A new Moots gravel bike has been spotted this week running 750d WTB wheel rims and tyres.
That's right, 750d has been spotted in a video posted by Ben Delaney on Instagram and his The Ride YouTube channel covering the news at SBT GRVL in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Moots the American bike manufacturer famed for their titanium frames had a custom titanium Routt CRDD gravel model equipped with 750d wheels. The bike used custom 750 WTB wheel rims and Nano Raptor tyres.
If you thought the ink had dried on the final page of the wheel and tyre size standards book then you may have to think again. The best gravel bikes and bikes, in general, have long-used 700c wheels and the 650b wheel size (slightly smaller in diameter) has been around for a good while now on mountain and gravel bikes. Generally, you'll hear about 650b wheels providing more fun and nimble ride experience and being best suited to rowdier off-road gravel riding.
It seems Moots and WTB have headed in the other direction and tried a larger 750d wheel and tyre size. The WTB tyres in the video are marked 750 x 40 making them slightly larger than 700c and 29er mtb wheels and tyres.
We understand similar-sized wheels and tyres have been trialled in the past and do exist as well as even larger custom options such as 36-inch wheels, but most haven't gained massive amounts of traction in the mainstream.
Cyclingnews reached out to WTB, the American manufacturer responsible for the wheel rims and tyres on the new 750d Moots rig. The brand was able to shed some light on the new setup and whether we can expect to see 750d in production.
"Innovated and driven by Mark Slate (co-founder), WTB has 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. Our plans to move forward are dictated by brands' interests in this new wheel size."
It sounds like this is still very much an experiment. More the dipping of a gravel shoe shod toe into the water to see if there is any demand for such a wheel size. Rather than the full-blown launching of a new standard. WTB expanded on this point.
"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, enjoy this sneak peek behind the curtain and we'll continue to roll with the diameters currently in the market!"
It seems WTB has the capability to roll out 750d components should the demand be there from manufacturers in the future as frame design and geometry will have to be different. But for now, don't expect to see a flood of 750d tyres and rims hitting the market.
Why larger gravel wheels?
Most people are probably pretty satisfied with their 700c or 650b gravel bike wheels. This prompts the question, as with the other standards that come to market every so often. Why do we need it?
Let's not discount the idea of just trying something for a bit of fun. This could have been just a cool side project, of 'I wonder what that feels like' type move. Between two brands that were happy to collaborate together.
Larger gravel wheels would in theory produce more speed and would roll a little better over certain terrain. With the fastest gravel races being not much slower than some road races now, perhaps 750d wheels would hold an advantage here. In much the same way XC and even most DH mountain bikes now roll on 29-inch wheels. Though there naturally would be some additional frame geo and equipment issues to work around.
Who knows if we will see 750d become much more than a passion project. But you never know, perhaps it's time to write a fresh page in the wheel standards book.
