Gravel bike tire clearance (OPEN)

Equipment
89

Only clears 40mm tires, too

90

Nope, same clearance as the Open UP: up to 2.1ā€ on 650b wheels. Thatā€™s not conincidental: they have been designed by the same guy at roughly the same time.

3T also sells the Exploro Ultra that has the same tire clearance as the Open WI.DE, again thanks to shared DNA.

PS The demo bike I rode, a First-gen Exploro had 2.1ā€ mountain bike tires and there was plenty of pace left in the frame.

1 Like
91

In that case, why not get the Exploro with 650b wheels and then you have two wheelsets? Or you could get an Exploro Ultra with enough clearance for the tires you want. Of course, the stock 650b wheelset is alright, but not great, but you could update that down the line. Or ask 3T to upgrade to their 650b carbon wheels. Not sure how much that is, but I reckon youā€™d get 50 % off (i. e. about $1,000 extra).

That doesnā€™t seem intriguing. Iā€™d rather get an Exploro for the same price. But thatā€™s just me.

Yes, and that isnā€™t an accident that a lot of bikes top out at 40ā€“42 mm clearance and that there is a dearth of 46+ mm 700c gravel tires: basically, you need a significant redesign of the rear triangle. Clearance is especially tight if you use Di2 or eTap AXS front derailleurs. Gerard Vroomenā€™s idea here was to drop the seat stays on the bikes that he has designed (one dropped chain stay for the Open UP(PER) and 3T Exploro/Exploro RaceMax, and two dropped chain stays for the Open WI.DE and 3T Exploro Ultra).

Another option is to lengthen the rear triangle significantly, but that affects the handling of the bike.

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92

Kanzo fast takes a 42, the new Ridley only takes a 40 if you do a 1X.

The Aspero is a better n+1 then the kanzo fast.

1 Like
93

What kind of tire on 42? Iā€™m riding challenge getaway pro 40c and not sure how much taller they could get without hitting the seat tube

94

Fwiw

Iā€™ve fit RH hurrican ridges on my Open UP (a 42mm tire). And i just recently fit the new 44mm RH manatash ridge on my UP. I have over 3mm of clearance as measured by a 3mm allen wrench.

So yeah, the UP can take larger tires. All depends on manafacture.

Ive not noticed any change in ride quality/ handling other than increased comfort and increased ability to smash through chunder.

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95

Is 3mm enough clearance? I am afraid to try anything other than my 40mm because of manufacture recommendations. That being said I donā€™t feel like Iā€™ve ever encountered a time where I wish I had more tire (Chicagoland gravel)

96

I wouldnā€™t want 3mm, but Iā€™ve heard of others doing it. Would recommend against it if you ride in dirt, and definitely if you ride when itā€™s wet out.

97

I am currently riding 42ā€™s in the area and it is definitely overkillā€¦.no need for anything more than a 40 around here.

Even if you go out west to Rockford or Stockton, a 40 is plenty of tire on those gravel roads.