[1track-mind]

Curious if anyone has tried a 29er fork and front wheel on their 2016-2018 Troy, and if so, how was it?

I've got a case of 29er envy, but don't really want to buy a new bike. I'm currently setup with dhf/dhr2 2.6" F/R.

Wondering if a bigger tire upfront would help with improving rollover and carrying speed, or if it will just be negated by the 27.5 rear.

 

[1track-mind]

I don't think I'd mind going ~1.5 degrees more slack in the front, as would be the case if I stuck with a 150mm travel fork and 29" in the front. Slighty higher BB hopefully shouldn't hurt either, i think.

Mostly concerned with the slackening of the seatpost angle, and whether or not I would actually see any benefit from the 29er front end, considering that it's still chained to a 27.5 rear.

Would love to hear any experiences if anyone has tried it before I go trying to scrounge parts.

 

[FSRChuck]

"mullet" troy 279'er

Would love to hear any experiences if anyone has tried it before I go trying to scrounge parts.

I just built up a used/new 2017 Troy CF. I ended up running a 29ft to start almost accidently,.. I put a 27.5in ft. wheel on my 20 yr old restored FSR Pro MAXbb frame with a 160mm Fox fork+ 2.6 Nobby Nic and I love how the front feels, that bike rides awesome still, so I was open to the idea...




Didn't plan to build a mullet but the 29in front was a steal, & I was curious how it worked after demoing a 29 Transition smuggler. In my parts hunt, I ended up with an as new 'take off' Pike 27.5+/29 spec fork w/i believe, 51mm offset so mulletizing the Troy seemed to be in the cards......

This bike feels awesome ... I've only ridden it maybe 12x the last few months & only w/29in front.

I still 'feel' the size of the 29up front,..I can feel the benefit in roll-over and thru the rough, and w/current geometry and the slightly slacker HA from the bigger wheel & now longer fork, etc, the front feels a bit "out front" of me, Vs "under" me, I'm still getting used to that. I fig. as soon as I stop noticing it, i'm there....I've had no issues with BB height change as a result of the taller fork and larger wheel...fewer pedal strikes is a plus I hear, & I know i'm not nearly as comfy on super tight hairpins any more on this 'big feeling' bike yet, but I think that's due to the overall newness of the bike to me in gen. esp. with short stems & 810mm bars etc..vs the 29in. front specifically...

With 140mm front travel:



I bumped the fork from 140mm to 160mm recently and haven't ridden it in anger yet,.... i'm very curious to learn how that 20mm bump up front makes the bike feel with an even slacker/taller front on the trail..

Unfort. i do not have any experience on 27.5 at all, so i'm no help in comparing that setup BUT I just finally found a great deal on a 27.5 boost front wheel, and i'm excited to ride a proper 27.5er.

So many variables...

I've yet to experiment with tire sizes etc...(2.4 max on the bike yet) i'm struggling to get familiar w/different tire brands and their trends in actual size vs listed sizes.. it's kinda pissing me off lol.

The 29in, Terrene 'Chunk' 2.3 i run up front w/a 30mm rim sits more like a 2.5 and is maybe 3mm narrower than the 27.5 Rekon 2.8(!) i just compared it to at my LBS on a 30mm rim as well. (Oy vey already!)

I'm looking for the right 2.8in front and 2.6in 27.5 rear that'll fit and match my riding these days (Minion DHF/R 2.8's look a bit too tall to fit in the rear and are likely more tire than I need..)....despite the boost spec frame, fork & 30-35mm wide CF rims, I'm still on tire sizes that I run on my 1998 FSR lol



Will update as I learn more ...

 

[1track-mind]

Thanks for the feedback. Your bike looks sweet!

I haven't gone forward mulletizing my Troy, - been too busy riding, but I'm keeping my eye out for a deal on fork / front wheel...

 

[Johnnyb123]

In February, I bought a 2016 Devinci Troy carbon to build as a mullet. Coming from a 2014 Evil uprising (great bike) I was looking to take advantage of 29" roll over in the front and the control and non-butt grinding the 27.5 in the rear would offer. Chose the Troy for its not too slack head angle and decent 74.5 seat angle. I'm running an over stroked cane creek DBIL 200x57 instead of the 200x50 the Troy is specd with. (Yes, it works just fine) which brings the back end up a few mm to start with and adds about 10mm of actual travel. Running a 2020 RS Pike RCT3 150mm with 51 offset in the front. Final angles are 74 seat tube, 65 head angle, and 343 BB (in the low chip setting). The bike rides great, stable yet playful. I run 95 psi in the fork with no volume spacers and a lot of ow speed compression. I weight 175 with my pack, and I know this I said high compared to the RS recommendation, but IMO there is no need for spacers as the fork has a lot of high speed compression built in and needed more low end. Since I wasn't initially really happy with the fork, I bought a 2020 Lyrik Ultimate 170mm with 42 offset just to see how it might work. I also switched around 27.5 and 29 front wheels to get a good comparison. Here are my thoughts. Pike with 29 - great all around trail/all mountain. Pike with 27.5 - terrible. Lyric with 29 - terrible. Lyric with 27.5 - great, but a bit stiffer (more stable, oversteer at slow speed). I definitely like the feel of the Lyrik's RC2 better so if you are considering an RC3T vs RC2 in the Pike, unless you really want the lock out feature, go for the RC2. The only downside to my build is at 5'10 with a short torso, I am wondering if I should have bought a medium frame. For spec, I'm running RF 170 Next R Carbon cranks, RF Sixc Carbon bar 750mm, TRP Quandium brakes (love them), e13 TRS cassette, I9 wheels, Michelin Wild AM rear and Wenduro front. FWIW the Wild AM is basically the same as a Wild Enduro rear tread pattern, so save yourself some money. Trying to pick up a 2018 Pivot 5.5 medium to build up next.



Let

 

[jerzey111]

great write up, did you leave the lyrik at 170mm?

 

[Geeezas]

great write up, did you leave the lyrik at 170mm?

Also Iwould like an update on the ride. Ive got a 2018 troy with lyrik 160 mm and 27.5 x 2.6 tires. Rides like a beast, the cane creek shock fully changed thebike for good. Now thinking on mullet the bike with 150 m 29er front and going 2.5 tyres rear and front. Should have no issues with bb and if I do can flip to high setting.