If you thought that giant 32″ wheels we going to be strictly limited to XC bikes, this new Actofive I-Train 32 is going to make you think again. Dubbed the first 32″ trail bike, Actofive has turned their astute engineering and masterful CNC-machining skills to reimagining their already popular short-travel downcountry to all-mountain 29er with even bigger wheels. It started as a collaboration project with DT Swiss who needed a series of test sleds to analyze the real-world forces that come into play with the up & coming wheelsize. But Actofive quickly realized they could also offer the I-Train 32 to customers looking to ride on the cutting edge of mountain bike development.
Actofive I-Train 32″ CNC alloy 120-140mm travel trail bike
Now forward-thinking mountain bikers & serial tinkerers can actually buy a real 32″ mountain bike. And not just a one-off custom hardtail. You can even get 120-140mm of trail-capable travel front and rear, even with those big 32″ wheels. Plus, there’s so much adjustability in this CNC-machined gem, that you’ll definitely be able to dial in the ride, just how you like.
It is just going to take a few months until Actofive will have a new I-Train 32 ready for you. All that CNC-machined goodness that we saw when we toured Actofive takes time. Simon says it’s around 24 hours of machining time alone that goes into crafting each frame.
Plus, the longer lead-time may help you to source tires (rumor has it that Dissectors might be your first trail-ready tire for it), wheels (they could be alloy Astrals or carbon Bike Aheads once testing is done), and a fork in the meantime.
Why did Actofive & DT Swiss pair up on a 32″ mountain bike project?
It seems undeniable that 32″ wheels are coming now.
And DT has already had 32″ wheels in development, rumored in both carbon and alloy variants. But besides all the theoretical design exercises, they want to study how the wheels perform in real mountain bike conditions. So, they needed some test mules. And with firsthand experience with Actofive’s design, engineering & attention to detail, DT reached out to create a fully adjustable trail bike to test new wheels.
“When the topic of 32″ wheels started to gain relevance among major bicycle manufacturers, our R&D team began exploring what this development would mean for the wheel itself. It quickly became clear that while we had gained valuable insights during the transition from 26″ to 29″, the framework conditions had evolved significantly. Since then, the boost standard has become established, rims have become wider, trails have become faster, and braking forces have increased. When you think about it, it’s clear that the wheel itself needs to be reinvented — and this time, we want to make sure we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past.”
– Nils Verhoeven, DT Swiss Head of Product Management, Wheels & Components
Actofive founder & CEO Simon Metzner didn’t need a lot of convincing. He’d already built the regular 29″ I-Train into one of the most user-adaptable trail bikes on the market. And he already had ideations of how to adapt it for 32″ wheels. So collaborating with DT just gave him the push to make the Actofive I-Train 32 a real bike that anyone could buy.
Tricky Fit with 32″ wheels
Bigger wheels already were an issue in solving fit on 29″ bikes. Now, making the Actofive I-Train 32″ as a stock bike takes it to the next level.
In the last decade or so, we’ve seen bike sizing more or less resolved by uniformly defining bikes by Stack & Reach. That meant you always knew the starting point of where your cranks were, and how upright & stretched out your hand position would be, respectively. But the trick is, the increased axle-to-crown height of this 32″ wheel & fork combo throws that out the window. (The 32″ wheel is ~64mm/2.5″ larger in diameter than a 29″ wheel.)
Actofive designed the contact point at the handlebar on the 32″ I-Train to be exactly the same as the 29″ I-Train Mk2 to reproduce the same fit. Plus, they kept the bottom bracket height the same. So it required a special stem to get the bar Stack & bar Reach into the same spot. But in doing so, the actual 32″ frame Stack is 45mm higher and Reach is 20mm shorter. (Because the upper headset bearing would be about 6cm lower down the steerer if it was a 29er, both lowering Stack & extending Reach.)
So, Actofive describes the I-Train 32 as having an “Effective Reach” of 485mm, which correlates to the standard 29er’s 475mm Reach in a basically understandable comparison. And they don’t really talk about ‘effective’ Stack, since the -45° 60mm long x 60mm drop stem takes care of getting the bar back to where a regular shorter 0° stem would be.
Geometry
Ultimately, though, the geometry of the Actofive I-Train 32″ is pretty much the same as the 29″ version. You get a 65° headtube angle, 77.5° seat angle, slightly longer 458.5mm chainstays, and the same neutral 333mm bottom bracket height thanks to the bigger 77mm BB drop.
Actofive’s own first rides of the I-Train 32
We haven’t had the chance to ride the new Actofive I-Train 32 just yet. (But stay tuned, it’s in the works in early 2026.) So in the meantime, we’ll take some of Simon’s own first impressions:
“The I-TRAIN 32 is a speed machine on trails and climbs. You noticeably need less effort to gain ground over rough terrain. Rolling over roots, rocks, and ledges is significantly smoother. The wheels maintain their momentum with far fewer opposing forces being sent back to the rider. The bigger wheels also generate a more composed ride and improved tracking, which I see as a huge benefit at high speeds.
– Simon Metzner, Actofive CEO
It does require some getting used to on the downhills.
Overall, the bike feels extremely unobtrusive and intuitive. Surprisingly, I haven’t noticed any major drawbacks regarding cornering agility. The deep integration between the large wheels gives a great sense of confidence and security. Steep, tricky sections even felt easier compared to the 29er.”
“I am convinced that 32-inch will offer genuine added value in the XC, Downcountry (DC), Gravel, Touring, and Bikepacking segments. In the Enduro and Downhill (DH) world, there will likely be a lot of pushbacks. I see a Mullet setup (32/29) as a potential sweet spot there.”
Tech details
- thin walled 7075-T6 clamshell aluminum frame, CNC-machined & bonded together
- created for XC to “full-on” Trail mountain biking
- 120-140mm of travel front & rear
- designed with custom proprietary negative rise stem to keep identical bar position as the 29er version
Fully modular and adjustable I-Train platform includes:
- 120-140mm of 4-bar Horst-link rear travel, by changing shock length & stroke
- 3-position angle-adjust headset for +/- 1° head angle
- 3-position lower shock mount flip-chip for +/- 4mm of ride height adjustment
- 4-position main pivot flip-chip tunes anti-squat and pedal kickback characteristics
- full 32″ wheels, or a 32/29″ mullet with varying chainstay length extensions
(also still available as full 29er or 29/27.5″ mullet, too)
- available to start as a single size S2 (M/L) with 485mm ‘Effective’ frame Reach
- size S3 (L/XL) with 525mm ‘Effective’ Reach coming soon (no smaller size anticipated)
- includes single bottle cage on downtube, plus tool cage mount under toptube
- modular internal cable routing
- UDH, 12mm thru-axle & Boost spacing
- 73mm BSA bottom bracket, ISCG05 mounts, PM180 rear brake & 31.6mm seatpost
- 2.4″ max tire clearance
- 3550g frame weight (S2 claimed, without shock)
- 100% made in Dresden, Germany
Actofive I-Train 32 – Pricing, availability & options
Actofive’s new I-Train 32″ is available to order now in size S2, starting at 6990€ for the frame only. Adding the proprietary stem will be an extra 300€. Each frame is built to order, which gives you options like raw or colored anodized finishes, mixed wheel sizes, and to coordinate suspension.
That last bit is quite key on a 32″ bike, since there aren’t a lot of currently available options on the fork front. Down payments are typically 65% to lock your spot in the build schedule to get things moving. Real current frame lead time is 4-5 months.
