Continental has teased a 32in version of its popular Dubnital cross-country / gravel tyre, saying it will be “available globally in April 2027”.
Details about pricing, width options and weights are yet to be revealed, although it has said the 32in Dubnital will initially only be available with its “lightweight Race casing and fast-rolling Rapid Compound”.
The announcement throws further momentum behind the emerging wheel size.
According to Alexander Haenke, product manager for MTB and gravel, “the growing interest in 32in wheels is clear, and our priority is ensuring riders have immediate access to Continental’s flagship tire technologies as new wheel sizes emerge.”
Maximised momentum retention
Like many other brands entering the world of 32in bikes / wheels / tyres, Continental cites a number of now familiar potential performance gains to justify the new tyre size.
Scaling the tyre and tread design to this new larger size, “maximises momentum retention, improves obstacle rollover, and increases overall traction and stability”, it says.
The German brand hasn’t offered any data or specific evidence to back that up, but it’s fair to say those are things BikeRadar’s testers have noted when reviewing 32in bikes, such as the Sour Cycles’ Pasta Party 32 (alongside a few downsides too, of course).
What does this mean for 32in bikes?
If you’ve been following bike media in recent times you’re probably sick to the back teeth of the phrase ‘32in is coming!’ – after all, it feels as though it has ‘been coming’ for a while now, and if it was all it’s cracked up to be, wouldn’t it have actually arrived by now?
Nevertheless, backing from Continental is undoubtedly a significant stamp of approval for the tech – a little bit like how it finally jumping on board the tubeless road bandwagon back in 2018 (with the launch of the GP5000 TL) was something of a watershed moment for that technology.
Haenke says Continental chose the Dubnital for its first 32in release because “it allows us to support evolving setup preferences and frame designs right out of the gate”.
It also makes sense because gravel and cross-country mountain bike racing appear to be where interest in the new wheel size is peaking.
Does this mean 32in wheels are about to kill off 29ers for good, then? Probably not, but it does appear to signal that – for better or worse – 32in is going to be more than a passing fad.
