Tire Clearance

Mizubikes may earn a commission from links in this post. Tire clearance is the spec that changed fastest this year. A frame that was “generous” at 45mm two years ago now looks conservative, and a few brands are quoting numbers that used to belong to cross-country hardtails. This chart collects the published maximums for the frames people ask me about most, plus a few others worth knowing. A warning before the table: these numbers are not measured the same way. Some brands quote a tire with 4mm of frame clearance, others use 6mm, and 3T avoids the whole question with its own measurement system. I’ll cover that below. Treat the table as a starting point for shopping, not a guarantee that a specific tire fits. ...

If you’re shopping for your first gravel bike and trying to make sense of tire clearance specs, here’s the first thing to understand: the number on the spec sheet isn’t the full story. I recently tested this on the Specialized Crux. The stated max clearance is 47mm — but I mounted a 50c tire in the rear and a 2.1" up front to see what the frame could actually handle. Watch the full video here. ...