32" Wheels? Interesting...

[speedub.nate]

After a bit of research, I found out what a mullet bike was,..

My first mullet was a disc brake up front, V in the rear.

My next mullet was a purpose-built Xtracycle cargo using a Carver 96'er frame, 29 front and 26 rear.

My latest mullet will be the electric Yuba Mundo. It's designed for 26" wheels, but I'm changing to 27.5" up front just because. Only because I can get away with a skinnier front tire than the fat boy I'll be running in the rear.

But for 32", I think mullets are going to be difficult. The 32"frames all have very short head tubes and either HA angle slackening and/or extended ETT lengths (paired with short stems) to provide the extras clearance up front.

 

[PCeBiker]

. Only because I can get away with a skinnier front tire than the fat boy I'll be running in the rear.

That's what my dirtbike was.
A big skinny tire up front and a smaller fatter tire on the rear,..

Same thing with my Nighthawk, but the specs show the rake angle as well,..

That's the mullet type geometry that I learned to ride with, so that's what I want with my ebike.

Maybe something like this will work for me, but I'd have to cut off the head tube and weld it back on at a steeper angle.

I do have the skinnier 29" Shwalbe Hurricane tire and wheel that I can install, but I'm a bit nervous about making a change.
Partly because I'm worried about the change feeling weird, and partly because of the tread design (I'm worried the lugs on the side of the tire will catch an edge) and partly because the tire isn't Moped rated.

It will probably be fine, but I don't think that it's as flat resistant, and I really don't want to get a flat tire.
(It sure feels like a flimsy tire. It is a Shwalbe though.)

 

[LandoftheGiants]

29" wheels were meet with similar scrutiny and derision. 20 years later they're practically THE MTB standard.

But look at what else has changed / advanced away from accepted standards in that time: head tube diameters, bottom brackets, 1x drivetrains, gear boxes, dropout spacing, axle choices, internally-routed dropper posts, wireless shifting.

Well they are the standard for two reasons. 1, you can't buy anything else now lol, and 2, they are better offroad because of their ability to rollover stuff better. But they have downsides, they are harder, or slower, to change direction. But all in all they are a good choice, a nice refinement. But on-road is another matter and the advantages are not so clear. As for the other stuff you listed, yes I agree, they are vast improvements, modern suspension probably being one of the real game-changers, but you didn't need to change wheel size to get all that did you?

My latest 'road' bike is an MTB, has a dropper post and full suspension, thru axles and a 1x drive train too, but a lot of that is irrelevant for road use. I only bought it for the suspension, to counter the rough blacktop roads without the bobbing of old suspension systems. I got all the rest thrown in because it's the industry standard. MTB trail bashing is a different world all together though, perhaps they'll benefit from 32 inches, or perhaps they'll be falling into the ravines more often, time will tell. Just because something is *new* doesn't automatically imply it's better.

Take modern hiking boots and work boots, most now have a polyurethane midsole which makes them a bit more comfortable, but it rots out in a few years and you have to throw them away. That's the industry standard now. New boot sales every 3 to 4 years

BTW, Vibram traditionally made the best soles in the world, all the major hiking boot companies use them. Zamberlan use them, I have a pair of 20 year old Zamberlan's that are still sound.

My old ones

The pair I bought 5 years ago for $500 and hardly ever wore. Boot menders won't touch them, they are throwaways. Both have Vibram soles.

 

[DaveMatthews]

https://www.velomotion.net/2026/04/This-is-what-it%27s-like-to-ride-on-giant-wheels/

 

[LandoftheGiants]

With 32-inch wheels, the industry is opening a new chapter... Those coming from road cycling might find this a bit surprising. After all, road cyclists have been using the same wheel size for decades, and somehow it's always worked well.

This is where I stopped reading, was it an AI written article? Clueless.
Another viewpoint

Debunking the 32-inch wheel myth: what road cyclists really need to know

With Maxxis in production with their Aspen MTB 32-inch tyre and big brands like Trek in over the axles field testing the latest oversize option, does this mean road wheels are about to get bigger?

www.cyclingweekly.com

 

[speedub.nate]

This is where I stopped reading, was it an AI written article? Clueless.

I think the author is just pointing out that road (and rando?) cyclists have been settled on 700c for a really long time, may have missed the whole 26/27.5/29 thing – though I don't know how the 32" is pertinent to the road community unless they're lumping in gravel?

 

[speedub.nate]

That's what my dirtbike was.
A big skinny tire up front and a smaller fatter tire on the rear,..

Yeah.... one of my ebikes is an Electra Cafe Moto Go with a cool looking but unnecessarily fat front tire. It's a fun bike, but I really don't care for the torque steer when I lay it into a turn.

I definitely don't want to carry over that trait to the cargo bike.

 

[PCeBiker]

BTW, Vibram traditionally made the best soles in the world, all the major hiking boot companies use them.

My Merrill hiking boots just delaminated like a Shwalbe Super Moto-X tire filled to 42 psi,..

I just Shoe Goo'ed the soles back on last week.
I did a shitty job, cuz they're just for kickin s*it now, like cheap Chinese ICE engines and stuff.

I reinforced the inside of the heel with silicone when they were new, because All Footwear Always wears a hole through the lining in the heel.
(Preplanned obsolescence.)

I reinforced my new pair as well.
I used Shoe Goo for the new pair. It's not as grippy, so it should help me get them on without having to bend over to get them on.

I glued pieces of a non-stick BBQ liner to the second one to see if it helps to slide in easier without folding the back of the boot inside,..

 

[PCeBiker]

It's a fun bike, but I really don't care for the torque steer when I lay it into a turn.

I don't use my handlebars except to slow down, and I kinda like my heavy front wheel with half a quart of Flat-Out in it.

The orbital grabity helps stabilize the front end when the wind is gusting, or I plow through potholes, or I float through corners on the gravel roads I ride.

 

[PCeBiker]

,.. It's a fun bike, but I really don't care for the torque steer when I lay it into a turn.

Try airing down your front tire to 8 psi.

The handlebars lock right up.
It's a Pretty Freaky feeling.


I just checked out your ebike.
It looks like its got the Vee Rubber Speedster 26" X 2.8" tires on it.

I tried to buy them for my first e-bike but I couldn't find them ANYWHERE

There was Nothing available to fit a 26" Fat rim that had a street tread.
I couldn't find Any street treaded tires including a replacement CST tire.

Apparently the 2.8" Speedster would fit a fat rim, but it was right at the limit.
I'da had a low profile wheel.



I just found this,..
I don't remember that size??

 

[Art Deco]

the more things change, the more they stay the same...

Needs a motor ... and a hoist maybe ...

 

[LandoftheGiants]

 

[LandoftheGiants]

Motorcycle wheels are measured as the distance between the bead seats, the flat inner surface of the rim basically.
Not long back adventure bikes/offroad switched across from 18" front wheels to 21", for more stability on gravel etc and for getting over obstacles better.

Here is a 29er tire against the rear wheel of such a bike

And against the larger front wheel

The 29er is bigger. Interesting comparison hey

Here is the 29er wide on the front of my new Stance

It's over 29" and I'm glad it has the dropper post as that makes mounting the bike easier. You stop and you better get your bum off the seat fast, or else. That's a 'road' seat height for optimal leg extension naturally. Oh, and I'm 6' tall, with long legs.

 

[PCeBiker]

Here is the 29er wide on the front of my new Stance

View attachment 210045

It's over 29"

This is my 29er,..
Shwalbe Hurricane

I don't know what's going on??

The numbers seem completely arbitrary.

I know that rim width/bead spacing changes the overall wheel diameter, but I'm missing an inch ??


Some rim info,..

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The 29er is bigger. Interesting comparison hey

You are expected to plant your feet on the ground when stationary on a motorcycle, right? While you jump off the saddle when stopping a bicycle.

 

[PCeBiker]

The 29er is bigger. Interesting comparison hey

I took a rotten 28" bicycle tire from an old CCM bicycle to a bike shop to get a replacement.
The bike was similar to this ad I found,..




The guy went into the back and found a tire with the Exact Same Measurements printed on it, laid it on top of my old tire, and it was noticeably larger by over ½" bead to bead across the diameter.

It makes no sense??
Yeah sure, Canada switched to the metric system in the late 70's, but an inch is an inch whether you measure it in Canada, the US, or in England.

 

[PCeBiker]

While you jump off the saddle when stopping a bicycle.

I'd rather ride a horse than a pony.

 

[speedub.nate]

I know that rim width/bead spacing changes the overall wheel diameter, but I'm missing an inch ??

Just like you need a 40c tire to make a 700c wheel have an actual 700 mm diameter.

Or just like you'd need a 2.1" tire to make a 26" rim measure into a ∅26" wheel.

To get an actual 29" measurement, it'll take a 2.3" knobby tire or 2.5" slick tire to do the job.

Maybe arbitrary, maybe not... need to settle on somewhat of a standard tire size to fill out the difference, maybe out of convenience to whatever it takes to reach the next whole number, except oops that didn't work so well for 27.5 er "650B"

Old 26's were pretty commonly fitted with 2.1" rubber but that eventually grew to 2.4 even 2.5. So a modern compromise for 29" landing on 2.3" seems rational.

 

[DaveMatthews]

I'd definitely like to "try" a bike with 32" wheels. Would likely settle a few questions for me.

 

[PCeBiker]

To get an actual 29" measurement, it'll take a 2.3" knobby tire or 2.5" slick tire to do the job.

I don’t know why I bought a 2.0" Hurricane?
I wanted the largest wheel possible.

I bought the Hurricane off Amazon, and I guess I didn't realize that there were larger sizes available?

I don't think that I knew about the Schwalbe website at the time?

The 29" x 2.40" would have given me the largest diameter wheel.