We have reached a turning point. 32-inch wheels are no longer just the fantasy of a few tuning enthusiasts, but are on the cusp of series production and mass market acceptance. With a range of large-format tyres and wheels now available, the groundwork for the market launch has been laid. It will only be a matter of a few months before 32-inch wheels really take off – at least in the high-end bike market. - Adrian Kaether, Test & Technology Editor
32 inches is sort of like the DJI/Avinox: the motorless bikes (here are the most exciting Avinox highlights from Sea Otter). Everyone – and I mean absolutely everyone – who considered themselves someone at the Sea Otter Festival in Girona at the end of September placed a 32-inch bike in the entrance area of their exhibition space to catch the eye – accompanied by references to the future, speed and handling.
And it was a success. Crowds gathered everywhere around the monster wheels. And the reverse was true too. Anyone who didn’t play along was left out in the cold. No matter how exciting the bike might have been: if a bike without a motor didn’t have large wheels fitted, hardly anyone gave it a second glance.
Under the radar: Pinarello, Focus, Origine and others
Whether it was Pinarello’s new cross-country bikes – including the actual bike ridden by MTB World Champion Tom Pidcock, which was on display at the stand – a new aero road bike from the French manufacturer Origine, an unreleased Focus gravel bike, or even the new road and gravel bikes from Ducati with their elegant exposed carbon fibre on display in the festival’s entrance area – none of them managed to attract as much attention as the roughest and most unfinished 32-inch prototype.
Are we making it too easy for ourselves?
This is probably also down to the fact that the ‘wow factor’ of large wheels is so easy to spot. In the current race to be the first to launch 32-inch production bikes, new products that require specialist knowledge and a second look are, quite literally, getting run over. This is all the more true amidst the sensory overload of a major bike expo with nearly 80,000 visitors and 500 exhibitors.
To be completely self-critical: we’re oversimplifying things. Both the cycling media and ordinary visitors see the 32-inch USP as something new and different, and no longer put any effort into perhaps giving other exciting ideas a platform. This focus on efficiency, which is particularly evident in relation to e-MTBs and Avinox, is only human. But it means that we’re hardly interested in the bikes themselves anymore; it’s all about whether they’re 32-inch or not.
Innovation versus revenue at any cost
Critics say: The new wheel size is just a figment of the bike industry’s imagination. Sales figures for motorless mountain bikes in particular have been plummeting for years. Perhaps this is also because there is a lack of key innovations that would otherwise encourage people to buy a new bike, as we have already analysed elsewhere. The 32-inch version is simply more expensive, heavier and, because it runs more smoothly, only brings new problems and reduces the enjoyment of riding.
Many manufacturers disagree. They argue that 32-inch tyres offer undeniable advantages, particularly in terms of greater grip and a smoother ride, especially on a gravel bike without suspension. What’s more, rolling performance is said to benefit so significantly that, even with increased drag due to poorer aerodynamics and greater rotating mass, efficiency remains higher.
To put it simply: 32-inch wheels are faster. An increasing number of victories in major and prestigious races back this up. Robin Gemperle won the Unbound Gravel – often referred to as the unofficial Gravel World Championships – on a 32-inch Scott prototype, whilst Andi Seewald became MTB Marathon World Champion on a large KTM Scarp. At the UCI Gravel race held as part of Sea Otter Girona, too, Leon Kaiser – riding a 32-inch Avona Callis – was the rider with large wheels who finished at the top of the podium.
The time is right: 32 inches is on its way
Why are race wins piling up right now? Certainly partly because the gaps in the supply chain are slowly being filled. Mature 32-inch tyres and wheels, in particular, have long been a problem and are now rapidly becoming widely available on the market. Tyres are available, for example, from Maxxis Schwalbe, as well as Pirelli and Vittoria, are already in the running with near-production prototypes. Wheelsets are no longer the sole preserve of high-end carbon manufacturers such as BikeAhead; brands such as DT Swiss and Newmen also have at least road-ready prototypes in their range.
Even though debates over technical details – such as hub width – are still ongoing, it is likely that things are already moving very quickly. By 2027, 32-inch bikes will have long since ceased to be merely a niche phenomenon. If the speed boost and the increased safety do indeed have such an impact, as our 32-inch comparison has shown, It’s certainly not just the ‘Giants’ and ‘Racers’ who should be snapping up 32-inch models.
Adrian Kaether
Editor