you dont need to out run the lion, just be faster than the slowest mate
Quote of the week! Don’t mind if I use that one do you? 😉
I’d say either an FF29 or an Orange Five. Oh wait…
Damn, beaten to it!
You are WAY over thinking it.
Like a moth to a flame, here we are posting on another over thought roverpig thread!
Chainstays? Longer helps to keep the front wheel on the ground, but too long and you can’t lift the wheel over obstacles. So, how long is ideal?
Ok serious answer now… Look at modern XC race bikes. The chainstays are as short as is physically possible (given that they’re almost all 29ers) for a reason. It’s the same as on a road race bike. Longer stays mean more flex and weaker power transfer. Front wheel lift (or absence of it) should be dealt with by a low front end, longer front centre, a relatively steep seat angle, but above all that, good technique!
If climbing a hill as fast as physically possible is what’s important right now, I’d look at bikes like the Whyte 29C, Scott Scale 29er, KTM Myroon or Aera, or any other Carbon 29er HT that weighs naff all, is very stiff, has short stays and a low front end.
But as an infamous Texan once said… It’s not about the bike!