32-inch wheels are the talk of 2026, with numerous brands, such as Schwalbe, Nukeproof, and BMC, throwing their hats into the ring. It’s safe to say that the development of bikes for bigger wheels is in full swing, especially as Genesis has unveiled a prototype gravel bike equipped with 32in hoops at IceBike.
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It’s big wheels for Genesis
While this gravel bike is still very much in the prototype stage, it takes the gravel/adventure platform of the regular Vagabond but tailors its tubing around 32in wheels equipped with 2.4in cross-country tyres. As we all know, XC mountain bike rubber is gaining a foothold in gravel. While this bike isn’t officially named yet, it’s been hinted that this may be a new Vagabond.
After riding the bike for a while now, Genesis reckons that the bigger wheels bring a smoother rollover, a more consistent, and a more comfortable ride. However, the brand says that it’s for more of a ‘fun’ bike, rather than an all-out racing bike.
The brand has also given us an insight as to who this bike is for. Apparently, and it comes as no surprise, 32-inch wheels are best suited to taller riders of 5’10” or more in height. Genesis does say that 32in-wheeled medium frames are possible, but that leverage and handling start to feel oversized, so it’s about proportions, and as expected, the wheels won’t be best for smaller bikes, says Genesis. With that, Ryan Carroll, Madison’s Chief Engineer, says that “wheel size should remain proportionate to rider height”.
“5’10” is about where I would say a large-size bike stops fitting you”, Carroll added.
“I think we have looked at mediums of this, and so if you’re 5’8″, it becomes a lot of bike. It’s not that we couldn’t get a bike built for you to fit on, it’s just that there’s just a lot more to it, so the leverages are kind of off.”
To account for the wheel size, this prototype ‘Vagabond’ can be paired with a 32-tooth or 30-tooth chainring and a 10-51-tooth cassette, which makes the bike pedal similarly to 29-inch wheeled bikes, according to Genesis. The brand then reckons that suspension seatposts and large volume tyres do enough to promote comfort, meaning suspension forks (while a possibility) would be overkill.
The current problem for 32-inch-wheeled bikes is that there aren’t many tyre options available at the moment. Maxxis and Vittoria offer cross-country race-treaded tyres, but more are coming to the market, “supporting a crossover between XC race and ‘fun’ gravel”.
At the moment, this bike isn’t available, but it’s looking like it’ll be properly named up and available later in 2026. The 32in Vagabond won’t be replacing anything in Genesis’s current line-up, rather the brand suggests that it’ll complement the rest of the Vagabond range, which is equipped with 650b and 29in wheels.
Carroll continues, “We took some inspiration from our other bikes that run 2.2, 2.4 tyres from the Vagabond, and I built a gravel bike around this.
“I’ve been riding one of these since July. I don’t know about World Cup switchbacks, I don’t think these tyres really are interested in that, so I’m happy everybody else is trying to figure that out.”
… and that’s not the only prototype
As well as the big-wheeled gravel bike, Genesis has brought two other prototype bikes to IceBike. There’s a new steel all-road bike (which may be a new Equilibrium, we’re told), which is built around 40c tyres. While built from steel, this prototype doesn’t use just one type. Rather, it combines numerous different grades.
For higher load zones, so the bottom bracket, downtube and chainstay, Genesis has chosen custom premium heat-treated steel, for ‘precision and power’. For the chainstays and upper tubes, there are Chromoly tubes to preserve compliance and ‘rider connection’. Then, there’s a Chromoly seat tube as well as butted and drawn seat stays that are shaped to a flat/oval profile.
Elsewhere, this bike gets a new carbon fork with a 1 1/4 tapered steerer tube to ‘keep proportions appropriate for steel’, as Genesis reckons that a 1 1/2 steerer is excessive.
This potential Equilibrium prototype is constructed to take advantage of the current crop of wireless drivetrains, with only the rear brake running through the frame.
Rounding up Genesis’s range of prototypes is a new alloy all-road and gravel platform, which we expect will sit in the Fugio range. This will boast a carbon fork and promise clearance for up to a 700x50c tyre, and it’s best suited to commuting and general purpose riding, says the brand. As for its componentry, it’ll be more value-focused, so expect Shimano CUES shifting and a range of Shimano parts.
This bike’s frame features a narrow 27.2mm seatpost for comfort, a Genesis-branded cockpit and is set to bring the ‘Genesis’ Ethos to mid-range pricing.
