Originally Posted by
Ron Damon
What would be helpful is a straight-on image of the rear wheel and the RD so we could actually gauge ground clearance.
Example of straight on image:
GS on 53-406
Your GS RD looks like an pre-2017 Deore with a max cog capacity of 36t. Nowadays and since 2017 Deore GS has been able to span at least 42t.
This is an 11~36 with GS derailleur. I used to run an XT SGS derailleur and 18” wheels, and was always bashing the derailleur. I swapped to 20” wheels and the GS derailleur and no more bashing. The bike doesn’t fold quite as tightly as before, but still fits in a Birdy bag.