Tire clearance is a very important variable when it comes to choosing a bike for your next adventure. Tire clearance can make or break a bike’s off-road capabilities. When it comes to gravel bikes anything under 45 mm seems to be rather limited and not ideal for exploring those paths less pedaled.
I have personally used a gravel bike with 50 mm (approx 2.0″) tires on rather epic bikepacking conditions. Along rocky fast single track sections with large drop offs, with all my gear. And that even seemed rather limiting. Having a gravel bike that can fit mountain bike tires is the dream.
When I was shopping for my do it all gravel bike, I wanted no less than 2.3” tire clearance for a 700c wheel or around 60mm. After thousands of km’s riding gnarly single track with a loaded bike on a rigid frame I can attest that this is the thinnest tire setup I would want on an adventure ready gravel bike.
So you are looking for some gravel bike options that offer some of the largest tire clearances on the market? I have sorted through hundreds of gravel bikes and after years of research and studying gravel bikes I have created a quick list which will save you the leg work.
Here are some of the largest tire clearance gravel bikes you can buy!
Just quick…..
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Poseidon Redwood
The gravel bike with the largest tire clearance goes to the Poseidon Redwood with room for up to 2.5” tires on 27.5 wheels. This bike has taken on the Poseidon X geometry but has been amped up so you can eat up gravel with enough tire to absorb the vibrations.
The build features a 6061 Double Butted Hydroformed Aluminum frame and 6061 Aluminum Fork – Tapered Steerer 1 1/8″ – 1 1/2″ fork.
Powered by a 1 x 10 Advent X groupset. This means a Prowheel 38t Narrow Wide Crank with a Microshift 11-48T Advent X cassette.
Giving you an incredible 21.88″ granny gear and a 95.54″ highest gear. Combining to make a 0.79 : 3.45 gear ratio. The stack/reach ratio is around 1.48 which is not the most upright. You get a chill feel at the rear with a 440mm chainstay.
It has the potential to take you on some rad adventures for only $899.99! With mounting options on the fork and those Poseidon Adventure Bars with 24 Degree Flare for extra comfort when shredding!
Curve GMX
Getting into the drop bar mountain bike category the GMX by Curve offers up to 2.4” tire clearance for a 29er setup. Available as a frameset from Curve Cycling in Australia. For riding long and rough, fast off-road touring and weekend jaunts in the bush. The GMX has an oversize triangle to make room for frame bags and 1L water bottles. The BP fork features triple M5 mounts for Rocket Pooches or similar oversize cages.
Salsa Cutthroat
With clearance for up to 2.4” tires the Cutthroat is ideal if you are after a bike that you can travel fast on and go just about anywhere. To cover long distances at speed and in comfort. An ultra-endurance mixed surface bike inspired by the Tour Divide. The Cutthroat is your go to. Simply one of the best adventure gravel bikes.
Available in a variety of build options. For the base model Apex build with full carbon construction you are looking at around a 11.1 kg bike. Including all the mounting options you could ever desire. Super upright and comfortable riding positioning with a 1.61 stack/reach ratio for the 56cm frame. Taking a look at the apex base Cutthroat model for example you can expect a 24.84″ climbing gear and 94.46″ highest gear.
All City Gorilla Monsoon
Moving into more of a monster-cross category. Think a MTB mixed with a gravel bike breading the ultimate adventure drop bar bike! The Gorilla Monsoon by All City offers a max 2.4” tire clearance on 27.5 wheels.
Check out what we have to say about this bike. All City describe this bike as their dirt do-it all solution. A sweet beast designed to handle on or off-road shredding, bike-camping, short-duration dirt touring, and the pursuit of good times!
You get the ultimate all steel adventure bike build, with 650b x 2.4″ tires, hydraulic brakes and dropper post, with a 1×11 drivetrain, which offers a rather limited 25.01″ climbing gear when compared to other bikes in this list. The all new 2022 Gorilla Monsoon comes in a GRX and Apex build kit. Weighing in at 13.15 kg or 29 lbs
3T Exploro Race Max
Mentioned on their site to have clearance for 61 mm WAM tires (which equates to approximately 2.4” but I am not sure if this is accurate which is why I have listed a bit further down the list.)
The world’s first full-aero gravel adventure bike! Changing gravel racing and riding forever. The bike combines road speed with mountain toughness. Winning Dirty Kanza, Jeroboam, RAT1000 to name a few events. Having the capability to ride fast on any surface, paved, gravel or singletrack!
Kona Sutra LTD
Tire clearance for 2.3” this is my personal bike of choice. I have been riding this bike for thousands of km’s now and I simply love it.
I use this bike mainly for bikepacking adventures and riding MTB trails for fun! Featuring a full steel adventure bike built with Kona Cromoly Butted. The bike comes with upper mid-range components and hydraulic disc brakes. 1×11 Rival 1, NX drivetrain. Rolling on Maxxis Recon Race EXO TR 29 x 2.25″ tires.
The geometry of the Medium sized frame is more stable than some other options with a stake/reach ratio of 1.54 and a 72 mm trail. And the chainstay length is 445 mm.
This bike was designed to be something similar to a drop bar bike that felt like a mountain bike and rode like a mountain bike but had the speed of a road bike. And as a result we have this beast!
How much tire clearance do you need on a gravel bike?
Depending on the type of riding you are planning. For MTB gravel riding 2.3″ or wider is ideal. If you want a gravel bike that can do it all but not be as capable as a mountain bike 45mm or wider is great. If you plan to do more road riding on your gravel bike than anything around 40 mm is perfect.
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