While the mixtie trend may not become as pervasive as when 29″ wheels took over the market, nearly every mountain bike company now has a mixed-wheel option in the works or in the lineup already. The 130mm carbon fiber Druid from Forbidden Bikes has been mixable for some time now, thanks to their Ziggy Link that allows riders to swap out the stock 29er link in favor of one that works well with a smaller rear wheel. Now, they will offer the mixed diameter in a stock bike build.
The Druid Ziggy Edition bikes will include a Fox Performance Elite DPX2 shock and a 150mm Performance Elite 36 with the ever adjustable GRIP2 damper. The drivetrain will spin up a full complement of SRAM GX 12-speed, with a RaceFace cockpit and dropper, Crankbrothers Synthesis alloy wheels, and a pair of SRAM G2 RSC brakes to slow it all down.
On the geo table, the mixed wheel frame has a 5mm shorter reach measurement, a 0.4° slacker head tube and seat tube angles, and just 1mm of added chain stay length.
The Druid’s rearward axle path should prevent any of the “hangup” sensations that some riders experience with 27.5″ wheels, while the shorter tire diameter will provide a little more butt clearance on steep tracks and potentially make this popular little trail bike even more of a party
The Ziggy Edition retails for $6,599, €7,099, £5,899, or $8,249 Canadian. The first run of complete bikes will be available in June for customers in Canada and the US, and in August for the EU and UK, with two other production runs arriving later this season.
