So-called mega-mullet bikes use a 32in front and 29in rear wheel in a bid to maximise rollover capabilities with the bigger front wheel, while making the most of the frame-packaging advantages of the already established 29in wheel size out back.
Pro downhill rider Neko Mulally won the 2026 Sea Otter Classic downhill on a custom Frameworks bike with a 32in front wheel and 29in rear wheel, so the mega mullet is now competition-proven in downhill racing.
We know 32in wheels are here for pro cross-country (XC) racing, having won their first UCI Elite event with a fastest time on the third stage of the 2026 Cape Epic. But, if you’re not an XC racer and you want the ultimate trail bike, could a mega-mullet setup provide the answer?
Mega-mullet benefits
Mixed-wheel, or mullet bikes use a larger front wheel and a smaller rear wheel to harness the benefits of each.
Larger rear wheels are (generally) weaker, more flexible and more difficult to fit into a frame, especially one with rear suspension to consider. Creating a mega-mullet setup, with a 32in front wheel and a more conservative 29in rear wheel could create a Goldilocks bike with the best of both worlds.
At least that’s what Neko Mulally seems to have thought when creating a bike to take on the historic Sea Otter Classic downhill race. Mulally’s custom Frameworks mega mullet used a 29in rear wheel combined with a 32in front wheel sitting in a Fox Podium upside-down (USD) fork, which was lowered to 103mm travel.
A short-stroke rear shock helped balance rear travel and maintain the geometry Neko was after.
Mulally has form in the event, clearly enjoying the challenge of the fast, smooth and pedally track. He finished second in 2021 and 2025, and third in 2024. Could it be that the mega mullet gave him the edge in 2026?
Trail-bike compatible
Trail bikes have more suspension travel and slacker angles than cross-country (XC), where we’re expecting to see a flurry of full 32in-wheel bikes this year.
Shorter-travel XC bikes seem to be the ideal fit for the bigger wheel size, while creating a trail bike with 32in hoops in the front and rear is a much bigger ask.
Fitting a massive rear wheel into a hardtail or shorter-travel frame is one thing, but up the travel and tyre width, and it starts to become far trickier. Major clearance issues, geometry headaches and potential flex, as well as how the rider interacts with the bike, all become problems.
Using a lighter, stiffer, 29in rear wheel could be the answer in this instance.
Employing existing frames with established geometry and suspension kinematics, along with comfortable body clearance, but adding a 32in front wheel, could harness many of the benefits of the larger wheel size and remove some of those packaging woes engineers will no doubt be sweating about already.
A 32in wheel has a larger contact patch and should roll over bumps more easily than a 29in wheel. Additionally, front wheels traditionally don't need to be as stiff or strong or rear wheels, so the disadvantages of the 32in hoops would not be as compromising.
Mullet evolution
29in wheels were adopted by enduro racers in the early 2010s and broke onto the downhill scene in 2017.
Riders and manufacturers were quick to try to exploit the benefits of larger wheels. However, downhill bikes need around 200mm of rear-wheel travel and clearance above the rear wheel for the considerable body movement required to ride as fast as possible.
In short, riders need enough space above the rear wheel to avoid getting their backsides buzzed when they’re hanging off the back of the bike during a big compression.
This led to the original mullet bike: a setup aimed at exploiting both the improved rollover, and larger contact patch of the 29in front wheel, and the ease of packaging and clearance of a 27.5in rear wheel, combining them into one bike with a 29in wheel up front and a 27.5in wheel at the back.
This setup was comedically dubbed ‘the mullet’ because it’s ‘business in the front, and party in the back’, like the much maligned haircut. It is less creatively known as ‘mixed wheel size’ and abbreviated to ‘MX’ by brands such as Santa Cruz, recognising that motocross bikes have a similar setup with a larger front wheel and smaller rear wheel.
While some downhill and enduro bikes, and eMTBs run 29in wheels front and rear, there are still many using a mullet setup, such as the new Cannondale Bad Habit.
Many trail bikes, however, like all XC bikes, run 29in wheels front and rear, fitting a larger front wheel for greater traction and reduced rollover resistance.
So there are advantages to a mega-mullet setup, but what are the potential issues that could stop mega-mullet trail bikes from catching on?
32in wheels and forks are heavier and more flexible, limiting how hard you can push the front in a corner. Material can be added to minimise flex, but this will also add weight. Conversely, material can be removed to reduce weight, but this will increase flex.
Packaging is also an issue, with Mulally having to reduce the usually 160mm or 170mm Fox Podium’s travel to 103mm to fit in the 32in front wheel.
And if brands are trying to add 32in front wheels to existing 29er frames, the geometry will likely be thrown out unless steps are taken to correct it. Think slacker front ends, higher bottom brackets…
The current lack of available parts is another limiting factor.
Mulally and the Frameworks team are sponsored by Continental tyres. Because Continental doesn’t have a 32in tyre, Mulally had to use a lightweight tyre from another brand, not designed for downhill use, during his Sea Otter victory.
Where can I get a mega-mullet bike?
As yet, there are few manufacturers brave enough to wade into these speculative waters, however small USA bespoke frame manufacturer Frameworks and pioneering UK company Starling are early adopters.
Unfortunately, Mulally’s race-winning Frameworks bike is the 172mm-travel, 27.5in-wheel 2026 Enduro frame with a shortened shock and 29in rear wheel fitted, and so not a production mega-mullet bike.
The bike uses a lowered and travel-limited Fox Podium 29in fork with 103mm travel and a 32in wheel squeezed in.
However, Starling has created real, rideable bikes around a 29in frame, with a 32in front-wheel compatible geometry and fork.
Starling already has two trail bikes that can be ordered as mega-mullets using 29er rear wheels and a 32in-specific Intend Samurai fork up front: the 90mm-travel Beady Little Eye, and the 120mm Big Bird. Both bikes use a steel frame with a simple single-pivot suspension system without a linkage to drive the shock.
Starling’s bikes use the Intend Samurai USD 32in-specific fork, which is available to buy now. Other manufacturers are already stepping up with XC and even trail forks.
These bikes show that a mega-mullet is not only possible but works in the real world.
