Recreational & Family - fenders

Advantages and disadvantages? Do they look cool or not?

The only bike I have with fenders is my Dahon folding bike, and an old vintage Raleigh. They definitely do not look cool, but they certainly serve a function! I could not ride between buildings at work and off-site for lunch without the protection they offer. Going to meetings with a rooster tail up my back would definitely not be cool!

I just bought fenders for my cruiser-style bike. I think they look cooler than a muddy stripe up the back of my shirt, but that's just me. LOL

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That said, I think bikes look cooler with fenders, especially cruisers and utility bikes. If you live in a bone dry desert with no street runoff, dog mess, etc. then I guess fenderless is fine.

Advantages and disadvantages? Do they look cool or not?
Fenders never look cool. Their sole purpose is to keep water off of the rider when riding on wet roads. That's why most bikes (road, hybrid, or mtn bikes) don't come with them attached.
Generally only commuter bikes and bikes used for errands have fenders. And often they are purchased for the bike.

Fenders never look cool. Their sole purpose is to keep water off of the rider when riding on wet roads. That's why most bikes (road, hybrid, or mtn bikes) don't come with them attached.
Generally only commuter bikes and bikes used for errands have fenders. And often they are purchased for the bike.

It is awful nice when your riding partners have fenders on to keep the water from kicking up in your face. Plenty of racing clubs out there that put them on in the winter in the Northwest.

Utility bikes are becoming hip. Fred is on the rise! My people have been kept down for too long.

There's worse you can do for looks.
Keeps the rocks, mud, and other dangerous / nasty mess out my daughters face while she's in tow, so I'll Fred it up with a smile.
I don't worry about the odd puddle or sprinkler anymore when commuting or going for a quick ride to meet someone.
On dirt/limestone trails the wife is glad to not spend the next few days coughing up dirt when she rides behind me.
It's a lot easier to clean the bike, the drive train has a lot less muck to scrub off.
The only downside other then a tiny bit of weight and the fred factor, is the scraping noise from rocks that get stuck in the wheel before they get tossed out the way.

They take up tire room, so you might have issues with clearance.

I think they look cool when done right, especially good quality units like SKS chromoplastics.

Like someone else posted, they look a lot cooler than a muddy stripe up your back.

Fenders are a wonderful thing as even when it's dry they keep the wheels from throwing dirt and grit all over you and the bike and when it rains one does not want to be without them.

I run some old Zefal's on my commuter / tourers and find that they really complete the bike's looks.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/kuwiewhitedoor2.jpg

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/trekcommute2.jpg


And once upon a time just about every bike had them... this old Rudge of mine just waits for rainy days to come around.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/Nevilleside.jpg

Utility bikes are becoming hip. Fred is on the rise! My people have been kept down for too long.

Wow... us... hip.

:lol:

I bought a pair and put them on my hybrid but took them off because the back one didn't quite fit right and it rattled like mad. However, I did by a rack that doubles as a fender for the back and it has been great. No more muddy streaks. I think i'll put the front ones back one for those occasional squalls i get caught it. Road spray in the face definitely not cool.

Advantages and disadvantages? Do they look cool or not?

To some degree, who cares what they look like. All the bikes in our family are setup with fenders and racks. To me bikes without them just look naked. I don't get the aversion so many Americans have against fenders. The notion that "a bike is only a toy" idea is still strongly stuck in the national psyche. Europe and most other places in the world realize that a bike is a great tool that and can also be a wonderful toy. The 1st time you are out riding and you can't avoid hitting a puddle, you'll look feel very silly with a wet streak running up your back. Even my road bike has a very light weight BBB rear fender that works well enough to provide basic protection and weights only a few ounces.

Planet Bike and SKS offer lots of different fenders to fit a wide variety of bikes. Personally I find the SKS to be nicer as all the hardware is stainless steel. If you have a cruiser, why not dress it up with some chrome. If you have a sleek hybrid, you can get some nice narrow fenders that are big enough to fit, but not overwhelming in size. Even for road bikes there are some slim and light fenders that are practical, but add minimum weight. Besides the obvious issue of keeping you dry in rain or some left over puddles, I noticed that when I first got the bike I didn't yet have the fenders mounted. I was shocked at how much road grit was being picked up off the road and being flung at my front crank and chain. Once I stalled front and rear SKS fenders my drive train stayed almost perfectly clean, even on rainy days. I figure the reduction of wear and tear on the drive-train alone is worth the $35 in fenders.

While you are add it, add a rack. You can get racks from $7 up to about $30. Its amazing how much stuff you can carry on a bike. I have a cheap Axiom saddle bag ($29) and have used it for the last 1.5 years to commute to work and it still looks nearly new. I've taken the bike to the grocery store and found that you can get quite a bit of "stuff" into the bags and on top of the rack. Why take a car to take your bikes somewhere to ride when you can do usefull things like ride to the store and get a few groceries.

So by all means add fenders and a rack! I constantly get complements on home nice my bike looks when I pull up to places, so clearly fenders and a rack don't have to look dorky or dumb.

Happy riding,
André

Personally, I think that a pair of Honjos on a touring bike looks great. Nothing like the bling of polished aluminium (except chrome, I guess).

Also, people keep harping on the dirty streak left on your back by fenderless bikes in the rain. To me the bigger problem is the wheels throwing sand, salt and other gunk into my drivetrain. I don't like having to keep cleaning the drivetrain in the winter, for example. A pair of full fenders and mudflaps, and you don't have to worry as much anymore. As far as I'm concerned, that's the major advantage of having fenders.

As you might deduce, a rear rack does not help with gunk getting into your drivetrain.

The fenders look pretty sharp on this bike:

http://www.raleighusa.com/bikes/road/sojourn/

Fenders are cool! Check out these bad boys:

http://www.sykeswoodfenders.com/Sykes_Wooden_Bicycle_Fenders/Can_I_Get_Some.html

Oh yeah, Fenders! I just found these ones:

http://www.woodysfenders.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1

How do you think they would look on my Road Warrior?

Advantages and disadvantages? Do they look cool or not?

They have the "advantage" of making the bike look "cool". :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v160/Juggler54/bicycle/th_Jagtrip2006.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v160/Juggler54/bicycle/Jagtrip2006.jpg)
click to enlarge

Utility bikes are becoming hip. Fred is on the rise! My people have been kept down for too long.

rofl

Agreed. But I want to take it to another step myself. I love modern carbon fiber road bikes, which don't come with room for fenders. Which is fine, I just want more companies to make good quality fenders--with big ol' mudflaps--that can be attached to such bikes. Can you imagine looking out your window on a day when it's downpouring like crazy, and then a group of racing roadies in full kit go by, and with full fenders on their bikes? Awesomeness. Fred must take over cycle racing!

Man do I feel like a dork.