DirtySixer, the foremost proponent of the truly wagon-wheel proportioned 36er bike standard has recently launched a (moderately) more sane sized line of 32”-wheeled bikes.
We can hear the chorus of disgruntled comments already: "What?! Another wheel size to contend with?!" Fear not, as unless you’re particularly tall - or in the words of founder David Folch, "super tall" - you’re unlikely to ever climb aboard one of these bikes.
Sensing there was a demand for bikes between regular 29ers and its larger sized 36” option, DirtySixer decided to develop the new wheel size for the taller, but not truly gargantuan, riders out there - the 32” bikes are designed for riders from 5’8” (size small) to a really rather big 6’8” (size large).
Unsurprisingly, the market isn’t flooded with 32” tyre options and DirtySixer worked with one of its suppliers to produce an option which is best described as an all-round ‘gravel’ tread which, when paired with the matching 42mm, 36-hole rims should make for a strong and versatile wheelset.
Like all DirtySixer frames, the 32”-wheeled bikes will be handmade in California using materials and components which make for a stronger bike, necessary given the extra heft associated with taller riders.
The prototype shown here is built around a reliable Rohloff drivetrain and what appears to be an MRP Groove inverted fork - the lack of a crown on the fork permitting the use of the larger wheels.
The bikes are expected to ship in the second quarter of 2017 and start at $4,499 for a single speed option, rising to $6,899 for a Rohloff equipped model. International pricing was not available at the time of writing.
And if you’re tall enough that ceiling fans regularly pose a problem, you could always go for the size large, 36er model which suits riders up to a cloud-grazing 7’5”.
Have you been blessed with excessive height or is the ex basketball player in your life just looking for a new bike? Let us know if the DirtySixer may be the bike for you in the comments below.
