There's always room for Jell-O® (Cosby-free, obvs)

Waddup?

Personally, I'm just purging shoes that were worn a few dozen times past the point of practicality and some helmets that are no longer in their prime and mebbe damaged enough to be considered unsafe.

Mebbe a little thinking?

I'm already moving slightly away from some of my early comments about 32" wheels in that Bike Rumor interview from late January.

"I'm heavily considering a mullet for my personal “Pisgah bike” once forks are available, although it would be nice to keep a bike that fits in a travel case without removing the tires." ~ me

I've already proved to myself that I can indeed fit a 32" into my EVOC travel bag.  Score one point against tiny wheels.

The "Pisgah bike" thing tho?

I've already reached out to Tom at Vassago to see about getting a small suspension-corrected frame in my hands before Fox releases their 32" fork so I can be set to go on day one.  The more I ride my 32" bike, the less I wanna ride my 29".  I'll be repurposing whatever parts I can from the Optimus... and if things go as planned, I'll be selling my last remaining 29" single speed, what's left of it at least.

Yeth.  For me, it's that good.  YRMV.

32" wheel in an old Park Tool truing stand.  Another myth dispelled.  FTW

And then there's what I had to say about garvel'ing bikes. 

"It will happen, but I have no idea how small the frame can get before you have toe overlap. I’m nowhere close to it on my 32” mountain bike, but my 700c gravel bike is already pretty tight, and I have friends that I ride with who just ‘deal with it." ~ me

I just got my new TKO dream build, and sure... I'm wondering what it would be like with big wheels.  Most of the garvel racing I've done was on single speed mountain bikes, and my 32" felt faster in every way... except when compared to being on my 40cm noodle bars tucked away like a bullet as opposed to sitting bolt upright holding onto the 780mm bars eating wind like it was a party size bag of Peanut M&M's. 

Tom had to remind me that as much as 32" mountain bikes might be slightly still up in the air in terms of hub standards and geometry, garvel bikes are closer to being up in the exosphere.  I took a big leap with my big wheeled MTB, and I'm 99.9% still digging on the new bike vibes of the TKO, so mebbe I'll let someone else test those waters for me.  At the time that I said what I said about garvel bikes and toe overlap, I hadn't even thought about the increased bottom bracket drop on 32" wheeled bike putting your toes lower under the wheel... and also had no idea that garvel bikes have even more bottom bracket drop so...

What do I know?

"...but I know enough about gravel bike geometry to fill my navel and leave enough room for an elephant to run around." ~ me 

Soon enough, I'll have my hands on a new Aspen AT 2.4.

That's good news number two.  These tires give me hope.

Numbers three and four?

Alessandra Keller put a 32" bike on a UCI podium.

Only third place in the XCC, but keep in mind, first place (Savillia Blunk) went from dead last on lap one after taking a decent spill and fought her way back to 5th two weeks ago in the XCO race.  Dare I say that Savillia is on a bit of a tear.  Mebbe I'm being sensitive, but they showed her wreck (and a bobble in a tech section that stymied many on Sunday) enough times that I feel like they knew what kinda hate stew they'd be stirring.  Her fight back through the field afterwards was something else tho.

Oh, and Jorden Wakeley took first in the NUE Lumberjack 100 over the weekend too... aboard his Vassago Maximus.

I followed his 32"  journey on Facebook.  From his first rides in early April, to winning the Arcadia Grit and Gravel on a steel 32" and announcing that he was selling all his 29ers, to getting his hands on a Maximus and taking the W at LJ100.

Anyways, Pink Bike commenters need to work on some new 32" material.  Just saying.

Next up, the Summer Steamer in Knoxville on July 18th.  

Good to know I've got a hot three day weekend coming up to acclimate beforehand.  Super stoked to see TN peeps and ride all the trails there are to ride* (at least most of them, anyways).

* on my 32er, natch