Ondrej Cink wins with a new 32" Cube

The 32-inch wheels continue to gather arguments to stop being a mere curiosity. After appearing in various prototypes over the last few months and reaching the podium in the World Cup, they have now won again thanks to Ondřej Cink. The Czech rider triumphed this weekend in the Czech Cup race held in Ostrava on a prototype Cube AMS equipped with 32-inch wheels.

Ondřej Cink wins with a 32-inch Cube AMS and confirms that this diameter continues to advance

Just a few months ago, talking about 32-inch wheels in mountain biking seemed like discussing a technology still very far from racing. However, the situation is changing rapidly. More and more prototypes are appearing in the hands of professional riders, and, above all, it is becoming increasingly evident that some of the leading brands are about to add this diameter to their catalog.

Cink explained after the race that the victory marked the end of a solid training block and assured that he feels prepared for his next big goals: the World Cup in Les Gets and the World Championship in Val di Sole.

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A Cube AMS fully adapted to 32" wheels

The bike used by Cink is a prototype that maintains significant similarities with another experimental 29-inch Cube AMS that had already been seen earlier this season.

This model continues with the Horst-Link suspension system, but, evidently, what draws all the attention are its enormous wheels. At the front, a Schwalbe Rick Race Pro tire in size 32 x 2.4" has been identified, mounted on a Newmen wheel.

Also reappearing is one of the components that is key for these prototypes to exist: the Fox RAD fork specific for 32-inch wheels that we have already seen in other recent developments.

The bike also incorporates a protector on the down tube that seems designed to prevent damage in case the fork crown contacts the frame during a fall.

Another aspect that highlights the difficulties of integrating such large wheels into a modern XC bike is the position of the handlebars. Cink's Cube uses a very pronounced negative stem to contain the height of the riding position.

This is a solution that is being repeated in practically all the 32-inch prototypes we have seen so far. The increase in wheel radius inevitably raises the front of the bike and requires special attention to geometry, the fork, and the stem-handlebar assembly to achieve an appropriate position for competition.

In Cink's case, it is particularly striking that, at approximately 1.80 m tall, the 32-inch wheels do not appear visually as disproportionate as one might expect.

The appearance of this Cube becomes even more significant when we place it within everything that has happened over the last few months.

For now, Cube has not confirmed which of these developments will reach production, not even that the 32-inch bike will become a commercial model. But Cink's victory demonstrates that the project is already sufficiently developed to compete and win with it.