A New Wheel Size? Moots Prototype Debuts at MADE w/ 750d WTB Wheels & Tires
Before the inaugural MADE show is even officially underway, we have big news from Portland. First reported by The Ride with Ben Delaney from SBT GRVL in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Moots has a new bike. It’s not just any bike though, it’s a bike with an all-new wheel size.
Not 700c. Not 650b. The new bike is rolling on a slightly bigger wheel size called 750d. The wheels and tires seem to be only manufactured by WTB at this point, so we reached out and asked if they could give us more details. As luck would have it, WTB was on hand in Portland with Moots getting ready for the show and sent us pictures of the new bike.
When asked about the wheel size specifically, WTB stated. “In short, we developed a large diameter 750d tire and rim that currently only fits custom-built-to-spec bikes. WTB is constantly prototyping to determine the next advancement in bike technology, but there is currently no production timeline for 750d. While we made this tire many years ago, our plans to move forward are dictated by brands’ interests in this new wheel size. If brands begin manufacturing and spec-ing bikes that accomodate 750d tires, then we will have the opportunity to move forward with the project. There are no plans to offer 750d products aftermarket until there is OEM spec. We’ll be ready if that moment comes. Until then, we’ll continue to roll with the diameters currently in the market!”
Why Would We Possibly Need Another Wheels Size?
Based on what we’ve seen so far, the 750d size could fill a gap between 700c and 36″. We’ve seen a few brands and small builders create 36ers for exceptionally tall riders, so 750d could be useful for riders that want something bigger than 700c, but smaller than 36″.
Would that be a big enough market to convince WTB to go into full production of 750d? That seems questionable, but 750d does seem like it would be a more realistic wheel size than 36″ for most riders.
This Isn’t the First Time WTB Launched a New Tire Size at a Trade Show
One of the more interesting details to this story is that way back in 1999, WTB did something similar – with the same tire model. At Interbike, WTB unveield the first-ever 29″ tire with a custom WTB bike to fit the 29 x 2.1″ Nano Raptor. It seems that history does repeat itself, only this time with a 750d x 40mm Nano Raptor. Just like the 750d now, the 29″ wheel size was then greeted with immense skepticism. And now?
See It At MADE Show
We’ll have plenty more to show you from MADE Show, but we’re expecting this particular Moots to be very popular this weekend. Not only does this Routt CRDD have the 750d wheels, but it’s also fitted with the new Moots MOD bar and stem. It’s not clear what fork this bike is running yet, but we’ll have more directly from MADE!
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