I've fit up to 2.3 tires with flat 65's on my Clementine. The real factor is being able to get your fender high enough for vertical clearance. especially with V'brakes. Different V'brakes are different arm lengths. Knobby tires really throw a lot of rocks and they ping and grind on the inside of the fenders. It can be a bit annoying on long rides, in my opinion.
My favorite setup for gravel was Rene herse Switchback Hill with fenders on my Romanceur. Tubeless was nice because lower pressure smooth tires grip well, bounce less, and throw rocks less. They are terrible in greasy mud (clay) however. So may be a bit regional. They work great on the west coast. Less well in the prairies. I'll probably eventually put a smooth rear tire and slightly knobby front tire on my Clementine. I liked tubeless but I prefer being able to do tire maintenance myself vs a shop since I don't have an air compressor. On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 2:55:28 PM UTC-7 DavidP wrote: > Most of my favorite rides tend to mix pavement, gravel, and trails (where > I am we have lots of great country roads and trails of various difficulty > but not many long stretches of gravel). My primary "gravel" bikes are a > Soma Wolverine and my Platypus. (In reality, most of my bikes end up being > used on multi-surface rides and are thus "gravel" bikes.) The Wolverine has > 650x48s with VO Wavy fenders, the Platypus has 700x50s with VO Fluted > fenders. > > Gravel King SKs are pretty versatile and Rene Herse knobbies are great > too. Slick (file tread) tires like the Gravel King slick or RH non-knobbies > are also fine on gravel. > If you think you might also ride your Clem on light trails then some kind > of knobs up front can help if you encounter some mud. My Wolverine has a > slick (Pari-moto) rear with RH knobby front (the knobby front makes a > difference on muddy corners), while the Platy has Gravel King SKs front and > back (enough traction for light mud) - both are fine for the types of > trails I take them on. > > Tubeless or not depends on how often you tend to get flats (some locations > are worse than others) and if you ride the bike enough to keep up with the > maintenance. The Wolverine is tubeless in the rear (where I tend to get > more flats), the Platypus is tubed on Cliffhangers (mostly because I'm > getting more reluctant to add to my tubeless maintenance burden). > > If you find yourself riding into a strong wind, the flats of that Bosco > can provide a more aerodynamic position. > On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 4:43:09 PM UTC-4 cjus...@gmail.com wrote: > >> I used to ride the Almanzo 100 annually and introduced many people to >> gravel over the past decade or so. >> >> The Clem should be a great bike so long as you are committed to being >> upright. For big rides drops are nice to get down and out of the wind, but >> not a need just to enjoy being on roads less travelled. Long wheelbase and >> stability of the Clem is great. >> >> I have not ridden gravel much with fenders but based on your tires >> comments, the fender size seems suitable. >> >> I like small knobs and fast tires. Rene Herse or Schwalbe Racing Ralphs >> as examples of what I am running etc. >> >> If you are new to gravel or off road and 42 is not feeling confident, 48 >> seems like a great spot for you and still in your fender range. >> >> I still ride tubes for road and gravel. I only ride tubeless for >> mountain biking. No wrong answer really IMHO. >> >> Enjoy the ride and shiny side up... >> >> On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 3:15:22 PM UTC-5 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! >> wrote: >> >>> I love pavement. But I’ve been on two gravel rides in the last month and >>> I rode a Platy either time and it wasn’t my favorite for that bike. But, I >>> have my old 2019 52 cm Clem L, and it doesn’t have a dedicated purpose >>> right now and shouldn’t that be the bike for rough and tough stuff like >>> gravel? Also, my Platys are prisses. >>> >>> BUT. I’m not good at gravel. I have no idea what the kids are doing >>> these days. I have questions, and you have answers. >>> >>> 1. Can I keep my VO wavy fenders on a gravel bike? Here’s what I have, >>> and they say up to 50 mm tire will fit:[image: IMG_5029.jpeg] >>> 2. Slick or knobby? I can’t even get a straight answer on this. Which is >>> better? If it matters about the rider, this will be for a rider with a >>> healthy fear of crashing. >>> >>> 3. How wide? I have 42s on my bikes now and I don’t feel like they are >>> wide enough. >>> >>> 4. Tubeless or no? These wheels are tubeless-compatible but I put a tube >>> in them because I wasn’t riding enough to keep the sealant circulating. But >>> that can be changed right quick. >>> >>> Here is my Clem in its current configuration, and yes, I know the >>> Backabikes gotta go. >>> >>> [image: IMG_1812.jpeg] >>> Thanks for your help! >>> Leah >>> >> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/3dc7f031-7dfa-4e0c-a304-446e65a7d993n%40googlegroups.com.
