The 32-inch Megamo Silk is already on its second version and looks less like an experiment every time

The 32-inch wheels have quickly transitioned from being a rarity to one of the most interesting fields of experimentation in cycling. Megamo is one of the brands exploring their possibilities, and at the Italian Bike Festival in Misano, it has just publicly showcased the evolution of one of its most striking projects: the Megamo Silk 32" Prototype V2.

This is not the first time we have seen a 32" gravel bike from Megamo, but we are indeed looking at a very different bicycle from those early experimental prototypes. The brand has moved from using fully adjustable aluminum frames to presenting a much more refined platform that incorporates everything learned during months of testing.

Megamo Silk 32" Prototype V2: the tests with 32" wheels now have a much more advanced bike

Megamo has taken advantage of the Italian Bike Festival to showcase part of the work that usually remains within its development department. And the 32 inches occupy an important place.

Alongside the new Megamo Track 32" Concept V1 that we saw in Misano, developed to investigate this diameter in XC, the brand has brought a second platform intended for gravel: the Silk 32" Prototype V2.

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In this case, we can also practically follow from the beginning how the project has evolved.

A few months ago, we learned about the first 32" gravel prototypes that Megamo was working on. They were quite peculiar bikes that had little in common with a model prepared for the market.

Those aluminum frames were primarily designed for testing. Megamo could modify different parameters of the bike and check on the ground how each change affected the behavior of wheels significantly larger than those typically found in gravel.

Now we know that that first phase even had a name: Silk 32" Prototype V1.

From a laboratory with wheels to the Prototype V2

The first Silk 32" was not intended to be light, beautiful, or approach the performance of a commercial bike. It was essentially a development tool.

Its aluminum frame allowed testing up to twelve different geometry configurations on the same bike and combining those variations with different cranks, handlebars, tires, and setups. Megamo could thus study in isolation how the larger diameter affected handling, stability, the rider's position, and the overall behavior of the gravel bike.

It was a logical way to tackle one of the major problems posed by jumping to 32 inches: it is not enough to make larger wheels and find space for them in the frame. And precisely for that reason, the bike that Megamo has now brought to Misano is interesting.

After months of gathering information with those prototypes, the brand has built the Silk 32" Prototype V2, a platform that visually is much closer to what we expect from a modern high-performance gravel bike.

The leap between both generations allows us to understand quite well where the project stands. Megamo explains that the knowledge gained about geometry, rider position, and dynamic behavior, as well as the feedback collected during testing, has been transferred to the V2.

We are no longer looking at that cumbersome aluminum testing bench. The Silk 32" begins to take on the appearance of a much more finished bike.

A 32" gravel bike that already looks like a true Megamo Silk

The most evident change is in the frame. In the images, we can see a platform with much more streamlined shapes, closer to a competition bike.

The enormous wheels continue to inevitably condition the proportions. The front triangle is very compact vertically, and the head tube is low, something necessary to try to compensate for the greater height introduced by the front wheel and maintain a position typical of a sporty gravel bike.

The rear area is also particularly interesting. The seat tube adopts a shape that allows for more space for the wheel and makes it clear to what extent designing around 32" forces a reconsideration of the usual proportions of a gravel frame.

And this is precisely one of the objectives of the entire project. Megamo wants to discover how much it can take advantage of the potential benefits of the diameter without introducing compromises that end up nullifying them.

The brand starts from the premise that a larger wheel can offer more capability to overcome obstacles and maintain speed, but acknowledges that the equation includes many more variables. Geometry, stiffness, weight, acceleration, rider position, and dynamic behavior must work together.

DT Swiss also appears in the Silk 32"

Another striking detail of the bike presented in Misano is its wheels. The Silk 32" Prototype V2 features DT Swiss wheels. The Swiss brand has been very active from the beginning in developing components for this diameter, and after its fork and wheels for XC, we now see that it is also working in the gravel segment.

From those strange aluminum gravels to a bike that is starting to take shape

The brand is being particularly cautious with the two 32" projects shown in Misano. Both the Silk and the Track are part of a research program aimed at testing technologies and concepts that could eventually become part of future bikes, but there is still no confirmation that they will do so.

What the Silk 32" Prototype V2 does demonstrate is that Megamo has made significant progress since those first adjustable aluminum frames. The 32 inches remain an experiment, but the experiment is starting to look much more like a bike.