hiro11 wrote:
Good points. I guess this is at the very racy end of the gravel spectrum. Still, it's getting to be that buyers are splitting hairs when comparing these bikes. Evreyone is offering something. BTW, the Checkpoint is advertised as clearing 45s at 700c but can definitely handle some bigger (labeled) tires. That bike has tons of room.
Mea Culpa, my source was incorrect on the Checkpoint. You are correct.
Chainstay length vs tire clearance is a dance they all have to do. The bigger tire you want to clear, the longer you have to make those stays, and the less sharp the handling. Cervelo naturally chose to hang their hat on the "racy" end of the spectrum, which meant keeping the chainstays relatively short, and, therefore, limiting ultimate tire clearance.
"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"