Sour Cycles Pasta Party 32 review: this intriguing half-prototype has convinced me about 32in wheels for XC bikes

Sour Cycles’ Pasta Party 32 is one of the few 32in mountain bike frames you can go out and buy. However, you’ll have to be smart with your component sourcing to track down compatible forks, wheels and tyres for a complete build.

This steel frame was built up with a raft of Hayes Bicycle Group products, including a prototype 32in Manitou R8 suspension fork. As such, it’s not a production bike per se, but it gave me a chance to sling a leg over a big-wheeled bike to see what all the fuss is about. 

32in wheels have a diameter that’s three inches larger (there or thereabouts) than 29in wheels, which themselves grew three inches from the 26in bikes that dominated during the early days of mass-market mountain bikes. 

In testing, I’ve found the larger-diameter wheels roll over trail chatter with ease, helping you hold speed and remain comfortable. However, the larger hoops and tyres weigh more, and this has an impact on handling in more technical situations. 

Let's get rolling 

The Pasta Party 32’s larger wheels roll over terrain more smoothly because the angle of attack of the bigger wheels, when they encounter the edge of a bump, is reduced. This makes it easier for the tyre to roll over the obstacle, reducing the feeling of the wheel getting ‘hung up’ on it.

As such, momentum is easier to hold, while the wheels make the ride feel smoother over chattery ground.  

On typical forest roads and manmade surfaces on trail-centre climbs, the Pasta Party 32 maintains its speed and covers ground efficiently. 

While the lack of rear suspension means bumps are transmitted through the bike's rear end, trail imperfections are more muted. The bike feels less shaken about and it's easier to maintain a smooth pedalling rhythm while you’re rolling along. 

Although I wasn't able to test the bike back to back against a similar 29in-wheel bike, I rode the Pasta Party 32 on very familiar trails. 

On loose and scrabbly rocky climbs, I’d wager traction was improved slightly, and it was easier to hold momentum when tackling looser surfaces. 

Likewise, on more steppy climbs, the big wheels aid your progress because the bike hangs up less on the edges. 

When the steps became big enough to need more than just the wheel’s size to bump up over them, other than the increase in grip, I wouldn’t say the bigger wheels hold too much of an advantage because the longer chainstays make lifting the front wheel slightly harder. 

The larger rim and tyre size adds material and therefore mass. The Schwalbe Rick tyres came in at 940g on my scales, which is a solid 10 to 15 per cent heavier than their 29in equivalents – we can assume the rims bring a similar weight uplift. 

Although they're not wildly heavier, physics cannot be ignored, and the 32in wheels require more energy to accelerate. 

On shorter, punchier climbs, or during sprints, 29in wheels have the advantage because these larger wheels don’t feel quite as zippy or reactive. 

Gravity takes hold 

On rolling terrain, the Pasta Party 32 is an absolute rocket.  

Here, the large wheels roll at incredible speed, eating up the miles with barely a shrug. 

Small- to mid-sized trail obstacles barely seem to bother the bike, and it almost floats over the top, reducing the vibrations transmitted to the rider, aiding comfort and reducing fatigue. 

The big wheels seem to hook up with the ground through flowing corners and enable you to fly through terrain with much more confidence than the low-block-height, fast-compound tyres would suggest. 

The larger-diameter wheel gives a longer tyre contact patch with the ground, and this seems to help lock the wheel in with the terrain when it’s leaned over. 

The Rick Race’s profile is very rounded, with barely a sniff of a shoulder tread, but this doesn’t seem to matter on all but the loosest trail surfaces. 

The bike’s easy to lean over, and is confident in that position, enabling you to rail through corners. 

It’s not all gravy 

The added weight of the rim and tyre adds to their gyroscopic effect though, so quick direction changes require more rider input and earlier turn initiation than 29in-wheeled bikes. This makes the Pasta Party a little less agile than if it had 29in wheels.  

However, you’d have to be riding some seriously tight and twisty high-speed trails for it to have an overall negative impact on your ride. 

When the trails get steeper, the Pasta Party starts to struggle. 

The larger rear wheel gives you less backside clearance when you’re hanging off the back of the bike or off drops – with my 30in inseam legs, I was buzzing the rear tyre on steep terrain.

I also found I needed to brake earlier to get my speed under control, thanks to the increased inertia of the wheels – Hayes’ two-piston Dominion brakes do a great job, though. 

The earlier turn initiation also needs to be considered – while the handling isn’t lethargic, the Pasta Party 32 is a bike that prefers going in a straight line than chopping and changing quickly. As such, more positive rider inputs are needed to negotiate tight terrain. 

Further back, while the big wheels aid smoothness, you must remember this is still a hardtail mountain bike and the thin tyre carcass (necessary to reduce weight) carries an increased puncture risk.

The details matter 

Sour Cycles builds its impressive range of bikes in-house in Saxony, Germany. The brand has been quick to the 32in party, with the Pasta Party 32 one of the first 32in bikes available to buy. 

This bike is based upon the cross country-focused Pasta Party (a 29er), but with geometry tweaked to enable the big wheels to shine. The brand claims those wheels don’t overpower how the bike feels, though.  

The two most obvious geometry differences compared to a regular 29er hardtail are the longer 450mm chainstay – 15 to 20mm longer than usual to fit the rear wheel in, and the 87mm bottom bracket drop, to ensure the bike doesn’t feel tall or unstable. 

There’s also a 671mm stack height, which is significantly higher than most XC bikes to accommodate the larger front wheel. This is tempered by a negative-rise stem and flat bar, to ensure the bike still has a moderately aggressive front end on this build. 

Elsewhere, there’s a 66.6-degree head angle, 472mm reach (size large) and a 75.6-degree seat tube angle – I’d say all of these are in the middle of the bell curve for XC.

The frame is beautifully made, with its svelte steel tubes and kinked seat tube to help keep the chainstays as short as possible, plus a neat integrated seat clamp arrangement. 

The blue/purple/grey paintjob fade is one of the nicest I’ve seen in a long time. 

Big-wheel components 

32in bikes are new to the industry, and as such, there aren’t many components readily available, certainly for the mass market.

Reynolds provides a 32in version of its alloy 309XC wheels on this build, although they’re yet to be listed on the brand’s website.  

Likewise, the Manitou R8 fork on my test bike was a prototype. It has 100mm of travel, where the legs have been lengthened to fit the bigger wheel. A production version is expected early next year. 

Schwalbe’s Rick Race Pro tyres are also not listed on Schwalbe’s website, but I’ve seen these floating around on various 32in bikes, so you can expect to see them for sale soon. 

In essence, this bike is a taster of what 32in may become. For now, it’s a hard one to build up yourself without some extremely good Google-fu or bike industry contacts.  

Elsewhere, there’s a negative-reach stem paired with an Answer ProTaper Hyperlite flat bar, Hayes’ Dominion T2 two-piston brakes and a Manitou Jack 180mm dropper post. 

A Shimano Di2 groupset, that’s a mix of Deore and XT components, drives the bike forward. 

Sour Cycles Pasta Party 32 build details

The build on this Pasta Party 32 is very XC-focused, with fast-rolling Schwalbe tyres, a 100mm Mantiou R8 fork and a slammed cockpit.

The fork proved smooth, compliant and composed – I've been a fan of Manitou’s forks for a while and they deserve to be considered over more conventional options. I’d say the damper is ‘breathy’ on rebound – it's not quiet, but remember this is a prototype fork.  

The two-piston Dominion brakes are a lighter version of one of my favourite enduro brakes, offering plenty of power and a lovely, light lever feel. 

Shimano’s Di2 shifting worked flawlessly, although the long-cage derailleur that accommodates the 10-51t cassette is noisy on rough terrain. The XC-centric 34t chainring is fairly punchy in size when paired with the larger-diameter wheel – I’d prefer a 32t chainring. 

Sour Cycles’ Pasta Party 32 bottom line

The Pasta Party 32 gave me an opportunity to experience 32in wheels for the first time. Without getting into a debate over whether the industry ‘should’ adopt them or not, there are definitely some performance benefits from the bigger wheels – but there are a few downsides, too. 

The wheels roll better over small- to mid-sized bumps than a 29er, helping maintain momentum, improving traction and giving a more comfortable ride. 

The bike also rails through sweeping corners and holds speed very well. 

Accelerations are more muted though, and it’s easier to tackle tight and technical terrain with smaller wheels.

It feels as though an XC hardtail is an optimum platform for these bigger wheels. If there was a solid range of components available on the market, I would consider 32in wheels for my next XC hardtail.