The Thirty-Two Watch: What Happens Now With 750D?

 Okay, I know you are never supposed to ask a question in a headline, but this is the subject of the post, so...bear with me. The alternative big wheel sizes are going to face a lot of scrutiny in the coming months, but one which is little known is seemingly on the brink of being passed by for 32"ers. 

Of course, I am speaking of the 750D, a size WTB created to be an alternative wheel for 29"er hard tail riders and for gravel/adventure riders seeking better roll-over benefits. I was made aware of this effort by WTB several years ago, and was promised a set of wheels to try out, maybe even a complete bike, but it never materialized. 

750D on the left in a Stormchaser frame. Warbird on the right with 700c wheels. 

 I was provided the image above by a friend. The 750D wheel and tire is WTB's take on the idea. The tire is a 40mm wide Nanoraptor. On the right is a traditional gravel wheel set up. So you can see the overall wheel diameter difference is notable. 

WTB was betting on this size to be something a 29"er rider could swap into their hard tail and have a gravel riding set up with a similar diameter to a 29" x 2.4" tire.  Thus making the overall feel similar, and keeping geometry intact on the bike. But like so many ideas which seem to vaporize before their time, or are misunderstood, 750D was passed off as "too weird", "a made-up standard", and just not different enough to be bothered with. 

Image courtesy of WTB . 700c on right.

More importantly, no brands seemed interested. Niche brand Dirty Sixer seemed to be the big pusher of 32" early on and got some interest drummed up enough to get V Rubber to make them some tires. These were bigger, wider tires than the tires WTB was showing with 750D.

Had WTB dared to show, say a two-inch wider Nanoraptor instead of the 40mm width on a 750D rim, well maybe things would be rolling in a different direction. (Pun intended)

Of course, it is all water under the bridge now as 32" wheels are set to be unleashed upon the XC MTB marketplace. I've seen mentions about this for gravel since my last post on the wheel size as well. 

Some Things To Consider:

Before you become one of the already thousands of punters who are going off with speculations regarding how and why 32"ers are dumb - or worse - you may want to consider a few things. 

First and foremost, the benefits of a larger diameter wheel are scientific fact. So, we can forget about 32 not being "better". It inherently is better by way of physics. Now there are a few other things to think about here as well. 

• Materials Technology: When 29"ers came about, there were a LOT of obstacles to overcome. Tires were the least of the issues, but there weren't any big, trail worthy tires for years until closer to 2010. Tire mold-machines were said to be the reason why. There weren't any big enough to make fatter, wider 29"er rubber. This will not be an issue with 32"ers. 
• Rims: 29"ers suffered early on from poorly designed rims, (Rim brakes at first! Egad!) and rims were narrow and heavy. This will not be the case with 32"ers. Already sub-1300 gram wheel sets exist in 32" size. Keep in mind also that 700c was arbitrary due to convenience and tradition. Yes, there was some older science to back up this size wheel, but people changed in the 100 years since this work had been done, so... 
• Geometry: When 29"ers came about all anyone knew were 26", "NORBA" style XC trail bikes. Even downhill racing bikes of the day had ridiculously steep head tube angles and high bottom brackets. 29"ers forced a rethinking of everything from fork offsets to seat tube angles and more. The bikes we have now are, in part, due to 29"ers shaking up of traditional thoughts on geometry. 32 inch wheels will benefit from this previous experience and avoid the pitfalls early 29"ers fell into with regard to geometry.  

So, one more thing to chew on from a gravel rider's viewpoint. I think 32 inch wheels have a fair chance at becoming a gravel rider's next bike IF the bikes and wheels do two things: Absorb vibrations, NOT trail obstacles. Secondly, they must be an advantage on rolling, open terrain.  These wheels should be stable in cross winds and eat up rolling hills or they won't be worth the effort to buy. 

As far as advantages on trails off-road? I don't care. None of the "big deals" for off road riding will be things I would switch to 32" for. I do not need better roll-over. I'm riding crushed rock roads, (gravel, ya know?), and roll-over is not going to be anything notable going from 700c X 45mm - 50mm up to 32"ers. Weight is a BIG deal to me. So a larger, longer frame and bigger tires, which will weigh more, is not really an advantage to me. 32"ers will have a LOT harder time breaking into the gravel scene than they will the MTB arena. 

Maybe if we "half-stepped" it up with a750D X 45mm wheel and tire it would make more sense. I don't know, but I think 750D is dead in the water now.  

If "gravel" is defined by you as "trails/light single track, or off road primarily", then 32"ers may be a thing for your riding. But here in Iowa? Yeah.... It's going to be a lot harder to justify those bigger wheels. 

I'd still give 'em a try though!