30.5-inch wheels are here: Cube debuts them at the Enduro World Championships

Just two weeks ago we learned that Schwalbe was developing 30.5-inch tires. Now, Cube has taken a further step and has prepared an enduro bike with this new size to compete in the UCI World Championship in Finale Ligure. It will be the first major competition test for a wheel size that is still in full development.

Cube brings 30.5” wheels to the Enduro World Championship with a modified Fritzz

The emergence of 32-inch wheels is accelerating changes in MTB, but it seems the industry does not want to limit itself to a single size larger than the current 29". The 30.5 inches, whose existence we recently learned about through Schwalbe's project and a leak from the Cube 2027 range, already have their first known application in a competitive enduro bike.

The protagonist is Zakarias Johansen, rider of the Cube Action Team, who will compete in the Enduro World Championship in Finale Ligure with a specially adapted Cube Fritzz. The bike uses an unusual mullet configuration, with a 30.5-inch front wheel and a conventional 29-inch rear.

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So far, information about this size has mainly pointed to gravel and its possible use in small sizes of bikes designed for 32" wheels. However, Cube has decided to explore its possibilities in a much more demanding modality for the components.

The bike mounts a Schwalbe 30.5" tire with a Fox Podium inverted fork, and it has been necessary to modify some settings and the suspension travel to adapt it to the new diameter.

More speed than 29" and more agility than 32"

The choice of 30.5 inches does not seem coincidental. Cube claims that during the tests conducted so far, it has found specific advantages over existing sizes.

According to the team, the 30.5" wheel allows for greater speed on straight sections than a 29", but retains better maneuverability in tight corners than a 32". A particularly interesting combination for enduro, where the ability to overcome obstacles must coexist with constant direction changes.

However, these results correspond to Cube's internal tests and there are still no independent comparisons that allow quantifying their advantages.

The project seems to be in a very early phase. And according to the German media MTB-News, the team would only have six wheels and four 30.5-inch tires, so any breakdown during the competition could become a significant problem. Johansen would also be the only participant in the World Championship using this configuration.

The definitive test will arrive this Sunday, October 18, when the Enduro World Championship in Finale Ligure gathers the best international specialists on a course of approximately 60 kilometers and six timed specials.