Chainstay Tire Clearance fo Ti/Steel/AL frame

[justaute]

All,

I have a titanium frame from Alliance Bicycles. Love it.

Question:
Is ~3mm, per side, of tire clearance at chainstay enough? I know for super muddy conditions it won't be. Just curious about general, dusty, rocky conditions. I ride in northern Utah, so mud is not a problem. :)

Context:
My go-to tires for gravel riding on this bike is the 700x38 Steilacoom, which measures almost 41mm and I have about 6mm of tire clearance at chainstay per side -- perfect. Wanting to ride 650b and larger volume tires given the chunky gravel/rock/loose conditions for here in northern Utah. Bought a set of 650x48 Juniper Ridge. My wheels hav 26mm internal width. These measure between ~49mm and ~50mm, depending on tire pressure. When I lived in Pittsburgh, Bon Jon Pass was all I needed for gravel (crushed/fine/packed) and road. ha

Any thoughts/insights are appreciated. Stay healthy and well. Thanks

[robt57]

I used to justify super tight clearance with my Ti and stainless rear stays. But beyond no paint to take off, gotta ask yourself how long of a tire rubbbing would it take to rub 1/2 the wall thickness of a thinwall butted tube when a wheel goes out of true or a spoke breaks?


Try some wheels with narrower rims, like 19c and maybe the bulbing of the tire will give you a few extra mm to the stays?

And also, the fattest part of the 650 will be closer to the axle, so you may have a little more space with the 650b depending..