We learned last year that the 27.5-inch GT Force is an enduro race bike that is best to be ridden like an enduro race bike. Set its suspension up for merciless bashing, and the whole package comes together quite nicely. On the other hand, set it up for leisurely ground-hugging, and it tends to fall through its travel. We learned something similar this year about the Force 29, but we also learned it’s not simply a bigger-wheeled Force 27.5. GT appears to have had different intentions for this bike.

Most brands take an apologetic approach when designing the 29-inch version of an exist- ing 27.5-inch bike. Shorten the travel, steepen the head angle, tighten up the cockpit. Mitigate the sensation that you’re on bigger wheels. But sometimes that bigger-wheel sensation is the whole reason you buy bigger wheels. That’s why the new Force 29 leaned into it. It’s got the same 150 millimeters of rear travel as the Force 27.5, but bumped the front travel from 160 up to 170 and nudged the head angle from 65 down to 64.6. The reach grew by 5 millimeters and the chainstays grew by 7. It is quite un-apologetic.

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