The UCI has given the green light for 32-inch wheels in all mountain bike disciplines. This is according to a report in Mountain Bike Action magazine. After months of speculation about a possible ban, Fabrice Tiano, Senior Manager for Communications and Media Relations at the UCI, confirmed the official position of the federation. "The Mountain Bike Commission has always considered mountain bikes as a laboratory of cycling with very limited rules regarding equipment. That's the reason why 32-inch bikes are not banned in mountain biking," Tiano told Mountain Bike Action.
The decision follows intensive research by the trade magazine after the UCI failed to make a public statement on the issue at its September meeting. The magazine contacted three different UCI representatives to get clarity on the future of the larger wheel sizes. The confirmation opens the way for manufacturers and teams who have been working on 32-inch concepts for months.
32 inches in the BIKE test - it's getting serious
We have also had the opportunity to test a 32-inch bike. A racefully prototype from Stoll. The results were quite impressive.
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BMC prototype at the World Cup - the end of the 29er?
At the World Cup in Andorra, Frenchman Titouan Carod is spotted on a 32-inch bike. At least in training. The frame of the BMC prototype looks like something from an advanced experimental laboratory: carbon tubes glued into precisely milled aluminium sleeves.
However, the generous tube connections, the horizontally mounted shock, the extended fork and the fact that there is hardly any space for a water bottle in the frame triangle indicate that the concept is still immature.
Also worth noting: the stem is clamped both above and below the head tube - probably because a conventional stem could not provide enough drop to make the front low enough. Fascinating!
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The manufacturers' interest in 32-inch wheels is reminiscent of the development 25 years ago, when the first 29-inch mountain bikes came onto the market. Slowly accepted at first, the larger wheels quickly conquered the cross-country sector after the first World Cup victories and later the Downhill racing. The question remains whether history will repeat itself with 32-inch wheels.
UCI regulations define limits
In principle, the UCI regulations also permit 36-inch wheels if manufacturers develop such concepts. However, one important restriction concerns mixed configurations: Bikes with a 32-inch front wheel and 29-inch rear wheel remain prohibited in most disciplines. The UCI rules stipulate that both wheels must have the same diameter, with the exception of categories such as downhill, where different wheel sizes are officially permitted.
Some experts speculate that the combination of a 32-inch front wheel and 29-inch rear wheel could possibly offer better performance characteristics than two identical 32-inch wheels. However, this configuration remains taboo for most UCI races. Teams must therefore opt for standardised wheel sizes if they want to test the new dimensions.
Florentin Vesenbeckh
Editor CvD
