Cyclocross - knobby tires and fenders discussion

I bought a Scattante x-330 cyclocross bike (somewhat impulsively) and I'd like to set it up as my commuter, but I'd also still like to be able to take it off-road. We have a large forest with trails at the end of our street. My hope is to be able to sell my other bikes (Univega Specialissima anyone?) and get down to just this bike with two sets of wheels (one with the knobbies that came on it and another set of smooth tires for commuting).

So, what I'm wondering is if I install my planet bike fenders that I already have (they are the full coverage type), will I still be able to run the knobbies and go off-road, or am I asking for trouble? I don't want to have to be taking the fenders on and off all of the time. If riding gravel, dirt, stick, stump trails with a set of fenders is a bad idea then I may need to buy some clip on fenders- so I'm open to suggestions and the best kind.

Also open to suggestions for good trails to ride on the SW Portland area.

I've got 32c tires on my Fuji Cross Comp, and fenders (SKS). Haven't had any issue so far with rocks. I've taken the bike over singletrack without problem.

One additional question: is it generally better to have the fenders as close as possible to the tires (avoid letting stuff get between it and the tire) or with as much clearance as possible?

In my experience the closer the fenders are to the tire the cleaner most everything else on the bike is for commuting, and I have never noticed things getting stuck when they are close. One thing that can sometimes end up going up for fender are small pebbles that create a huge racket and they essentially "bounce" upward with the spin of the tire.

The big danger with fenders, especially in an offroad situation, is that a stick or something will get wedged between the front tire and the fender. When this happens, the fender can get folded in and lock the front wheel resulting in you doing a severe face plant before you know what's happening. My understanding is that having the fenders closer to the tire makes this more likely. SKS fenders have a break-away clip that is supposed to prevent this.

Thanks to everyone. Andy, looks like we're neighbors.

sort of off topic, but I bought SKS P35 fenders and now I'm sort of limited to buying tires underneath 700x35. It's not a huge deal but I would like to have the option to go with some real fatties. Is there any down side to just going with the SKS P45's or even P50's?

Thanks to everyone. Andy, looks like we're neighbors.

That we are. Howdy neighbor. :)



sort of off topic, but I bought SKS P35 fenders and now I'm sort of limited to buying tires underneath 700x35. It's not a huge deal but I would like to have the option to go with some real fatties. Is there any down side to just going with the SKS P45's or even P50's?

With P45's, I'd say no problem. The P50 is something different. They market it as fitting either 26" or 700c tires, but I tried them with a 700x42 and they didn't come down far enough in the rear to keep my back clean. They work great on a 26" bike.

That we are. Howdy neighbor. :)




With P45's, I'd say no problem. The P50 is something different. They market it as fitting either 26" or 700c tires, but I tried them with a 700x42 and they didn't come down far enough in the rear to keep my back clean. They work great on a 26" bike.

cool
thanks man
ima get some of those and try some fattie knobbies, just seem better for rough and tough commuting and a little off roading.

You might run into some trouble using fenders off-road if its muddy, and given that you live in Portland, that's not an unrealistic expectation.

Some types of mud are horribly sticky, and have a tendency to get thrown up by your wheel and then proceed to cake the inside of the fender in a layer so thick as to prevent the wheel from rotating. I've been on a few trails where I actually had to unbolt the fender just so I could ride out.

Luckily, most types of mud don't have this issue, and fenders actually do a reasonably good job of keeping you clean.