Why do full suspension downhill bikes have a 24″ rear wheel?
It was popular on the Big Hit and a couple other frames for a short time….and now it’s not popular anymore. It was a smart idea but the advantage was minimal and had some disadvantages of its own. By making the rear wheel smaller, it effectively lessened the angle of the slope and also raked out the front end for stability on high speed descents. Paired up with the right frame design it made for a serious point-and-chute downhill rig, but it didn’t accomplish anything special that can’t be done with normal 26″ wheels….so the idea died quickly. You can still buy tires, but tubes and rims are harder to find now (they’re still available though).
