We’ve put on our hard hats and kevlar jackets before posting this one, the comments ain’t going to be pretty. Here is a prototype for what could become the world’s first production 36 inch mountain bike.
Before we get too carried away, it’s worth saying these bikes are designed for tall people only. The size small is recommended for people 6’5″ and above and the large will accommodate people up to 7’5″.
The Dirty Sixer MTB has been designed by 6″6′ David Folch who injured himself riding on a standard size bike that was too small for him. He believes that 36 inch wheel bikes allow for better geometry for tall people, hence Dirty Sixer was born.
He already produces an All-road version that smashed its Kickstarter goal and is endorsed by Shaquille O’Neal and other pro-basketball players. Now he’s trying to Kickstart a mountain bike version.
It’s worth saying that other companies (including British Poetry in Motion Cycles) have been known to produce custom 36er mountain bikes, but this could be the first production run – it’s certainly the first to come with suspension forks.
The frame is built in California from lightweight aluminium. The fork is an MRP Groove inverted DH fork that’s been trimmed to 100mm travel and designed to fit the big wheels. The wheels themselves come from unicycles and are hand laced with 36 straight guage spokes – we do worry about the strength of them though, especially for larger riders.
There are 203mm discs fitted, extra large platform pedals, extra long (180-220mm) cranks and even routing for an internal dropper. We’re not sure what tyres have been fitted. Very few are available to 36 inch wheels, but it seems David has managed to source some that are fairly meaty.
For more info, head over to the Kickstarter page where the company is already a third of the way to its goal with 20 day still to go. You can also pick yourself up a DirtySixer for $6,299 (£5k) with Shimano gears or $7,599 (£6.1k) with a Rohloff hub
