Introducing Commencal's Supreme DH Mullet

Mullets—so hot right now. We're not talking about hairstyling, thank goodness, we're talking mismatched wheel sizes. Or maybe matched wheelsizes, because quite a few top pros have piloted prototype mullet bikes to great results in the past couple seasons. One such fashionably lopsided rig was an early version of what is now Commencal's Supreme Mullet, a bike that has proven itself on the international race stage and now can be put to the test on your home Strava segments.

Taking cues from both the Supreme DH 27.5 and Supreme DH 29, as to be expected, the Supreme Mullet leans toward a race-bred platform rather than a race-and-smash-park-laps rig—it may have some party out back, but the Supreme Mullet is (almost) all about business. For this new 2021 version, Commencal has changed the frame kinematics and main pivot point slightly for a more agile feeling bike, in addition to stiffening up the rear end. They've also moved the idler to increase pedaling efficiency, you know, if there is such a thing as pedaling efficiency on a DH bike.

Even with the 27.5/29 mullet combo, the Supreme Mullet sports 200 millimeters of travel front and rear—this ain't no lightweight when it comes to taking hits. The geometry, as well, is more in line with the Supreme DH 29 than the Supreme DH 27.5—on a size large the reach measures 480 millimeters, the wheelbase is 1,320 millimeters and chainstays 456 millimeters. Those numbers are even longer than the Supreme DH 29, especially in the chainstays. Longer stays definitely provide more stability, especially in the larger sizes.

In a size small, the stays drop down to a slightly shorter 448 millimeters, which is still pretty dang long for a 27.5 wheel. The only bit of the geo that's more like a little-wheeled rig is the bottom bracket drop, which at -4 millimeters is actually a millimeter less than the Supreme DH 27.5—we're guessing the longer stays and wheel combo even things out once sag factors in.

Commencal notes that mullet set up is ideal for many riders, particularly taller riders, but might not be ideal for everyone. Indeed, simply the reach numbers on the Supreme Mullet are on the longer end of the spectrum for a DH bike, even in line with what we normally see on enduro and trail bikes these days. The toptube, as well, is quite long, so while tall riders will rejoice, those looking for a smaller frame size might have to skip the mullet.

As for the builds on these mighty machines, the Supreme Mullet comes in two styles: Ohlins and Team. As you might assume, the Ohlins edition runs the black and yellow goodness front and rear, and the Team sports SRAM squish all around. Likewise, the Team stops with SRAM Code RSCs while Ohlins employs Shimano XT four-pistons. The rest of the builds are identical, including the meaty Schwalbe tires.

While we don't have pricing yet, both these options seem to be higher-end offerings, meant to be race-ready out of the box. Both frames are alloy in typical Commencal fashion, and there does look to be a frame-only option. A polished, supreme bling frame-only option, no less.

Check out the images below for the full build list on the Supreme Mullet. Want even more specs and details? Head over to commencalusa.com.