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Mullet Cycles Honeymaker: Ti mixed wheel-size hardtail mountain bike rolls large (and small)

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Brand new Colorado-based Mullet Cycles have today brought their first of several mountain bikes to market, the Honeymaker hardtail. There are many curious things about this hardtail, of major significance is the mixed wheel sizes. The Honeymaker rolls on a 29″ wheel up front, and a 27.5″ wheel in the rear, hence “Mullet Cycles”.

new bike company mullet cycles colorado honeymaker hardtail titanium
The Ti-frame Honeymaker has some unusual features with the chainstay meeting the front triangle a quarter of the way up the downtube, instead of at the bottom bracket

This mixed wheel combination isn’t new to two-wheeled transport, in fact, it has long been the industry standard for motocross. However, it has been used with varying success in mountain biking for years and has seen a resurgence of late with the UCI changing the rules surrounding wheel sizing.

Until 2019, the UCI did not permit the use of different wheel sizes on the same bike at Downhill World Cup races. The combination is fast proving itself a viable option, with downhill legends Danny Hart and Mick Hannah seen dabbling. Indeed, the first two Enduro World Series events, as well as the first World Cup downhill of the season, were all won on the men’s side with 29” front and 27.5” rear.

Mullet Cycles Ti Honeymaker Hardtailhoneymaker hardtail titanium mtb

Mullet Cycles proprietor, Michael Vidovich, has been developing bike designs around mixed wheel sizes since 2012. It wasn’t until he met business partner Miles Schwartz that he was able to realize his dream of launching the Mullet Cycles brand. The Honeymaker is the first of a further 5 promised mountain bikes to come, including 160mm and 120mm full suspension bikes, a ‘Youth’ bike, a gravel bike and a Downhill rig, all of which are designed around mixed wheel sizes.

The Honeymaker is an unusual looking bike to say the least. Neither the chainstay or seat stay meet the front triangle at the seat tube. Rather, they join a short way up the down tube and top tube, respectively, with both stays bending around the seat tube. This has of course increased the tyre clearance by a substantial amount and indeed, the Honeymaker has been optimised for running 3.0″ tyres.

The Ti frame looks to have a very clean weld finish

Mullet have provided a most interesting geometry table, a glance at which will leave you no more educated on the specifics of this bike. I guess we shall have to wait until we see one in the flesh. The new company say they have designed the bike with a 175mm dropper post, resulting in one of the lowest standover heights the industry has ever seen.

mullet cycles mixed wheel size hardtail mountain bike titanium

Pricing and Availability

The Mullet Honeymaker hardtail is available from today, direct from Mullet Cycles, though they will be partnering with bike shops in the near future. The Ti frame alone will cost you $1599, and a full build, featuring Box Components new Box 2 X-Wide 11 speed drivetrain, a 140mm Rockshox Pike Signature Series fork, Industry Nine wheelset and Magura brakes, will be available from $3999. Frame sizes Small to Large will cater for riders from 5’2’’- 6’4’’.

Mullet Cycles mixed wheels size hardtail mtb mountain bike titanium

Want to hear them explain the benefits of a “mullet” setup? Check out our Podcast interview with them!

MulletCycles.com

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joby
joby
5 years ago

That is a nice looking Yeti Ultimate

David Meredith
David Meredith
5 years ago
Reply to  joby

That’s what I’m talking about!!!

Bob
Bob
5 years ago

Very sweet early 90s vibe going on here with the elevated stays and skin walls. Nice job

Josh Webber
Josh Webber
5 years ago

Epic.

roadstain
5 years ago

Would a mullet not have the larger wheel (party) in the back??? I am thinking even something more like The Green Machine….

Mr Pink
Mr Pink
5 years ago

Geo table is a bit of joke. Sorry guys, you ain’t legends in the biz and even legends publish geo numbers. Mixed wheel sizes ain’t new so let’s not pretend you invented it. Ibis, Cannondale, Groove, Carver (going on 12 years+), Trek, Moore, Ventanna and countless others have done it. Cut the Bs and just be honest about geo and that it’s been done before. That’s all the world asks.

Hippie Killer
Hippie Killer
5 years ago
Reply to  Mr Pink

Mr Pink, mixed wheels has been done before but incorrectly. All the brands you mentioned just stuck a big wheel in the front and let it be. Now all the brands are fixing geo to accommodate for mixed wheels, not designing the bike around mixed wheels. Mixing wheels isn’t just about mixing and fixing, it’s much more than that. There is a reason why the geo hasn’t been released, same reason why exotic brands don’t release certain data to the public or how they build certain components. If you have ridden this bike you would say everything differently. We’ve seen it all. We’ve tested. We’ve been there, done that.

Colin M
5 years ago
Reply to  Hippie Killer

The Trek 69er geometry was designed around mixed wheel size. Stop making crap up just to be cute. Sure the geometry is outdated as it came out in 2006 but it was designed for standards of the time. The slack headtube angle was ahead of its time in fact. The low bottom bracket height unfortunately is my only issue with it. Yup I still ride one occasionally.

Doctor
Doctor
5 years ago
Reply to  Mr Pink

I’m curious to see the Geo numbers as well.. At the same time, all of those “mixed wheel” bikes you mentioned were not designed around mixed wheels. I’m also pretty sure the “diameters” of those mixed wheels were too great at 2-3” inches. I read the full press release on their site and lined up a 27.5 and 29 wheels with mounted tires next to my kids Honda dirt bike. I kid you not, they’re basically the same. Maybe they’ll release those numbers after they become legends! haha

TheKaiser
5 years ago
Reply to  Doctor

Where is all this revisionist history coming from? The 2019 mullet craze in Enduro and DH may include a lot of bikes with a downsized/upsized wheel crammed into a frame intended for matched wheels, but there have been purpose built mixed wheel bikes nearly as long as there have been mountain bikes. Without even digging into the obscure stuff, there was the original Cannondale Beast of the East in the 80’s, the Specialized Bighit in the 90s/2000s, Trek 69er in the mid 2000s, and currently Liteville (which uses mixed wheels that vary based on the size of the bike).

Also, regarding the “everyone else used wheels too far apart in size” argument, 27.5″ is shorthand, to make it appear that the 650b wheelsize is evenly between 26″ and 29″. It is really closer to 27″. The wheel’s radius, which is what affects rollover on bumps, is only half the diameter, so the Trek 69er was less than .5″ greater radius differential than this one, and other “Mullet” bikes like the Specialized BigHit (with a 24/26 combo) were even closer. Do you really think that a .25″ difference in rim radius (which is easily eclipsed by the variance in inflated tire widths) is what makes this bike awesome and every other previous mullet bike wrong?

I honestly like the looks of this Mullet bike, but it seems like whoever wrote this press release is either ignorant of MTB history, or has an overinflated ego, and that is what seems to be eliciting most of the negativity in the comments.

Mullet Cycles
5 years ago
Reply to  Mr Pink

From your comment it sounds like you haven’t visited our Website and read our Full Press Release or FAQ page. I’d suggest reading both or doing 7 years of research and development strictly on mixed wheel platforms (in all industries) before making that claim. I’m confident you’d learn why those models faded out. Sure, there have been mixed wheel bikes before but were any of them optimized from the ground up? No. Do you think we’d design our platform around a “Safety Bike”, like all the others had done, Mr. Pinkbike? No. We thought outside the “Big Box” and started at ground zero when the 27.5” wheel came out in 2012. I’m sorry if you feel you won’t come across any new legends in your lifetime. That sounds like an uninspiring world to live in. It’s typically unwise to reply in a comment section, but if someone is calling us out and saying what we did is a “joke” and commanding us to cut the “BS”- We’ll call you out on your shit.

Rustilicus
Rustilicus
5 years ago
Reply to  Mullet Cycles

Sorry – but your geometry chart is a joke. Post some real numbers please.

Eggs Benedict
Eggs Benedict
5 years ago
Reply to  Mullet Cycles

Optimized, my foot. Let’s see the differential equation(s) to prove it, (deleted)
Not sorry.

Zapper
Zapper
5 years ago
Reply to  Mullet Cycles

Well, that seems like a great way to alienate potential customers.
As to you should read the press release : From your website “This page doesn’t seem to exist.”

How about weight also.

And why, if it is “optimized for 3″ tires”, is the spec build with 2.4s ?

Jose
Jose
5 years ago
Reply to  Mullet Cycles

sorry, it’s hard to take a new brand seriously without a geometry chart. It is a bit of a joke.

DJ
DJ
5 years ago
Reply to  Mullet Cycles

@ Mullet Cycles it’s a hot looking bike, it’s your prerogative not to share goe # etc and it’s great to hear from you guys or girls. Try not to be petty though, it doesn’t go down well.

Tim
Tim
5 years ago

Wondering about rear-end lateral rigidity.

TheKaiser
5 years ago
Reply to  Tim

Those stays look thickkk, so I wouldn’t worry much about a lack of stiffness in the rear triangle. The BB, with no bracing from the rear end, on the other hand, might be a little whippy. The huge number of e-stay (“e” meaning elevated, not electric) bikes that came out in the early 90s were known to have more wiggle in the BB than conventional counterparts. Trek and Salsa both went to only an elevated drive side stay on their 29+ bikes, in order to keep at least 1 chainstay bracing at the BB.

Tim
Tim
5 years ago
Reply to  TheKaiser

Long, super thick stays are going to be heavy, too.

paleh0rse
paleh0rse
5 years ago

This design is practically begging for a singlespeed belt-drive setup. Does Mullet offer single-speed dropouts or sliders of some sort?

I looked through their entire website and couldn’t find anything about SS, but maybe I missed it…

Chunk
Chunk
5 years ago
Reply to  paleh0rse

Should be able to throw an elliptical bb in there and make SS work.

Gino
Gino
5 years ago

Sick Bikes. Amiright?

Eggs Benedict
Eggs Benedict
5 years ago
Reply to  Gino

I was kind of thinking the same thing.

Dustytires
5 years ago

This is a totally SICK looking bike! from a purely aesthetic point it has something that keeps me scrolling back and forth on multiple parts of the internet, again and again. Symetrical chainstays ? Massively Ovalized chainstays? Slack and fast looking? skin wall tires? I am old enough to remember when raised chainstay bikes were pretty common, maybe it’s my youth calling with a ‘chilli peppers ring tone. Dunno,.. but the lack of spec on the web site is short sighted and arrogant to say the least. Publish the freakin numbers, even if most of us unwashed are unworthy of understanding your awesomeness, we certainly want to feel like we can spot the difference between mullet geo that has been designed specifically for mis matched wheel sizes and all those poseurs in the past that were obviously idiots and their product failed because they didn’t do it right. I have to say, the ONLY reason this concept will succeed in the marketplace will be because mullets have become quite popular on the World Cup DH scene and the Enduro World Series. The marketing impact of a bunch of pros mixing wheels has far more impact on potential buyers than the conceited crowing about how smart you are hiding in the little corner of Colorado making snarky responses to the above comments. Good luck!

Tim
Tim
5 years ago
Reply to  Dustytires

The numerous spelling and grammar errors on the site were kind of off-putting to me, beyond the biting responses to people making remarks from the peanut gallery.

Mullet Cycles
5 years ago
Reply to  Dustytires

The reason why this concept will succeed is because our KOM’s stand and it’s the future. We were designing our Mullets’ YEARS before the “recent” UCI rule change (real bike companies don’t sprout overnight). And make no mistake, Big Box is currently penciling in their GEO tables for next year’s mixed wheel bikes- They witnessed the benefits for the first time along with everyone else. Those guys have the distribution and marketing budget that we don’t, right now- But they don’t have the perfect formula that took us years to create. We’ll release our GEO Table after Big Box companies release theirs. This will enable you, the customer, to have something legitimate to compare our numbers too. The Blood, Sweat and Tears on the jewelry grade HeadBadge describes the story of what we’ve gone through in order to get to this point. Thanks everyone for the kind words.

TheKaiser
5 years ago
Reply to  Mullet Cycles

Mullet wheel sizes very well may be the future, so I agree with you on that point. I can also understand that you don’t want your “secret sauce” stolen by the big guys.

Having said that, I am very interested to see your geometry table, as that seems to be where you are hanging your hat. You seem to be dismissive of all other mixed wheelsize bikes that have been built in the last 30yrs, as if they just stuck a smaller wheel in a safety bike frame. That is absolutely not the case. BB drop was adjusted, chainstay lengths were shortened, HT and ST angles were adjusted. The measurements weren’t the same as your’s I am sure, but they were definitely still adjusted for the wheels. Criticizing them for too steep a HT angle or whatnot is really a criticism of the general popular geometry of the time in which they were made, not the execution of the adjustment for the mixed wheels themselves. Geo is also somewhat subjective, for example some people love the playful nimble nature of short chainstays, others like the stability long ones, so there is no one perfect mix that you need to safeguard.

Anyway, I like the looks of your bike, and very much hope that you have genuinely done something creative with the Geo. I’d also suggest that you read up on the Sick Bikes saga, learn from their mistakes, drop the attitude, and acknowledge that there have been others who have done this sort of thing before, as it just looks foolish to claim otherwise.

threeringcircus
threeringcircus
5 years ago

The chainstay length in the chart above says “whip it 2 ya”, but the chart on the Mullet website says “whip it good”. Which is correct?

threeringcircus
threeringcircus
5 years ago

Kidding aside, this really is a sweet looking rig. To echo others, though, it would be good to see a proper geo chart.

Saran Wrappe
Saran Wrappe
5 years ago

90’s Funk meets 00’s Trek 69. I’d be happy just to have the frame hanging on a wall.

Hudders
Hudders
5 years ago
Reply to  Saran Wrappe

Agreed on the looks like a Funk, I remember them well and always wanted one but although that never happened I did have an AlpineStars Al Mega XT which I had for years till it was pinched.
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a bike look so god d*mn sexy I want this bike so bad, I best start saving my pennies.

W ü r m
5 years ago

Alright, MB folks—you’ve piqued my interest. Imho, you guys hit it with the aesthetics. I actually always wanted an off-road, dream ti-hard tail and even better that this is a potential & positive new school design around an asym wheeled set up. I’m curious about all the geo number’s as well, and do understand they will be proprietary for a bit, but why not just post the ETT’s for now? More out of my pure curiosity of which size looks to fit me best for the eventual demo. Can’t wait to shake one of these down on my local trails and let the ride speak for itself. I hope it happens sooner than later. Until then…

Fred
Fred
5 years ago

The photos on the website show seat stay and chain stays welded to the seat tube but that is counter to the info here. If it is truly attached on the down tube and top tube hopefully there is enough clearance that they dont rub or rattle. Also who would pre-order a bike with no geo chart or weight…

John Fisch
John Fisch
5 years ago

I’ve just completed a long-term demo on the Honeymaker and I can tell you without reservation that it delivers on its promise and then some.

For all of you pining for geo, let me give you just one example of why publishing geo numbers ain’t gonna’ do most of you any good. The bottom bracket sits significantly higher than any of today’s trendy slacker and lower bikes. That’s gonna’ turn off a lot of folks all by itself, but that would be a big mistake. This bike rails corners better than any symmetrical wheeled bike I’ve ever ridden, and it isn’t even close. There is genuine mixed wheel magic in the turnability of this bike. Now that’s a trait of mixed wheel bikes in general, but this bike takes it to a whole new level. When Mullet says this one is optimized from the ground up to maximize the potential of the mixed wheel configuration, they’re not just blowing smoke up your ass…. they’re telling the righteous truth. So the glory of this little bit of geometry is that you can take this thing up crazy up hill rock gardens without banging cranks or having to ratchet every pedal stroke, and yet it will still corner not just as good, but far better than anything you’ve ever thrown a leg over.

And that’s just one of the easily misinterpreted little geometrical bits of magic scattered across every corner of this bike. Every last nook and cranny of this frame is designed purely for performance… and it succeed wildly at every turn. That it looks sexy as hell too is just icing on the cake.

Mari
Mari
5 years ago

I have a fairly old but wonderful “mullet” moots gristle zirkel 96er, with a typical XC geometry and high BB. It rides surprisingly different than what its geometry insinuates. Hilarious info on geometry is good enough for me. Although I wish it has paragon sliding dropouts so I can switch to a belt drive on a whim. I am getting this beauty for trail/all mountain rides!

Carson Malpass
Carson Malpass
5 years ago

This bike looks absolutely amazing and I totally respect and understand why Mullet wouldn’t want to release the “Money” just for other companies to copy! This company will be the future in my opinion.

Jason Laptewicz
Jason Laptewicz
4 years ago

Yeah, this whole “nobody else has done this” vibe is pissing me off. Liteville and Foes have both specifically designed bikes around mixed wheel sizes in recent years. Has geo changed since then, yes, but you’re not the first and you won’t be the last. Stop stroking your ego and be honest and relatable to your target market.

Abe
Abe
4 years ago

Ridden a Moots gristle and a Gypsy Cycles (CA) 29, 27.5 and both were fun. If you have a large like to demo it, Tucson

Ben Schild
Ben Schild
4 years ago
Reply to  Abe

Call them up and they can set you up with a demo in Tucson. Maybe even the full suspension Peacemaker too…

Mathias
Mathias
3 years ago

Finally bicycle industry learned to copy frame design (different wheel sizes) from motorcycle industry.. Wow, they realized potential after so many years…

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