TAIPEI, Taiwan (BRAIN) — Retailers and distributors are asking for more tire choices for the growing 32-inch wheel crowd, and while that new industry segment can't by itself save a struggling industry, Bill Rudell says you can't deny the interest it's creating.
"I've been out seeing a lot of shops lately talking about the brand, and without saying anything about 32, there's been easily half a dozen shops that want to talk to me about it," said Rudell, Maxxis senior sales manager, at the brand's booth at Taipei Cycle. "'Tell me what's going on with 32? Where are you guys at? I'm building a 32 and I'm ordering this custom frame and getting wheels.' And this has been just over the last couple of weeks."
It was low key at the Maxxis booth during Taipei Cycle but that figures to change when the brand attends the Sea Otter Classic beginning April 16. Maxxis will unveil an expanded 32-inch lineup, including a gravel tire, to complement its Aspen.
"There were a lot of naysayers as 29ers happened, but now it's common; it's everywhere," Rudell said. "So I think there's going to be less resistance and a little bit more excitement for retailers right now that this is coming."
Maxxis Senior Engineer Sean Day has been working on the brand's 32-inch development and said it can help grow the industry, especially in the gravel space.
"We're always looking for gains in this sport," Day said. "This is just our due diligence. We saw on paper that there was quite a big advantage to go 32: increased rollover, bigger contact patch, extra volume that can lead to potential reduction in operating pressures. There's a lot of benefits to the wheel size. Then it just becomes how to package it in frames. And there is room for mixed-wheel applications."
Day said when the 32-inch project began, Maxxis engineers explored "some uncharted territories."
"We had pretty in-depth discussions. How do we best go about optimizing casings, etc., etc.?" he said. "Do we need to change dimensions? But at the end of the day, we kind of took a step back and looked at what we did, going from 26 to 27.5 to 29, and we didn't end up dramatically altering our patterns or dramatically altering our casings."
When testing Maxxis' prototypes, Day said the 32-inch full-suspension bike he was riding took a little longer to get going, but like what most 26-inch riders notice when going to 29, the bigger wheels carry lots of momentum. And combined with the tire's larger angle of attack and contact patch, trail obstacles are less of a hinderance.
"Obstacles feel smaller, and it feels like your suspension is working a little bit better," Day said. "When you have a larger radius, and you have it rolling, it's like a gyroscope. It's less likely to be bumped out of the current plane of rotation. The bike feels less twitchy, less nervous, less likely to be knocked off line."
While in the early days of development, Day said Maxxis is optimistic about the wheel size's impact.
"We think the industry is going to be receptive, and I think people are going to be more receptive once they have a chance to ride the bike and see some of these benefits to themselves," he said. "Because people are always chasing more speed, they're always chasing more comfort, they're always chasing more traction and stability. These are all things that a 32-inch wheel can deliver and package appropriately."
