Around this time last year, the world was ablaze after the unveiling of Moots and WTB's collaboration in creating the 750d wheel size. Onlookers either recoiled in horror at yet another standard hitting the market or were curious about the benefits the wheels brought. Now, 750d has found itself on another bike and, for the first time, it's a carbon bike built by Merit. Meet the Merit Jumbo.

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Before getting into the bike, let's recap on what 750d is and it's a wheel size poised to middle the grounds between a mountain bike's 29in wheel, and a 700c wheel. Both share the same diameter but have narrower 700c tyres, so the overall diameter is smaller. 750d is designed to accommodate larger tyres, thus reaching an overall diameter similar to a 29-inch mountain bike wheel.

The benefits are more grip through a larger contact patch and a better ride for taller riders.

2024 merit jumbo tyre.jpg, by Liam Mercer

Now, onto the Merit Jumbo, it's the first carbon fibre gravel bike to rock the wheel size and the brand says that it benefits taller riders – it's only available in Large, XL and XXL sizes.

Of course, the Jumbo gets tonnes of tyre clearance to fit those 750d wheels with up to 45mm tyres, however, Merit hasn't completely ditched 700c, saying that the bike can run these wheels with 50mm tyres.

The fork uses Road Boost axles with a 110mm and 148 hub spacing at the front and rear respectively and the Jumbo is ready to run flat-mount brakes with rotors up to 180mm. There's a T47 bottom bracket, a UDH mech hanger, and full internal cable routing.

2024 merit jumbo hero 2.jpg, by Liam Mercer

Regardless of the wheel size, there's a short 435mm chainstay, too. Speaking of geometry, a large, the smallest available, gets a 70-degree head angle, a 72-degree seat tube angle, a 580mm top tube, a 410mm reach, and a 1080mm wheelbase.

The Merit Jumbo is now available for pre-order with deliveries expected in January and there are two models to pick from. There's a full build kitted out with a SRAM Rival/GX AXS drivetrain that'll set you back €3,925.76 and a frame and fork only for €1,583.12.

• gravelbike.cz

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