Advice on best fender for CAAD10

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nemeseri
Posts: 794
Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2015 5:40 pm

by nemeseri

So I've been researching this for a while now and hard to find anything definitive. I'd like good coverage and it would be a plus if I could use 25mm tires too. I don't do group rides in rain. I'm willing to spend some time fitting them and only remove them after the rainy season.

So the two options I came across so far:
PDW Full Metal Fenders - it should fit the caad10, but it gets tricky with 25mm tires
SKS Raceblade long - also, it should be fine with 23mm tires, no info on 25mm.

Which one is better? Any other options I should consider?

niklasp
Posts: 158
Joined: Thu Jul 14, 2016 5:36 pm

by niklasp

http://www.sks-germany.com/en/products/ ... de-pro-xl/ raceblade comes in an XL version too. 25-32mm tires.

by Weenie


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nemeseri
Posts: 794
Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2015 5:40 pm

by nemeseri

niklasp wrote:http://www.sks-germany.com/en/products/raceblade-pro-xl/ raceblade comes in an XL version too. 25-32mm tires.


Yes they do, but would they fit the caad10?

andylav
Posts: 217
Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2007 11:45 am

by andylav

I could only run RaceBlade Longs on my Caad10 with 23mm GP4000S II tyres with Shimano brakes.

Tried 24mm GP4000 tyres, which gave only minimal clearance between the tyre and the fender mount with the bracket mounted under the brake (as intended)

With Campag brakes and the 24mm tyres, the fender mount bracket was pressing on the tyre (the centre of a Campag brake sits lower than a Shimano).

I don't think that you could fit a 25mm tyre and the fender mount bracket under a Shimano brake and have adequate clearance.

You could, however, try fitting the mounting bracket for the RaceBlade Longs upside down / over the brake - the same as the PDW - to create the clearance needed to run 25mm.

gtinut
Posts: 134
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2015 4:04 pm

by gtinut

I would like to know too what fits caad10 w/ 25s measuring hair over 26mm

gospastic
Posts: 261
Joined: Tue Jun 08, 2010 4:58 am
Location: Portland

by gospastic

When I had a CAAD10 I could fit the PDW fenders, but only with 23s. Anything above that would have been tight.

nemeseri
Posts: 794
Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2015 5:40 pm

by nemeseri

@andylav & @gospastic: Great info thank you! How did you like those fenders?

gospastic
Posts: 261
Joined: Tue Jun 08, 2010 4:58 am
Location: Portland

by gospastic

The fenders worked well. Really good coverage and not hard to set up.

andylav
Posts: 217
Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2007 11:45 am

by andylav

@nemeseri - the RaceBlade Longs are a compromise, better than no guards / fenders at all but obviously not as good as full coverage guards as the seat tube and bottom bracket area aren't protected.

They mount securely though and are easy to remove and refit if you are so minded.

I cut down and rigged up an old front guard / fender to run from the back of the brake mount down to the bottom of the seat tube which improved matters but the rear brake is still fully exposed to dirt and spray from the tyre.

I did like the look of the PDW guards but didn't think there was enough clearance to fit them under the brake bridge of the frame - Caad10s are a lot tighter than most frames in that regard (see new Caad12 for much better clearance levels) - so I was interested to see @gospastic's comments myself that they fitted and worked well.

I guess that the difference between the two options is that the RaceBlades will allow you to run 25mm tyres (if you fit the mounting bracket above the brake, similar to the PDWs) but won't give you as much protection as the PDWs, while the PDWs will give you better protection but you will only be able to run 23mm tyres.

Slagter
Posts: 250
Joined: Thu Jul 25, 2013 6:42 am

by Slagter

I've had my fenders on both my late Caad10 and now my Evo. The fork is the same on both, and I've had no luck with fitting regular fenders under the fork. I have a set of PDWs as well, and they just made it under the fork without rubbing against the tire. But that was with 23 mm tires. 25 mm is impossible. I sorted it with breaking up the fender in two pieces like this:

Image

For the Caad10/Evo I would recommend the PDWs. There's just too much work with all the alternatives. SKS race blade is just not a durable solution. To much dirt on brakes, and to much spray on feet from rearwheel due to short front part of rear fender.

nemeseri
Posts: 794
Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2015 5:40 pm

by nemeseri

Alright, it seems like PDW with 23mm tires. It's still better than wet feet! Thank you all!

11.4
Posts: 1095
Joined: Tue May 23, 2006 4:33 am

by 11.4

As someone who rode for 19 years in Seattle, and rode through the very wet winters, here are a couple contrasting points of view.

First, there's no way you can get a decent tire diameter and also have fenders that run under the brake calipers. You only have two solutions: use short fenders that don't go under (like the SKS Raceblades) or use full fenders with a device like the River City ReachOvers that lets you interrupt the fender briefly at the brake bridge or fork crown and then continues it on the other side. There's a slight gap that gets dirty but the point of fenders is mostly to keep you dry. You can use Blackburn rack mounting straps (free at any bike shop because they usually have a bunch of them left over from rack installations) to make your own ReachOvers with just the right geometry.

Bear in mind that a full-fender installation is a pain if you don't have threaded studs on your chain stay and seat stay bridges, plus fender eyelets on the fork and seat stays. You have to use P-clamps at that point and those collect dirt, wear your finish, and so on. Fenders aren't readily a half-way proposition.

Second, most of the dirt and water isn't what the fenders intercept but rather the stuff that flies up from the road. Get some Buddyflaps long enough to get to within a couple inches of the ground when mounted on your fenders. They make a huge difference.

I've used rigid full-length fenders on several bikes and frankly, my best winter bike ever was a single-speed cross bike with mini-V brakes and big 35 mm full-length SKS fenders. I loved that bike for winter use. It was highly protective, kept clean, and simply worked. Definitely consider something like that. It can be a really cheap frame as long as it has the fender mounts everywhere.

nemeseri
Posts: 794
Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2015 5:40 pm

by nemeseri

11.4 wrote:As someone who rode for 19 years in Seattle, and rode through the very wet winters, here are a couple contrasting points of view.

First, there's no way you can get a decent tire diameter and also have fenders that run under the brake calipers. You only have two solutions: use short fenders that don't go under (like the SKS Raceblades) or use full fenders with a device like the River City ReachOvers that lets you interrupt the fender briefly at the brake bridge or fork crown and then continues it on the other side. There's a slight gap that gets dirty but the point of fenders is mostly to keep you dry. You can use Blackburn rack mounting straps (free at any bike shop because they usually have a bunch of them left over from rack installations) to make your own ReachOvers with just the right geometry.

Bear in mind that a full-fender installation is a pain if you don't have threaded studs on your chain stay and seat stay bridges, plus fender eyelets on the fork and seat stays. You have to use P-clamps at that point and those collect dirt, wear your finish, and so on. Fenders aren't readily a half-way proposition.

Second, most of the dirt and water isn't what the fenders intercept but rather the stuff that flies up from the road. Get some Buddyflaps long enough to get to within a couple inches of the ground when mounted on your fenders. They make a huge difference.

I've used rigid full-length fenders on several bikes and frankly, my best winter bike ever was a single-speed cross bike with mini-V brakes and big 35 mm full-length SKS fenders. I loved that bike for winter use. It was highly protective, kept clean, and simply worked. Definitely consider something like that. It can be a really cheap frame as long as it has the fender mounts everywhere.


I really appreciate your detailed info. The research definitely put me in thinking to get a steel "real winter" bike with fender mounts and space to fit wider tires. BUT to be honest I don't need a perfect solution and I know it won't be perfect. Still, it would be great to have fenders.

Since you have a lot of experience with riding in wet conditions, would you mind sharing what your favorite overshoes are? I know that there is no such thing as waterproof overshoes, still there are better and worse options out there. Thanks.

11.4
Posts: 1095
Joined: Tue May 23, 2006 4:33 am

by 11.4

Why don't you make another thread for overshoes? Thread drift is always a curse around here.

The thing about winter is that you will trash even a durable bike like a CAAD10 unless you do a lot of maintenance. And the CAAD10 simply isn't made for decent fender clearance. You can use clip-ons and to me that's the best solution (I own a CAAD10 and rode it in wet weather). If you have 23 mm tires, you won't be all that happy, especially on cold winter rides where you're sliding more on wet roads, you are in the saddle more, and you're less flexible. it's a recipe for discomfort. Stick with a 27 mm tire and get the plus-sized Raceblades and you'll be happier. Just my experience after a lot of wet winters.

nemeseri
Posts: 794
Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2015 5:40 pm

by nemeseri

So I bought the PDW Full Metal fenders and spent 2 hours fitting them yesterday. The front went on with no problem plenty of room between tire and fender.

The rear was tricky for two reasons:
1., It's extremely close to the tire where the hanger meets the fender. I tightened the hanger tabs down with a plier properly... Absolutely no way that it would work with 25mm tires.
2., There is only one position you can put the eyelet because of the rear derailleur hanger screws. Because of this limitation the safety tab rubs the rear derailleur so there is no way to tighten the tab properly. It works, but less then ideal. I will try to find a solution to this issue.

I just commuted this morning and the fender seems to work well. I have some minor rattling on rough pavement, but nothing really major. So far, so good.

by Weenie


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