The Zinn Cycles B.I.G. 32er is the first full-suspension bike in production with 32-inch wheels

The cross-country mountain bike is designed for tall riders exclusively and is available in two sizes starting at 2XL.
By Jeff Barber

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A blue 32er full suspension mountain bike with black wheels and yellow Maxxis tires is parked on a dirt path surrounded by green foliage. The bike features a suspension system, a sleek frame design, and is positioned slightly angled to showcase its details. Soft sunlight filters through the trees in the background.
Photos: blog.zinncycles.com

This summer, two brands — DirtySixer and Faction — showed off full-suspension mountain bike prototypes with big wheels. Now, Zinn Cycles is claiming their bike — the B.I.G. 32er, announced yesterday — is the first production full-suspension mountain bike with 32-inch wheels. The Colorado-based brand is known for building bikes to fit big and tall riders, and the B.I.G. 32er certainly fits the bill, designed for riders who are 6’4″ tall and taller.

Limited suspension fork options have made full-suspension 32ers difficult to spec

Maxxis made waves earlier this year when they officially released a 32-inch diameter Aspen cross-country tire, and many heralded that development as a key toward unlocking mainstream adoption of bigger-wheel bikes. That’s certainly a factor, and a big endorsement, but to create a full-suspension 32er, you also need a fork that fits. After all, no one is going to ride a reverse hardtail.

“We have been limited in making 32ers more mainstream due to the lack of availability of forks, rims, tires, and spokes,” Nick Wigston wrote on the Zinn Cycles blog yesterday. “This has been changing recently, and has enabled us to confidently produce a 32-inch wheel full suspension mountain bike.”

Blue mountain bike with green accents parked on a dirt trail, surrounded by trees and vegetation under a clear sky. The bike features thick tires and a modern design, showcasing detailed components like the suspension and pedals.
A blue 32er Zinn mountain bike with green accents, positioned on a dirt path surrounded by trees and tall grass, under a clear blue sky. The bike features thick tires, disc brakes, and a suspension fork, perfect for trail riding.

Zinn specs the Wren Sports Inverted Mountain Bike Fork, which delivers 120-140mm of travel to the front of the bike.

“While there are still no suspension forks that are designed for 32-inch wheels, we have found one that works really well,” Wigston wrote. “Wren Sports has been making inverted suspension forks for some time now, and we learned that it’s possible to reduce the travel on this fork without shortening the overall fork length.”

Since it’s an inverted fork, there’s no arch, which leaves room for the larger wheel. Plus, the length of the long-travel fork is crucial for a good fit for tall riders.

“A longer fork is important for two reasons on this bike. One is to have clearance for the taller wheel, and another is to get the head tube high enough so we can have an appropriate handlebar height for a 7-foot-tall rider.”

Two mountain bikes, 32er left and 29er right, are displayed side by side. Both have a similar blue frame, but differ in fork design. The left bike features a black suspension fork, while the right bike has a gold suspension fork. Each bike is equipped with thick tires and disc brakes, suitable for off-road cycling. The background is plain white, emphasizing the bikes' designs.
Zinn B.I.G. 32er M2 left, Zinn B.I.G. M1 (29er) right. Photos are not exactly to scale.

It’s an XC bike, but for tall riders

There’s been much speculation about whether pro riders might adopt 32-inch wheels for cross-country racing, though rumors suggest the UCI could ban them outright. Yes, the Zinn B.I.G. 32er is a cross-country bike with just 110mm of rear suspension travel, but it’s not designed for your everyday racer. Only two sizes are available at launch, 2/3XL and 4/5XL. The smaller size is designed to fit riders 6’4″ to 6’8″ tall, while the larger size is for riders who are 6’8″ and taller.

A geometry table displaying the geometry specifications for B.I.G. Full Suspension Mountain Bikes, including frame sizes, rider heights, effective top tube lengths, bottom bracket heights for different travel options, head tube angles, seat tube angles, chainstay lengths, wheelbase, and other relevant measurements for various bike models. The table outlines details for frame sizes 2XL/3XL 29er, 4XL/5XL 29er, 2XL/3XL 32er, and 4XL/5XL 32er.

As a big bike for tall riders, the Zinn B.I.G. 32er is specced with long cranks — up to 210mm long — and a tall stack height. And yet, the 500mm reach isn’t crazy long, even for an XC bike. For example, a size XL Specialized Epic 8 has exactly the same reach. The 63.5° head tube angle is quite slack for a cross-country bike, especially one with just 110mm of rear suspension travel.

Complete Zinn B.I.G. 32er builds, with aluminum alloy frames, are priced starting at $7,250. Although the bikes are listed online, it appears that buyers are unable to purchase them at this time. Product pages note that the bikes are a special order item with a lead time of approximately 8-12 weeks. Get more info at the Zinn Big and Tall website.

 
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