Cube Fritzz Super-Mullet: This is the Cube enduro bike with a 30.5-inch front wheel

Be honest: who spotted the new wheel size straight away in this picture? Visually, this revolutionary design doesn’t really stand out that much. To the trained eye, however, the unique feature is clearly visible on the front wheel: Zakarias Johansen’s yellow and blue Cube Fritzz Racebike combines a 30.5-inch wheel at the front with a 29er at the rear. Is this an approach that could set a precedent and also have its place outside the world of racing? We took a closer look at this special build.

We have already covered the background to the new wheel size in the article 30.5 inches: A new wheel size for mountain bikes is on the way highlighted. Here, the focus is on the bike itself: how has the ‘Super Mullet’ design been implemented, and what technical features can be found on it? Already The production version of the new Cube Fritzz, with its stylish carbon frame and raised pivot point complete with chain guide, caused a stir.

The Super Mullet Concept

The ‘mullet’ concept has really taken off on e-bikes and enduro mountain bikes: at the front, a large wheel ensures good roll-over performance and a smooth ride, whilst a smaller rear wheel provides greater agility and freedom of movement. Mullet configurations with a 29er front wheel and a 27.5-inch rear wheel have become well established on the market. That’s exactly how we were able to design the Testing the Cube Fritzz Super TM in its standard configuration. So the new set-up on the Cube race bike could be described as a “super mullet”. A new intermediate size of 30.5 inches at the front, 29 inches at the rear. For the Cube Action Team, this is the logical next step in their quest for the fastest possible enduro race bike.

30.5 inches – but with which components?

The new Cube Fritzz, with its high pivot point on the rear triangle – which we’ve already had the chance to test extensively – provides the basis for the experimental race setup. The Fritzz comes as standard as a classic ‘mullet’. However, a longer dropout for a 29er rear wheel is already provided on the production bike. So the team mechanics didn’t have to resort to any tricks to fit the large rear wheel onto the bike. The situation is quite different with the 30.5-inch front wheel. This is because long-travel forks for the new 32- and 30.5-inch wheel sizes are not yet available.

Upside-down forks typically offer more reserve travel for such situations. So the solution is obvious: a Fox Podium for 29-inch bikes, with slightly reduced travel. Instead of 170 millimetres of travel, the fork offers around 155 to 160 millimetres, providing enough clearance for the larger wheel. “The larger wheel easily makes up for the slightly shorter travel in terms of shock absorption,” argues team manager Caus Wachsmann of the Cube Action Team.

​The facts about the Cube Fritzz Racebike

• Frame: Cube Fritzz series frame with 29er dropouts
• Wheel size: 30.5 / 29 inches (“Super-Mullet”)
• Fork: Fox Podium, with a travel of just under 155 mm
• Tyres: Schwalbe Magic Mary 30.5” prototype
• Wheels: Newmen 30.5” Prototype
• Damper: Fox Float X2 Livevalve
• Circuit: Shimano XTR Di2
• Brakes: Shimano XTR
• Weight: No details provided
• Status: Prototype for the Cube Action Team’s professional enduro riders

Collaboration with Newmen and Schwalbe

A Schwalbe Magic Mary is fitted as the front tyre. It is a prototype and, according to Wachsmann, currently the only enduro tyre in this size. Only a few models are currently available to the team for testing. This also applies to the Newmen wheelsets – these are prototypes too. The Allgäu-based company had been involved in research into large 32-inch wheelsets from an early stage and also We have undertaken a comprehensive study, which we have summarised in a separate article. Newmen is clearly at the forefront when it comes to developing 30.5 components as well.

The front wheel has 32 spokes – the same as the team’s 29er front wheels. It therefore appears that using more spokes to achieve greater stiffness is not currently state of the art. The wheels also seem to stick to classic dimensions when it comes to rim width. Newmen had discussed and analysed both issues – the number of spokes and the flange width – in his 32-inch study, with a view to compensating for the demonstrably lower stiffness of 32-inch wheelsets.

Front end too high – what should I do?

It’s worth noting that Johansen has positioned the spacers under the stem right at the top to counteract the higher front end caused by the larger front wheel. However, the handlebars have a noticeable rise. The struggle to avoid a cockpit that’s too high therefore seems much less of an issue with the 30.5-inch size than with 32-inch wheels.

Is 30.5 inches the future?

At the Enduro World Championship, only Zakarias Johansen’s bike was fitted with the large front wheel. The Swede is 184 cm tall, so the concept makes particular sense for him. However, over the winter, the entire team is set to be kitted out with the prototype equipment. The Cube Action Team is already convinced, following the initial tests, that the large front wheel can offer significant advantages. In the gravity sector, however, 32-inch wheels are not a major consideration for the time being. There are too few compatible products, and too many issues with stiffness and stability. Whether and when the new 30.5-inch wheel size will appear on production mountain bikes remains entirely open for the time being.

What do you think of the Cube Fritzz with its large front wheel? Will 30.5-inch wheels catch on? Join the discussion in our comments section.