lower headset to take up some space? 20mm of that and keeping a 29 fork would preserve the geometry.

can't do that on a lot of frames these days.

however, there are companies making other solutions like crown races that are also spacers:

Cane Creek 40-Series Alloy Crown Race 52/40 + 6mm

Wonder why the Cane Creek Crown Races is a mountain biker favorite in the Crown Race collection? Part #BAA1078K. Crown races for Cane Creek headsets fit a variety of lowers and crown race seat diameters. Compatible with 10-, 40- and 110-Series headsets and backwards compatible with S and XX...

www.worldwidecyclery.com

or extended lower headset cups:

Wolf Tooth Lower Headset Cup Extender | Jenson USA

www.jensonusa.com

 

[djjohnr]

Yeah, but homeboy is asking about enduro bikes. Nobody should have to run 190mm of travel up front just so their bike handles ok.

Bikes that go uphill, at all, definitely don’t benefit from higher front ends or longer air shafts…

There's two other options besides longer air springs.

A 27.5" wheel handles just fine in a short offset 29" fork. If it's on a mullet bike you can correct geo with either a longer air spring, tall bottom headset cup or a tall crown race.

 

[SuspectDevice]

There's two other options besides longer air springs.

Ones that don’t add extra length to a fork that is already 20mm longer than it needs to be? I doubt it.

 

[djjohnr]

Ones that don’t add extra length to a fork that is already 20mm longer than it needs to be? I doubt it.

A 29 fork has an axle to crown difference of +19mm compared to a 27.5 fork. The radius of a 27.5 rim is -19mm compared to a 29 rim.
There are multiple options to make up 19mm.

 

[JustMtnB44]

Banshee Rune.

Rune V3.2 — Banshee Bikes

www.bansheebikes.com

Banshee

Can run any wheel size or even non boost rear wheels if ya got those.

I just finished building up a Banshee Rune, including using *gasp* non boost wheels front and rear! (complete with old tires that should be replaced). I haven't ridden it yet and hopefully will have a chance to soon, but this isn't my primary bike.

 

[Pneuma]

Canfield balance is available as 27.5.

 

[sethimus]

I just finished building up a Banshee Rune, including using *gasp* non boost wheels front and rear! (complete with old tires that should be replaced). I haven't ridden it yet and hopefully will have a chance to soon, but this isn't my primary bike.

View attachment 209339

 

[boogenman]

Guerrilla Gravity......never mind

 

[mykel]

Knolly will have a new Warden out this year. Rumor has it to continue as a 27.5 with a 29r front option.

 

[canadmos]

I just finished building up a Banshee Rune, including using *gasp* non boost wheels front and rear! (complete with old tires that should be replaced). I haven't ridden it yet and hopefully will have a chance to soon, but this isn't my primary bike.

View attachment 209339

Congorats on the spare fancy bike! The anodized frames are super nice, it'll be hard to go back to something painted...if I ever do.

Did you make a fender for the back yet? It'll really help keep crud out of the lower linkage area, if you ride in a lot of loose stuff.

Here's my mixed wheel Titan, which is essentially the same frame. Only downside to these is the kind of short seat tube insertion, but it hasn't been a problem for me..

 

[jonKranked]

Congorats on the spare fancy bike! The anodized frames are super nice, it'll be hard to go back to something painted...if I ever do.

Did you make a fender for the back yet? It'll really help keep crud out of the lower linkage area, if you ride in a lot of loose stuff.

Here's my mixed wheel Titan, which is essentially the same frame. Only downside to these is the kind of short seat tube insertion, but it hasn't been a problem for me..

banshee was on my short list until the opportunity for a GG came about.

 

[JustMtnB44]

Congorats on the spare fancy bike! The anodized frames are super nice, it'll be hard to go back to something painted...if I ever do.

Did you make a fender for the back yet? It'll really help keep crud out of the lower linkage area, if you ride in a lot of loose stuff.

Here's my mixed wheel Titan, which is essentially the same frame. Only downside to these is the kind of short seat tube insertion, but it hasn't been a problem for me..

Thanks and nice Titan! Yeah I love the anodized frames, my V2 Spitfire is ano black and my V1 Spitfire was ano gray. It currently sits as shown in that picture, so I'll have to look into the rear fender. I didn't realize the seat tube insertion was short until I was setting up the seat post. I went with a Fox Transfer 175mm drop thinking that it would be fine, and it just barely works for me with the seat post fully inserted.

 

[toodles]

A 27.5" wheel handles just fine in a short offset 29" fork. If it's on a mullet bike you can correct geo with either a longer air spring, tall bottom headset cup or a tall crown race.

Whats the radius dimension difference between 27.5 and 29 actually? Just 0.75"/19mm? If that was the case, seems a lot easier 27.5 a mullet bike than it is to mullet a full 27.5 (fork height diff and wheel difference)

 

[Nick]

Big big fan of my Mach 6 with 160 fork.

 

[Gary]

0.75"/19mm?

Yeah.

to go full 27.5 on most 297 mullets just stick a 27.5 front wheel in and fit a 20mm longer airspring
Don't worry about offset. it'll be just fine.

 

[toodles]

Yeah.

to go full 27.5 on most 297 mullets just stick a 27.5 front wheel in and fit a 20mm longer airspring
Don't worry about offset. it'll be just fine.

Yah, I'm going the other way if anything tho. Got a full 27.5 bike and considered mulleting it briefly but too much fookin aboot. Gave up on the idea