“32-inch wheels will reach every XCO team in 2027”: telemetry reveals their pros and cons

The 2026 season has brought us the first 32" bikes to the XCO World Cup, but this is just the beginning. Several manufacturers and teams have been working with them for months, and now MSMechanic, a technical service that works with different structures of the World Cup, including Canyon XC Racing, has shared some of the data obtained after testing 32" bikes from various brands with telemetry. Their forecast for the next season aligns with what we already knew, and they claim that "32-inch wheels will reach all teams in 2027".

MSMechanic puts numbers to the jump from 29 to 32 inches

MSMechanic specializes in competition mechanics, particularly in the setup and tuning of suspensions. During this season, they have conducted telemetry tests on different 32" bikes, and now they have used that data to explain what really changes compared to the current 29".

The first data they provide is that the wheel diameter increases by approximately 9% (this depends a lot on the tire and type of rim). But their measurements show that the consequences do not necessarily maintain that same proportion.

 

 

 

 

 

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Using the same tire and an equivalent wheel construction as a reference, here are the data they provide:

• Impact angle: -4%
• Ability to overcome obstacles: +9%
• Contact patch length: +4%
• Stability at speed: +18%
• Wheel mass: +9%
• Rotational inertia: +28%
• Trail with the same fork: +12%

The advantages mainly appear when the bike is already at speed and has to traverse uneven terrain. The disadvantages, precisely, when it comes to accelerating that wheel or making it change direction quickly.

The 32" handle roots, rocks, and steps better

The larger diameter allows the wheel to meet obstacles at a more favorable angle. MSMechanic estimates the reduction in impact angle to be 4.1% against a root, 4.2% against a rock, and 4.3% against a step.

There is another particularly graphic piece of data. According to their calculations, to receive the same impact angle as a 29", the obstacle would have to be 9% taller with a 32" wheel.

In practice, the larger wheel would have an easier time maintaining speed when traversing broken terrain, a characteristic we already knew and is especially interesting in the current XCO circuits.

More stability, but 28% more rotational inertia

This is probably the data that best explains why the 32" are not necessarily better in all situations.

MSMechanic calculates that the wheel mass increases by around 9%, but the rotational inertia increases by 28%. Rotational inertia is the resistance a wheel offers to changing its rotational speed. In other words, how hard it is to accelerate, brake, or quickly change its movement.

They also estimate an 18% increase in gyroscopic effect. This helps the bike remain more stable when traveling fast, but conversely, accelerating the wheel and making quick trajectory changes requires more effort.

In MSMechanic's words, the result is a bike that is calmer at high speeds but slower when it comes to changing direction.

The big problem with the 32" is in the geometry

Here appears one of the most interesting points of their tests. Installing a larger wheel while keeping the other parameters the same does not work.

With the same steering angle and the same fork offset, MSMechanic calculates that the trail increases by 12%. This would make the steering slower and could neutralize a good part of the advantages gained with the larger wheel even before reaching the first turn.

And correcting it does not seem easy either. According to their calculations, the offset needed to maintain the same trail would have to increase by 28%.

That is why their conclusion is that 32" bikes must be specifically designed around that diameter.

"32 inches are not an upgrade of wheels. They are a new bike"

This is probably the phrase that best summarizes all the work done so far by the teams. For MSMechanic, "32 inches are not an upgrade of the wheels. They are a new bike".

• The change requires work in three fundamental areas. The first is a new geometry, reviewing the steering angle, offset, and rear triangle around the larger wheels.
• The second is a new suspension kinematics, as the different axle heights modify parameters such as anti-squat and the progression curve.
• And the third is a specific tuning of the suspensions. The greater inertia of the wheels requires, according to MSMechanic, to work differently with the hydraulics.

Their message is that practically nothing should be transferred automatically from the current 29" bikes.