At Bespoked, Bike Ahead Composites was the latest to show off a modified mountain bike frame as an experimental prototype with 32″ wheels. But it was maybe their wheels that were more interesting in the meantime. The 32″ BiTurbo RS(?) wheels feature Bike Ahead’s iconic 6-spoke carbon design, scaled up for the new wheelsize, where they might make even more sense than ever. And while you can’t get them yet, bike makers who want to work on their own 32″ R&D projects now can. While we wait for the big fork makers to get on board, these wheels could be the best option to test new 32″ bikes without the downsides of heavier, slower wheels.
Bike Ahead Experimental Prototype 32″ XC mountain bike hardtail
Bike Ahead already makes their ultralight carbon 29er The Frame hardtail in a mix of Portuguese manufacturing with their CarbonTeam partners, then back in-house in Würzburg, Germany for all the finishing. So, for them it was a pretty quick project to put together a bike to test out the bigger wheels. Bike Ahead says the rideable frame project took shape in just two months.
“The decisive impetus was the current discussion about 32 inches. Do larger wheels really offer advantages, or are they just a marketing idea? This question can only be answered on the trail. That’s why Bike Ahead launched the “Project 32-inch – Experimental Prototype.” Do larger wheels make a bike faster? The arguments in favor are better rollover behavior and increased grip. On the other hand, they are heavier and have worse acceleration. The discussion is reminiscent of the debate about 26-inch and 29-inch wheels. We all know how that turned out. But that doesn’t mean it has to be the same with 32-inch wheels. However, the first impressions of riding the prototype are exciting and show the potential of larger wheels.”
– Bike Ahead Composites
But while it is The Frame that gets the Experimental Prototype and Projekt 32″ labels, the real heart of Bike Ahead 32″ wheel project is their classic BiTurbo 6-Spoke carbon wheels.
Bike Ahead BiTurbo 32″ lightweight 6-spoke carbon wheels
It feels to me like anyone can extend the rear end of a hardtail these days to make a 32er. Or maybe even extend some fork legs.
But few companies have the expertise to make a full carbon monocoque wheel in a larger diameter like Bike Ahead does.
There’s no denying that 32″ wheels on XC bikes are something we’re gonna have to deal with for quite a while now. At least until this big wheel momentum results in enough working bikes to prove or disprove the viability of 32″.
And yes, we can all lay both credit and blame Maxxis for opening the mold and producing the lightweight 120tpi 32 x 2.4″ Aspen tires that everyone is mounting to their test bikes. No the 32er Maxxis Aspen isn’t yet commercially available. But it seems they’ve already made enough pre-production 32″ tires that any bike company that want to try out the bigger wheels can easily get a set.
Now, what makes the 32″ BiTurbo wheels special?
Or rather, why are they so ideally-suited for 32″ wheels?
The trick comes down to the two big downsides we see when going to a larger wheel standard – the same issues that 29ers had to overcome.
First, larger diameter wheels result in greater leverage between the tire and axle, which means the larger wheels need to be stiffer to not feel like you’re riding a noodle. So, with the same number of spokes, the distance between spokes grows. Rims need to be built stronger, spokes need to be stronger, and extra tension in the spokes would be helpful, too.
Second, all that extra reinforcement is certainly going to make the rims heavier. And that’s not even to account for the fact that the 32″ rim is a full 10% longer at the bead than a 29er. That’s an extra 20cm, or an almost 8″ longer, section of rim, plus the same extra length of tire. No getting around that adding weight on the outside of your spinning wheel, where you’ll notice the extra weight the most.
Well, since the monocoque BiTurbo is built without needing to account for high-tension spokes pulling at a thin carbon rim with between 24-32 holes cut into it, the Bike Ahead BiTurbo rim is already much lighter between its 6-spokes than a conventional rim.
Bike Ahead says they could already make their BiTurbo design lighter and stronger than a conventional laced wheel. Going to a larger diameter only makes the relative weight savings even greater.
For now, they are happy sticking with the 6-spoke design, as that has proven itself so far. But they aren’t locked into that number, and are open to considering adding a seventh if they need more strength or stiffness, now or in the future.
32″ BiTurbos carbon wheels and 32″ Safewing carbon rims to support big wheel R&D
That all goes to support the idea that a lightweight BiTurbo 32 wheel will limit the slower ride feel and slower acceleration inherent to the added weight of longer, larger diameter tires and rims when shifting to the larger size.
Bike Ahead says that while they put the wheels through rigorous testing, industry insiders looking to work on their own 32″ development projects could get a hold of a set to experiment with the larger wheel diameter, without the extra weight that would normally come with the new bigger wheelsize.
Not just 6-spokes either. Bike Ahead created a mold for a 32″ version of their Safewing 30 XC rim, too. So, bike builders looking to lace up a conventional spoked wheel have that option available as well.
Industry folks should reach out directly to Bike Ahead if they need a set of lightweight wheels to test out their 32″ concept bikes.
Bike Ahead The Frame Projekt 32″ XC bike
In looking to build the Projekt 32″ XC bike, Bike Ahead analyzed the geometry of their existing ‘world’s lightest’ 29er The Frame to see how much they would need to tweak it to work with bigger wheels.
Obviously, the rear end was going to need to be longer to fit the bigger wheel and tire combo. But they determined that working with a custom Intend fork with shorter, they could get close enough to not have to change anything else on the frame.
Chopped up and customized to make 32″ wheels fit
So, they cut the rear end out of one of their size M monocoque The Frames when it arrived back from CarbonTeam in Portugal. Back in Germany, Bike Ahead molded a set of longer prototype carbon dropouts, then laminated them onto the modified frame to create the Projekt 32″ experimental prototype.
Still, bar height above the ground is a real issue, so they worked with RadoxX to CNC one more 32″-specific stem to get slammed. This one is just 50mm long, but features a mega -40° drop, with a unique machined-out structure to get the stiffness and headtube clearance required.
Yep, that’s another 32″-specific stem to make the big wheels possible.
Bike Ahead officially say that the project works with a 100mm fork.
But Intend made them this custom, longer axle-to-crown 32″ Samurai XC upside-down fork that can be reduced even further. The Projekt 32″ bike here is set up at just 80mm of fork travel, which Bike Ahead says works well with the increased rollover and larger total air volume of the bigger wheels, while retaining sharp, nimble handling. But the fork can still run up to 110-120mm of internally-adjustable travel, so Bike Ahead can make changes as the ride test the prototype.
There’s plenty more trick components to keep this wagon-wheeled project bike light. But it is all actually solid, reliable kit…
32″ superlight build
A SRAM XX SL drivetrain gets a Hopp-tuned rear derailleur with a carbon cage and oversized ceramic bearing pulleys, plus a 30T Wolf Tooth chainring, and the super slick Zirbel Twister AXS thumb shifter. Intend Trinity TR 4-piston brakes provide the stopping power for the big wheels. And a Bike Ahead 75g Hypersaddle and Wonderbar sort out light but strong contact points. Then, Wolf Tooth covers the rest with their new Ctrl Trail pedals, headset, spacers, headset cap, seatpost binder, tubeless valves, 125mm Resolve v2 dropper post, remote lever, and 36mm diameter Fat Paw lock-on grips.
With the lightweight wheels, total claimed weight is just 9.6kg / 21.2lb (presumably without pedals). That’s still lighter than most production carbon 29er hardtails.
It’s not yet production-ready, but clearly Bike Ahead will nail the lightweight 32″ XC hardtail when the time comes.
