Fenders, give me your opinions

[TwoWheelsDC]

I had the VO fenders. I liked them, but they’re a bitch to get set up correctly. They also rattle unless you put a lot of bumpers on the contact points.

I really wanted the PDW fenders, but they weren’t in stock when I needed them. My next fender bike is getting them, no question.

[jrenaut]

I love my Velo Orange fenders. They stay where you put them, don’t make too much noise, and are so pretty.

To respond to TwoWheels, who posted while I was posting – I had mine put on at The Bike Rack, so they took care of the hard stuff. I just enjoy the beauty and dry butt.

[hozn]

I had pretty much decided I would get the PB Cascadia fenders when I was last considering permanent-mount fenders. I have used several different sets of SKS fenders — P35 and I forget what other specific model. I don’t have the ability to keep enough bikes to have a dedicated rain/fenders bike, so I use SKS Urban Velo removable fenders, which actually have been fantastic; could maybe use a little more coverage down near BB but otherwise keep me essentially as dry as my previous SKS with added mudguards (Cascadia mudguards, specifically) that almost touched the ground. After 2 years / ~15k miles now they’re beginning to rattle a bit (the quick-release joints have worn away, I think), so I might order a new set. I hate it when my bike rattles.

But PB is such a great company to deal with. I love how they don’t charge shipping on any of their small parts, for example.

The metal fenders look really bling — unless the stays are all bent up in the mounting process (or to clear calipers).

[Colin B]

I’ve got 60mm ALX fenders on one of my bikes. they’re great, and the install feels a lot more solid than the Cascadia plastic or SKS longboards I have on other bikes. Only catch is that the front is really short. If you use a front bag or a rack mounted front light, it doesn’t really have enough coverage to keep road junk off of them.

VO fenders are good and long, but I’ve broken two sets of them, and would not recommend them for a bike that’s going to see any abuse.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@hozn 135414 wrote:

I use SKS Urban Velo removable fenders, which actually have been fantastic

I tried to figure out how these work, but it was hard to tell…how are they removable, exactly? Like, can you can leave the mounts on, but just take off the fender? Or is it like a RaceBlade, where you have to remove the mount too? I tried the whole RaceBlade thing and ended up hating it, but I’d be willing to try a sturdier and more well-executed system.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@Colin B 135441 wrote:

VO fenders are good and long

Ah yes, another issue I remember having…if your bike has any amount of toe overlap with the front wheel, the VO’s can be problematic in tight cornering, since they don’t “give” like a plastic fender would. Not so much a negative, just something to think about.

[hozn]

@TwoWheelsDC 135444 wrote:

I tried to figure out how these work, but it was hard to tell…how are they removable, exactly? Like, can you can leave the mounts on, but just take off the fender? Or is it like a RaceBlade, where you have to remove the mount too? I tried the whole RaceBlade thing and ended up hating it, but I’d be willing to try a sturdier and more well-executed system.

Yeah, there are metal L-shaped brackets that stay mounted to the bike. The fenders slide on and then can be bolted to fender mounts with the optional stays (which I do use; seems like they’d be too wiggly without the stays). So you do have brackets that stay on the bicycle, so not perfect aesthetically, but not horrid.

Here with 25mm road tires you can see the brackets pretty clearly:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]11044[/ATTACH]
But less obvious with larger tires (I think these are 38mm tires; the brackets also clear 42mm tires).
[ATTACH=CONFIG]11045[/ATTACH]

And here’s how the fenders fit:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]11046[/ATTACH]

Big plus is that the single stay clears the calipers without any special spacers or bends needed. Much nicer than my previous SKS setup in that regard.

[FFX_Hinterlands]

I’ve mounted two types of SKS fenders on my bikes. The (cheaper) simple “commuter” ones that don’t have a mudflap and the Longboards. Both are pretty easy to mount and stand up to being banged around on a bike rack. You can even clamp bus bike rack arms right over the plastic fenders. You can’t do that with metal. The extra hardware that sticks out of the rear of the front VO vender is more problematic with toe overlap IMO, compared to the side-mounted clips on the SKS fenders.

If you want a fender to do its job then the front fender must be long and low to the ground. If you don’t have it low enough all of the grit, sand and dirty water splashes onto your chain and bottom bracket. The Longboards are fine but I made a mudflap for the cheaper fenders. If you clean your bike after every ride then I guess it doesn’t matter. Transportation cyclists in the rest of the world don’t clean their chains after ever ride, by the way. That’s why they use fenders and chain cases.

[dkel]

@FFX_Hinterlands 135450 wrote:

The extra hardware that sticks out of the rear of the front VO vender is more problematic with toe overlap IMO, compared to the side-mounted clips on the SKS fenders.

I replaced the front hardware with p-clamps so my toes wouldn’t get caught. It seems to work much better that way, and if I do get toe overlap in a turn, the clamps are much more forgiving.

Another downside of long fenders of any brand: it’s very difficult to use wheelbender racks because the fenders often won’t let either of your wheels go through the slot. It’s worst with wide fenders and mudflaps, of course. Those are terrible racks anyway, though, so maybe it doesn’t matter.

[Steve O]

I’ve been using the SKS “commuter” types for a long time. You’ve used these before, Raymo, so you know all this. For the sake of lurkers on the thread, I’ll chime in.

I think of them as temporary, because they will eventually break, but they’re not that expensive (if you need parts for these, I have a bunch of extra).
I’ve often thought about MacGyvering a little mudflap extension for the front one, but it does pretty well even without. Maybe I’ll go with the longboard next time.

One feature that has saved my butt twice is the front quick release. If something goes between the fender and wheel, the fender will pull out of the release, preventing an endo. On the Cider Ride last fall this happened to me. A fat stick went right in there. Destroyed the fender (and made a terrifying noise), but turned out to be no big deal. If the fender had not broken away it’s possible the front wheel would have locked up at 24.8 mph (isn’t Strava great!?), and I might not be playing Freezing Saddles this year.

Do other fenders have this feature? (Looks like the Portland Bike Works do; thanks Raymo–agreed those fenders look awesome, but pricey)

I give the SKS a B. They’re very light, relatively easy to adjust once on, aesthetically fine but nothing eye catching, decent coverage, good safety feature in the quick release, susceptible to breaking or eventual weakening from exposure to UV rays, not expensive.

[ginacico]

@Steve O 135473 wrote:

One feature that has saved my butt twice is the front quick release. If something goes between the fender and wheel, the fender will pull out of the release, preventing an endo. On the Cider Ride last fall this happened to me. A fat stick went right in there. Destroyed the fender (and made a terrifying noise), but turned out to be no big deal. If the fender had not broken away it’s possible the front wheel would have locked up at 24.8 mph (isn’t Strava great!?), and I might not be playing Freezing Saddles this year.

I have Velo Orange zeppelin fenders on my Vaya. The one feature I wish they had is a quick release, for the reason Steve O describes. I broke another fender the same way, on an older bike, which could’ve been a much bigger disaster without the quick release. Spend any time riding on the C&O Canal or the GAP, and sticks are inevitable. I’m living with that risk, but am constantly aware that one stick can ruin your whole day, or worse.

Besides that, the VO fenders mount pretty easily, stay put, and look awesome. They provide leather pads with the mount kit, which I used liberally to reduce the rattling. With enough fiddling and adjusting they work beautifully. Mine stay permanently mounted, except when I occasionally remove the front fender to save weight during a dry period.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]11048[/ATTACH]

[Raymo853]

@TwoWheelsDC 135445 wrote:

Ah yes, another issue I remember having…if your bike has any amount of toe overlap with the front wheel, the VO’s can be problematic in tight cornering, since they don’t “give” like a plastic fender would. Not so much a negative, just something to think about.

The bike frame & fork I am using does have toe overlap. I broke the last fender, a PB Longboard, by tapping it into the tire. That is why I want tougher fenders that can handle that. Of course, knocking a metal fender into the tire may have a lot of other risks associated with it beyond the fender breaking.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]11049[/ATTACH]

[Raymo853]

@hozn 135414 wrote:

so I use SKS Urban Velo removable fenders, which actually have been fantastic; could maybe use a little more coverage down near BB but otherwise keep me essentially as dry as my previous SKS with added mudguards .

I am glad you brough these up and then added the photos. I really though about trying those a while ago and forgot about them. That may make the most sense. It is nice to take them off when doing really long rides or windy dry rides. Fenders on windy days simply break my spirit with how they act like sails and unwelcomed rudders.

[mstone]

@dkel 135453 wrote:

Another downside of long fenders of any brand: it’s very difficult to use wheelbender racks because the fenders often won’t let either of your wheels go through the slot. It’s worst with wide fenders and mudflaps, of course. Those are terrible racks anyway, though, so maybe it doesn’t matter.

yes, that’s a feature

[romandc]

On my commuter bike I busted a pair of plastic fenders. I’ve upgraded to flat metal from Civia:
http://products.wheelandsprocket.com/civia_flat_42mm_fenders_aluminum_pewter_700x35_bike_fenders_mudguards_51632409.php

I prefer the look of these over the curved type because they are less noticeable, but still work plenty good. This guy has some good pics on his site: https://volagi.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/how-to-mounting-civia-flat-aluminum-fenders-to-your-volagi-liscio/

I think they sell version made out of bamboo if you’re into that.

[Author]

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