How should I set my bike up?

[yungboye]

This is gonna be a bit long. I am 6’4″ (194cm) tall, currently riding a 2020 Canyon Spectral with 27.5 inch wheels, which was a great purchase at the time, but nowadays can’t hold up to what im throwing at it. I’m thinking of upgrading it rather than buying a new bike (wheels, suspension, drivetrain etc.) but I also want to change the geometry.

I would either swap the headset for an angle adjustable one, slackening the angle by 1.5°, and putting a 10mm longer fork on it, which should give me a more comfortable feel down the trail.

I have also tested a couple 29ers and I loved it, which has made me interested in turning it into a mullet. I am aware that it will alter the geometry massively, but I could shorten the fork travel by 10mm to counter the changes a little.

So my questions are, which option should I choose, and would the downhill performance of a slack 27.5er be comparable to that of a “normal” 29er? I am mainly looking for a slacker hta and a longer wheelbase.

I would love to hear your opinions, thanks in advance!

[Bike Nerd]

Are you aware that a new fork and 29er wheel and tire for a mullet will cost $1500 or more. If you sold the bike and added that $1500, you would be a long way toward buying a new bike. Bikes are really holding their value right now and you might be able get close to what you paid for it. In general, it is nearly always cheaper to just buy a new bike if you are making major upgrades. If you’re going to buy new wheels, fork, and drivetrain, just buy a new bike.

To able to give you any advice on changes you could make I would need to know the front travel, rear travel, headtube angle, and seattube angle? Doesn’t the Spectral already have fairly long travel and slack geo like maybe 160mm fork and 64* headtube angle?

[OhioFatBiker]

I would evaluate what the cost of the upgrades are and shop it in comparison to a new bike.  Some of the new bikes are actually designed around the mullet configuration but you could go a long way in mulleting (is that a word?) the bike you have.  DIY Mulleting of your bike would be a fun project.

[Author]

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