I built the “ULTIMATE” bike (according to the internet…)
The internet is quite abuzz about coil sprung suspension, mullet wheel sizes, and aggressive hardtails. While we all know I do love hardtails, especially this Chromag Stylus, I thought we could create the “ultimate” trifecta by using this frame and a few spare parts I had in the shop. Did we make a monster, or a monster truck?
My last mullet bike experience was an Ibis Mojo HD5 with a VERY custom set up. I was running a Trust Message fork, which is a 29″ fork with 130mm of travel, and I had a 7.875×2.0 shock installed rather than the normal 7.875×2.25. That limited the rear travel to 136mm, but retained the aggressive geometry of the HD5. While I really did enjoy this exact bike with the 27.5″ front wheel, the 29″ really threw the bike’s balance off- not so much that it was slacker, but in how it handled on take offs and landings. However, this was such an oddball set up indeed that I wanted to try another mullet experiment!The Stylus I’m riding is a size medium, and I’m 174cm/5’8″. It’s a small bike, and as a result, it generally pulls up off the ground quite easily. It’s significantly lighter with the current build, too.
Tight corners were pretty good! The long front-center measurement of these modern hardtails really helps with the cornering prowess. Despite the long front-center feel, the actual wheelbase is still very manageable, so it can open up more line choices than a longer bike would allow. That’s again a plus, as on a hardtail it’s that much more critical to avoid hitting those nasty bumps.I had the brilliant idea of trying the bike on a more “bikepark” style trail- MUCH straighter and higher speeds. This was a bit of an Achilles heel for the hardtail. The last incarnation enjoyed some CushCore inserts and beefier tires, along with a bigger fork. That really helped a TON with the high speed hits. This smaller, lighter set up wasn’t nearly as cushy. In the end, I’ll admit this was more sacrifice than I want to make with this bike. Back to bigger tires and CushCore I go!
We hit some local dirt jumps, as hardtails are generally thought to be great jump bikes. However, not all hardtails are the same! This bike does SO MUCH BETTER off road and on trails than a dirt jump hardtail. However, when we got to the jumps, there were a couple things challenging us with the set up. The long front end- at least, compared to our 26″ DJ bikes- made for a lot of bike to muscle through, and it also minimized the “pop” that DJ bikes provide so nicely. Furthermore, the huge 29″ front wheel responded differently than the 27.5 rear when being pumped up the take off of a jump. While we might be able to get used to that, it wasn’t beneficial for our dirt jump dreams.
We hit some local dirt jumps, as hardtails are generally thought to be great jump bikes. However, not all hardtails are the same! This bike does SO MUCH BETTER off road and on trails than a dirt jump hardtail. However, when we got to the jumps, there were a couple things challenging us with the set up. The long front end- at least, compared to our 26″ DJ bikes- made for a lot of bike to muscle through, and it also minimized the “pop” that DJ bikes provide so nicely. Furthermore, the huge 29″ front wheel responded differently than the 27.5 rear when being pumped up the take off of a jump. While we might be able to get used to that, it wasn’t beneficial for our dirt jump dreams.
Tight, techy rocks are the hardtail’s happy place. The steeper, the better, too. As long as speeds aren’t high, the hardtail is great fun.I’ve received a little bit of flack from all of you about expressing that I didn’t love this particular set up. I’m OK with that, I’d rather be honest about a miss. Besides, this just means the bike will ride that much better in a couple weeks when I get the next set up put together!Chromag makes a GREAT bike- the Stylus is fantastic. Please don’t take my reaction to the mullet set up as a negative review of the bike- it’s not. I’m simply trying a few fads at once, and the poor Stylus has to play host to this! I am excited to get the build back on track, as this is indeed one of my all time favorite bikes!
And in case you missed it, here’s the previous incarnation of the Stylus:
