Raleigh is making a big push with their CX racing models and the Furly/Roper are first year entries into a new market (as far as UCI is concerned.) They just opened up the field to disc brakes this season, while dropping the max tire width from 35 to 33mm. A lot of companies are now looking to bring disc equipped bikes into their CX lineup and it doesn't necessarily involve a nod toward the heavy commuting scene who want mid-fork mounts, fender mounts, rear rack mounts, etc.

I'll get a chance to check out a Furley up close tomorrow at the SCCA/Starbucks GP because one of my teammates just bought one. I'll check out the tire clearance and other features then. My guess is that it's a very similar setup to what you can build on a Vassago Fisticuff (my bike), just without the canti studs. If I had to guess, it probably clears 37 or 38mm without fenders and 32mm with.