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A New Wheel Size? Moots Prototype Debuts at MADE w/ 750d WTB Wheels & Tires

WTB has been testing the size for years, but will it catch on now that it's public?

Moots CRDD with 750D wheels and tires
42 Comments
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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 accommodate 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 Wheel 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 of this story is that way back in 1999, WTB did something similar – with the same tire model. At Interbike, WTB unveiled 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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42 Comments
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Hamjam
Hamjam
5 months ago

Can you imagine how embarrassing it would be to show up to Unbound with the old small wheels? It would be like showing up without giant sunglasses.

BigTed
BigTed
5 months ago
Reply to  Hamjam

Might as well through in some ankle socks and rim brakes.

Raoul
Raoul
5 months ago

Could be useful for very, very tall people.

Last edited 5 months ago by Raoul
Bobby
Bobby
5 months ago
Reply to  Raoul

I’m 6’5″ so I’m definitely interested in a tire this size

Spen
Spen
5 months ago
Reply to  Raoul

Or, just for tall people period. You don’t need to by 7′ to appreciate better rollover and aesthetics for an XL frame

WhateverBikes
5 months ago
Reply to  Spen

Better aesthetics?
That Moots bike looks totally out of proportion! That frame looks tiny in between those silly looking big wheels.

will
will
5 months ago

but I want it. honestly it kinda makes sense to have 3 wheel sizes for ppl tall and short..

Jim
Jim
5 months ago
Reply to  will

Wheel size is different than bike size.

Veganpotter
Veganpotter
5 months ago
Reply to  Jim

Nobody thinks wheel and bike size are the same thing…

threeringcircus
threeringcircus
5 months ago
Reply to  will

Agree. If for no other reason, the larger diameter would just compliment the aesthetics of the largest sized frames.

Dylan Sutton
Dylan Sutton
5 months ago
Reply to  will

Three wheel sizes? My shed currently has bikes with 24″, 26″, 27.5 and 29″/700c wheels, and the kids have previously gone through 14″, 16″ and 20″ wheels.

SteveT
SteveT
5 months ago

Moots = LOL

tertius_decimus
tertius_decimus
5 months ago

Please, create new, incompatible hub spacing. And a new bottom bracket. And a new fork/headset interface. Industry is choking on the sameness.

UglyYeti
UglyYeti
5 months ago

Make sure those new standards have new tool interfaces – I’m so tired of using tools more than once!

Veganpotter
Veganpotter
5 months ago

Definitely needing Boost road for this. I think 144mm with a 14mm thru axle is ideal

Nathan
Nathan
5 months ago

April 1? Kidding. I kinda dig it. I wonder if folks would be more open to rim/ tire size development if we abandoned archaic designations for size? 700, 650, A, B, C etc have no meaning in today’s industry. Let’s drop those and just talk BSD.

Jason DW
Jason DW
5 months ago

The industry thirsts for your money… spend sheep

dwt
dwt
5 months ago

Any idea the ISO diameter? If it fits between 36″ (787) and 700 (622), is it actually 32″ (686) with a different name?

K.M.
K.M.
5 months ago
Reply to  dwt

ISO?? This will definitely not match any ISO standards, this is the modern bike industry for god sakes!

David
David
5 months ago
Reply to  dwt

it’s like 31,78″

Chader
Chader
5 months ago
Reply to  dwt

750d = 660mm BSD (Bead Seat Diameter), which makes it 38mm larger diameter than a 700c at 622mm.

The average diameter between 700c (622mm) & 32″ (686mm) would be 654mm, so 750d at 660mm is just 6mm larger than the “perfect middle” if we assume same tire cross-section size for all.

Pretty much a reasonable half-step if that is something people want.

tbrown
tbrown
5 months ago
Reply to  dwt

660 bad

Veganpotter
Veganpotter
5 months ago
Reply to  tbrown

Orange man bad(honestly), 660 good

tbrown
tbrown
5 months ago
Reply to  dwt

BSD not bad

Dirt McGirt
Dirt McGirt
5 months ago
Reply to  dwt

The less you know, the more likely that this wheel “standard” dies quickly. Help the world out and keep quiet, will ya?!

Roger Pedacter
Roger Pedacter
5 months ago

Meh.

If the sizing is accurate to their numbers, it’ll add an inch of chainstay length and toe overlap. I mean, it’s good that gravel bikes are leaning towards longer front-centers, so this is half-solved. But even with a CS yoke and a curved seat tube, you’re looking at a 450-ish minimum chainstay.

And full size Nanos are pretty good tires, but not good enough in gravel sizes to start *another* standard in a different niche.

If you were to, say, just run a 29×2.1 you’d get really close in size and have better traction and more tire options. Making this whole project a moot point. ; )

Spen
Spen
5 months ago
Reply to  Roger Pedacter

I’m not sure a few cm of CS will make the bike unrideable

rodegeek
rodegeek
5 months ago
Reply to  Roger Pedacter

750D is 38mm bigger diameter, so 19mm longer stays, which is 3/4″. Not such a big change. Even if I weren’t very tall this would be interesting to me. But I’m not going to touch it until there are many wheels, rims, spokes, and tires available to support the new size.

Veganpotter
Veganpotter
5 months ago
Reply to  rodegeek

I’m only 6’1″ and not really the target for this. But I size down because I don’t like the sluggish handling a more typical bike for my height gives me. This is true on the road but an even bigger issue mountain biking. I think I’d probably care the least on a gravel bike. That said, gearing may create bigger losses. The friction losses from smaller chainrings may negate a good amount of the gains

Dann
Dann
5 months ago

“This Isn’t the First Time WTB Launched a New Tire Size at a Trade Show”
This is a bit misleading, no, since the discussion here is about tire diameter and not width? Unlike 750D, 29″ was not a new tire diameter but rather a fat 700c tire. That 622mm BSD compatibility made it easier for the industry to adopt it.
At the very least, though, it makes sense to have a larger wheel diameter for taller bikes/folks, and so introducing one could make sense, unlike back when GT had 700D wheels that didn’t seem to solve any problem (and nowadays are only compatible with 650B tires that have a looser BSD tolerance, like Panaracers).

ryan
ryan
5 months ago
Reply to  Dann

WTBs work great on my 1991 Continuum!

carbonnation
carbonnation
5 months ago

Please don’t confuse my angry yawns with skepticism.

David
David
5 months ago

No. Just, no.

Tom Wenzel
Tom Wenzel
5 months ago

Goodbye toe overlap, hello thigh overlap.

Jay Ess
Jay Ess
5 months ago

WTB, the same company that was so sure 650b would be the default gravel wheel size?

Booyah
Booyah
5 months ago
Reply to  Jay Ess

if your gravel bike isn’t as nimble as possible it aint shit

Bob Flemming
Bob Flemming
5 months ago
Reply to  Jay Ess

I think WTB re-launched it as a good option, to be fair. I’ve not ridden 700C on my gravel bike in about 7 years, I don’t miss it, 650B works better overall. ymmv.

Tony
Tony
5 months ago

Deja Vu. When I got my first 29er in 2003 the only MTB tires were nanoraptors. They are awful. I guess the only way to keep selling them is to make them only tires for new wheel sizes.

Jaap
Jaap
5 months ago

Stop giving wheelsizes stupid (French) names that make no sense at all. Just call it 660, not 750D.

Nicolas D
Nicolas D
5 months ago
Reply to  Jaap

I’m French and could not agree more.

Matt
Matt
5 months ago

I think the most upsetting thing about it is that, as shown in the first photo, the tire is embossed with “40C”. The “C” does not mean “centimeters”; it was probably left in the design from the 700C version, by somebody who forgot or doesn’t understand French tire sizes to begin with.

If you want to sell me a new tire size, you should convince me that you understand how tire sizes work in the first place.

Kirk Pacenti
Kirk Pacenti
5 months ago

I am 110% in favor!

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