Matt said, "So what should I believe?" Believe it all. There just isn't one answer that fits everyone's situation. Yes, someone has fit 38's in a Roadini, despite Rivendell recommending 35mm as the max. That doesn't mean Rivendell was too conservative, it just means someone was willing to fit a 38 in there with very little clearance for debris, out of true rims, etc. (the pictures I saw showed a TIGHT fit). It's all about how little clearance you're willing to accept (or how much risk). On frames with that brake reach, 28mm with fenders and 35mm without are always going to be the safe bet. 32mm with fenders can probably fit too, but probably only with well setup fenders and no venturing offroad (where debris might get caught between fender and tire, causing a lockup). I've had a front fender get jammed, and when that fender accordions up to the fork crown, you are over the bars faster than you can imagine.
There are a lot of factors to consider if you want 32mm tires and fenders. Do your brakes hang down low enough that you can't get your fenders snug up against the fork crown and chainstay? For most sidepulls, the answer is probably yes, and it's safer to stick with 28's. Centerpull brakes are your friend here, as they typically leave more clearance. My vintage Trek with similar clearance will fit 32's and fenders using Dia Compe 610 centerpull brakes, but no modern dual pivot sidepull I tried left enough room (at least with clearance I was comfortable with). The type of fenders can make a difference, and tire width/height varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, plus the rims the tires are mounted on can change the dimensions. Eamon Seattle -- 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/56fcb0bf-5446-4e54-8cf9-a05336862ee4%40googlegroups.com.
