32-inch wheeled bikes are progressively going mainstream, with an increasing number of bikes available to buy and, crucially, a wider selection of compatible components.
Many 32in bikes remain prototypes, designed to garner attention and test the waters, but there’s an increasing number of fully-fledged 32-inch bikes available to purchase.
We’ve highlighted six 32in XC hardtails and gravel bikes we’re excited about, some of which we’ve already reviewed. Other 32in bikes remain announcements for future launches or, particularly for mainstream brands, prototypes or one-offs only.
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Singular Pterodactyl
Warren reviewed the titanium Singular Pterodactyl gravel bike back in July, concluding that it “has everything I want from the best gravel bikes: speed, smoothness, brilliant handling, and a breathtaking way of keeping momentum thanks to those huge wheels”. He added that the ride was epic on every surface, including technical trails, rolling over impacts that would slow you down on 700c wheels.
It’s available in sizes L, XL and XXL and, Warren concludes, is a bike that would only work for taller riders – fortunately he fits the bill.
“That’s where this large wheel size can do what it’s supposed to do,” says founder Sam Alison, “without excessive stack height, slow handling, or toe overlap.”
The Pterodactyl uses MTB standards: a Boost front hub with a flip chip axle and SuperBoost at the rear, as well as a wider MTB-style bottom bracket. With the larger wheels, the low-sounding gearing is comparable to a 700c gravel bike too.
Sour Cycles Pasta Party 32
A 32in steel XC hardtail mountain bike, the Sour Cycles Pasta Party 32 we reviewed was fitted with a prototype Manitou fork. There still aren’t that many 32in suspension forks – or other components such as wheels and tyres – available to buy.
As with the Pterodactyl, reviewer Tom found that the larger wheels allowed him to retain speed, pedal more smoothly and roll over trail noise, thanks to the smaller angle of attack when hitting a bump.
Tom found that the extra inertia of the wheels and tyres affected handling on more technical stretches though and it was more difficult to back-weight on steep descents.
Baum DBM 32
Another 32in titanium gravel bike, the Baum DBM 32 also offers massive 2.6-inch tyre clearance. Again, this has meant adopting MTB standards for the bottom bracket and hub spacing.
While other brands highlight the ride characteristics mentioned above, Baum reckons 32in bikes are a great solution for tall and very tall riders. Its first bike was made for a 200cm (6ft 7in) rider who had struggled to find a proportionally correct bike.
According to Darren Baum: “A 32er is not going to work for everyone because of the extra standover and reach. A bigger wheel size allows us to build a bigger frame with better proportions, which is something that has really been missing from the market.”
As with other brands, Baum cites the paucity of component choices as having held it back from launching its 32in bike, but reckons that’s changing sufficiently to make the wheel size a viable option.
“Perhaps the most surprising thing has been how quickly everybody has been able to adapt to the bigger wheels. They roll really well, offer lots of grip, and they are very stable, which is exactly what we were all saying when we started using 29-inch wheels,” Baum says.
Mason Macro32
Mason launched its 32in Macro bikepacking adventure bike at Bespoked Dresden in September 2026. While mainstream brands have been dipping their toes in the 32-inch water, Mason says the Macro is not a concept and claims it is “the first 32in bike of its kind from a UK brand, and probably the first like this in the world”.
Dom Mason, the brand’s founder, says he’d been holding back due to a lack of components, but now "we are seeing a really usable selection of 32in tyres in various widths, from most of the big makers, along with the emergence of suitable suspension forks from brands like DT Swiss".
The bike is fitted out with 32-inch wheels with Boost axles from long-time Mason partner Hunt Wheels.
For the moment, the Macro is available as a 29er, but Mason is making final tweaks to geometry and features and expects to add the 32in wheel size to the range for 2027.
Scott 32in Unbound prototype
Scott rolled out two examples of its 32in gravel bike prototype in May, ahead of Unbound 2026. They were ridden at Unbound 200 by 2025 winner Cameron Jones and in the 350-mile / 560km Unbound XL by Robin Gemperle.
Prototype wheels came from I9 and were fitted with 50mm-wide Schwalbe RX 32in tyres, while Jones used a Shimano GRX and Gemperle a SRAM Red XPLR AXS groupset.
Ahead of the 2026 race, Gemperle stated that he felt that 32-inch wheels were the size that gravel racing and Unbound, in particular, were waiting for, while Jones claimed that: “This bike makes you feel like you're levitating over the surface. I'll be experiencing a road race while everybody else is racing gravel!”
Jones finished Unbound 200 10th in 2026, while Gemperle won Unbound XL, despite needing to walk around 21km due to the excessively muddy conditions.
Scott says that its 32in gravel bikes are “pure prototypes and will never be released on the market”, which seems a shame given their showing at Unbound.
Van Rysel RCR-XC
The latest brand to jump on the trend is Van Rysel. Its first mountain bike, the RCR-XC, skips straight to 32in wheels.
The company says it analysed two years of race data and concluded that the larger size would provide its new Decathlon Ford team with a real-world advantage in cross-country races.
Van Rysel is the first major brand to announce a 32in bike, which is a major development, but we'll still have to wait until next year before its released to the public.
The bike also provided an insight into what might be on the horizon from two other brands. The press images show the RCR-XC fitted with unreleased 32in wheels from Zipp and an unreleased RockShox SID fork.
