The 22″ wheel movement has suddenly taken an interesting turn with the news that S&M is testing a prototype frame and tires.
In 2010, I did a post called 22″ bike: could you lose a couple inches? that generated a bunch of discussion on the pros and cons of the wheel size.
Back then I said (in the comments section) that having a single source supplier for all things 22″—Faction was the only company at the time offering 22″ stuff—would “hurt the cause”.
Now with companies like InDust offering 22″ frames and Standard building custom one-offs, the 22″ movement is starting to pick up some more momentum.
S&M is already offering 22″ forks as a custom option but has shied away from manufacturing frames till now.
With this new prototype it looks like S&M is about to jump into the 22″ scene with both feet. And by doing so, it looks like the 22″ option suddenly has a whole new level of legitimacy.