Touring - Long Haul Trucker Fenders

I am wanting to hear from all you LHT guys what fender you picked?

I like the Plastic ones, but I want some that fit the new model Surly with the 700cX37 tires.

Don't ride a LHT'r so I don't know if you value my opinion ;) I have been using the Planet Bike Cascadia's. They work well.

I have Planet Bike Cascadias on my 26" LHT. Great full coverage fenders.

For those that have tried both the Planet and the SKS fenders, any preference?

I prefer SKS having used both, but you'll get a pretty even split in opinion probably.

My SKS fenders are still going strong after 3+ years and 8000 miles.

On my cross check I have metal fenders from VO. Very solid and great looking. Come in many sizes/finishes and WAY less expensive than Honjos. $55 for a set. I am using 700x37c tires with the 45mm fenders with no issues at all. Good room left for rocks and stones to not get stuck. For a bit more than the SKS ones they have a great look and are very light weight. What I like the most about them is how full their coverage is. The front fender is very long and does a great job at keeping you dry. Front is 90cm and the rear is 120cm's.
http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/accessories/fenders.html

I have Planet Bike Cascadias on my 26" LHT. Great full coverage fenders.

Mine too...DITTO

Thanks guys, Mine has the 700cX 37 Tires,,,,And I was worried about them being big enough to cover the tires

I had sks on my 700c wheeled LHT. The lower struts on the front fender happened to hit right where my toe would strike the fender, it was bothersome until I switched to Casdadia fenders which have the lower front strut a little higher. So with the Cascadia my toe would still hit the fender but it would bounce out of the way instead of jamming on the strut. The Cascadias rattled more. 6of one, half dozen of the other.

+1 on the PB Cascadias. I first had the SKS P50 fenders on the LHT, than I decided to go with a wider tire for more comfort, thus had to go with a wider fender. Nothing bad to say about the SKS fenders but I really like the built in mudguards on the new, wider PB Cascadias which swayed my decision to switch brands.

Have Planet Bike fenders on my hybrid and SKS on my touring. Paid about the same for each set, the SKS fenders are nicer and sturdier because of the way they attach.

I put SKS fenders on my LHT (26" wheels) and like them fine.

I put PB Cascadias on my new LHT with 700c wheels.They went on really easy.Now I am trying to figure out what fenders to put on my wife's new LHT with 26" wheels in the 46 cm frame size. Does PB make a fender specifically for 26" wheels where the tab on the fender that attaches to the frame is longer so it fits close enough to the tire?It appears the space from the mounting point on the frame to the tire is pretty wide.

I'm running the PB Cascadias (Hybrid size) on my LHT. And I'm running the stock 700cx37 Continental Contact tires. Enough clearance to the road debris that I've encountered so far. And that includes 7 miles of fresh chip sealed road encountered during a four day, 200 mile, fully loaded, tour this summer. :bang:

I put PB Cascadias on my new LHT with 700c wheels.They went on really easy.Now I am trying to figure out what fenders to put on my wife's new LHT with 26" wheels in the 46 cm frame size. Does PB make a fender specifically for 26" wheels where the tab on the fender that attaches to the frame is longer so it fits close enough to the tire?It appears the space from the mounting point on the frame to the tire is pretty wide.

I found that the attachment at the seat stay bridge is close enough, but the one at the chainstay bridge needed some [presta nut] spacers:

http://i923.photobucket.com/albums/ad75/aggiegrads/IMG_0302.jpg

Gives a nice tight fender line on my 50's, narrower tires will have a little space, but the fenders will still be concentric:

http://i923.photobucket.com/albums/ad75/aggiegrads/IMG_0304.jpg

50cm frame, btw.

SKS P-45's with homebrew mudflap. LHT is 52cm - 26" wheels/1.5" tires.

175314175317Not a LHT but a Fuji and just to show how the SKS fit on the bike. The fenders are about two weeks old.

175313

For those that have tried both the Planet and the SKS fenders, any preference?

I prefer SKS, but it is a preference that comes from one atypical situation.

My buddy and I were riding on some extremely muddy roads in Oklahoma, and his Planet Bike fenders became clogged with mud much more quickly than my SKS. He rides a 520 with Specialized Armadillo 700x35, and I was on a Raleigh Sojourn with Vittoria Randonneur 700x35. The fender clearance was about the same on both bikes. I think the reason that his fenders clogged first had to do with the mudflap design; the Planet Bike fenders have an edge that acts as a ratchet to leaves, sticks, and mud, while the SKS allows the fenders to be cleared by rotating the wheel backwards by a quarter turn or so. Of course, this only helps if you plan on riding in really muddy conditions; we were walking about a third of the time on that road anyway.

A combination that has worked well for me is the SKS fenders with Bike Planet mud flaps. I like the "quick disconnect" on the front struts.

I prefer full SKS if only because they use metal braces to attach to the bridge instead of plastic on the PB. Of all places to use plastic this is not the place I'd use it. It may not break today, or tomorrow, or next year, but it will break.

honestly, you really cannot go wrong with either SKS or PB.

I find the PB fenders to be a cleaner mount, easier to mount, and less prone to rattles.

Yes, I have mounted several different manufacturers.

Not knowing the exact conditions you will ride in, many different sizes are available.

Louis,

I read your post regarding the SKS P45 fenders with interest. I'm also using 26x1.5 tires on my tourer & have hesitated to buy a set of P45s as they are sold as being for 700c. I'd like to know if you had to bend or otherwise "persuade" the P45s to follow the curvature of the tire so closely. They look perfect. I'm a longtime tourer but new to the forum, I don't know if you would be able to respond privately.......I'll keep my eye on the thread. Thanks in advance for your time!
Joe S. Massapequa Park NY

Louis,

I read your post regarding the SKS P45 fenders with interest. I'm also using 26x1.5 tires on my tourer & have hesitated to buy a set of P45s as they are sold as being for 700c. I'd like to know if you had to bend or otherwise "persuade" the P45s to follow the curvature of the tire so closely. They look perfect. I'm a longtime tourer but new to the forum, I don't know if you would be able to respond privately.......I'll keep my eye on the thread. Thanks in advance for your time!
Joe S. Massapequa Park NY

Hi Joe, I was a bit hesitant to use those fenders at first because of the 700c specification. However, I was able to adjust them to follow the curvature of the wheel by using the fender stays to pull the fenders in slightly. At the chainstay bridge I used a shortened and drilled wine cork as a spacer to follow the curvature.

Two things to consider...
...Pulling the fenders in as I did is not the ideal way to fit fenders, but it works for me and we'll see how long it holds out. I think plastic fenders are more adaptable to this treatment than steel or aluminum. The SKS fenders are relatively inexpensive and I'm betting they'll be fine for a long time.

The P-45's work well with 1.5 inch tires, but with wider tires it could be a tight squeeze.

Best wishes.

Took the SKS fenders off of my Raleigh One Way when the frame was cracked due to impact w/truck, stuck 'em on my LHT 700C, and have been quite pleased. The fit is even better than on the Raleigh!

Louis, thanks for the quick reply. I'll give the P45s a shot. Planet Bike makes a set of 26inch, 50mm wide fenders but they are meant for recumbents, which makes me think that the positioning of the mounting hardware might present problems for a diamond frame bike. They also lack the "safety release" in the front that the SKS has. I never see dirt roads on my local rides, but I learned my lesson on a rainy day on the Erie Canal towpath. I had done it, and the C&O, and lots of dirt roads in Vermont, before using 26x1.25 tires and fenders, & stayed pretty clean. Last time, I used 1.5 tires, lacked fenders, went without. Good God, what a mess.

Louis, thanks for the quick reply. I'll give the P45s a shot. Planet Bike makes a set of 26inch, 50mm wide fenders but they are meant for recumbents, which makes me think that the positioning of the mounting hardware might present problems for a diamond frame bike. They also lack the "safety release" in the front that the SKS has. I never see dirt roads on my local rides, but I learned my lesson on a rainy day on the Erie Canal towpath. I had done it, and the C&O, and lots of dirt roads in Vermont, before using 26x1.25 tires and fenders, & stayed pretty clean. Last time, I used 1.5 tires, lacked fenders, went without. Good God, what a mess.
You're quite welcome Joe, Here's the pattern I used for my front mudflap - http://www.phred.org/~alex/bikes/fendermudflap.html.

I didn't paint mine as Alex did (or is that reflective tape?), I like to leave them black, and I rounded off those sharp bottom corners slightly which gives the flap a better look - to my eye anyway.

I didn't make a rear flap because I seldom ride my touring bike with someone drafting me.:)