I used to ride the Almanzo 100 annually and introduced many people to gravel over the past decade or so.
The Clem should be a great bike so long as you are committed to being upright. For big rides drops are nice to get down and out of the wind, but not a need just to enjoy being on roads less travelled. Long wheelbase and stability of the Clem is great. I have not ridden gravel much with fenders but based on your tires comments, the fender size seems suitable. I like small knobs and fast tires. Rene Herse or Schwalbe Racing Ralphs as examples of what I am running etc. If you are new to gravel or off road and 42 is not feeling confident, 48 seems like a great spot for you and still in your fender range. I still ride tubes for road and gravel. I only ride tubeless for mountain biking. No wrong answer really IMHO. Enjoy the ride and shiny side up... On Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 3:15:22 PM UTC-5 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote: > I love pavement. But I’ve been on two gravel rides in the last month and I > rode a Platy either time and it wasn’t my favorite for that bike. But, I > have my old 2019 52 cm Clem L, and it doesn’t have a dedicated purpose > right now and shouldn’t that be the bike for rough and tough stuff like > gravel? Also, my Platys are prisses. > > BUT. I’m not good at gravel. I have no idea what the kids are doing these > days. I have questions, and you have answers. > > 1. Can I keep my VO wavy fenders on a gravel bike? Here’s what I have, and > they say up to 50 mm tire will fit:[image: IMG_5029.jpeg] > 2. Slick or knobby? I can’t even get a straight answer on this. Which is > better? If it matters about the rider, this will be for a rider with a > healthy fear of crashing. > > 3. How wide? I have 42s on my bikes now and I don’t feel like they are > wide enough. > > 4. Tubeless or no? These wheels are tubeless-compatible but I put a tube > in them because I wasn’t riding enough to keep the sealant circulating. But > that can be changed right quick. > > Here is my Clem in its current configuration, and yes, I know the > Backabikes gotta go. > > [image: IMG_1812.jpeg] > Thanks for your help! > Leah > -- 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 [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/e48e7835-957f-49ac-b3a6-dca6ad73ade0n%40googlegroups.com.
