Originally Posted by
thumpism
Road bike also important. If you've ever had to brake suddenly and plant both feet when you come to a stop you'll appreciate at least a little clearance.
My thought exactly. I would want adequate clearance even if I only needed it once in the years I was riding that bike. (My take on risk management - the risk is the likelihood X the level of unacceptability. I consider the second factor, level of unacceptability, at somewhere near infinity. Infinity X a very small number is still infinity. I wear a helmet for the same reason.
Ben