With all the hype surrounding 32-inch wheels and tires, we’re expecting to see plenty of big-wheeled bikes being raced in cross-country competitions around the world this year. The first taste of what could potentially be the upcoming 32-inch XC revolution is ongoing at the Absa Cape Epic. Swiss racer Felix Stehli of Team Honeycomb 226ers is racing his Stoll Bikes P32, making him the first to race 32-inch wheels at the Absa Cape Epic. This is arguably the highest-profile race where we’ve seen anyone riding the big hoops so far.
Fortunately, the Absa Cape Epic is big on media of all kinds, and they’ve been pumping out the content, including a bike check with Felix and Thomas Stoll, the owner of Stoll Bikes. In addition to the Stoll P32 being a lightweight carbon full-suspension bike with 100/100mm of travel and 32-inch wheels, one thing that really caught our eye in this video is the Flight Attendant-equipped Intend fork and shock. This is the first time we’ve seen RockShox’s proprietary Flight Attendant system in use on another brand’s suspension. We have questions!!!
In addition to this bike check, the Absa Cape Epic media crew has been very active on the social channels. Just the other day, they posted a follow cam video of Felix riding his P32 down a fast and flowy section of the course. Looks like he’s moving pretty quickly.
Current Standings (Updated with Stage 3 Win)
After Stage 2, Team Honeycomb 226ers was sitting in 15th place out of 42 teams in the Elite Men’s category. Given the depth of the field, I’d say that they’re doing pretty darn well. Whether or not the 32-inch wheels of Felix Stehli’s Stoll P32 are providing him with a performance advantage remains to be seen, but it is telling that the young Swiss rider chose to ride it in such a grueling event like the Absa Cape Epic.
Updated with Stage 3 Win: On Stage 3, Felix and his teammate Marc Pritzen took an impressive win on the longest stage of the race. The pair won the stage with a time of 4:19:52.9, finishing over a minute ahead of team Buff-BH in 2nd and Willier-Vottoria in 3rd. It was a big moment for team Honeycomb 226ers as they made their mark in the heavily stacked elite field. While there was a shakeup at the top of the leaderboard, Team Honeycomb 226ers currently remains in 15th place with several more stages remaining.
This stage win also marks a historic first win for 32-inch wheels in a high-profile race like the Absa Cape Epic. We know it was strong riding from talented riders, but did the wheels have anything to do with it? Felix’s teammate Marc Pritzen is racing on a 29er, so kinda hard sayin’. It definitely doesn’t seem like it slowed them down. Congrats guys!
What is the Stoll Bikes P32?
Stoll Bikes is a Swiss brand that designs and manufactures a small range of lightweight carbon fiber bikes in Europe. The brand’s lineup includes gravel, road, hardtail MTBs, and full-suspension MTBs. Last October, Stoll Bikes announced Project 32 (P32) and its commitment to creating a bike for the 32-inch wheel size. And just a few weeks ago, in late February, the brand announced that the P32 was going into series production, and with 32-inch forks and wheelsets becoming more common, they are ready to order.
Stoll Bikes seems quite convinced that 32-inch wheels are the future, saying: “The new wheel size will fundamentally transform mountain biking and push boundaries. The 32-inch wheels are so much faster that no performance-driven athlete will be able to resist them. Our test rides, from cross-country terrain to alpine tours, have utterly convinced us.”
Stoll’s Perceived Performance Benefits
- Rolling resistance on loose ground is noticeably lower.
- Improved traction pays off both on the climb and on the descent.
- The reserves in tight and technical terrain are breathtaking.
- The rider’s integration into the bike elevates performance to an entirely new level.
Frame Design and Details
Stoll Bikes specializes in lightweight carbon fiber frames, including the new P32. The frame weight is listed at a claimed 1,880 grams with complete bike weights starting at 10.2 kg (22.5 lbs.). That’s VERY light, lighter in fact than many 29-inch wheeled XC race bikes. Like so many of those XC race bikes, the P32 has a lightweight single-pivot flex-stay suspension design, but it has relatively unique-looking angular tube shapes and a cutout in the top tube around the upper shock mount.
Stoll offers the P32 in two variants. The “Race” version gets 100mm of rear travel and is paired with a 100mm fork. The “Trail” version gets 120mm of rear travel that’s matched with a 120mm travel fork. Geometry details are very sparse and limited to reach, top tube, and seat tube measurements. The reach is 468mm on the medium and 500mm on the large frame.
The brand offers the P32 in four complete builds in both travel configurations, ranging from CHF 9.500 (~$12,000) to CHF 14000 (~$17,800). Stoll also offers the P32 as a frameset with a shock for CHF 5000 (~$6,400).
Taking Orders
Stoll Bikes says that Medium and Large frame sizes are available and should cover riders between 170 and 195cm. The brand states that an additional small frame size is possible but likely still a few months out. Stoll Bikes is currently taking orders for the P32 with a deposit securing a production slot. The current lead time is listed at 3 to 4 months.
