In case you thought that enormous 32″ wheels we going to be strictly restricted to XC bikes, this new Actofive I-Prepare 32 goes to make you assume once more. Dubbed the primary 32″ path bike, Actofive has turned their astute engineering and masterful CNC-machining abilities to reimagining their already common short-travel downcountry to all-mountain 29er with even larger wheels. It began as a collaboration venture with DT Swiss who wanted a collection of check sleds to investigate the real-world forces that come into play with the up & coming wheelsize. However Actofive rapidly realized they may additionally provide the I-Prepare 32 to prospects seeking to experience on the slicing fringe of mountain bike improvement.
Actofive I-Prepare 32″ CNC alloy 120-140mm journey path bike
Now forward-thinking mountain bikers & serial tinkerers can truly purchase an actual 32″ mountain bike. And never only a one-off customized hardtail. You’ll be able to even get 120-140mm of trail-capable journey entrance and rear, even with these huge 32″ wheels. Plus, there’s a lot adjustability on this CNC-machined gem, that you just’ll undoubtedly be capable to dial within the experience, simply how you want.
It’s simply going to take a number of months till Actofive can have a brand new I-Prepare 32 prepared for you. All that CNC-machined goodness that we noticed once we toured Actofive takes time. Simon says it’s round 24 hours of machining time alone that goes into crafting every body.
Plus, the longer lead-time could enable you to to supply tires (rumor has it that Dissectors could be your first trail-ready tire for it), wheels (they might be alloy Astrals or carbon Bike Aheads as soon as testing is completed), and a fork within the meantime.
Why did Actofive & DT Swiss pair up on a 32″ mountain bike venture?
It appears plain that 32″ wheels are coming now.
And DT has already had 32″ wheels in improvement, rumored in each carbon and alloy variants. However moreover all of the theoretical design workouts, they wish to examine how the wheels carry out in actual mountain bike circumstances. So, they wanted some check mules. And with firsthand expertise with Actofive’s design, engineering & consideration to element, DT reached out to create a totally adjustable path bike to check new wheels.
“When the subject of 32″ wheels began to realize relevance amongst main bicycle producers, our R&D workforce started exploring what this improvement would imply for the wheel itself. It rapidly turned clear that whereas we had gained precious insights in the course of the transition from 26″ to 29″, the framework circumstances had developed considerably. Since then, the increase customary has turn out to be established, rims have turn out to be wider, trails have turn out to be quicker, and braking forces have elevated. When you concentrate on it, it’s clear that the wheel itself must be reinvented — and this time, we wish to be sure we don’t repeat the errors of the previous.”
– Nils Verhoeven, DT Swiss Head of Product Administration, Wheels & Elements
Actofive founder & CEO Simon Metzner didn’t want quite a lot of convincing. He’d already constructed the common 29″ I-Prepare into one of many most user-adaptable path bikes available on the market. And he already had ideations of the way to adapt it for 32″ wheels. So collaborating with DT simply gave him the push to make the Actofive I-Prepare 32 an actual bike that anybody may purchase.
Difficult Match with 32″ wheels
Greater wheels already have been a problem in fixing match on 29″ bikes. Now, making the Actofive I-Prepare 32″ as a inventory bike takes it to the following degree.
Within the final decade or so, we’ve seen bike sizing kind of resolved by uniformly defining bikes by Stack & Attain. That meant you all the time knew the place to begin of the place your cranks have been, and the way upright & stretched out your hand place can be, respectively. However the trick is, the elevated axle-to-crown peak of this 32″ wheel & fork combo throws that out the window. (The 32″ wheel is ~64mm/2.5″ bigger in diameter than a 29″ wheel.)
Actofive designed the contact level on the handlebar on the 32″ I-Prepare to be precisely the identical as the 29″ I-Prepare Mk2 to breed the identical match. Plus, they saved the underside bracket peak the identical. So it required a particular stem to get the bar Stack & bar Attain into the identical spot. However in doing so, the precise 32″ body Stack is 45mm greater and Attain is 20mm shorter. (As a result of the higher headset bearing can be about 6cm decrease down the steerer if it was a 29er, each reducing Stack & extending Attain.)
So, Actofive describes the I-Prepare 32 as having an “Efficient Attain” of 485mm, which correlates to the usual 29er’s 475mm Attain in a principally comprehensible comparability. And so they don’t actually speak about ‘efficient’ Stack, because the -45° 60mm lengthy x 60mm drop stem takes care of getting the bar again to the place an everyday shorter 0° stem can be.
Geometry
In the end, although, the geometry of the Actofive I-Prepare 32″ is just about the identical because the 29″ model. You get a 65° headtube angle, 77.5° seat angle, barely longer 458.5mm chainstays, and the identical impartial 333mm backside bracket peak because of the larger 77mm BB drop.
Actofive’s personal first rides of the I-Prepare 32
We haven’t had the prospect to experience the brand new Actofive I-Prepare 32 simply but. (However keep tuned, it’s within the works in early 2026.) So within the meantime, we’ll take a few of Simon’s personal first impressions:
“The I-TRAIN 32 is a pace machine on trails and climbs. You noticeably want much less effort to realize floor over tough terrain. Rolling over roots, rocks, and ledges is considerably smoother. The wheels keep their momentum with far fewer opposing forces being despatched again to the rider. The larger wheels additionally generate a extra composed experience and improved monitoring, which I see as an enormous profit at excessive speeds.
It does require some getting used to on the downhills.
Total, the bike feels extraordinarily unobtrusive and intuitive. Surprisingly, I haven’t seen any main drawbacks concerning cornering agility. The deep integration between the massive wheels provides a terrific sense of confidence and safety. Steep, difficult sections even felt simpler in comparison with the 29er.”– Simon Metzner, Actofive CEO
“I’m satisfied that 32-inch will provide real added worth within the XC, Downcountry (DC), Gravel, Touring, and Bikepacking segments. Within the Enduro and Downhill (DH) world, there’ll possible be quite a lot of pushbacks. I see a Mullet setup (32/29) as a possible candy spot there.”
Tech particulars
- skinny walled 7075-T6 clamshell aluminum body, CNC-machined & bonded collectively
- created for XC to “full-on” Path mountain biking
- 120-140mm of journey entrance & rear
- designed with customized proprietary detrimental rise stem to maintain an identical bar place because the 29er model
Absolutely modular and adjustable I-Prepare platform contains:
- 120-140mm of 4-bar Horst-link rear journey, by altering shock size & stroke
- 3-position angle-adjust headset for +/- 1° head angle
- 3-position decrease shock mount flip-chip for +/- 4mm of experience peak adjustment
- 4-position important pivot flip-chip tunes anti-squat and pedal kickback traits
- full 32″ wheels, or a 32/29″ mullet with various chainstay size extensions
(additionally nonetheless accessible as full 29er or 29/27.5″ mullet, too)
- accessible to begin as a single measurement S2 (M/L) with 485mm ‘Efficient’ body Attain
- measurement S3 (L/XL) with 525mm ‘Efficient’ Attain coming quickly (no smaller measurement anticipated)
- contains single bottle cage on downtube, plus device cage mount beneath toptube
- modular inner cable routing
- UDH, 12mm thru-axle & Increase spacing
- 73mm BSA backside bracket, ISCG05 mounts, PM180 rear brake & 31.6mm seatpost
- 2.4″ max tire clearance
- 3550g body weight (S2 claimed, with out shock)
- 100% made in Dresden, Germany
Actofive I-Prepare 32 – Pricing, availability & choices
Actofive’s new I-Prepare 32″ is on the market to order now in measurement S2, beginning at 6990€ for the body solely. Including the proprietary stem can be an additional 300€. Every body is constructed to order, which supplies you choices like uncooked or coloured anodized finishes, blended wheel sizes, and to coordinate suspension.
That final bit is sort of key on a 32″ bike, since there aren’t quite a lot of presently accessible choices on the fork entrance. Down funds are sometimes 65% to lock your spot within the construct schedule to get issues transferring. Actual present body lead time is 4-5 months.