Fenders

[mstone]

You want the longest ones you can find. The front fender should come down far enough that it is curled forward. Snap ons are decorative. Planet bike Cascadia are probably the best that are easy to find around here, you may also find sks Longboard which are also good. Those are both plastic. Some people swear by metal fenders, but I’m happier with something that bounces back.

[Steve O]

I’ve been using sks fenders for many years and am pretty happy. I would not have a bike for everyday use or commuting without fenders. Once you’ve used them, you’ll not want to go back to naked tires.
I just installed them on my new bike last weekend–just in time for the rain! I could probably improve them by adding mudflaps, but they make a pretty huge difference on days like the last few. Good luck.

However, they can’t be easily taken on and off for your races. Well, actually when I think about it, if you take the wheels off and remove the fenders all in one piece, you might be able to do it in under 10 mins. Putting them back on and getting them adjusted might take a bit longer. With practice, who knows?

[ronwalf]

I’ve had both regular and longboard SKS 45s. The regular were fine in length once I added a mudflap. The front one eventually blew up on a trail (I think something got caught in it and the fender tried to invert itself).

The rear longboard is a great length to keep not only myself clean, but also anyone behind me. The front one is long enough that the rubber mudflap will catch the edge of a curb or stair unless I lift the front wheel a bit. I could use it a bit shorter (and may take a hacksaw to make that modification myself soon).

[hozn]

I use SKS P35 fenders (I think that’s the model, anyway; they are silver) on my cross bike. I added mudflaps (the ones for the Planet Bike Cascadia fenders) to these, which helped a lot. Once I got them setup removal and reinstallation is pretty quick; it probably takes me 5-10 minutes. It would be faster if i didn’t have mine setup such that i have to remove the rear wheel. I do take mine off periodically to put on cx wheels. I had them off for the past couple months given how dry it has been. The full fenders are very nice, but it always feels like I am liberating my bike when I take them off.

I know GuyContinental uses the clip on fenders. Apparently they work pretty well for keeping road spray off, though he was observing that he gets more blowback of water off the front wheel than my fenders. They probably also let more road grime into the drivetrain — and it isn’t as nice riding behind him But take on/off is very quick, so if that is important I would certainly consider the clip on ones.

[myoglobinologist]

@ronwalf 66575 wrote:

I’ve had both regular and longboard SKS 45s. The regular were fine in length once I added a mudflap. The front one eventually blew up on a trail (I think something got caught in it and the fender tried to invert itself).

The rear longboard is a great length to keep not only myself clean, but also anyone behind me. The front one is long enough that the rubber mudflap will catch the edge of a curb or stair unless I lift the front wheel a bit. I could use it a bit shorter (and may take a hacksaw to make that modification myself soon).

Fenders came on one of my bikes and because of this discussion I was thinking of getting them for my commuter (a Trek 7300). Are fenders something that one can install oneself or should I take them to an LBS? This video ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG_WZVS9SUY ) made me think that I should have someone who is relatively mechanically/craftsmanlike inclined do the job.

Thanks in advance for any advice from the community.

[KelOnWheels]

@myoglobinologist 66609 wrote:

Are fenders something that one can install oneself or should I take them to an LBS? This video ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG_WZVS9SUY ) made me think that I should have someone who is relatively mechanically/craftsmanlike inclined do the job.

I am fairly mechanically inclined and installing SKS fenders filled me with rage. Planet Bike fenders are easy peasy. The Velo Orange aluminum fenders I had the LBS do.

[myoglobinologist]

Excellent response, thanks.

[mstone]

The video is pretty much it. Some are less fiddly, some more. It’s not real hard, but if you don’t like screwing with bike maintenance, it’s worth having someone else do it. In theory it’s the kind of thing a bike shop could do much more easily than most people, because they have all the tools and spare parts handy and could have far more practice than anyone not in the business. In reality, if your shop mostly caters to the racer crowd, they may have to read the directions and figure it out themselves (and do a job that would drive an ocd forum regular nuts). So I dunno. I guess you can ask them how much they’d charge and see if they give you a weird look or quote a price that makes you choke.

[Arlingtonrider]

My solution isn’t elegant, but it totally works for me. I use the SKS detachable (mountain bike) X-blade as a rear fender on my hybrid, over my rack. It takes less than 10 seconds to put on or take off, stays snug and secure and completely keeps road muck off my back. See photo.[ATTACH=CONFIG]3849[/ATTACH]

[Dirt]

I’ve used quite a few different combinations.

SKS Racerblades work well on my road bikes, though they don’t give a lot of coverage. The first time I installed them, it took a little time, but after that they were easy.

Even some professional riders use them.

I use the seatpost mounted SKS fender like arlingtonrider uses. It works nicely. I don’t use the front fender that comes with that set. It is too involved. I have a Zefal mud flap that straps to the downtube that I use instead. It works.

I’ve cut up a milk carton and zip tied it to the back of my saddle and to the middle of the down tube. That works okay too.

The holy grail for me is the permanent solution… the Velo Orange fenders. They take patience to install and sometimes a bit of creativity. They work wonderfully… especially with mud flaps. I even put a mud flap on the back to help cut down on spray for the people behind me.

[KLizotte]

These look intriguing. Anyone have any experience with Crud fenders?

http://www.crudproducts.com/

[jrenaut]

@KLizotte 66628 wrote:

These look intriguing. Anyone have any experience with Crud fenders?

http://www.crudproducts.com/

I had the Roadracers on my Giant road bike (the one that was totaled by a u-turning cab driver on PA Ave last December). They’re not bad, and are a great solution for bike that won’t take more serious fenders. I did have some issues, though.
1) Since it’s all plastic, they aren’t completely rigid, and end up rubbing a lot. They have little brushes that you stick on so they don’t scratch your rims, but this can still be annoying.
2) Each fender is three parts – the center part where the mounting happens, then a front and back piece that are easy to replace. Due to some structural design choices, the piece most likely to break is the center piece, which means you have to replace the whole fender.
3) They have this annoying tendency to explode. The first time mine blew up was when I ran over the nail that went through my rim. I’m inclined to forgive in that case. The second time was when I ran over a stick left by a storm. This I’m a little less inclined to forgive.

This is not to say they aren’t nice for what they are. They are fenders designed for bikes that were never intended to take fenders.

[KLizotte]

Very useful info jrenaut. Thanks.

[GB]

Dirt – Is that a flask on the back of the orange bike? If so – excellent.

[vvill]

I was considering putting fenders on my CX bike too but also have the issue where I might like to do the odd CX/mud ride. The ultimate solution is clear: n+1

Then you also get a pit bike.

[Author]

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