The 32” make their debut in the World Cup, climb onto the podium, and Thomus announces a limited pre-sale

After months of speculation, spy photographs, and training away from the spotlight, the 32" have taken the definitive step with the Thömus Lightrider R32. The 32-inch bike developed by Thömus in collaboration with DT Swiss has officially debuted at the XCO World Cup during the Short Track in Lenzerheide, becoming the first MTB of this wheel size to compete at the highest level of international cross-country. Furthermore, the brand has just announced a pre-sale of only 50 units.

The Thömus Lightrider R32 is now a reality: debuts at the World Cup and Thömus announces a limited series of 50 units

The debut was not just a formality. Alessandra Keller used the new bike in the women's race and brought the R32 to third place, thus achieving the first podium for a 32-inch bike in the history of the World Cup. Shortly after, her teammate Mathias Flückiger also took to the start line in the men's race with the same platform, confirming that the project has moved beyond the prototype phase to become a true competition bike.

From the paddock to the starting grid and to the podium

The presence of the 32-inch Thömus bikes had been one of the major stories in the days leading up to Lenzerheide. Both Keller and Flückiger were seen training with them during the reconnaissance days, although the team avoided confirming until the last moment whether they would use them in the race.

RECOMENDADO

What time is the Short Track race in Lenzerheide? Schedule, favorites, and overall standings for the MTB World Cup

The accident of Urska Žigart shook Pogacar

Pogacar debuts the Colnago TT2: features, price, and weight of his new time trial bike

Impossible challenges and cycling legends: The 10 toughest mountain passes on the planet

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

The possible Specialized Tarmac SL9 is already competing: three appearances in three races fuel the rumors

The doubts were understandable. We are talking about a technology that is still taking its first steps and represents one of the most radical changes that mountain biking has experienced since the widespread adoption of 29-inch wheels.

Finally, Thömus decided to greenlight the project and lined up the Lightrider R32 in both elite Short Track races.

If the goal was to demonstrate that the bike can compete at the highest level, the debut could not have gone much better.

Keller was one of the strongest riders throughout the women's race. The Swiss rider took the initiative for a good part of the race, launched several attacks in the key areas of the circuit, and was one of the ones responsible for selecting the group that would ultimately contest the victory.

Only in the final moments did she give up some positions to Savilia Blunk and Ronja Blöchlinger, ultimately crossing the finish line in third place.

Beyond Keller's individual result, the relevant fact is that the first appearance of a 32-inch bike in the World Cup ended directly on the podium.

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advertising

A shared post from Thömus (@thoemus)

The Thomus Lightrider R32 is now on sale

The Lightrider R32 is not an improvised adaptation of Thömus's current competition bike.

While it retains many of the characteristic features of the Lightrider World Cup, the entire platform has been specifically developed to work with 32-inch wheels. The frame maintains the vertical shock layout and the general philosophy of the model typically used by the Swiss team, but the proportions of the whole have been redesigned to accommodate the new wheel diameter.

The project also has the collaboration of DT Swiss, which has developed both the wheels and a specific fork for this configuration.

During the previous training sessions, the ease with which the bike seemed to overcome some of the most technical areas of the Lenzerheide circuit had already caught attention, especially the rock sections where the larger diameter helps to smooth out impacts and maintain speed better.

The surprise came when, coinciding with the official debut of the bike, Thömus published a message on its social media announcing the opening of pre-reservations for the new Lightrider R32 World Cup. It confirmed that the first production will be limited to only 50 units.

An important moment for the future of XC

It is still early to know if 32 inches will become the next standard in cross-country. There are still many unknowns to resolve, and it will be necessary to see, first how it performs in the XCO race and then how it evolves over the coming months.

What has become clear in Lenzerheide is that this technology no longer belongs to the realm of concepts or secret prototypes.

The Thömus Lightrider R32 has already competed in a World Cup, achieved a podium in its first appearance, and is preparing to hit the market with an exclusive initial series of 50 units.