Touring - Fenders? Advice sought

Hi, This is my first time posting on this forum although I have been reading your posts for some time now. I am selling all my bikes and assembling one myself since I can't find anyone who makes one I want for less than $3500. I have already ordered most of my parts but I am totally clueless on fenders. This is for a bike that will be used daily rain or shine for commuting, as well as loaded touring. I also occasionally stick my bike on city buses and I'm concerned that the arm that goes over the front tire to hold the bike in place will dislodge or damage the fender. My priorities are function first, weight second, price third, I am perfectly willing to pay for a good product (within reason), this is after all my "car". The bike's specs are as follows:

Frame/Fork Surly Long Haul Trucker (56cm, 700c)
Headset Chris King
Crankset/BB Shimano Deore XT (170, 44-32-22)
Front Derailleur Shimano Deore XT FD-M770
Rear Derailleur Shimano Deore XT RD-M770-SGS
Cassette Shimano Deore XT CS-M770 (11-32, 9sp)
Chain Shimano Deore XT CN-HG93
Shift/Brake Levers Shimano Deore XT ST-M760 (Dual)
Brakeset Shimano Deore XT BR-M770 V-Brakes
Stem Easton EA70
Handlebar Nashbar Trekking
Tape/Grip ?? undecided
Seatpost Easton EA70 (27.2x250)
Saddle Selle Italia XO Trans Am
Wheels Velocity Diad/Deore XT M770
Tires Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 700 x 35C
Pedals Shimano PD-A530
Rear Rack Tubus Logo
Front Rack Tubus Duo
Fenders ?? undecided

SKS P50s

SKS would be good, and if you are concerned with the front fender getting in the way when transporting on the bus then you can consider cutting the front part a little shorter. I've done this to my fender and it is just fine. It does not effect the performance at all.

I recommend Planet Bike Cascadia "Hybrid" fenders in silver (http://ecom1.planetbike.com/7026.html) or black (http://ecom1.planetbike.com/7026_5.html) -- they give you more coverage than most other fenders.

Here's how they look on my 52cm LHT which has 26" wheels -- they'll look even better on yours with 700c wheels:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3067/2648455643_4890c13bff.jpg?v=0

Would the front DUO rack interfere with the bus rack thingy? (I dunno)

-Those PB fenders look great, especially how the front is cut back a bit allready.

-Remember to think of where and when you will be touring. Leave the fenders off if you will be encountering sticky mud (clay), and sometimes slush/ice. It's simply awefull running fenders in that stuff, else fenders are great!

Those Casandra fenders do look good, they appear to have very good mud flaps, and the bus rack hook should fit in front of them. I was leaning toward the SKS before, does anyone ever compared the two? I wish I could go into a bike store and look at them, but no one here carries them. LBS's around here cater to racers and scoff at anyone else.

I chose the DUO rack because I don't think that one would interfere with the buses, it is the minimalist "S" shaped design that doesn't have a bar going over the front wheel.

Has anyone tried Ergon grips? I have to see how much room I have left on the handlebars between the XT Levers and the curve of the butterfly bar before deciding on grips, but my intention is to use grips and then use road bar tape on the rest of the handlebar.

Just curious, what other bike were you considering which costs over $3,500 to build?

I race mtb's on Ergon's and they are exceptionally comfortable. I've done a few 12hr solo races with them and my hands have never been happier.

I rely on my CDW tail bag to act as a rear fender (though sometimes use a clip-on in the city) and a Planet Bike grunge board in the front attached with velcro straps instead of the rubber ties it came with. They're not as great as full coverage fenders, but the bike can come apart in a few minutes and I don't have to worry about leaves, mud, ice, etc. clogging them. They certainly take care of 80% of the water and the place they don't cover is my feet, so I use neoprene socks when necessary.

Have a look at:

PB spoiler (http://ecom1.planetbike.com/7030.html)

PB grunge board (http://ecom1.planetbike.com/7003.html)

SKS race blades halfway down (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/fenders.html)

I was leaning toward the SKS before, does anyone ever compared the two?

Here is a picture of my wife's bike which has SKS P50 P55 fenders installed. As you can see, they don't reach nearly as close to the ground as the Planet Bike Cascadia fenders.

Edited To Add: Oops, never mind... Now I remember I bought SKS P55 fenders and didn't realize that they were designed for 26" wheels until later. So, this photo shows what 26" fenders look like on a 700c bike and it does NOT accurately show what the SKS P50 fenders would look like. Sorry!

Ref: SKS Fender Specs (http://www.sks-germany.com/sks.php?l=en&a=product&i=6409800121)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3275/2890666660_955bab41e5.jpg?v=0

Are the fenders on the Schwinn the same as these?

http://www.lickbike.com/productpage.aspx?PART_NUM_SUB=%273437-05%27

If so the front one looks awfully short.

Hi, the bike I liked was the Co-Motion Americano, The Co-Motion Nor'Wester Tour would be good too, but both are $3000+ before adding shipping and accessories.

http://www.co-motion.com/single_bikes/americano.html

I think I'm liking the Planet Bike Cascadia fenders fenders, they appear to have the best coverage. No problems with them coming loose or rattling?

How wide are the Ergon Grips, I can't make sense of the measurements they give in the published specs.

Here is a picture of my wife's bike which has SKS P50 fenders installed. As you can see, they don't reach nearly as close to the ground as the Planet Bike Cascadia fenders.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3275/2890666660_955bab41e5.jpg?v=0

Are you sure you don't have 26" mudguards on a 700c bike? Both front and back look much shorter than on my bike.

are you sure you don't have 26" mudguards on a 700c bike? Both front and back look much shorter than on my bike.+1 good eye

That's odd. Mine seem to have more coverage than that.

Do they make them in Two sizes?


Here is a picture of my wife's bike which has SKS P50 fenders installed. As you can see, they don't reach nearly as close to the ground as the Planet Bike Cascadia fenders.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3275/2890666660_955bab41e5.jpg?v=0

Hi, the bike I liked was the Co-Motion Americano, The Co-Motion Nor'Wester Tour would be good too, but both are $3000+ before adding shipping and accessories.

http://www.co-motion.com/single_bikes/americano.html

I think I'm liking the Planet Bike Cascadia fenders fenders, they appear to have the best coverage. No problems with them coming loose or rattling?

How wide are the Ergon Grips, I can't make sense of the measurements they give in the published specs.

Why not something very special for that amount of coin?

Honjos (http://www.velo-orange.com/fenders.html)

http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/yhst-84224226242177_2019_18179786

Woody's (http://www.woodysfenders.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1&zenid=ac5e96fd8073d4732208b97fecb3da9c)

http://www.woodysfenders.com/gallery2/gallerymain/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=51&g2_serialNumber=2

River City (http://www.rivercitybicycles.com/fullwood.php). The checkerboard ones are way cool.

http://www.rivercitybicycles.com/images/fullwood_07.jpg

smovlov, Cave, roadfix, jwbnyc,
Yes, you are correct. I had forgotten that I had 26" fenders mounted on a 700c bike. I edited my original post to retract my mistake. Thanks for catching that.

Thanks for your replies, I ordered the Planet Bike Cascadia fenders. They appear to be the most effective design. I can hardly wait until I get all my components in the mail, so I can build up this bike. I ordered from about 15 different sellers.

Cascadia here, too. They are fairly easy to remove if necessary. Great coverage. Look good (my opinion; certainly not my wife's!).file:///E:/DCIM/201CANON/IMG_0176.JPG

Cascadia Hybrid.
I used these all summer. Really good coverage.

I have SKS P50's mounted on mine and I think I'm going to remove them and go with the Cascadias. I like the better coverage in the rear.

What are these "fenders" of which you speak? Haven't seen them around these parts. :lol:

I am going with the Woody's on my green 54c LHT as soon as I can make up my mind which style to order.

I have used the Cascadia, SKS and Honjo fenders in the past year (different bikes).

The Honjos are definitely the prettiest, but hardest to install.

Between the Cascadias and the SKS - the Cascadias offer the better coverage out of the box. The SKS worked fine, but I had to install my own mud flap on the front fender to match the coverage of the Cascadias.

I have used the Cascadia, SKS and Honjo fenders in the past year (different bikes).

The Honjos are definitely the prettiest, but hardest to install.

Between the Cascadias and the SKS - the Cascadias offer the better coverage out of the box. The SKS worked fine, but I had to install my own mud flap on the front fender to match the coverage of the Cascadias.

How do you drill the holes for the mudflap, or do you?

Cascadia here:

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u147/Editz_photos/IMGP1084.jpg

Planet Bike sells the Cascadia mudflaps separately. I have them on mine.


I have SKS P50's mounted on mine and I think I'm going to remove them and go with the Cascadias. I like the better coverage in the rear.

I ordered from about 15 different sellers.

I'm tying not to do this on my build but its proving harder than it seems.


I like the better coverage in the rear.

Me too.

How do you drill the holes for the mudflap, or do you?

Like this - small drill bit, get it centered, let 'er rip. Takes about 10 seconds.