Since the unveiling of the 32” Aspen at the Taipei Cycle Show last year, the majority of 32” tire talk has centered around Maxxis. But with all the hype around and momentum behind the 32” wheel size (pun intended), we’re sure that plenty of other tire brands are deep in development of their own 32” tires. This was confirmed recently, when the folks at Bikeradar spotted some Vittoria Peyote XC Race 32” tires on a display bike in the Genesis booth at the iceBike show.
We weren’t on hand to check out the Peyote 32” tires for ourselves, but from the photos, we gathered that it’s a 2.4″ width and uses the brand’s Race Formulation rubber compound. We reached out to the folks at Vittoria, who kindly provided us with a little more information. Vittoria’s North American Marketing Director, Christopher Zigmont, confirmed that the Peyote XC Race 32” was the first “example of the work the company is carrying out around this new wheel size.”
Like the Maxxis Aspen, Vittoria’s Peyote XC tire is among the fastest cross-country race tires on the market. Given that much of the development around 32” wheels and bikes is focused on XC racing, it makes perfect sense that Vittoria would start there. According to Zigmont, “True to its innovative, race-driven approach. Vittoria has chosen to begin testing products designed to win on the race course, and here’s where the Peyote XC Race fits perfectly with that goal.”
Zigmont also mentioned that Vittoria is currently in a testing phase at VittoriaLabs and is working with several pro teams. It’s safe to assume that Vittoria-sponsored teams and athletes will be putting them through their paces, so we’ll probably see them in action on race courses this year. Although the Peyote 32” has been spotted out in the wild, Zigmont says Vittoria’s 32” tires won’t be available to the public until 2027, but that both MTB and gravel tires are expected.
Zigmont was also kind enough to share some additional insight into Vittoria’s thoughts and findings with 32” tires. He mentioned that XC is the primary area of focus thus far, and that “we are currently evaluating 32” versions of our most popular XC tread patterns, designed for the most common terrain types and riding conditions. Because the larger diameter makes the casing proportionally narrower, a 2.4” width has initially been favored.” Sounds to us like a 32” x 2.4” Mezcal might be coming up next.
In terms of performance and testing takeaways, Zigmont provided some info that seems to align with expectations, and most of the other findings shared thus far. “When comparing 32” tires to 29” tires, many of the insights gained during the early adoption of 29ers still apply. A larger wheel tends to roll more smoothly over rough terrain, can offer increased traction in cornering, and typically weighs more than smaller wheel sizes,” said Zigmont. “The larger air volume generally allows for lower tire pressures, and this also applies to the 32” system. While these characteristics are not surprising, real-world fitment constraints and rider benefits may ultimately be influenced by frame and fork clearance, as well as overall compatibility.”
Zigmont also mentioned that Vittoria is “testing 32” concepts for the gravel segment and evaluating larger-diameter XC platforms, but there are no announcements to share at this time.” Did I just read larger diameter?
Regardless, big wheels keep on rolling, and it sounds like we’ll have several options from Vittoria next year. We’ll keep you posted when we learn more.
