Is bigger actually better? Geoff Kabush and straight talk on the 32-inch wheel hype

The big 32-inch wheels are coming. They’ve already rolled through multi-stage mountain bike races, XC World Cups, gravel competitions and DH runs. For some, they provoke eye-rolls as the bike industry pursues yet another standard whether you want it or not. But you'll see more of them soon.

Geoff Kabush, mountain bike legend, underbiking advocate and long-time gear-head, has seen all this before. He started mountain biking on 26-inch wheels and experienced the rise (and growing pains) of 29ers. With 32s, he’s already been experimenting. In May 2025, he rode a custom-built hardtail with 32”-wheels near Fox’s office in North Carolina to explore bike geometry on the big hoops. He’s also worked with Sam Whittingham of Naked Bicycles based on B.C.’s Quadra Island, where Whittingham made a 32-inch-wheel gravel bike that Kabush is riding.

This episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast features a look at the nuances of the new wheel size. Kabush talks about how geometry is evolving. “Butt clearance,” the room a rider’s rear end needs when their weight is back over the rear wheel, comes up. He also reveals how he can feel a bit of guilt when pushing test equipment to failure, especially with an emerging technology in which spares are in short supply. And Kabush has practical tire tips, too. Have a listen.