Our Reader’s Rig of the week comes from Libor in Prague, Czech Republic, who shares his one-of-a-kind hardtail 32er from SingleBe. Meet Libor and find an impressively detailed overview of his custom bike and its backstory here…

Words and photos by Libor Gajdos

Hi everyone! My name is Libor, and I’m from Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. I currently work as a sales representative. I’ve been into cycling for most of my life, and in recent years, I’ve fallen in love with bikepacking. This story is about my journey building a 32er bike. I’ll leave the true bikepacking tales to the real legends out there, but maybe my project will inspire someone.

As a regular reader of BIKEPACKING.com, I try to keep up with what’s happening in the scene. In autumn 2025, an article about the Tumbleweed Persuader handlebar caught my eye. I wanted it for my steel 29er hardtail. And maybe you know how it goes: you start with one component, then add another, and suddenly you realize you’re basically building a whole new bike. I told myself, “Who knows how many chances I’ll have to do something like this again?” So, despite the cost, I decided to finally use the components I’d dreamed about my whole life but never bought.

Around that time, I heard about the upcoming arrival of 32er wheels. The idea grabbed me immediately, and I started digging deeper. Complete bikes weren’t available yet, but that didn’t bother me. I’m not a typical customer, anyway. I looked into a custom build, and it seemed realistic to finish the bike by spring 2026.

The first step was choosing a frame. In my country, there’s a small company called SingleBe that builds steel frames. I already had experience with them—they made my 29er frame, on which I’ve ridden over 10,000 kilometers, and I was very happy with it. I asked if they could build a 32er. They hadn’t done one before but believed it should be possible. So, I started working on the geometry. There was no real information online, so I had to figure it out myself. I spent a lot of time thinking about the numbers. In the end, I based the stack and reach on my 29er, which fits me well, and adapted it for 32er wheels. It was still a bit of a gamble; I didn’t know how it would ride until the very end. The geometry may look radical, but it works for me at 193 centimeters tall.

Next came the color scheme. I knew Tomáš from SingleBe could paint anything I needed. My inspiration was the kingfisher, the bird with bright blue and orange colors. I showed him my idea, and together, we picked the exact shades. The result was even better than I imagined. The frame was done, but the road to a complete bike was still long.

Then came the wheels. I knew Chinese manufacturers were already producing 32er rims. I found someone with direct contact who could get the rims into the Czech Republic (I want to thank him again). Because of the larger wheel size, I chose 36-hole rims for extra stiffness, and they’re also asymmetrical.

Next were the hubs. From the beginning, the plan was to use a Pinion gearbox, which meant the rear hub could have a shorter freehub and widely spaced flanges for maximum stiffness. The best match seemed to be the WREN Singlespeed High Engagement Star Ratchet Extreme Torque 148 mm. Unfortunately, even after three months, it still hadn’t arrived, so I had to cancel the order. This caused the biggest delay in the whole project. When WREN was no longer an option, I went with HOPE hubs, which I’ve had good experience with. Their trials rear hub had narrower flange spacing than WREN, but still better than a classic HG freehub for a 9-speed cassette.

Once I had rims and hubs, I started solving the spokes. Lengths over 310 mm were impossible to find, even though some companies already listed them in their catalogs. In the end, I found a local manufacturer who could make them in the exact lengths I needed. I was a bit worried about tire availability, but by the time the wheels were ready, 32er tires were already easy to get.

The fork was another challenge. I wanted a suspension fork, but there wasn’t much to choose from. I decided to go with Intend from Germany. It’s my first upside-down fork, and so far I’m very happy with it.

A few words about some components:

Saddle: I’ve been using the Brooks C17 Carved for years, and I’m pretty satisfied with it. One day, I’d like to try the leather B17, but I haven’t gathered the courage yet.

Seatpost: Ideally, I’d run a PNW Loam Dropper with a black lower and silver upper, but they don’t offer that combo, and I couldn’t convince them to make it. So, I’m still using my old OneUp V2. It has 11,000 kilometers on it and still works flawlessly.

Pedals: My favorites were the PNW Loam Pedals Gen 2 reviewed here, but they’re no longer available. My second choice was the Tectonic Altar V2, but they’re constantly sold out and very expensive in Europe. Eventually, I found a young German company called Aertime, which makes pedals in the right size and in silver.

Bell: Crane Bell E-Ne chrome-plated brass—super useful, especially if you ride deep forest trails with bears around.

Bags: My most important bag is the full-frame bag. I spent a long time looking for a European maker who could build it exactly to my specifications. I finally found Gramm Tourpacking in Germany. They made the bag precisely to my template, including the reversed color gradients that match the frame. I hesitated about the width, but eventually chose 75 mm, and time has proven it was the right choice.

SingleBe Hardtail Build Kit

• Frame: SingleBe custom
• Fork: Intend Samurai 32er
• Rims: E!E asymmetric 36 holes
• Hubs: Hope PRO 5 (front) / Hope PRO 5 Trials (rear)
• Tires: Maxxis Aspen 32
• Handlebars: Tumbleweed Persuader 20° backsweep, 800mm
• Headset: Cane Creek Hellbender 70
• Crankset: Pinion CNC 175mm + 32T Gates
• Pedals: Aertime Dekade, large
• Rear cog: 32T Gates Carbon Drive
• Derailleur(s): Pinion C12
• Brakes: Hope EVO TR4 + X2, 200mm disc rotors
• Shifter(s): Tout Terrain trigger
• Saddle: Brooks C17 carved or Ergon
• Seatpost: OneUp Components V2 31,6/180mm
• Stem: Cane Creek GXC 50mm
• Front bags: Wizard Works Badjelly large
• Frame bags: Gramm Tourpacking custom frame bag
• Rear bags: Sea To Summit Big River Dry Bag 13L
• Accessory bags: Ortlieb Fork-Pack 5.8L
• Other accessories: Crane Bell E-Ne

Another essential bag for me is the handlebar bag. My favorite was the Wizard Works Badjelly, so I ordered it. Unfortunately, shipping issues have delayed it, and I’m still waiting. I hope it arrives—the Wizard Works crew seems very helpful.

On the rear rack, I’d love to run the Rockgeist Microwave Panniers, but importing them individually to Europe is extremely expensive. Instead, I went with a smaller Ortlieb option. In the future, I’m thinking about a nice trunk bag; for now I’m using a Sea to Summit Big River Dry Bag 13 L.

I could write a lot more, but I don’t want to bore readers. I spent hundreds of hours bringing this bike to life, and I think the final result turned out pretty well. I’ve ridden a bit over 1,000 kilometers so far, and I’m slowly getting used to how it behaves. If I were to build it again, I’d change a few small things. For example, I’d go straight for a 200 mm rear rotor—the 180 mm simply isn’t enough for my weight (I’m over 100 kilograms), and the physics of a 32er wheel are pretty unforgiving. I’d also choose a four-piston brake. Another change would be the stem. The combination of a 32er front wheel creates a lot of leverage, and it’s easier for me to twist the bars compared to a 29er. So I’d recommend choosing a stem with a higher torque spec (usually gravity or enduro stems).

To wrap things up: I don’t think 32er mountain bikes will become the dominant standard, but I do believe they can coexist with 29ers, much like 27.5” wheels do today. Wishing everyone many happy kilometers out there. Greetings from Prague!

Further Reading

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