The 32" could debut at the Lenzerheide World Cup: "We could compete with it"

The 32-inch wheels could be just a few days away from making their official debut at the XCO World Cup. After months of rumors and some sporadic appearances in private tests, the Thömus Maxon team has arrived in Lenzerheide with several bikes equipped with this new standard, and both Alessandra Keller and Mathias Flückiger are already using them during official training.

Is it time for the 32-inch wheels? Flückiger is training in Lenzerheide with a new Thomus 32" and could compete with it

The presence of these bikes in the Swiss paddock has not gone unnoticed. Not only because it is one of the most radical developments seen in modern XC, but also because for the first time one of their main testers has openly talked about what they are discovering during the process.

“Maybe you can save some energy”

Flückiger was directly asked about the new wheels during an interview conducted in the Lenzerheide paddock. The Swiss rider avoided drawing definitive conclusions but hinted at the feelings they are experiencing.

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“When you feel good, maybe you can save some energy, but if it is really faster, we still don’t know. We are testing it and will find out soon, but it’s hard to say.”

This statement is particularly revealing because it points to one of the arguments that have always accompanied larger diameter wheels: a better ability to maintain speed and overcome obstacles with less effort.

However, the Thömus rider insists that the project is still in the evaluation phase.

“I like projects like this. It’s what makes all of this really exciting for me. We’ll see if it provides an advantage.”

A debate reminiscent of the arrival of the 29” wheels

The veteran Swiss rider also compared the current situation to one of the biggest technical revolutions that modern mountain biking has experienced.

“A few years ago, no one was talking or thinking about larger wheels, and now we are taking a step forward again.”

Flückiger experienced firsthand the transition from 26 to 29 inches and believes that the current debate is practically identical.

“I remember 2011 or 2012, when everyone was switching from 26 to 29 inches. Everyone was saying: ‘Are they really faster? How do they accelerate? How do they climb? How do they descend?’. We are probably having exactly the same discussion now.”

And he acknowledges that no one has a clear answer yet.

“There is surely an optimal point for wheel size. But where exactly that point is something that the industry, teams, and riders still have to figure out. Right now, no one knows.”

DT Swiss already seems ready for the 32” wheels

The bikes seen in Lenzerheide show a level of development far superior to the first prototypes that had been seen in recent months.

The new Thömus maintains the general architecture of the current Lightrider competition model, with a vertical shock and flexible stays, but the entire setup has been redesigned to accommodate 32-inch wheels.

Particularly striking is the work done by DT Swiss. The Swiss company not only provides specific XRC carbon wheels for this size but also a fork developed expressly for the project that we already saw in Nove Mesto. Far from seeming like a provisional adaptation, the setup conveys the feeling of being very close to possible production.

Lenzerheide offers the perfect stage for the debut of the 32"

The first observations during training have particularly caught attention in the more technical areas of the circuit.

The famous rock section of Lenzerheide, one of the most delicate points of the course, seems to be tackled with surprising ease on the new wheels. The larger diameter helps to soften impacts and reduce the effect of steps, allowing for better speed maintenance.

Although there are still no time data, visually the bikes seem to move with a fluidity that has piqued the curiosity of a good part of the paddock.

The decision will come before the XCC

Now the big question is whether Keller and Flückiger will dare to compete with them this very weekend.

The regulations require the same bike to be used in the Short Track and in the XCO, so any decision must be made before Friday's race. For now, Thömus has not confirmed its plans, although Flückiger acknowledges that both options remain open.

“We have tested the bike a lot and the feelings are good, but we have to be smart. The most important thing remains to compete and not take unnecessary risks.”

“There is a possibility of racing with it, but there is also a possibility of continuing to use what we have used in recent years.”

 

 

 

 

 

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Whatever the final decision may be, the mere fact that these bikes have made it to the official World Cup training already represents the most significant advancement that 32-inch wheels have made to date. And if they finally appear on the starting line, Lenzerheide could go down in history as the place where the next great technological chapter of cross-country began.