Over the roaring wind at Sea Otter I heard the Fuji representative confirm they are working on a hard tail 650b to be released around Interbike 2008. There had been a rumor floating around the online forums, but needed to hear it first hand.

Fuji is an underdog in the mountain bike community. It seems this company has always a step behind in technology or niches. This could be the chance they have been looking for. If they do this new wheel size right they really could hit this new market with a bang. Maybe they (and others) will be able to push big name fork makers into the picture.

Following in suit will be their brother BMX company - SE Bikes. An entry level single speed would be amazing for the wheelsize. A bike that is affordable and could be a 2nd bike to riders would really open their eyes to the wheel size. Or something that would allow someone to rock out the fully rigid single speed thanks to the 650b tires.

Fuji will most likely keep things under wraps for a little while but rest assured I will be bugging their product folks.