Touring - Can you guys help me out with a quick fender selection?

I'm getting this bike:
http://salsacycles.com/bikes/casseroll/

It has 700x32c tires on it. That is a size I would never go larger than most likely.

Which size of these fenders do I need?
http://www.amazon.com/SKS-Commuter-Bicycle-Fender-Set/dp/B00139UKHK/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Or would they even work?

I initially thought the 700x35 fenders would work - but some vague comments in the reviews made me think perhaps not. I went to SKS's site, and it was not clear either.

So should I get the 700x35 fenders or the 700x45 fenders? Or is there some reason it would not work with my bike? Thanks, I'm new to the fender stuff :)

You generally want at least 5 mm of extension on each side of the tire, ie. 32 mm tires want 42 mm fenders, at the least. Of course you can go narrower, but then you get wetter and dirtier. Sorry I can't help you re. clearances for your particular frame.

I'm getting this bike:
http://salsacycles.com/bikes/casseroll/

It has 700x32c tires on it. That is a size I would never go larger than most likely.

Which size of these fenders do I need?
http://www.amazon.com/SKS-Commuter-Bicycle-Fender-Set/dp/B00139UKHK/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Uh, none! Although it doesn't say it in the description, the Amazon-linked fenders are the cheap all-plastic ones.

You'd be better off with the Al/plastic laminate fender sets. They're stiffer/stronger than the all-plastic ones. SKS calls these chromoplastic -

http://www.sks-germany.com/?l=en&a=product&r=mudguards&i=6409800121&CHROMOPLASTICS

Add $36 more to the order and shipping is free -

http://aebike.com/product/sks-p45-silver-fenders-700c-45mm-sku-fe1001-qc30.htm

For the Casseroll, I think shiny all-metal fenders would look better, such as any of the 700x45mm fender sets offered by VO -

http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/accessories/fenders/fender-sets.html

VO 45mm SS fender set, five bucks cheaper -

http://aebike.com/product/velo-orange-700c-45mm-stainless-steel-fender-sku-fe7703-qc30.htm

PS - The Casseroll specs 38mm tire maximum. Thus, 45mm fenders are probably your best bet. You might want to run 38s one day.

General rule of thumb is to go 10mm wider than the tire you are running. Wider won't hurt, narrower you might get splashed. Your choice.

Aaron :)

If you are planning to run 32 mm tires or larger, you would want the 45 mm wide fenders. I've got a Casseroll with 700 x 25 tires and the 35 mm fenders fit perfect. However, I installed some 32 mm cross tires for some trail riding and had to remove the fenders to use the larger tires.

My fenders are Planet Bike Cascadias and I really like them. They are easy to install, don't rattle, have built-in mud flaps, and look nice. I've got black ones on my Casseroll and silver ones on my touring bike.

If I ran my 32's till the tread wears out, and replace them with 28's will the 45 fender look stupid? I don't want to spend money on new tires till I wear those out, but I probably would switch to 28's someday.

Thanks!

If you are interested in something a little different try wood fenders from this guy http://www.woodysfenders.com/store/ I have no affiliation with them other than being a very satisfied customer. They aren't inexpensive but they were worth it for me.

I don't think 45 mm fenders would look stupid with 28 mm tires. It's just 10 mm anyway. I would definitely go with the wider fenders if you want the flexibility to run tires larger than 28s. I put 35 mm fenders on my touring bike and really wish I had gotten the 45s. Although I've currently got 28 mm tires on that bike, I would want to use 32 mm tires if I do any loaded touring and the current fenders won't be large enough.

I miss commuting

Have you seen the new SKS Longboard fenders? http://www.sks-germany.com/?l=en&a=product&r=News%202011&i=10439&LONGBOARD&PHPSESSID=e4453b84da75a2461ba5db119f31b4d0
By the looks, I think they should be really nice, functionally, for a 28" bike with narrow tires...

Take a look at the fenders @ Planet Bike. If you are a ACA member ther was a distount at one time

The 35 mm size is referring to the size of the fender not the size of the tire.

I use 45 mm SKS fenders with 35mm cyclocross tires (these have knobs, which might make them a bit wider than 35mm).

The SKS fenders are very good. The Planet Bike fenders are also well regarded.

Have you seen the new SKS Longboard fenders? http://www.sks-germany.com/?l=en&a=product&r=News%202011&i=10439&LONGBOARD&PHPSESSID=e4453b84da75a2461ba5db119f31b4d0
By the looks, I think they should be really nice, functionally, for a 28" bike with narrow tires...

Yes, they look nice (it seems they've seen the Planet Bike fenders). They are listed as 45 mm fenders (which means they should be good for wider tires, eg, 35mm).

I am not sure if the SKS chromoplastic fenders are anything more than plastic. I have them on a couple of bikes and one cracked a few inches from the bottom. If they have any aluminum in them, it might be aluminum foil, because I just used a manual hand drill to put a few holes on either side of the crack and used zip ties to stitch it together. It worked great, but it did not feel like there was any metal at all in the fenders. That said, they are good fenders and I like them a lot. I think the others mentioned are good as well. The VO fenders take a bit more work to install. In many cases they have to be dimpled on the sides to fit between the forks.

I believe they do use foil

The SKS fenders (chromoplastics as well as bluemels) indeed use aluminium foil sandwiched in between the plastic layers.

If I ran my 32's till the tread wears out, and replace them with 28's will the 45 fender look stupid? I don't want to spend money on new tires till I wear those out, but I probably would switch to 28's someday.

Thanks!

I have used 28s on my touring bike and my cross bike, and have used the "less large" fenders and I personally prefer how they look and wouldnt want really large ones with 28s as I do think it would look clunky. Just my opinion but I know that 32s could fit in without issue on my bikes and I dont really see putting on wider than 32s....I guess if I ever did I would have to change but Im ok with that slim possibility.