Wednesday, February 04, 2026

The 32" Watch: More Gravel

Baum DBM 32"er. (Image courtesy of Baum's social media)
It's Not Just For MTB:

While most 32"ers seen so far are meant as mountain bikes for XC use, there are now some being offered as gravel bikes. I showed a Singular Albatross here last Friday, and now I have come across this Baum Cycles DBM drop bar bike which was built as a gravel bike for a tall client of theirs. 

It is interesting to see a big 32"er frame which makes the wheels look normal. I would suspect their will be a lot of taller folks getting on the 32"er bandwagon now that tires and rim choices have started to become more commonplace for this size wheel. 

Speaking of rims, I was tipped off to this Chinese carbon 32'er rim choice which is sub-300 bucks each. That is a pretty outstanding price. While I am not a big fan of hookless rims, these are meant for MTB tires which would make these rims make more sense then as a hookless option.  

I have heard the 32"ers will appear on gravel bikes and road bikes as well. Look for more sightings as Sea Otter draws nearer in mid-April.  

Note: The Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame class for 2026 will be announced today at 9:00am CST. Look for the announcement and a breakdown of my reactions to each inductee tomorrow here on Guitar Ted Productions.

Congratulations to the Class of 2026! 

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