We have reached a turning point. 32-inch wheels are no longer the pipe dream of a few tuning enthusiasts, but are on the cusp of series production and mass market appeal. 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 make a big impact. At least when it comes to high-end bikes. - Adrian Kaether, Test & Technology Editor
Tough times for small bikes
The 32-inch is something of a gravel bike of the future. Everyone – and I mean absolutely everyone – who was anyone at the Sea Otter Festival in Girona at the end of September placed a 32-inch bike as an eye-catcher in the entrance area of their exhibition space – accompanied by talk of the future, speed and handling. And it worked. Crowds gathered everywhere around these monster wheels. And the reverse was also true. Anyone who didn’t play along was left out in the cold. No matter how exciting the bike might have been: if it didn’t have large wheels fitted, hardly anyone gave it a second glance.
Whether it was the new cross-country bikes from Pinarello – including the original 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.
Sensationalism as a one-way street
This is likely also due 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 such as Sea Otter Europe, with nearly 80,000 visitors and 500 exhibitors.
To be completely self-critical: we’re making things too easy for ourselves. Both cycling media and ordinary visitors immediately recognise the USP of 32-inch wheels as something new and different, and no longer devote any energy to perhaps giving other exciting ideas a platform. This focus on efficiency – which can currently also be observed in relation to e-MTBs and the Avinox motor – is only human. But it means that we’re hardly interested in the bikes themselves anymore; we’re only interested in whether they’re 32-inch or not.
A genuine benefit or an industry ploy?
Critics say: The new wheel size is nothing more than a figment of the cycling industry’s imagination. A means to an end, designed to generate a little more turnover during the crisis. 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 motivate people to buy a new bike, as we have already analysed elsewhere. They argue that 32-inch wheels are simply more expensive, heavier and, due to their smoother ride, only bring new problems and less riding enjoyment.
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 also set to improve so significantly that, even with increased drag due to poorer aerodynamics and greater rotating masses, efficiency will still be higher.
To put it simply: 32 inches is faster. An increasing number of victories in major and prestigious races support this. Robin Gemperle won Unbound Gravel – the unofficial Gravel World Championships – on a 32-inch Scott Addict prototype, whilst Andi Seewald became MTB Marathon World Champion on a KTM Scarp 32-inch. At the UCI Gravel race in Girona, too, Leon Kaiser – riding a 32-inch Avona Callis – was a rider with large wheels who finished right at the top of the podium.
The time is right: 32 inches is on its way
Why are race wins piling up right now? It’s certainly partly because the gaps in the supply chain are slowly being filled. In particular, fully developed 32-inch tyres and wheels have long been a problem, but 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 produced solely by 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 about 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 the 32-inch models.
Adrian Kaether
Editor