Thread revival time 😄
So my 2017 Stumpjumper is the model before Specialized got the memo about long, slack geometry on enduro bikes. I really like the bike though, so decided to take some steps to shake things up a bit and try something fun. It's designed to take 650b rims with plus tyres - the ones it came with were 3" across - so the forks are actually 29er geometry. Knowing this I've bought some bits to try a 'mullet' setup, that is a 29er on the front and a 27.5 on the back
This has the effect of raising the front end and slackening the head angle a smidge, bringing it closer to modern geometry with no discernable downsides that I've come across thus far in my (fairly limited) research
Here's the bike I'm playing with this time, I've had her several years now and have thrown her down a few mountains but all in all she hasn't been used all that much, especially recently
Currently she's got the standard aluminium rimmed Roval Traverse wheels with 110x15mm boost front hub and 148x12 boost rear hub geometry. I swapped the silly tyres out for more reasonable 2.6" Maxxis ones quite soon after I bought it, and this is how she's stayed.
Given that the last 3 sets of wheels I have built used Hope hubs and LightBicycle carbon rims I decided to do something completely different this time, so have ordered... Hope Pro 4 hubs and LightBicycle Recon Pro rims 😄 If it ain't broke...
I've stuck with Maxxis tyres, going for a Minion DHF 29x2.6 on the front and a Dissector 27.5x2.6 on the rear. I've also ordered some cushcore tyre inserts as I was a bit worried about impacts on the carbon rims - I'm no lightweight afterall
Anyway, the hubs and tyres arrived pretty quickly...
These are now squirreled away waiting for the rims to finish production and ship. I checked over the weekend and they'd been moulded and were now being machined so I would guess they will be shipped within the next week or so, which means I might see them sometime in August all being well
The rims I've ordered are UD weave and unpainted but will have stealth LB decals this time, black on black. They're fairly wide and a decent depth so should be pretty solid. This is the cross section detail from the website, same for both rims with the diameter being the only difference:
The cushcore inserts should arrive tomorrow, I'm intrigued to see what they're like. They get excellent reviews but are insanely expensive for foam rings, but cheaper than wrecking rims I guess
They supposedly enhance the ride too at lower tyre pressures, and having had a tire burp on a corner a few times in the past a bit of sidewall support round the twisty bits would be quite welcome
Here's the marketing gumpf from their website:
Spokes haven't been thought about yet, I'll just go with something double butted and durable I suspect with brass nipples. Nothing fancy as they'll get covered in mud almost immediately 😊
Anyway, I'll update when more bits arrive and the wheels get built up
Looking forward to trying out the Mullet, it'll be interesting to see how much difference it makes