Most tire clearance

Which frames take the biggest rubber?

How this is ranked

Manufacturer's stated maximum tire width, frame rather than fork.

Clearance is comfort and traction on rough surface, but loaded it's also seat-pack clearance — a big tire and a swinging seat pack compete for the same space. Frames with headroom here give you both options. Where a maker publishes a frame figure and a fork figure, we rank on the frame, because that's the one that decides what the bike clears.

Every figure comes from the manufacturer's published geometry — see each bike's page for the source. Nothing here is a judgement about how a bike rides; it's one measurable property, ranked. Disagree with the criterion and the order changes, which is the point.

Salsa Heyday! — X-Large. Front triangle ≈ 1753 cm² · effective top tube 657mm · seat tube 558mm
Top of this list: the Salsa Heyday!, drawn to scale from published geometry.

The ranking

  1. 1
    Salsa
    Heyday!

    26 x 4.8in; 27.5 x 4.0in; 29 x 3.0in

    440mm chainstays, 5mm longer than the 435mm median across the 65 current frames here. Bottom bracket drop 63mm, 7mm less than the 70mm median. The fork publishes cargo mounts, and the frame publishes up to 2 bottle or accessory positions. A rear rack needs Alternator Rack 190/197 and Rack-Lock seat collar, which the price does not include. Widest published tire 122mm on 26in, 102mm on 650b / 27.5in, 76mm on 700c / 29in. It takes a dropper post.

    122mm / 4.8″
    from $1,699
  2. 2
    Salsa
    Beargrease

    26 x 4.6in; 27.5 x 4.0in; 29 x 3.0in

    440mm chainstays, 5mm longer than the 435mm median across the 65 current frames here. Bottom bracket drop 65mm, 5mm less than the 70mm median. The fork publishes cargo mounts, and the frame publishes up to 2 bottle or accessory positions. A rear rack needs Alternator 170/177 and Rack-Lock seat collar, which the price does not include. Widest published tire 117mm on 26in, 102mm on 650b / 27.5in, 76mm on 700c / 29in. It takes a dropper post.

    117mm / 4.6″
    from $2,319.99
  3. 3
    Trek
    Farley 5

    27.5x4.50"

    450mm chainstays, 15mm longer than the 435mm median across the 65 current frames here. Bottom bracket drop 65mm, 5mm less than the 70mm median. The fork publishes cargo mounts, and the frame publishes bottle or accessory mounts. A rear rack bolts straight on. Widest published tire 114mm on 650b / 27.5in. It takes a dropper post.

    114mm / 4.5″
    from $2,199.99
  4. 4
    Tumbleweed
    Prospector

    26x4.0”, 27.5x2.8-3.8˝ and 29 x 2.1-3.0˝, individual tire and rim combos affect tire clearance

    102mm / 4.0″
    from $1,650
  5. 5
    Jones
    Plus LWB

    29” x 2.3” - 3.25” tires

    83mm / 3.3″
    from $1,740
  6. 6
    Salsa
    Fargo Ti

    Frame: 29 x 3.0" except XS max 29 x 2.6"; fork: 29 x 3.0"; alternate 27.5 x 3.0" all sizes

    76mm / 3.0″
    from $3,299
  7. 7
    Surly
    Karate Monkey

    29 x 2.5" or 27.5 x 3.0"

    76mm / 3.0″
    from $1,849
  8. 8
    Surly
    Bridge Club

    26 x 3.0"; 27.5 x 2.8"; 700c x 47; reduced with fenders

    76mm / 3.0″
    from $1,449

Other ways to rank these bikes

Most frame bag space

Which frames swallow the biggest full-frame bag?

Best bag space on a small frame

If you ride a small frame, which bikes don't punish you on carrying capacity?

Most stable under load

Which frames put the most bike behind the bottom bracket?

Bikepacking bikes with fork cargo mounts

Which frames let you bolt cages to the fork?

Best set up for cargo out of the box

Which frames let you bolt things on without straps and improvisation?

Cheapest frames that publish the full mount set

Which bikes come ready to carry luggage without buying an adapter or improvising a strap?

Takes a dropper post and a rear rack

Can I run a dropper and still carry a real load behind the saddle?