Trek Unveils 32-Inch XC Race Prototype Featuring Unreleased RockShox SID Flight Attendant Fork

Trek has offered a sneak peek at a new 32-inch cross-country prototype through its social media channels, and the bike appears to be equipped with a yet-to-be-released RockShox SID Flight Attendant fork designed specifically for the larger wheel format.

According to the brand, this fresh machine will make its competitive debut under the Trek Factory Racing banner at the penultimate round of the UCI World Cup taking place this weekend in Soldier Hollow, Utah. An Instagram post confirmed that Evie Richards has already been spotted training on the bike.

Rumors of a 32-inch cross-country model from Trek had been circulating for some time. Earlier in the season, the company hinted that the existing 29-inch prototype raced by its team throughout the year “may never hit store shelves.” Additionally, a different version of the bike briefly appeared in the background of Trek’s 50th-anniversary documentary.

Accompanying the bike is a brand-new 32-inch RockShox SID fork, which seems to sport elongated dropouts to accommodate the larger wheel diameter. While Fox’s RAD 32-inch prototype fork has already proven itself in competition, having been ridden to a World Cup victory by Andreas Seewald on his KTM Scarp Evo 4 32 prototype, this marks the first occasion we have seen anything 32-inch from rival manufacturer RockShox.

The new bike’s suspension arrangement closely mirrors the prototype the team has been racing, adopting a top-mounted rear shock design paired with flexstays in the rear triangle. This frame configuration is a staple in cross-country racing because positioning the rear suspension high within the frame frees up room for two water bottles in the front triangle—an ideal setup for marathon events where aid stations are scarce.

The decision to have Evie Richards both ride the bike in the promotional video and race it this weekend indicates that Trek has likely resolved one of the more challenging aspects of the 32-inch wheel size. Concerns have been raised that the new format could disadvantage smaller riders, but at 164cm tall, Richards seems to be disproving that notion. Although a complete list of frame sizes has not been disclosed, it appears Trek may have cracked the code on producing small frames that accommodate 32-inch wheels.

The wheels on the bike appear to be laced with PolyLight braided Dyneema polyethylene spokes, the same technology we observed on Berd’s 32-inch Hawk32 Gold wheelset in Taiwan earlier this year. However, the rim profile looks different from those wheels, leading us to believe these are Trek or Bontrager’s own prototype. The tires appear to be Pirelli prototypes as well.

Among all the brands, RockShox has been the most tight-lipped about its 32-inch ambitions, making this the first fork we have seen from the company featuring the new wheel size. Based on the teaser, the new SID seems to carry over some design elements from the latest ZEB and Lyrik forks, including a plastic section on the arch that likely conceals mudguard mounts. It also incorporates Flight Attendant, which we presume has been fine-tuned for the 32-inch wheel format.

The arrival of 32-inch wheels has felt imminent for some time, but having both Trek and RockShox join the movement lends the wheel size another level of legitimacy. It now seems inevitable that the future of cross-country racing will revolve around 32-inch rubber, though the real test will unfold between the race tape during this transitional period. —