Just when the state of the bike industry is starting to look up, the new 32in-wheel standard could derail things.
I’m all for performance gains in competition. I love bike tech and the prospect of a new bit of kit delivering a mechanical advantage for riders and racers alike.
And I know the brains behind the new bikes that house massive 32in wheels are creating them to help racers win. That’s great.
But, at this point in time, just when we’re putting a seriously tough couple of years behind us and the industry is beginning to feel buoyant once more, why do we feel the need to introduce another new standard and risk derailing the progress?
Can’t it wait a year or two? I think it should.
- Read more: Are we on the cusp of a 32in wheel revolution? This is what pro XC racers are riding in 2025
Please be patient
According to the Bicycle Association, the UK’s cycling market “returned to growth in 2025”. That’s since the bike bubble went pop, just after the Covid peak in 2020.
That’s amazing news and a reason to celebrate.
It feels like something the entire industry should be embracing and clinging onto with both hands, doing whatever it can to keep things moving in this new, more positive direction.
And this is why I'd argue we need to pause the whole 32in-wheel thing.
Right now, stability is what’s needed.
Introducing a new wheel size makes a lot of sense for racers trying to gain any advantage possible. I get that.
But pushing something so new – which is still very much in its infancy – seems to put the industry at risk of shooting itself in the foot.
Why start creating a demand for something so different when many brands will have container-loads of perfectly good bikes ready to sell? With 29in wheels. Won't it make those bikes obsolete?
As I said, I get it. Engineers are told to create the fastest bikes possible and should be exploring every option out there in order to do so.
But as an industry, should we not all take a breath, embrace the fact that we’re in a better place and work on stabilising things further before jumping onto the next big thing? Maybe I'm being naïve, but that's how it appears.
Let the bike brands sell their incredible 29in-wheel cross-country bikes, some of which are brand-spanking new.
Don’t force the shops to stock even more rim, spoke, fork and tyre options, and don’t complicate buying decisions for riders when we can keep it (relatively) straightforward.
Let’s not force brands to rush through development just so they can include a 32in-wheel bike in their line-up or on the start line.
Don’t stifle progress
I might sound as though I’m being incredibly negative here, but I’m not.
As a fan of racing, I love nothing more than watching the best riders in the world competing on the fastest, latest bikes.
Now, 32in wheels are being considered as the next big thing in cross-country (and I’ve no doubt some eager downhill and enduro racers are keen to explore their possibilities, too) for good reason.
The increased diameter helps 32in wheels roll over trail chatter more easily and there’s potentially more grip on offer, which is always welcome.
I’ve heard various 32in-wheel anecdotes from friends in the industry who have ridden them – and these bigger wheels clearly show a lot of promise.
Felix Stehli rode a 32in-wheel Stoll bike to a stage win at the Cape Epic, alongside his teammate, Marc Pritzen, who was on 29in wheels.
And there’s no doubt the 2026 UCI World Cup cross-country events will be littered with big-wheeler prototypes when the racing kicks off in May.
I never thought I’d be saying this as a fan of all things MTB tech, but can’t we pause this new wheel size for a year or two, while we let the bike industry recover from a rough couple of years?
I’m the last person who wants racers to be held back by their equipment, but for the sake of the bike industry and the incredible people in it, isn’t it worth holding off the big wheelers, just for a while?
