The 32" Watch: Schwalbe Tires

Schwalbe 32"er proto. (Image courtesy of Schwalbe Tires)

Schwalbe Testing 32" Tires For Future Production:

A reader of the blog recently tipped me off to news on Schwalbe's site regarding their testing and development of 32" MTB tires. 

According to the site, Schwalbe LAB has developed a radial tire which has "set a completely new benchmark for performance"

Citing more stable handling, more grip over rooty, rocky terrain, and higher cornering speeds, the results sound hauntingly familiar to the benefits of 29"er tires over 26" MTB tires.Scwhalbe also reports that their own laboratory measurements confirm 32" tires offer "measurable advantages in rolling resistance."

Image courtesy of Schwalbe Tires

Schwalbe also states, "32-inch tires are a promising technology with real and tangible advantages - across market segments and beyond purely performance focused tires." Perhaps Schwalbe is coming out with a range of tires to suit all riders across genres? Perhaps we can see gravel oriented tires as well? 

Schwalbe doesn't see any 32"er tires coming out this year, but does hint that 2027 will be the year they will release these big hoops of rubber upon the masses. Could this mean OE orders and bicycle brands developing different styles of 32" wheeled bicyles? This would make sense given the time it takes to go from prototype to a finished bicycle model.  

At any rate, this would seem to seal up the deal and make 32"ers a virtual lock to be  something we will be able to buy from many outlets within the next year, year and a half. Now all which remains to be seen is if riders will respond by actually purchasing these wagon-wheelers.  

Extra Bonus: Here is a link to a French online site featuring a 32'er the journalists designed, built, and tested in cooperation with a French MTB brand.