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Building Tomorrow's Gravity Wheels
Innovation doesn't happen by accident.
Innovation doesn’t happen by accident.
It happens when engineers are willing to build something that doesn’t exist yet—and riders are willing to put it to the ultimate test.
That’s exactly what happened when GMBN’s Rich Payne lined up for this year’s Megavalanche aboard the one-of-a-kind Nicolai Mega Mullet.
With over 20 kilometers of descending, a glacier start above 3,300 meters, and terrain that pushes both rider and equipment beyond their limits, the Megavalanche isn’t the place for unproven ideas.
It’s where they earn their credibility.
A Wheel That Didn’t Exist… Until Now
The Mega Mullet’s concept is simple to explain, but incredibly difficult to execute.
A revolutionary 32-inch front wheel delivers exceptional rollover capability and stability, while a proven 29-inch rear wheel preserves the agility gravity riders demand.
Finding a rear wheel was easy.
Reynolds’ recently launched A309 DH was already purpose-built for the abuse of downhill racing.
The front wheel, however, was another story.
Because nothing suitable existed, Reynolds engineers built one.
An early prototype 32-inch alloy gravity rim was developed specifically for the project, giving the Mega Mullet the strength and confidence needed to tackle one of mountain biking’s toughest races while opening the door to an entirely new direction in wheel development.
Innovation Deserves a Real Test
Prototype products belong on real trails.
The Megavalanche simply happens to be one of the harshest proving grounds imaginable.
Snow.
Rock gardens.
High-speed impacts.
Hours of practice.
Nearly an hour of race pace.
If a wheel is going to reveal a weakness, this is where it happens.
Instead, the Reynolds combination of the prototype 32-inch front wheel and production A309 DH rear wheel rose to the challenge.
Rich qualified an impressive 12th, secured a place in Sunday’s main event, and ultimately crossed the line comfortably inside the Top 100…all aboard a bike concept that had never before been tested at this level.
More Than Building Wheels
Projects like the Mega Mullet remind us why innovation matters.
Every major advancement in mountain biking started as an idea that challenged convention.
Larger wheels.
Tubeless tires.
Carbon rims.
Mixed-wheel bikes.
Each one required engineers willing to ask, “What if?”
The Mega Mullet continues that tradition.
The production-ready A309 DH provided the proven durability and performance demanded at the rear of the bike, while Reynolds’ prototype 32-inch alloy front rim explored entirely new territory.
Whether 32-inch gravity bikes become commonplace is almost beside the point.
Progress only happens when someone is willing to build the first prototype, race it in the harshest conditions imaginable, and discover what’s possible.
At Reynolds, that’s how we’ve always approached innovation.
Not by following where the sport has been.
By helping shape where it’s going.
