Bespoked bills itself as the “world’s biggest handmade bicycle show”, and at the latest edition in Peckham, South London, there was one theme that ran across many of the bike builders on display: 32in wheels.
If you’ve been following cycling tech in recent months, this is unlikely to be a surprise.
Since Maxxis first revealed its 32in Aspen tyres, interest in the emerging wheel size has been gaining momentum. This has accelerated in recent months, with several pro riders claiming victories using the oversized wheels, including Neko Mulally at the Sea Otter Classic downhill race.
The wheel size, however, is yet to break into the mainstream. Instead, it's smaller makers, such as those on display at Bespoked, that are going big.
Proportionate builds
Singular Cycles had a 32in gravel bike on display at Bespoked, which founder Sam Alison said was an “evolution” of earlier 32in mountain bike prototypes.
Sharing a similar viewpoint as Darren Baum, of Baum Cycles, which released the DBM 32 in February, Alison said the main advantage of 32in wheels is you can build bikes for taller people. “You’re going to have a bike that feels proportionate,” he said.
Over 6ft himself, Alison said riding a 32in-wheel bike feels “remarkably normal”, but the larger size makes for a smoother ride and maintains momentum well. However, he added the size won’t be optimal for “twisty single tracks”.
Alison said Singular Cycles has already sold 32in-wheel bikes through a pre-order batch.
Attention grab
The wheels on the Singular Cycles bike were made by the American company Boyd, which was also exhibiting at Bespoked.
Rory Hitchens is a cycling-industry veteran, who has built small and major brands in the UK. He now works as a consultant for companies, including Boyd, which has created 32in options across its range of aluminium wheels.
Hitchens expressed why smaller companies should look into the new wheel size matter of factly: “If you do 32in, it should get some attention.” (And attention Boyd has got, clearly). However, he added that although there are few options available for 32in wheels, “It’s all coming”.
Like Alison, Hitchens, who is 6ft 2in, said 32in should be an option primarily for taller people – 5ft 10in and above.
Some in the cycling industry have said 32in wheels won’t bring more people into cycling, but it’s simply a tactic to get more sales from people who already cycle. When I put this to Hitchens he replied, “Well, of course”.
For Hitchens, 32in wheels make sense for taller riders, who, as Alison pointed out, will have proportionate bikes. And selling bikes is, after all, what the industry is always trying to do.
But this relates to another issue that has plagued the industry for several years: overstocking. Ever since the Covid pandemic and ensuing economic downturn, cycling companies have been trying to shift products, which Hitchens says has hindered innovation.
“Product managers have been handcuffed,” he said. Although the momentum behind 32in wheels suggests that might be changing.
Not on the high street
Russel Stout, who runs Stout Cycles and its custom frame service Hrok, had a 32in hardtail mountain bike on display at Bespoked, which featured unreleased 32in tyres from Vittoria.
Stout said the bike was “quickly bashed together” at the end of last year to see what a 32in build was like. With a head angle of 65.5˚ and a trail of 130mm, Stout said the bike was possibly too slack but, on the steep terrain around Stout Cycles’ home in the Tweed Valley, it’s “f***ing amazing”.
Stout said the ride isn’t that different from a 29in bike. But, at 6ft 1in himself, he added that 32in wheels should really be for people who are 5ft 10in and above. He wrote in a blog post in January that if you’re 6ft 5in or 7in then the size makes “perfect sense”.
But perfect sense for the consumer is also a differentiator for makers such as Stout. “If you do custom stuff, you have to do something that’s not on the high street,” he said.
Future-focused
Much of the conversation around 32in wheels has focused on performance, which is backed up by Mulally’s win at Sea Otter, but also Felix Stehli’s victory at Cape Epic.
Race-winning performance, however, is not typically associated with one brand displaying a 32in mullet gravel bike – with a 32in wheel up front and 29in wheel in the rear – at Bespoked.
Now in its centenary year, Pashley Cycles is probably best known for 'sit up and beg' Dutch bikes and vintage throwbacks. But, visiting Bespoked for the first time, its stand was packed with bikes of a different ilk.
Alongside the sleek Roadfinder SL, Pashley’s 32in mullet gravel bike was an adaption of its Wildfinder ‘grountain bike’, released in September last year. It's part of the company’s candid mission to bring itself into the modern age.
Andy Smallwood joined Pashley as CEO in 2024, having previously been the CEO of Ribble Cycles. Smallwood said Pashley’s products didn’t align with the craftsmanship of the team, and they weren’t necessarily making the type of bikes they ride.
He said the next step with Pashley is “moving it into the future, while being respectful of the heritage”.
The 32in mullet bike is part of the company’s candid mission to bring itself into the modern age. But as Hitchins said, Pashley’s 32in mullet can be seen as a way to grab people’s attention. At the time of the show, nobody had ridden the bike.
Lead designer Jon Cumberpatch summarised Pashley’s position on 32in wheels simply: “We don’t want to jump straight on the bandwagon.”
