The 2026 edition of Bespoked London — the world’s biggest handmade bike show — wrapped up this weekend with one obvious headline: the 32-inch wheel is no longer a fringe experiment. It’s now appearing on race-winning XC and gravel builds, and it dominated the show floor.
British heritage brand Pashley grabbed most of the early attention with its one-off Wildfinder Mullet — a 32″/29″ mullet gravel bike built around a custom Reynolds 853 frameset with 3D-printed seat lug, dropouts and chainstay yoke. But it was far from alone: at least seven independent framebuilders and three component brands debuted 32in-specific products in London.
What Showed Up at Bespoked 2026
Held at the Truman Brewery in east London from 1–3 May, Bespoked has long been the place where small-batch builders try out the ideas that big brands later commercialise. This year, the show floor was a clear referendum on wheel size:
- Pashley Wildfinder Mullet — 32″ front, 29″ rear, Reynolds 853 with 3D-printed elements, 30mm-internal carbon rims on Hope Pro 5 hubs, PNW dropper post.
- Stayer Cycles showed a full-32in steel gravel race bike with custom carbon fork to handle the longer axle-to-crown distance.
- Sentient Works debuted a 32in titanium hardtail XC race frame, claiming a 4% rolling-resistance advantage over a 29er at typical XCO speeds.
- Tailfin showed a 32in adventure rack build, leaning into the wheel’s rollover advantages on rough loaded terrain.
- Rim brands Berd and Light Bicycle both unveiled production 32in carbon rims, while Maxxis and Vittoria have already shipped tyres.
The show’s “Best Road Bike” award went to Quirk Cycles, but it was the 32in builds that drew the queues — and triggered an unusually pointed discussion among visiting World Tour mechanics about what the UCI will do next.
Why 32-Inch Wheels Are Suddenly Everywhere
The 32″ wheel size — first revived as a curiosity at the 2021 Cape Epic — got serious in 2025 when Magnus Manson rode a 32″ front wheel to victory at the Sea Otter Classic’s downhill, and it crossed into XC mainstream when a 32in-equipped rider took the men’s elite XCO win at this year’s Cape Epic.
The case for it is straightforward — bigger wheels roll over obstacles better, carry momentum through chunky terrain, and reduce the angle of attack into bumps. The case against it has historically been weight, frame geometry compromises, and bike fit for shorter riders. Bespoked 2026 made it clear that the framebuilding community thinks they’ve cracked the geometry problem, particularly with the mullet 32/29 layout that Pashley showcased.
It also dovetails with our earlier deep-dive on why 32-inch wheels are the biggest shift in gravel cycling — Bespoked’s show floor is the physical proof of those predictions. It also fits a broader trend: the same brands chasing aero gains in road racing — like the new Felt BREED gravel race bike with its 950g frame and 10.5% drag reduction — are increasingly pairing those efficiency gains with bigger-wheel rollover for off-road use.
What the Big Brands Are Doing
The major manufacturers are watching, but moving cautiously. Specialized‘s recent Epic 9 launch stayed loyal to 29ers and chased XC weight savings instead. Trek and Pinarello have shown 32in prototypes internally but not committed to production, and the UCI’s technical commission has flagged 32in as a “monitoring item” for the 2027 rules cycle.
Component standards are the bigger story. SRAM has been quietly producing 32in-compatible XX SL drivetrains since the start of 2026, and a 32in-specific RockShox SID fork is in late-stage testing. Once forks and tyres are widely shipping, the framebuilders argue, the wheel size will move from one-off Bespoked builds to mainstream model years.
What This Means For You
For most riders, 32in wheels won’t be the right call in 2026 — the parts ecosystem is still small, prices are high, and the gain is measurable mostly at race speeds. But the trend matters for buying decisions:
- Don’t buy a brand-new 27.5″-only frameset in 2026. Resale value is heading down as 29 and 32in absorb the trail/XC space.
- If you’re tall (185cm+) and ride mostly XC or rough gravel, 32in is suddenly worth a test ride. The fit penalty that historically affected smaller frames is much less of an issue at L/XL.
- If you’re between bikes, our gravel vs road bike comparison is still the right starting point — wheel size is downstream of that bigger choice.
And for context on where racing is going: this year’s UCI Gravel World Series will be the first major calendar where 32in start-line bikes won’t be a shock — and the MTB World Cup season opener in Korea already saw two 32in front-wheel hardtails on the elite XCO start grid.
Key Takeaways
- Bespoked London 2026 confirmed 32-inch wheels as the year’s most influential design trend.
- Pashley’s Wildfinder Mullet — 32″/29″ gravel — was the headline build; at least seven other builders showed 32in projects.
- Component support is arriving fast — production carbon rims, tyres, and SRAM-compatible drivetrains are now in market.
- Big brands are still cautious; Specialized, Trek and Pinarello have not committed to production 32in models.
- The UCI is monitoring the trend ahead of the 2027 rules cycle.
