My current 32" project, so far

Unicycles and Equipment
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I thought I’d start a thread to document my current 32 inch project.
First some background: this started back in 2021 when Brauss and Nextie released 36" carbon fiber rims. I really wanted to lighten up my 2017 KH 36er wheel so I jumped on it quickly and ordered a Nextie rim. I built the wheel with a new KH Spirit 100mm hub and new straight 14g spokes. Then I became aware of others’ experiences with tire blowoffs that seemed to be caused by a lack of high quality Kevlar bead tubeless-ready 36" tires. This took the wind out of my sails. I cautiously mounted a Niterider Lite tire and inflated to no more than 25psi for muni riding. While I had zero issues with this setup it was more risk than I was willing to accept so I sold the rim and kept the spokes and hub for a possible future build. I put the original 36 wheel (Stealth2 rim) back in the frame for 36er riding.

Enter 2026 and the 32" Maxxis Aspen - an early entry in the high quality Kevlar bead tubeless ready 32" tire market. So I decided to build a 32" wheel and use it in my KH36 frame, swapping between the two wheel sizes. I bought the tire first: 2.4 MaxxSpeed, EXO. It weighs 847 grams. Now I need a rim. Because this is going in a 2017 KH 36 frame with Spirit outboard disc cranks, I wanted a symmetrical rim and out of the ones available in late May 2026 the only offering was the BTLOS so that’s what I got, Extralight and hooked version.

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After the rim arrived I weighed it at 481 grams. I had the spokes from the Nextie 36" build cut to proper length for the BTLOS. I laced it 3-cross with trailing spokes (from a pedaling perspective) elbows in (heads out) for a more direct line to the nipples. I used VeloFuze brass washers between the spoke head and flange. I ordered a Tubolito 32" TPU tube but it wouldn’t arrive for a couple weeks so I used a stretched 29" butyl tube in the mean time.

First impressions: wow! this wheel is really light. Two things are noticeable: little to no “flywheel effect” but it is very easy to accelerate/decelerate - think half-revs going up a steep hill. Second ride was 7.4 miles on familiar muni trail that I ride the 36er on. I was able to clear many more sections on the 32 than on the 36 which I guess is expected. It is very easy to maneuver around/over obstacles. Plenty of frame clearance with that tire/rim combo in the KH 36" frame.

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That’s it so far. The Tubolito should arrive shortly and that will lighten it up a little more. Both of my 32/36 wheels are “complete” with cranks, rotor, and pedals. If I find myself frequently swapping between 32/36 wheels in the KH36 frame I will consider ordering an Nimbus Oracle Universal 36" frame from UDC UK and then saddle, post, and brake.

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Mr. Tubolito arrived earlier than expected :slightly_smiling_face:

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It’s a svelte 92.1 grams. I had no issues inflating it to round, about 2-3psi, but first making sure the valve stem was pointing inward. I left the Maxxis Aspen outside in 85F temp so it was flexible and supple thereby making it easier to mount. I inflated it with a floor pump rather slowly as I’ve heard that’s preferred for a TPU tube’s first inflation. Got it up to 25psi where it will remain until my next muni which should be in a couple days.

Tubolito’s website does not make it obvious they offer a 32" TPU tube. You have to click on MTB → Tubo MTB → then select size 32.

Oh, and I realized I didn’t post a pic of the profile of the hooked rim so here it is:

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5 Likes
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Are you going to drop your crank length down now that you’ve got such a lightweight wheel?

I’m running 137s which I found has been nice for 32" muni, but my wheel weighs substantially more than yours with a butyl tube and aluminium rim.

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That’s certainly a possibility that I wouldn’t rule out; however, it would require swapping cranks from 127/150 to 137/165 which I do have. It may happen.

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I imagine that 127s would be quite nice on that setup.

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How did you find getting the tyre on and off the rim? Very hard with that tyre on my 32" Nextie…

Which I’m running with 104mm cranks, I mean it’s a road machine and handles like a 36" :wink:

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I would say mounting/unmounting is fairly difficult but I’ve had worse. I’ve yet to do it entirely by hand. I would rate it slightly easier than my KH 27.5 with a 3.25 Duro Crux. That is the most difficult combo I’ve personally dealt with.

It’s my experience that warming the tire up (not the rim) in a warm garage or outside in 85F heat makes a world of difference. And for mounting any tire/rim combo, the last bit of bead to get over the lip can only happen when on the opposite side (half way around the diameter) both beads are in the center of the rim in the depression.

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Heating both the rim and tire would likely help. Carbon fiber has negative CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion) in fiber direction.

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The resin will almost certainly have a positive CTE though.