Wow, do I need some fenders

[acc]

I’m with you on that. The last thing I want to do is show up somewhere looking like I’ve either been rassling a gator or I lost the championship round of a pro/am mud wrestling event (because obviously I would win :cool:). I trotted down to LBS and ended up with removable fenders, Raceblade XLs, and am happy with them. I can snap them on with heavy industrial-strength rubber straps, they stay in place, and I can ditch them as soon as the sun comes out. But that’s what works for me. I’m not a vehicular cyclist, I don’t commute. You may need something more sturdy.

Happy trails,
ann

[Dirt]

Today was a good day to figure that out.

SKS Xtra Dry seems to work pretty well out back. It attaches quickly to your seat post.

SKS X-Board downtube fender works pretty well too. This doesn’t work as well as a full fender, but the combination of these two will cost less than $30.

If you’ve got a little more money, the SKS Racerblade fenders give you quite a bit more protection. They are about $50.

All of the above are pretty easy to attach and remove.

Google will find all of those pretty easily. Local shops have them in stock too.

Good luck.

Pete

[DaveK]

SKS Raceblades are what you want. It’s worth the extra $$$ over the beaver tail fenders.

[PotomacCyclist]

Make sure the fenders are compatible with your bike. I bought a set of inexpensive fenders last year and found that they didn’t fit on my mountain bike. I couldn’t return them because the store has a no-return policy for bike equipment. (I was only out $10, so not a big deal.)

[ronwalf]

I love my SKS-P45 full fenders with add-on mudflaps. Just the teensiest bit of road spray on my shoes this morning, and even that I could prevent by going a bit slower.

Water from the sky is… less avoidable. But at least it’s cleaner.

[eminva]

Another useful thread — when I bought my commuter two and a half years ago, fenders were on my wish list, but the salesman told me they wouldn’t fit on the bike I wanted to buy. It is a road bike with limited clearance. Would those SKS Raceblades possibly work?

He also said the rack would work as a rear fender, which has helped me avoid the mud stripe up the back, but I’m also concerned about getting the drivetrain dirty, thus requiring more frequent cleaning and maintenance.

Thanks.

Liz

[DaveK]

@eminva 4823 wrote:

Another useful thread — when I bought my commuter two and a half years ago, fenders were on my wish list, but the salesman told me they wouldn’t fit on the bike I wanted to buy. It is a road bike with limited clearance. Would those SKS Raceblades possibly work?

He also said the rack would work as a rear fender, which has helped me avoid the mud stripe up the back, but I’m also concerned about getting the drivetrain dirty, thus requiring more frequent cleaning and maintenance.

Thanks.

Liz

Raceblades are designed for road bikes without fender eyelets or a lot of clearance (that’s why I recommended them since the OP said he had a Giant Defy). They will not protect your drivetrain though – they only cover from the rear brake back over the rear wheel and from the fork back over the front wheel. Your drivetrain will still get messy. Raceblades are just the best fender solution for bikes not designed for them. Don’t get me wrong though – they’re better than those floppy fenders that come off the seatpost and a thousand times better than nothing.

[DaveK]

@PotomacCyclist 4818 wrote:

Make sure the fenders are compatible with your bike. I bought a set of inexpensive fenders last year and found that they didn’t fit on my mountain bike. I couldn’t return them because the store has a no-return policy for bike equipment. (I was only out $10, so not a big deal.)

I had a road bike that wouldn’t fit Raceblades (long story) and Revolution took them back no questions. It pays to buy from a good local shop sometimes.

[jrenaut]

It looks like Giant makes fenders for the Defy. Note to Giant – how about a prominent link from the bike info page to the bike accessory page?

I guess the next question is, what should I be doing to clean the bike after riding in the rain?

[OneEighth]

A good wipe-down with WD-40 doesn’t hurt. Just avoid using it on surfaces that aren’t meant to be slick such as braking surfaces, seats, and handlebars. Rubbing alcohol cleans braking surfaces very nicely. Also, check to make sure your chain is clean and still properly lubed after lots of wet riding.

[CCrew]

If your tires are 28mm or smaller and your bike is set up for fender stays I have a full set of SKS’s I haven’t been able to give away. Look just like the ones you linked. Yours if you want them – just buy me a Coke :p

I don’t do fenders… they slow me down .

[jrenaut]

@CCrew 4832 wrote:

If your tires are 28mm or smaller and your bike is set up for fender stays I have a full set of SKS’s I haven’t been able to give away. Look just like the ones you linked. Yours if you want them – just buy me a Coke :p

Wow, thanks, I may take you up on that. The tires on the bike are Kenda 700X25c – I know that width isn’t 25cm, but not sure why a measurement in mm would have a “c” tacked on the end.

How do I check if it’s set up for fender stays?

[CCrew]

@jrenaut 4861 wrote:

How do I check if it’s set up for fender stays?

Should have an unused screw hole near the wheel skewers on the front and back. Honestly, based on the fact that Gian’t’s selling fenders for that bike I’d be surprised if it *didn’t* have them.

What part of town are you in? I come in from the west and go downtown (NW) I’d happily meet up somewhere. I picked these up because my LBS had them on a clearance rack for $3, and knew someone would need them someday. Too good a price to let go.

[jrenaut]

Yeah, there are little holes in the front and back that look like they might be for fenders. You’re right, unlikely that Giant would sell fenders for a bike that don’t fit on it.

I live in Columbia Heights and work at L’Enfant Plaza. I’m mobile, though, especially when people are doing me a favor.

[PotomacCyclist]

@DaveK 4827 wrote:

I had a road bike that wouldn’t fit Raceblades (long story) and Revolution took them back no questions. It pays to buy from a good local shop sometimes.

I bought the fenders at HTO, the same place that I got the mountain bike. (Well, actually I won a gift certificate to the store so I hardly paid anything for the bike, just $99 for a new bike.) I think I asked if the fenders were compatible with that model of bike before buying. HTO doesn’t have refunds on their bike equipment, partly since they aren’t a bike-specialty store. I don’t go there that often for bike gear. Other than the mtn bike, I tend to focus on triathlon equipment, which HTO doesn’t really cover.

[Author]

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