I've talked to a couple of racers who've switched from 26 to 29 and then ended up with "96." They both told me that 90% of the benefit of 29ers is in the front end. I'm sticking with 29" front and rear. However, I've got a couple of friends who've got Epics, who are intrigued about big wheels, but concerned about getting a whole new bike, long chainstays, weight, "wind up," etc. So, I suggest that they could experiment by swapping the 4" 26er fork for a 3" 29er fork... but, what's wrong with that logic? Would that end up being totally screwed up, kind of a "worst of both worlds?" Why or why not?

There as been a thread and a pict of this mod, some times ago.

A 29" fork with wheel is about 60cm (2.4") taller at the crown than an identical travel and tire 26" fork and wheel.

Some bikes build up fine with this idea, such as bikes built for 4" or 5" front ends. I know of a few folks who have done it to that Surly freeride hardtail frame.

But, a bike like the Epic or Scalpel (someone asked about the Scalpel a few days ago) is only intended for a 3" fork (they come with F80s), so unless you can find a rigid, non-suspension corrected fork, then you are going to jack your geometry too much.

Also, its not as simply as saying that it will just lay back your headtube angle. It will also raise your BB, slacken your seat tube angle, and greatly lengthen wheelbase.

I heard that Epic users have no right to be concerned about chainstay length. Or am I confused with another Specialized FS?

Hi all the last time i was here showed a pic of my Epic with 29er worm on the front. I said I was waiting for my new panaracer 45cc tire 1.85/1.9 29er. The first thing I was told by all is it would not fit but to my delight the Panaracer 45cc fits on my fox 100x fork and it has a little room to spare. I have run the 42cc worm on the rear with the 45cc panaracer on the front and I can tell u this verooooom!!!!!!!!!. I now have a epic 29er, I dont care if u guys don't consider my tires as narrow as they are 29er's but they are. I ride Super-D type terrrain up here in Big Bear Ca. For me I got all the benifits of keeping my epic with my only limitation of tire choices until i got the Panaracer 45cc aggresive tire for the front, also have mutano raptor 1.85 commin also and a ritchey zed 700 42cc for the rear.:thumbsup: I will have pics commin soon I will post pics today of the setup i have for todays ride Panaracers 45cc front and exiwolf 38cc in rear. Oh yeah forgot to say front is setup tubless as well ;)

ive always thought the epic would be a great bike if only it had a 15" high bottom bracket.

Hey dude, it's 45c tires, not cc. They're not cubic centimeters. Okay? Give this guy 12cc of morphine and call me when he wakes up.

Cloxxki: It IS the epic you're thinking of, and I'm the guy who brought it up. The chainstays on my epic were shorter (23mm) but the overall wheelbase of the epic was almost an inch longer than on my WW. And boy did it handle like a tank in comparison. I have no idea how I ever made it around switchbacks on that thing. Oh, and one time, at band camp, I was riding my epic, and my testicles caught fire. Luckily there was a 29er nearby to put them out.