A few days ago, Yeti dropped their HOT! FRESH! NEW! SB165 and surprise surprise, it sees another previously 27.5″-wheeled bike given the ‘mullet’ treatment, with a move to a 29″ wheel up front. A few months back we saw Ibis giving the long-running 27.5″ Mojo HD series the same revamp, and before that we watched Santa Cruz decide to ‘upgrade’ every single one of their smaller-wheeled rigs to run mullet-style, including everyone’s favourite play bike, the 5010.

Bike companies will tell us that they’re just following demand, and that customers are only buying mullet bikes (or 29ers) so that’s all they should make. But if customers can only choose from mullet bikes because that’s all you have available, and that’s all you see splashed across the front page of Pinkbike or between the legs of your favourite ‘unbiased’ Instagram influencer, is that so surprising?

A little while back, I wrote a post about how the bike industry’s relentless march towards longer, lower and slacker mountain bikes may be pushing the average consumer towards a bike that prioritizes ‘speed’ over ‘fun’. Shortly before that, I wrote about how the industry was forcing through-headset cable routing on us, even on low-end bikes. This is a similar situation: in the move away from 27.5″ as a wheel size, manufacturers are offering us the Kool Aid, and then forcing us to drink from it by removing all other water sources. Half of us might not *really* enjoy Kool Aid, but we don’t have a choice if we want to drink anything.

There’s no denying that 27.5″ has inferior rollover to 29″. If you are racing enduro, or a taller rider, then go for it. But some of us – probably most of us – ride purely for fun, and for many 27.5″ may still be the better wheel size. Smaller-wheeled bikes are easier to place where you want them on the trail, get up to speed easier and offer more butt clearance – smaller riders, newer riders, or riders who prioritise playfulness in a bike will feel the benefits. Not everyone needs, or wants, the ploughy, straight-line speed of a bigger wheel up front.

To be clear, I’m not shitting on 29″ wheels here. For many people, they will be the better choice. They may even be more ‘fun’. But for many they won’t, and that’s my problem – an individual’s definition of ‘fun’ is up to them, and not for bike manufacturers to dictate.

Thankfully, there are still a few bordering-on-mainstream brands out there offering consumers the chance to buy the bike they actually want, even if they are few and far between. Pivot, Orange and Knolly all come to mind as being brands keeping 27.5″ on the menu. Then there’s Banshee, who not only offer several smaller-wheeled bikes, but most of their models will also accept non-Boost wheels and other legacy parts through changeable dropouts – something else to be applauded.

The really frustrating thing is that there is no reason why manufacturers can’t offer us the freedom to choose. Some bikes, like the Banshee Enigma, are *designed* to be run either full-27.5″ or mullet with little to no compromise. If bike companies want to offer us the choice, with a bit of smart design, there’s absolutely nothing stopping them.

In the meantime, I suggest voting with your wallet. When it comes time to buy a new bike, forget what the cycling media and bike companies are telling you is best for you – you already know what’s best for you, so find a company that offers that and give them your money. Until we start telling them what we *actually* want, we’re really just along for the ride…