Guide · Big wheels
32" wheels
The problem
Nobody makes the fork
Suspension forks for 32" wheels are rare, and the ones that exist are heavy. That leaves rigid, and a rigid fork needs to be light and stiff with enough clearance for a big wheel and a muddy winter tyre.
The EVO Prong was designed as a 29"/29+ fork, and it happens to be one of the few carbon forks with room for a 32" wheel: 680 g, 15 × 110 Boost, 498 mm axle-to-crown and clearance up to 3.0" tyres. For a loaded winter bikepacking bike it's an easy choice: nothing to service, nothing to freeze, and the mud goes straight through.
Check before you buy: your frame's recommended fork length, tyre clearance at the crown and stays, and how much your bottom bracket height changes.
The frame
What changes when the wheel gets bigger
A wheel about 8 cm bigger across the rim than a 29er does not just drop into a normal frame. Four things change, and they are why very few frames are made for it:
- The rear end is longer. The tyre needs room between the seat tube and the stays. Our 32" frames start at 465 mm chainstays.
- The seat tube curves. It bends round the tyre so the wheel can tuck in close without making the bike too long.
- The front end sits higher. The fork is longer, so the head tube and stack are worked out around it. Our standard 32" frame is drawn around a 498 mm axle-to-crown fork.
- It suits taller riders. From about 175 cm. A smaller frame puts the big front wheel too close to your feet and the down tube.
That is the case for drawing the frame to order. The frame designer shows the wheelbase, bottom bracket height and the tyre gaps as you change the numbers, so you can see what a 32" wheel does to your own bike before anything is made.
What exists
32" and 36" carbon rims
Nextie make the rims to order (about six weeks), then I hand-build them here in Rochford. Wheels go across the UK and Europe.
Bikepacking
Big wheels, long days
Loaded bikes on rough tracks are where big wheels make most sense, and where a rigid fork and a dynamo hub earn their keep. The MIGHTi 32 is a bespoke titanium frame made for exactly that, and the same wheel size is available in a gravel frame.
See the MIGHTi 32 and other special builds · Bikepacking at Travers · A dynamo wheel for it · 29+ wheels
Questions
32" FAQ
What is a 32" wheel?
A rim bigger than a 29er, taking the overall wheel diameter towards 32 inches with a normal-depth tyre. The appeal is the same as the 26" to 29" jump: it rolls over rough ground more easily and holds speed better.
Will a 32" wheel fit my bike?
Usually not without checking. You need frame and fork clearance, and the extra radius changes your bottom bracket height and front-end geometry. You have to measure your own frame, there is no simple yes or no.
Which fork works with 32" wheels?
There's very little suspension for 32" yet, so a rigid fork with the clearance is the practical answer. The EVO Prong carbon fork takes 32" wheels where tyre, frame and brake clearance allow, at 680 g and 15 × 110 Boost.
Can you build me a 32" wheel?
Yes. Nextie makes 32" carbon rims, and I build them with Hope or Shimano hubs and Sapim or Halo spokes. The rim is ordered in, which takes about six weeks.
How much bigger is a 32" wheel than a 29er?
Across the rim, about 8 cm: our 32" frames are drawn around a 704 mm rim diameter, against 622 mm for a 29er. With a tyre on, the whole wheel is taller by roughly the same amount, which is why the frame, fork and bottom bracket height all need rethinking.
What changes in a frame built for 32" wheels?
A longer chainstay so the rear tyre has room (ours start at 465 mm), a seat tube that curves round the tyre, a front end set at the right height for the taller wheel, and a bottom bracket height worked out with the bigger wheel in mind. There is also no small size: the front wheel would come too close to your feet.
How tall do I need to be?
As a guide, from about 175 cm. A 32" wheel is too big for a small frame, so our 32" frames start at Medium. If you are close to the line, send me your measurements and I will tell you whether it will work.
Can I design a titanium frame for 32" wheels?
Yes. There is a 32" mountain bike frame and a 32" gravel frame in the frame designer. You choose the numbers, and the drawing shows the wheelbase, bottom bracket height and tyre gaps as you change them.
Is it worth it for bikepacking?
That's where the case is strongest: loaded bikes on rough tracks benefit most from rolling over things rather than into them, and a rigid carbon fork means nothing to service in the middle of nowhere.