Hybrid Bicycles - Fender for suspension fork hybrid

I've been looking around for fenders for my Kona Dew FS but can't find anything that I like for the front. I've seen the suspension fork fenders such as this one from SKS:

http://www.westcoastpaddler.com/userimages/bikes/31825601.jpg

I don't really like that style of fender as it doesn't give a whole lot of protection since it's short and is mounted a long way above the tire. What I'm looking for (and as yet, unable to find) is a fender such as those found on trials motorcycles -- where the fender is attached to the bottom portion of the fork, and remains close to the tire. Here's a picture of a trials bike showing the front fender:

http://www.westcoastpaddler.com/userimages/bikes/2008-Beta-Rev3.jpg

I'm thinking that I'm probably going to have to modify an existing road type front fender with some sort of fabricated bracket attached to the lower end of the fork to hold the metal rods that secure the fender.

Has anyone seen such a fender available commercially? Or have any other ideas of how I might achieve this?

Thanks.

Just zip-tie the fender braces to the fork dropout, above the quick release, and it should work just fine...I know it did on my last MTB.

Just zip-tie the fender braces to the fork dropout, above the quick release, and it should work just fine...I know it did on my last MTB.

+1
I mounted my regular SKS fender by zip tie just above the dropout and the regular upper bracket through the hole in the fork brace. A couple zip ties would work there too if your fork doesn't have a hole in the brace.

Thanks for the feedback.

Yeah, there is a hole through the fork brace -- I figure I can attach a fender bracket through that. Not sure I like the zip tie on the drop out -- I'd like something a bit more permanent and fixed. I noticed there are two threaded holes on the backside of the lower fork -- just above the drop outs -- one on the back of each side. Not sure what these are for but I could make up some sort of bracket and attach it there for the the fender braces. I'll take a photo of these holes that I'm referring to, tomorrow.

Do you guys have a photo of your setup?

A picture of the front fork might help, There are many different configurations.

So, there are threaded holes on the dropouts, both sides? Those are likely exactly what you need to bolt on standard fenders...take a look at Planet Bike's selection of fenders (http://ecom1.planetbike.com/fenders.html)

The threaded holes are on the back of the fork (they are plugged in the photo):

http://www.westcoastpaddler.com/userimages/dew-fs-fork-holes.jpg

I've no idea what those holes are for -- on the Suntour website the fork specs mention that these forks have an optional "Integrated lamp holder adaptor" -- I have no idea what an integrated lamp is, but could that possibly be what these holes are for?

Note that there is a fender mount on the right side of the bike -- but the disk brake is using the matching one on the left side -- I don't want to "double up" by having the left hole being used for the brake and the brace, i.e., I don't want to mess with the brake mounts.

From the looks of the fenders I've seen online, most of them attach to the side of the fork but the Planet Bike Full Hybrid fenders seem to have some sort of hardware at the fork end of the fender braces -- it's not easy to see from their photo exactly what it is, but it might be for the holes on my forks. I'll fire off an e-mail to Planet bike for clarification and to ask if they have a fender like the one I want.

Photo of the Planet Bike Full Hybrid fenders:

http://ecom1.planetbike.com/planetbike/media/7004.jpg

It looks like I might have to do something creative to get around the disk mounts on the rear of the bike as well, but I don't think it will be difficult -- there are threaded holes for mounting fenders, but it will take a bit of fancy bending around the brake.

^^^Just make sure those aren't drain holes for the fork legs. Doubt they are,but worth it to check.

For fork mounting,P clips from a hardware store will mount the struts to the legs. There should be a hole in the crossbrace for the upper mount,or you could use zip ties. These(http://ecom1.planetbike.com/7015.html) would also work,you'd just have to extend the straps for the front,and they would also take care of any mounting problems with the rear caliper.

^^^Just make sure those aren't drain holes for the fork legs. Doubt they are,but worth it to check.
I don't think they're drain holes -- there's a rubber plug in the threaded hole but it's rather loose -- certainly isn't sealed.


There should be a hole in the crossbrace for the upper mount,or you could use zip ties. These(http://ecom1.planetbike.com/7015.html) would also work...
There is a hole in the fork crossbrace so that's not a problem. I'll have to see if one of my LBS's carries PlanetBike products and hopefully, they'll have these in stock so I can take a look at them.

Thanks!

Zip ties, pulled really tight, are a good alternative.

Picture a Nylon spacer at a 90 degree angle to the fork, turned so the hole is facing out. Wrap your zip tie around the fork, right above the quick release, pass one end thru the spacer, thru the hole for the fender brace, back thru the spacer, and connect it to it's female end. Pull it good and tight, with final tightening done by rolling the pliers.

You can protect the paint on the fork, by wrapping 2 wraps of electrical tape around the attachment point, before you attach your zip tie.

You will be amazed at the "permanence" of the connection. And, the spacers can even be found in black nylon, at most hardware stores, in a large variety of sizes.

The threaded holes are on the back of the fork (they are plugged in the photo):

http://www.westcoastpaddler.com/userimages/dew-fs-fork-holes.jpg

I've no idea what those holes are for -- on the Suntour website the fork specs mention that these forks have an optional "Integrated lamp holder adaptor" -- I have no idea what an integrated lamp is, but could that possibly be what these holes are for?

Note that there is a fender mount on the right side of the bike -- but the disk brake is using the matching one on the left side -- I don't want to "double up" by having the left hole being used for the brake and the brace, i.e., I don't want to mess with the brake mounts.

From the looks of the fenders I've seen online, most of them attach to the side of the fork but the Planet Bike Full Hybrid fenders seem to have some sort of hardware at the fork end of the fender braces -- it's not easy to see from their photo exactly what it is, but it might be for the holes on my forks. I'll fire off an e-mail to Planet bike for clarification and to ask if they have a fender like the one I want.

Photo of the Planet Bike Full Hybrid fenders:

http://ecom1.planetbike.com/planetbike/media/7004.jpg

It looks like I might have to do something creative to get around the disk mounts on the rear of the bike as well, but I don't think it will be difficult -- there are threaded holes for mounting fenders, but it will take a bit of fancy bending around the brake.

It may take some head scratching and swearing and a brew or two, but I'm sure fenders could be mounted to your fork. Maybe a bracket from the threaded holes (a drop-down mount) to the area near where the fender brace would normally mount on the disc side. I don't have any photo's of my zip-tie mount, the bikes been dismantled for another project. But, my sus. fork is black like yours and with the black zip-ties, they were barely visible.
Many fenders have some sort of release on the fender brace in case something jams in the front wheel, I think that's what you're seeing on the PB's. I always imagined the zip-ties would perform the same function on my set-up. They should let go before something really nasty happened. Never proved it out though.:eek:

I attached Planet Bike Speedez to my hardtail mountain bike. If I wanted to take them on or off I used the included elastic bands. If I wanted something more secure I used hose clamps from an automotive store to secure them. Hope this helps.

I picked up some hybrid fenders at my LBS -- can't remember the name of them but I'd never heard of the manufacturer before.

I used the threaded holes on the back of the forks and it seemed to work fine. I first bent the fender stays over a sharp piece of concrete (since I don't have a vice) and this did the trick.

Here's the bike after the installation...

Modified fender stays attached to threaded holes on back of forks:
http://www.westcoastpaddler.com/userimages/bikes/fender01.jpg

Top view:
http://www.westcoastpaddler.com/userimages/bikes/fender02.jpg

Looks pretty good and is fairly close to the tire:
http://www.westcoastpaddler.com/userimages/bikes/fender03.jpg

Rear fender installed:
http://www.westcoastpaddler.com/userimages/bikes/fender04.jpg

Fender stay required a little bending to fit around the disk brake:
http://www.westcoastpaddler.com/userimages/bikes/fender05.jpg

Side shot of fenders:
http://www.westcoastpaddler.com/userimages/bikes/fender06.jpg

No problem with panniers:
http://www.westcoastpaddler.com/userimages/bikes/fender07.jpg

I've ridden the bike about 200 kilometres since installing the fenders and everything appears to be working fine with no rattles.

It's sure nice to be able to go through puddles without getting spray from the tires. :thumb:

great job! Real nice looking bike you have there, WCoastPeddler!

Its been so rainy, cold, and windy here in upstate NY I havnt even been out but once since I put my fenders on my Sirrus :( I hope we get a warm spell before winter actually sets in, I would love to get a few miles on my bike this fall, as well as get my kayak out for some perch fishin' not lookin good right now :(

Lookin good West Coast!

Not a Kona but I have Planet Bike fenders on my Stumpie. I used P clips on the front forks. So far, so good. I was going to drill and tape the fork blade but decided not to, for now.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b395/JRWJR/bikes/DSCF0036.jpg

great job! Real nice looking bike you have there, WCoastPeddler!
Thanks.

Nice installation! I love it when fenders follow the arc of the tire.

Whose fenders are they (manufacturer)? How wide? What model?

What size tires on your bike?

You did a great job of mounting the fenders. Really nice looking bike.

Nice installation! I love it when fenders follow the arc of the tire.

Whose fenders are they (manufacturer)? How wide? What model?

What size tires on your bike?
Unfortunately, I can't recall the name of the manufacturer of the fenders and I threw out the packaging as soon as I'd installed the fenders. It was a very non-descript company name that I'd never heard before (there was a website address on the packaging but it didn't work). My LBS had them on a rack in the store and I merely held them up to my bike and decided that they would do the job. They were the only set of fenders from this manufacturer that the LBS had. They came wrapped with a cardboard tag attached, with no installation instructions.

The tires on my bike are Continental CountryRides that are 700x37.

I really don't like most of the fenders that I've seen on bikes, mostly because they don't follow the arc of the tire very well -- these ones did do that.

Next time I'm at my LBS I'll ask to see if they recall the manufacturers name.

Thanks, I'd appreciate it...

WCoastPeddler,
I have an inexpensive "perception Rythm 11" that is actually a Dagger Element 11.2, made for a sporting goods store under the perception brand. Is that a handbuild stitch-n-glue kayak? I want to buy a Pygmy kit, someday, and build my own. They look SO nice, and your kayak looks absolutely beautiful! Seems as soon as the pleasure boaters got off the water this year, the temp dropped suddenly :( And, it got windy. Hopefully a warm weekend comes, I want to get out and catch some fish!

The Element is a good little boat (I used to sell them). My kayak is a Pygmy Coho stitch and glue that I build about 3 years ago. It's a limited edition Sapele version that Pygmy offered at the time and that's the natural color of the wood (there were only 50 available). I've built 3 stitch and glue kayak kits and my daughter just finished building her own a few months ago. I live in British Columbia -- it's rather a kayaking mecca here and we've done many, many fantastic trips. I haven't fished from my kayak but I do take a collapsible crab trap with me on most trips.

If you're interested, I (and a few of my pals) have a website about kayaking:

http://www.westcoastpaddler.com

Gosh, I want Planet Bike's fenders (specifically the Full Hybrid model), but their 700C fenders seem to fit tire widths up to 35mm, while mine are 38mm. Wider fenders are for the 26' tires. :(

Really nice job on the install. Were they labelled Axiom? Lambert?

I stopped in at my LBS this morning and they said that the fenders that I got were made by Lambert.

I should mention that I didn't see the point of having two stays on the front fender -- especially with one of them so close behind the fork. I even considered cutting it off and removing the hardware that is attached to the fender at one point. But that second stay makes it much better for aligning the fender over the tire. It would drive me nuts to look down at the front of my bike while riding it and seeing that the fender is askew. It also seems to make the fender much more sturdy as well.

After seeing the fenders on my bike, my daughter now says she wants some on her bike as well -- my LBS said that they have a new order of fenders on its way so I'll wait to see if they've got some Lamberts in there.

Oh, it might also be worth mentioning that the Lambert fenders that I got cost $40, the Planet Bike fenders were $30 (Cdn)

Gosh, I want Planet Bike's fenders (specifically the Full Hybrid model), but their 700C fenders seem to fit tire widths up to 35mm, while mine are 38mm. Wider fenders are for the 26' tires. :(

PB's Hybrid fenders are 45mm;I've had them over 38's before.

I have essentially the same fork on my Scott P3 Sportster.

Use SKS chromoplast (or similar full coverage) fenders.
The fork has a hole in the cross member that takes the fender bracket bolt.
Although the right fork eyelet is not treaded use it to attach the right stay with a nut, bolt, and lock washer.
On the left do not attach the fork stay to the fork. Attach it as a stiffiner to the fender itself. Cut it so that it can run from one fender stay mount to the other parrallel to the fender. If the fender has a mono stay this will not work. SKS fenders have two stays per side.
I do not have photos to upload but I got the idea from Dirt Rag Magazine. There was a tech article a while back on installing a fender on a Cannondale Lefty fork.
I've run this setup for about 1000 miles w/o a problem. The fender stays put and doesn't bob around

PB's Hybrid fenders are 45mm;I've had them over 38's before.
Really? I thought those were out of the question when I read a description of them on PB's page (http://ecom1.planetbike.com/7004.html). The fenders themselves are described as being 45mm wide in places such as Amazon.com's page (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RYAL08/ref=s9_simz_gw_s0_p200_t1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=099XYCXFK93P8PN0C0VY&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938811&pf_rd_i=507846), but PB's page says that they fit tires up to 700c X 35mm. So you had those same fenders on 38mms? How was it? No troubles with tires rubbing against them on occasion?

a 45 fender should fit perfectly on anything up to 38. And even usable up to 40, with decent tire coverage. It would even work with 45s, but you would need to maintain tire space, and lose side coverage.