The geometry on 99.9% of 29ers is completely INSANE. I'm 6'2" and that's a large frame. I don't want no stinking flat bar bike, nor do I want a frame geometry that limits the choices of how I set it up. There's a two inch gap between my toes and the back of the front tire. Look at that huge gap between the front wheel and frame. That enormous stretched-out wheelbase on 29ers is a flaw. It's more like train than a bicycle. No other mountain bikes are designed that way and 29ers shouldn't be that way either. And despite that crazy long and high geometry the bottom bracket still isn't high enough to run anything longer than 175mm cranks. I loathe modern mtb geometry. This frame is actually a lot better than most which is why I bought it. Most 29er frames are impossible to set up with drop bars even for tall people. The larger wheels are a good thing, especially for tall people, but the frame geometry of 29ers is totally botched. I prefer the first and second generation geometry of rigid 26" mtbs, but also 29" wheels.

This isn't a lark with me. I've been frustrated by 29ers since they first came out, waiting for a frame that could work with drop bars and climb steep mountains. The only mass-produced frame geometry that doesn't completely suck is on the Kona Sutra LTD. That's my choice for a potential rebuild.

Sure there are gravel bikes now, but they either use smaller wheels or have inadequate clearance for mtb tires. I'm not interested in skinnier, heavier, higher pressure tires. That's another botch. I'm satisfied with this current bike except it needs deeper drop bars to compensate for the crappy "modern" geometry.