Fender choices?

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FreaK
Posts: 852
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2005 5:57 am
Location: mOntreal

by FreaK

I picked up a set of Velo Orange fenders being not satisfied with the aesthetics of most options out there.
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But they're going to be a bear to make fit in my frame with its much more race oriented clearances.
I've been running one of these Woody's Fenders for a couple years despite having to replace the bracket regularly:
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I'll be back with true weights in a bit.

What have you found that you like, and how much do they weigh?
it's actually possible to come to the conclusion even before realising it makes no sense at all
-
tymon_tm

by Weenie


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nayr497
Posts: 149
Joined: Mon Jul 27, 2009 6:55 pm
Location: North Carolina, USA

by nayr497

I have some Planet Bike Cascadia fenders on my cross bike commuter, with 32 mm Gatorskin tires. I like them. Not the prettiest or easiest to install, but these fenders are a few years old and still doing the trick.

I'm building a new commuter bike and went with the SKS Urban Velos in 42 mm width. I'm using my worn down cross races nubbies, Vittoria CXs in 32 mm. These fenders have a very nice design and are easy to install. And for me, I like that they don't have the extra, extended mudflap. A bit less coverage, but I currently have to drop my new born son with our sitter, so I have to drive. I put the bike in the back of my truck, removing the wheel and mounting the bike on a QR chuck. The fenders don't hit/rub the ground because they're not overly long. The mudflap on my PBs fenders hits.
A good day becomes a better day with a bicycle ride.

kulivontot
Posts: 1163
Joined: Sun May 16, 2010 7:28 pm

by kulivontot

I hated planet bike hardcore plastic fenders. Too floppy would always ended rubbing. Have had 0 issues with sks chromoplastics

trimenc
Posts: 111
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2016 2:39 am
Location: North Carolina

by trimenc

I bought a set of carbon fiber mud guards from Adrian at Swarf Cycles. He is not "supposed" to be able to sell them in the USA due to not being insured or something, but I am certain that he will still stand behind them if anything were to ever happen to them. At this point, they still look like the day that I installed them, which was this June. I don't put many miles on my commuter bike in 6 months, but they have been solid as a rock so far and I would recommend them highly.

GJMadone069
Posts: 39
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2017 11:24 am
Location: Ghent Belgium

by GJMadone069

I use the sks raceblades for the moment, but still searching for a better solution :|

jeroenfl
Posts: 30
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2017 3:45 pm

by jeroenfl

Recycled the fenders of my wife's bike

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Carcinogent
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2011 4:37 pm
Location: France

by Carcinogent

Gilles Berthoud. Though not light and take some time to install and setup. 40mm is the narrowest option so it may or might not fit your bike.
Honjos - same as above, made of aluminum, though a bit more rare to find. They come in narrower sizes for bikes with low clearances.

P.S. A REAL game changer is a long front mudflap. You don't have to go fancy leather ones. One made from a plastic detergent bottle works as well. This was a major upgrade on my SKS fenders on my commuter. Dry feet AND cleaner bike. Win - win.

coriordan
Posts: 210
Joined: Thu Nov 16, 2017 3:30 pm

by coriordan

Portland Design Works are great with tight clearances but only fit 23mm tyres and fit bikes without proper mounts.

They do a larger version for wider tyres and larger clearances.

Quite fiddly to set up but once going they are rock solid, don't really rattle and provide full coverage including through the brake bridge and down to front mech.

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bilwit
Posts: 1526
Joined: Sun Apr 03, 2016 5:49 am
Location: Seattle, WA

by bilwit

Gone through so many fenders throughout the years.. the issue with all the non-alloy ones is that the bridge on the rear will eventually eat into the fender or the hooks on the bridge will wear and snap off so that it can no longer hold the fender. I used to put electrical tape at this part to interface the two but eventually the problem would creep back. For now I have PB Cascadia ALX on the rear and SKS Raceblade (the normal short one) in the front due to clearance under the caliper being a huge hinderance for other fenders. I also drilled out the stock mudguards on both and put on longer ones. It's been a durable combo so far, things get messy with the front Raceblade's lack of nose (spray right back onto the headtube and feet) but otherwise I've been pleased with not having to deal with the headache of constantly adjusting the front fender rubbing against tire.

Going to try to mod the full Cascadia set onto my new BMC Roadmachine soon (it has weird non-standard fender mounts which will require some finesse).

mentok
Posts: 577
Joined: Sun Jan 01, 2012 9:58 am

by mentok

Currently running raceblades and they're ok. Toe overlap is a problem and they occasionally bounce their way onto the tyre and rub a bit. Toe overlap might not be such an issue on a larger frame. My commuter is a 56cm and I have US12 feet but I have no issues at all with toe overlap on my other bikes which are all 58cm frames.

I have a set of Crud Mk3 Roadracers sitting under my desk at work which I haven't gotten around to fitting to a bike yet. Got them from a friend who tried to fit them to his CAAD8 but couldn't get it to work. Has anyone tried these? Got any opinions?

markdjr
Posts: 250
Joined: Sun Sep 17, 2017 10:21 pm

by markdjr

I haven't used the Crud fenders but have seen tons of good reviews. They seem like a great solution, but personally I'm not keen on applying the velcro to my frame. I've been very happy with my Portland Design Works fenders, heavy but worth the penalty as they look and work great. I have been interested in the Carbon fenders mentioned above, just wish I could see some in person.

bilwit
Posts: 1526
Joined: Sun Apr 03, 2016 5:49 am
Location: Seattle, WA

by bilwit

I recently replaced my Cascadia ALX fenders on my Roadmachine with PDW Full Metal Road Plus fenders to tidy up the look a bit and save some weight. Unfortunately these things rattle like hell.. maybe not that bad but it's noticeable when the roads are imperfect. Not really sure how/where it's coming from as I can only really reproduce it on the road :x

I have a sneaking suspicion that it's the rear bobbing up and down and hitting the top of the tire due to the single-stay design..

https://ridepdw.com/products/full-metal ... 7970910265

ianeire
Posts: 132
Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2011 2:08 pm
Location: Dublin, Ireland

by ianeire

I have been using a set of PDW's commuting daily for the last 7 months, the regular road version (which will take some brands of 25's underneath despite only being sold as 23 compatible) and I've found that they have rattled in a few places. One, the small plastic piece that sits against the seattube on the rear mudguard. Protect your frame there because it caused paint damage to my frame. Also the rubber band kept breaking or disintegrating so now I'm using a heftier rubber strap from an old Raceblade. Two, the rear mudguard was vibrating against the underneath of the rear brake so I needed to put something soft between them to dampen that down. And three, it seems that the pop rivets that attached the brake bracket on the front mudguard pulled away, or wore slightly which meant there was a small gap between the bracket and the mudguard that was causing persistant noise. Again, a couple of layers of electrical tape in the gap to take up the slack has solved it.

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Brynhildr
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue Mar 26, 2019 7:02 pm

by Brynhildr

Originally wanted to splurge for some Velo Orange, but I got some SKS P45 Chromoplastic on sale.
They fit well, no rattling, and I reckon I don't have to worry about them denting in a fall.

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TonyM
Posts: 3376
Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2015 4:11 pm

by TonyM

Do all these bikes belong to you?? quite a collection...

by Weenie


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