Whisky RD+ fork and VO rim brake clearance

[yarbsr02]

There are several threads about this topic, but I didn't find one that answers:

how much clearance one can expect for 35mm tire with Whisky RD+ and VO Grand Cru brakes?

Not planning to run anything super knobby, and others had some doubt about 35s clearing with this setup (despite the Whisky specs saying no problem). Got in line for a Rock Lobster and need to pick the fork - and like the shape and price of Whisky over Seven, the only other mid reach rim carbon fork I'm seeing. Thanks in advance!

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by yarbsr02

There are several threads about this topic, but I didn't find one that answers:

how much clearance one can expect for 35mm tire with Whisky RD+ and VO Grand Cru brakes?

Not planning to run anything super knobby, and others had some doubt about 35s clearing with this setup (despite the Whisky specs saying no problem). Got in line for a Rock Lobster and need to pick the fork - and like the shape and price of Whisky over Seven, the only other mid reach rim carbon fork I'm seeing. Thanks in advance!

I have this exact set-up. Whiskey does say they will clear 35c. I definitely have my doubts. I’d say 32c on wide rims and you’re golden.

[yarbsr02]

Thanks, super helpful. And realistically, I have a gravel bike I'm very happy with, so probably no need to go wider than 32...just nice to know what my options will be. I've had 28s crammed into my road frames/forks in the past, just want to avoid that scenario since this bike is still a twinkle in my eye.

[a1k]

I have this fork and brake, I think a 35 would be ok. I will take/post a picture later on so you can see

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by a1k

I have this fork and brake, I think a 35 would be ok. I will take/post a picture later on so you can see

I’m looking forward to seeing that! Please tell us the rim specs as well. I usually run HED Belgium + rims, which I believe are 20mm IW.

[a1k]

Here's a Rene Herse 700x32 standard casing tire mounted w a tube on a DT460 rim, which are 23mm external / 18mm internal (excuse the background mess, currently lives on the trainer in my laundry room)

Tire is a probably a little undersized, maybe 31mm actual, but as you can see there's a bunch of room

[ERK55]

I have both the Velo Orange and TRP rg957 brakes. While I agree that the max tire clearance is ~35mm I would also agree that the practical max is around 32.
One reason being that when swapping the wheel in out (which I do when transporting the bike) the fully inflated tire (if larger than 32) will not pass through the brake pads. For anything beyond a 32 you may need to partially the tire then blow it up again which is a bit if a pain. This not withstanding the “quick-release” feature found on both the VO and TRP brakes.

[ERK55]

Originally Posted by yarbsr02

There are several threads about this topic, but I didn't find one that answers:

how much clearance one can expect for 35mm tire with Whisky RD+ and VO Grand Cru brakes?

Not planning to run anything super knobby, and others had some doubt about 35s clearing with this setup (despite the Whisky specs saying no problem). Got in line for a Rock Lobster and need to pick the fork - and like the shape and price of Whisky over Seven, the only other mid reach rim carbon fork I'm seeing. Thanks in advance!

A p.s. to my post above:
Regarding your decision on choice of forks- be aware that the Whisky mid-reach fork and the Seven fork are not really interchangeable otherwise you’ll risk changing the geometry of the frame. The Whisky has an axle to crown height of 375 while the Seven is 389mm.

[DWI.]

Here are three examples.. you extrapolate.. but it looks doable.

First is 36mm tire- Shimano br600 no.7+
Second 35mm RH tire- br-600
Third 35mm RH tire- VO mid
2nd&3rd on steel mid reach fork

[mhespenheide]

If it's really only 32mm, that's ridiculous. You can fit 32's under short-reach brakes if the pads are at the bottom of the slots.

If you're designing a mid-reach fork, hopefully you're setting it up so the pads are at least in the middle of the slots and not right up at the top of the slots...

[eddief]

On that bike I could fit 35 mm smooth tires with enough clearance to not be concerned...but as others have said inserting and removing the wheels with tires inflated required finessing the adjusters on both the brakes and the flat bar levers on the bike. Not a big deal but not the usual no brainer of, let's say, with 32 mm tires.