The Big Mesa started out as a project for our son Elijah, as he was beginning to grow out of the Timber 26—or so he says. We made a couple of samples in the XS size, which seemed like a great fit for our son, who was about 5 feet tall at the time.
It was during a camping trip to southern Wyoming (Curt Gowdy, for those who are local) that I took the sample bike out on the trails. The area had a lot of super loose, ball-bearing-sized rocks over basically hardpack ground. The locals call it ““Sherman Granite Ball Bearings,” which is aptly named due to the decomposition of quartz and feldspar.
Immediately, I could tell the bike hooked up way better than the 29er with 2.25″ tires I had been riding!
But the XS bike was a little small for me at 5’4″. So, we made a frame just a bit larger—in a size Small. We sprayed some cool colors, offering a little something for everyone—from sleek matte black to an aquamarine blue with pink decals! The aquamarine blue has been affectionately dubbed “BIG Princess,” and the name stuck. That’s actually the color of my personal bike.
We built mine with a Pike 120mm fork and 26 x 3.0″ Ranger tires laced to Stan’s Flow MK3 rims. The bike was perfect—but the Pike fork felt heavy, and the wheels leaned a bit too far into “fat bike” territory with the wider rubber. Meanwhile, Elijah had been riding 2.8″ tires and had no issues climbing; he loved the extra traction. The general consensus seems to be that 2.8″ is the sweet spot—offering grip without too much weight or a muted trail feel.
Around this time, the 27.5 120mm Reba RL (boost) was launching, and we managed to get our hands on a few for testing. With the new setup, both Elijah and I were riding sub-25-pound plus bikes with legit components!
Our next family trip took us to the Tucson area in Arizona, where we rode across the sandy, loose, rocky desert floor of the Santa Catalina Mountains. The riding area—Golden Ranch, 50-Year Trail—is awesome. It’s total desert riding with a mix of just about everything. Perfect testing grounds for the 26 Plus mountain bike wheel platform—especially while it was still winter back home in Fort Collins, Colorado!
Right before the trip, we installed a dropper post on Elijah’s bike. Total bike weight, with dropper: just 24 pounds and some change. He was in love. Meanwhile, my husband was riding a 30-pound full-suspension 29er and was having a hard time keeping up!
That trip confirmed what we already suspected—we were onto something no other company was offering. We had created a sub-25-pound 26+ bike that actually fit kids in the roughly 5-foot range (XS size). For taller kids and adults like me at 5’4″, we now had a “26 Plus” in a Small size.
We genuinely feel the 26+ platform is a way better fit than a 27.5+ (which is basically a 29er) for smaller riders—whether they’re kids, teens, or petite adults.
Happy Trails!
Ginger, Brett, Elijah, and Evalina