Bulls unveils 32-inch bikes: Mountain and gravel bikes with 32-inch wheels

Until now, 32-inch mountain bikes have almost exclusively been produced by small niche companies. Now Bulls is also stepping out of the shadows and unveiling its first prototypes with 32-inch wheels. Both gravel bikes and hardtail mountain bikes featuring the new wheel standard are currently being tested. Bulls is part of the ZEG Group, Europe’s largest network of independent specialist retailers. This includes over 1,000 affiliated shops – that’s a massive number! If Bulls is going for 32-inch wheels, we could soon be seeing other mountain and gravel bikes with large wheels too.

Conclusion

The fact that a brand like Bulls – with a large dealer network and impressive sales figures – is experimenting with 32-inch bikes shows me that the new standard is really gaining momentum. There’s still a lot to explore when it comes to mountain and gravel bikes with giant wheels, but they’re definitely on their way. Will we soon see a Bulls Grinder and a Bulls Copperhead on 32-inch wheels? - Jan Timmermann, BIKE editor

The Bulls 32” mountain bike in detail

• Working title: Bulls Copperhead Thirty Two
• Intended use: Cross-country / Marathon / Touring
• Wheel size: 32”
• Frame material (prototype): aluminium
• Prototype wheels: DT Swiss 1700

The Bulls 32” gravel bike in detail

• Working title: Bulls Grinder Thirty Two
• Intended use: Gravel
• ​Wheel size: 32”
• Frame material (prototype): aluminium
• ​Prototype wheels: Mavic

Pure prototypes

Bulls describes the bikes on display as mere prototypes. None of the bikes are close to production or even ready for series production. The planned model variants, specification options, prices and geometries remain to be confirmed. Like so many bike manufacturers, Bulls is currently in the testing phase for the new wheel size. There is still a lack of compatible parts, such as wheelsets, tyres and suspension forks. Bulls’ 32-inch mountain bike prototype is fitted with an Intend Samurai upside-down suspension fork. The gravel bike gets round the issue of parts availability by using a carbon rigid fork from Enve. To compensate for the longer installation length, a negatively angled stem is used.

The Bulls Copperhead Thirty Two is fitted with wheels bearing the DT Swiss 1700 series label. The Bulls Grinder Thirty Two runs on rims featuring the Mavic logo. According to Bulls, it remains entirely unclear whether these wheels, or similar ones, might be brought to market. The rim profiles were not 32-inch-specific products, but simply slightly larger standard models. The wheelsets were built solely to test the new wheel size.

From theory to practice

The 32-inch prototypes are based on aluminium frames, though according to Bulls, this is no indication that the bikes will eventually go into series production with aluminium frames either. It is simply easier, quicker and more cost-effective to build prototypes from aluminium, according to the German manufacturer. The road-ready concept bikes can be used to test key development aspects, such as the optimal geometry for 32-inch gravel and mountain bikes.

So far, these are just prototypes. We simply want to show here that we’re working on the 32-inch concept – not just in theory, but in practice as well. - Friedemann Schmude, Bulls

What do you think: how long will it be before 32-inch mountain and gravel bikes go into mass production, even with the major manufacturers? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!