Big Wheels for the Big Mountains of the Swiss Epic

32-inch wheels have been the talk of the mountain bike world for months, and prototypes have made racing appearances at the Absa Cape Epic and in UCI Mountain Bike World Series races, but at the 2026 Swiss Epic they arrived en masse. Or at least in a significant number, with Stoll Bikes claiming that there are 20 of their P32 models in the 256-team field and KTM Spada powered by Brenda Breaks debuting a 32-inch KTM prototype.

Back in March 2026, Felix Stehli was among the first to race a bike with 32-inch wheels in elite competition at the Absa Cape Epic. The Swiss multi-disciplinary racer endured a difficult first three days on his prototype Stoll before securing a stage victory, alongside Marc Pritzen for the Honeycomb 226ers on Stage 3. The win was the first for the new big wheel size in a UCI-sanctioned event. Five months on and Pritzen has joined Stehli on the Stoll Bikes P32, along with 18 other Swiss Epic campaigners.

Marc Pritzen (leading) joined his Honeycomb 226ers teammate, Felix Stehli, on a 32-inch bike for the 2026 Swiss Epic after Stehli became the first rider to win a UCI-sanctioned race on the new wheel size on Stage 3 of the 2026 Absa Cape Epic. Photo by Nick Muzik.

“We had 20 P32 bikes on the Swiss Epic start line,” Thomas Stoll – Managing Director, Owner and head of Engineering for Stoll Bikes – said after winning Stage 1 in the highly competitive Masters category. Thomas Stoll and Simon Zahner were 22^nd overall on the first day of the 2026 race, finishing ahead of 11 elite teams and winning the stage in the Masters category by 10 minutes over mountain biking legend Karl Platt and his Team Bulls partner, Michael Anthes.

“I don’t ride mountain bikes often enough,” Zahner confessed. “The 32-inch wheels give me lots of confidence despite not spending enough time on the mountain bike. I feel I’m faster everywhere. On the climbs, on the trails, and on the flats.”

The big wheels of Simon Zahner’s Stoll P32. Photo by Sam Clark.

“32-inch wheels make a lot of sense for marathon racing,” three-time Absa Cape Epic elite women’s race winner Ariane Lüthi said in commentary during Stage 1 of the 2026 Swiss Epic. “The ability to roll over technical features, while preserving momentum, is an obvious advantage.”

“I haven’t had the chance to ride a 32-inch bike yet,” Buff BH’s Hans Becking would say later in the broadcast. “But I can’t wait to give it a try!”

A feature of the remaining four days of the race will be seeing how the larger wheels perform on tighter and more technical terrain, where sharp handling and faster acceleration will be required. At the Absa Cape Epic, Stehli suffered repeated punctures on Stage 1. That could have been misfortune, prototype tyres, or a feature of the larger contact area of the wheel size. For mountain bikers keenly following the progression of 32-inch technology, the trails of Graubünden should provide some answers. Questions also remain around the lateral stiffness of the larger wheels and therefore their ability to withstand the rigors of five days of racing across the variety of terrains the Swiss Epic presents.

The racing performance of the Honeycomb 226ers, KTM Spada powered by Brenda Breaks, and Stoll-Zahner teams will go a long way to proving how far 32-inch wheels have rolled since March. Further back in the field, the ability of the less competitive riders to navigate the event on larger wheels, while avoiding mechanicals and enjoying their Swiss Epic experience, will be just as telling.

Those intrigued by 32-inch technology can keep a keen eye on the KTM Spada powered by Brenta Breaks, Honeycomb 226ers, and the Stoll-Zahner teams over the coming four days. Photo by Sam Clark.

Stay tuned to the Swiss Epic’s live broadcast on the Epic Series YouTube Channel to see how the big wheels fare in the big mountains over the next four days.