We were just emailed the spy photos you see here from our friends in the MTB division. If you can’t figure it out immediately, what you’re looking at is a 29" Specialized MTB tire, and a forging with "29" incorporated into it. They’ve kept this project on double-secret lockdown up until about two hours ago, and while details are still sketchy, we can say for certain that there are now rideable prototype Specialized 29” wheeled mountain bikes (with 29” Specialized MTB tires!)

We asked Brandon Sloan, our resident Mountain Bike product manager, for more details and he confirmed that “We could have introduced bikes with 29” wheels a year ago, but instead we remained focused on producing bikes within the 29” category that we felt were worthy of the Specialized name. So we looked at ALL the other design elements we could improve because of the larger wheel size. We discovered quite a few innovations that will make our 29” MTB’s really improve the rider’s experience when they’re out on the trails. Of course, this approach took us a little longer, but we are certain the results will prove it was worth the wait.”

Bikes? As in, “plural”? We asked Brandon how many different 29’ers there will be, and he just smiled and said we’ll have to wait until the summer to find out for sure. He wouldn’t talk about prices, specs, frame material, or other design details, but he promised more will get leaked to the club when they can get us info. We’ll keep everyone in the loop as soon as hear anything new. For now, we’re excited to hear there will be 29" MTB's to ride, and we can’t wait to throw a leg over one on the dirt someday soon!