Charlie Gallup tire & fender dilemma

[JAS]

I'm hoping someone out here in Riv-land will help me with my current parts dilemma.  I'm trying to decide on tire and fender sizes for my 53 Charlie Gallup.  As designed, it will be a road-only bike; Riv says it can take up to a 45mm tire with fenders.  I also own a Platypus and a Clem.  

If you've got a fendered Charlie, what did you choose for tires and fenders?  Fenders are a must-have in the PNW.  It would be helpful to know the specifics about sizes and brands.  In addition:

1. How much clearance is needed between the tire and the fender?  (For example, is 2mm from the edge of the tire to the internal edge of fender enough?)
2. Is there a silver metal fender that will fit a 44cm tire and be the appropriate size for the Gallup's frame?  I'm not sure where to measure.
3. If you care to comment on Rene Herse tires, I'm curious about the 44cm Snoqualmie Pass vs 38cm Barlow Pass as choices for Charlie Gallup.  Standard casing weights vary by only 5 grams; the 38cm tire would allow slightly lighter (narrower) fenders.

Thank you in advance for your comments and sage advice!

Joyce

[Teague Scott]

I don't have a Gallop, so I can only help so much! I do run Snoqualmies with 52mm VO Zeppelin fenders and they're a match made in heaven.

Could one run the Zeppelin fenders under caliper brakes? Can't say myself. Do you have 52+mm between your squeezed brakes?

Could one riding Snoqs with fenders go a little tighter than the Zeppelins? Maybe. 50mm fenders could work. I think fender snugness comfort on a spectrum and shifts depending on the kind of riding you're doing. A little tighter is OK with me if I'm strictly road riding. I want more clearance if there are gonna be some twigs 'n other natural debris on a traily ride (although generally best to go fenderless/use those fender stay safety quick release things). Slick tires help increase comfort level over knobbies. VO recommends using the Zeps with 42mm tires. I think I've read somewhere that ~4mm either side is about as snug as one would want to go. I run my Snoqs on ~18mm internal width rims and they come out to ~42mm fat.

Metal vs. plastic. Metal requires a half day of fiddling to get dialed chef's kiss. Helps if you've got a buddy on hand who's set some metal fenders up before. Metal fenders also require a greater level of spatial awareness if you'd like to keep 'em straight as an arrow and ding free. Plastique is tres forgiving, easier to setup, and, I believe, lighter.

-Teague in Boise

[Doug Van Cleve]

Hey Joyce.

I can’t think of any reason you wouldn’t install the widest fenders that fit your fork blades/brakes and rear stays. You can always run a slightly narrower tire, it gives you the most versatility, and the weight is not going to be consequentially different.  It should be as simple as measuring the narrowest width where the fender has to fit, then checking to see what the outside width of the candidates is and picking a good fit. Or you could probably just call RBW headquarters, I’m sure they can tell you the widest fender that will fit :^)

Doug

Chandler, AZ

[JAS]

Teague, thank you for your comments!  Since I plan to run smooth tires, I'm happy to hear the VO 52mm Zepplins and RH Snoqqualmie Pass tires play well together.  My wheels are being made with Velocity Quill rims with an internal measure of 21mm, but I don't have them yet.  I wonder how that dimension will effect the final width of the Snoqs.

Doug, I like your idea of going with the widest fender possible.  Of course, calling RBW headquarters is a good idea.  I asked them about the fenders they sell; the SKS B55 was recommended, but I'll call back to ask about metal fender fit.  Thanks for your advice!

Joyce

[maxcr]

My Snoqualmie Pass tires set up tubeless on velocity quill rims measure a tad over 40mm.

Max

[Bill Lindsay]

I own a CHG, but it's a stripped down road build without fenders and with Barlow Pass tires.  There's plenty of room around those tires, so I'd wager I could probably get around 700x38 and still feel good about fender clearance.  That said, -IF- I was going to put fenders on my CHG, here's exactly what I'd do:

1. pull the wheels and fenders from my Ebisu All-Purpose

2. Install those wheels and fenders on the CHG.  Those tires are Bon Jon Pass (700x35).  The rims are identical.  The fenders are 45mm Velo Orange Faceted: like these

3. If I felt there was a ton of room, I'd think about running the Barlow Pass tires under the fenders

4. If I felt there was still a ton of room, I might test fit a pair of my Hurricane Ridge tires (700x42 knobby) just to see what it looks (and sounds) like.  

I am skeptical that 45mm tires + fenders would make me feel comfortable with respect to clearance.  The typical hardware inside the fenders with a metal fender setup would likely make it flat out impossible.  That's my opinion.  For what it's worth, my 38mm Barlow Pass tires just barely escape the brakes without deflating them during wheel removal.  So there's that.  700x38 is sensational on a road bike, particularly in contrast to a Platypus and a Clem.  

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[G Ram]

My Charlie has Gravel King 40mm tires with metal fenders.

On Tuesday, January 14, 2025 at 12:03:57 PM UTC-8 JAS wrote:

[JAS]

Bill and G Ram, as always, thanks for your thoughts and experience.

Bill, your idea to try wheels on the CHG from a different bike (my Platypus) is something I can do.  I also appreciate the encouragement to consider going with a 700 x 38 tire.  I've been trying to have everything set up at once, but I can see that riding without fenders for a while will allow me to dial in the tire size first.

G Ram, you've got metal fenders on your Charlie!  Can you tell me more about them?  What brand, size, model?  

Cheers!

Joyce

[Bill Lindsay]

Joyce 

Remember your Platypus has a 135mm rear end OLD, while your Gallop is 130mm.  You wont break anything forcing the wrong sized hub in, but you may scratch the paint more than you'd like.  I was literally saying what I would do.  I was not necessarily telling you what you should do.  :). 

BL in EC

[Jason Fuller]

I ran the Velo Orange 'Zeppelin' 52mm faceted fenders on my CHG proto with 42mm Shikoro's, but it had canti brakes which is apples to oranges compared to your caliper brakes. That said, Knowing the reach on the CHG and the fact that up to 58mm fenders can be made to work with such caliper brakes I would not hesitate to go with the Zeppelin 52's and put 42mm tires under them.  While the Honjo are a little more robust than the VO fenders, the VO have the advantage of being generally easier to work with and fitting more tire under the same size fender due to the tighter rolled edge. 

If I built a CHG, and believe me I've mentally done so, I would run 40mm Conti Terra Trail under the aforementioned Zeppelin fenders. Perfect - fast on pavement, enough bite for mixed terrain, and full coverage with appropriate clearance.  

[JAS]

Well, how embarrassing for me to have shown my forgetfulness regarding 130 vs 135 rear hubs.  OOPS!  Bill, thanks for kindly pointing this out.  You've saved Charlie's paint from becoming a pinto.  

Jason, I appreciate your info about the VO fenders and Conti tires.  

A call to Rivendell yielded no advice regarding metal fenders so I re-read the fender narrative on the Velo Orange website which states the Tektro R559 will clear 50-52 mm fenders.  Guess I missed that detail the first time through.  Zeppelin 52s are out of stock, but coming soon.  Issue solved!  

Thanks so much to all for your fine advice.

Joyce

[Benjamin Boerum]

Hi -- I run 45mm Continental Terra Trails on Velocity A23 rims. The tires measure out to around 42mm on the 18mm ID rim. These fit, with room to spare, under SKS B55s. The fenders also fit cleanly within Tektro 559s sidepull calipers.