Riders will soon be able to pick up 32-inch TPU tubes for mountain bikes

Tubolito announced a TPU tube designed for 32-inch mountain bike wheels, addressing a gap in replacement options for the emerging wheel size.
By Jeff Barber
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Being an early adopter often comes with challenges. Though there are a few complete mountain bikes with 32″ wheels on the market today, buyers haven’t found many good choices when it comes to replacement tubes. Fortunately, Tubolito announced last month that they would begin offering a TPU tube designed specifically for 32″ wheels.

“With the Tubo-MTB-32, we are making a clear statement: We don’t just follow new trends — we make cycling lighter, faster, and better,” the company wrote on their blog.

The announcement promises spring 2026 availability, though it’s light on details, such as weight and supported tire widths. Update: This Instagram post confirms the tube will feature a Presta valve and will be designed for tire widths between 1.8″ and 2.5″.

Box of Sunlite bicycle inner tubes, labeled with dimensions 32 x 2.125, featuring details on ISO standards and a removable Schrader valve core, with a prominent yellow and black design.

32″ unicycle tubes are already available, though only with Schrader valves

A couple of brands are currently making 32-inch tubes for unicycles, notably Nimbus and Sunlite. However, both of these offerings feature a Schrader valve which won’t work with rims drilled for a Presta valve. The good news is that early 32-inch wheels, like these carbon MTB wheels from Zinn Cycles, are set up for Schrader valves, likely in recognition of current tube availability. Presta valves are narrower than Shraeder so it’s possible to use them in a rim drilled for Schrader. However, current Tubolito valves do not feature a stabilizing nut to secure the valve to the rim.

Though nearly all modern mountain bike wheels and tires are designed to be tubeless, many riders still carry a spare tube on the trail for emergency repairs.

A 29er tube on a 32″ wheel is a stretch.

Regular riders know that a 27.5″ tube will fit a 29er wheel in a pinch, and vice versa. In fact, Tubolito’s current mountain bike tube is said to fit both 27.5″ and 29″ wheels. However, TPU tubes don’t stretch as much as traditional butyl rubber tubes, and the difference between a 27.5″ and 32″ diameter wheel is likely too much to bridge with a single TPU tube size.

2026 will see many more 32er bike and component announcements

We’re hearing rumors that several 32-inch mountain bikes and components are in the works, including tires, wheels, and of course complete bikes. With no restrictions against bikes with 32″ wheels in World Cup races, we could see new bikes from major brands on the race course this year.

“32-inch wheels show clear potential to change mountain biking in several areas,” Tubolito wrote. “They open up a new dimension of ride feel — and as an accessory manufacturer, we also see new opportunities to rethink performance.”

 
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