Let me start by saying that tires from these six manufacturers are truly just the tip of the iceberg.
32″ was a concept a year ago. Now, it is a literally unavoidable trend!
Bikerumor has spent the past three days scouring the Taipei Cycle show for evidence of 32″ from frame, suspension, wheel, and tire suppliers (plus a few extra-drop stem makers, too.) And our consensus is that 32″ wheels are coming very soon, and there’s no avoiding it from an XC perspective. And, now we know for sure that 32″ Trail will be a thing.
Wat’s a little surprising though is the uptake from gravel. Even though the bulk of these tires are adapted 2.4″ mountain bike tires, they are still being positioned as gravel, too.
But ultimately, we’re gonna just have to see how it work…
Maxxis Aspen was the real impetus of 32″
The 32″ tire started with a simple concept. Can it make top level XC racers faster in a real race situation?
Our short tests have been pretty inconclusive. From what we’ve heard, it feels a tiny bit slower, yet it is incrementally quicker. That’s great for an elite racer, but less so for my relatively slow rides.
While Maxxis debuted the 32″size last year, it was nice to see their more affordable CST partner debut a lower-priced tire that could make sense.
The CST Patrol is a logical, versatile tire for regular XC to trail riding.
We’ve seen it unlabeled for almost half a year, but the 32 x 2.4″ Maxxis Dissector is a game changer. It is traditionally an all-rounder trail tire. But now it is closer to being enduro & eMTB ready.
Rumor has it that Maxxis has 5 mountain bike tires to launch in the 32er space some time very soon. I’ve had no official word from them yet, but wouldn’t be surprised to see it happen at or soon after Sea Otter. I’m not sure it that 5 number includes the original Aspen, but now we’re pretty sure it will include the Dissector. We’re pretty sure it would include a 32″ Aspen ST, too. Maybe an Ardent Race, Recon Race, or a Forekaster?
What mountain bike or gravel tire would you want Maxxis to introduce in a new 32″ variant?
More 32″ XC tires from other tire makers, too
Back on the XC front, Schwalbe’s 32″ Rick Race was the first non-Maxxis modern 32″ tire that I saw in person. It’s still not officially launched. And off the record when I spoke with Schwalbe about some upcoming tire launches, this one wasn’t even on their radar.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see it being raced on the XC World Cup this season under sponsored racers. And we’ll probably be able to get a set to test this spring/summer. But since 32″ commercially-available wheels, forks & frames are stil so limited, I would expect to see these other 32″ tires make real-world availability until at least the end of next summer.
Kenda’s new 32″ Dagger XC tire is exactly the same story.
This tire is winning accolades in the 29er version for the eco-friendly fabrics inside and its recycled content. But it hopes to shine on the XC circuit with the improved roll-over, extra grip, and lower rolling resistance of larger wheel size.
Time will tell on that front.
Budget 32″ XC & gravel tires are what will make this really find traction
One of the beauties of cruising the booths at Taipei Cycle is that manufacturers are psyched to hype affordable bikes and components. The big US & EU brands are always trying to convince our Bikerumor crew that their latest latest $10,000€ bikes and fancy components are the best things since sliced bread. But what about products that all cyclists can actually afford?
If you can make new tech or a new trend affordable, that’s genuinely more interesting to me. (Who can’t make a $15k bike great!)
So, it feels like Taiwan’s manufacturing sector is proving that 32″ wheels can make sense for the masses. Those dozen or so affordable 32″ forks are the perfect example.
Here we see a simple slick Innova Mimosa tire get a new 32 x 2.4″ size. This is a tire that might make its way onto an affordable gravel bike or city bike. But the fact that it exists means that a mountain biker who buys a 32″ XC or trail bike can always fall back and ride their new bike to work if the want…
Affordable tires still need to be versatile if 32″ wheels are going to take root.
Ontrack is a perfect example of a tire maker you’ve never heard of. As a pretty baseline, mostly OEM-only tire maker, you could have their tires on a budget bike and not even know it. The folded-up 29er has a rudimentary label, but the several actual 32″ versions of this tire that I spotted, all were entirely without any brand labeling.
Their Transition is a simple fast-rolling XC tread. And like almost all 32″ tires we saw this week it is officially a 2.4″ (61mm) tire. Presumably that is based off a standard 30mm internal hookless rim. Almost every 32″ Ontrack Transition tire i spotted looked quite a bit narrower on alloy rims that probably weren’t as wide inside.
Maybe that’ll prove to be a good thing?
Affordability & practicality with bigger wheels
To make 32″ as a legit system work, you also need tube availability. I’ve stretched a 27.5 butyl tube into a flat 29″ tire on more than one occasion. The jump to 32″ is a bit bigger, but we’ve already head plenty of anecdotal evidence from brands doing testing that a stretchy 29er tube will work in a pinch. But to get serious, it’s nice to see that Onward has also added a 32″ TPU tube to their lineup. Looking at the next bike, I’m sure someone has made a cheap butyl tube, too. I just haven’t help it in my hand yet.
So for now, we’ll leave you with this scary scene…
The first consumer 32″ bike you might see hit the market could be this department store Safeway bike – with QR axles, hydro disc brakes, an alloy frame, and steel fork. There’s nothing about it that I would especially describe as the safe way. But it does have that budget 32″ Ontrack Transition tire on it, so it’ll probably roll over small bumps smoothly as an MTB commuter. And it might sell for as cheap as $500-600 in US dollars. At least the fork is on the right way.
Fingers crossed.
