This is not a new idea. More than a decade ago, Trek offered a surprisingly wide lineup of “69ers,” built around 26-inch rear wheels and 29-inch front. A few years before that, Specialized’s Big Hit was an icon of the freeride movement thanks in part to its 24-inch rear wheel and 26-inch front. And that’s Trek and Specialized, arguably the two most mainstream brands in the industry. Out on the fringe, Foes offers the Mixer models, Liteville, the 301 MK15, and newcomer Mullet Cycles has built its entire brand on a term that, for some reason, now describes very concept of mis-matched wheel sizes.

But right now, the hot topic is the racers who are winning on these Frankenbikes. Thanks to the UCI recently lifting one of its many arbitrary restrictions, mixing wheel sizes is now permitted. That’s how Loic Bruni and Martin Maes were able to stand atop world-class podiums, hoisting lopsided sleds above their heads. It’s sure gotten the internet a-thinkin’ about how the 79er concept could change gravity racing as we know it. Whether it’s professionals with access to factory customs or just privateers embiggening their front wheel for a more purpose-built smashing machine. The fastest among us may become faster than ever.

But that’s not what got us interested. Racing is cool and all, but most of us wouldn’t know what to do with Loic Bruni or Martin Maes’ bikes if we had them. The professional racer’s approach to the 79er is too narrow. Too businesslike. This concept must have an application for the rest of us, but it has to be done right. So, we did it right.

There are a few 27.5-inch bikes out there built around 20 millimeters more front travel than rear. That got us wondering. What if, instead of opting for those 20 extra millimeters of squish, you swapped that over-traveled 27.5-inch fork for a matched-travel 29-inch one, pairing it with a 29-inch wheel in the process? What would that do to the geometry? And more importantly, what would it do to the ride?