The aptly named Geometron has been limited to just three sizes so far: Long, Longer and Longest, but we haven’t heard many people complaining that they’re too short. Now though, the Welsh-German collaboration of suspension tuners, Mojo, and frame fabricators, Nicolai, have come up with something even longer. But what do you call a bike that’s longer than the Longest? Extra-Longest, of course!
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The smallest (Long) Geometron, trumps most XL enduro bikes for length. The reach figure is quoted at 485mm, which puts it in line with a size-Large Mondraker Dune, and makes it as roomy as an XL from pretty much anybody else.
The 63.5 degree head angle and long-ish chainstay (445mm), stretch out the wheelbase to a whopping 1,268mm. That’s about the same as an XL Mondraker Dune, which is among the longest mainstream bikes on the market. Long by name, long by nature.
Meanwhile, the Longest size boasts a wheelbase of 1,313mm, while the reach is quoted as 520mm. The new extra-longest comes in at a whopping 1,343mm, with a reach figure of 535mm.
Why so long?
The long wheelbase is a product of three factors: the head angle, the reach, and the chainstay length. The slack head angle increases the trail figure, boosting stability when hitting rocky, rough terrain, whilst encouraging smoother, more predictable cornering.
The new Extra-longest Geometron uses a 450mm chainstay to help balance out the longer front centre
The long reach (that’s the horizontal distance between the BB and the top of the head tube) makes for a comfier body position whilst climbing and descending. It also allows the use of a shorter stem, which improves steering control, and a steep seat angle for a more efficient and comfier climbing position. Without the long reach, the short stem and steep seat angle would have the bars on your lap.
At 445mm the rear end is also quite long. Much like the long trail figure up front, this boosts stability over rough ground by placing the contact patch further behind the centre of gravity. It also balances out the long front centre, keeping the weight distribution more centralised to help prevent the front wheel washing out.
The new Extra-longest Geometron uses a 450mm chainstay to help balance out the longer front centre. The head angle remains the same at 63.5 degrees, but the reach figure has been extended.
On paper it’s only got 15mm longer, but in reality it’s a bigger jump than this. The head tube has grown by 20mm, which pushes back the reach number on paper due to the slack head angle, but if you set your bars to the same height, you’ll have about 25mm more room on the X-Longest than the Longest.
Extra-Longest Geometron: ride impression
When we rode the Longest Geometron, we weren’t exactly crying out for something even longer. Over time we got used to the longer geometry and the change in riding style it demands, but would our 6’3” tester actually benefit from the extra 30mm of wheelbase?
The new bike also makes use of Fox’s Float X2 Compression-leaver rear shock, which makes steep, tarmac climbs a little more efficient too
We took it for a quick blast up and down some of the gnarlier trails in the Surrey hills. Much like the first time we jumped on a Longest Geometron, the extra room in the reach figure took a while to get used to. There’s just so much choice of where to position your body weight fore-aft, and it took a few turns before we had it right.
After a handful of runs, though, the monstrous bike felt ridiculously stable on high-speed, loose and rough trails. The longer head tube allowed us to get the bars nice and high, which makes it easier to lift the front wheel and pop off small take-offs, whilst allowing us to push the front wheel hard into steep chutes and turns.
You really have to consciously weight the front wheel, so you need to adjust your riding style even more to suit this bike. Once we had it, we were able to haul it round some pretty tight turns carrying good speed.
For the climbs, we accentuated the steep seat angle by slamming the saddle forwards on the rails. This makes for ridiculous levels of comfort on steep climbs; it feels like the bike is set up perfectly for going uphill, which is what you are most likely doing when in the saddle. Particularly when set up like this, the extra reach of the X-Longest makes things even more comfortable when climbing — it extends the arms and opens up the lungs.
The new bike also makes use of Fox’s Float X2 Compression-leaver rear shock, which makes steep, tarmac climbs a little more efficient too.
Extra-Longest Geometron: early verdict
At 6’3” (191cm), I have never experienced being in-between sizes. After riding the extra-longest Geometron I realise that I still haven’t. While I didn’t get much time on the new bike, I’m pretty sure the Extra Longest is actually a better fit for me than the Longest. For riders even taller than me, this could be one of the few bikes that’ll actually fit you properly.
