Originally Posted by
c_m_shooter
For Gravel I wouldn't want to bother. I used to run 45's on my Cross Check to ride mountain bike trails, but outgrew that stunt mostly. If you are going to ride Emma Long, tubeless 42mm tire will be a noticible improvement, but still extremely limiting. If I can't or don't want to ride something on 35's, I jump to 2.2's or bigger. I remember riding the Northeast Texas Trail on 45's because I knew it wouldn't be a technical mountain bike trail. By day 3 I was wishing I had left the Hookworms on the Fargo due to the chatter on the unimproved sections.
That's fair. I feel limited by 35s but I don't think 42s would make a huge difference. my mtb always has 29x2.3–2.4 tires on it, and a suspension fork. so I am never under-biked IMO on that.
The other option is to get the new Rando with 650B wheels, which would allow up to 47mm tires. that might be just enough to not suck on dirt but still be fun on roads.
I am also entertaining the idea of a Van Dessel WTF, which has room for 29x2.1 tires. that might be overkill and encourage me to ride places that are silly.