kirke

I was about to place a huge Velo Orange order, but shucks, they are out of the VO 37mm smooth fenders and they won't have more till after April. I dont think I can wait that long...

Does anyone know of anywhere else online that carries Velo Orange products that might have the VO 37mm smooth fenders in stock?



And no, I dont want to just get the Honjo ones, they are twice as much and this is for a commuter bike.

If anyone has any tips, feel free to post, or just send me a PM.

Thanks!

mickey85

Well, as they're the house brand for a certain company, made specifically for them, I doubt it. Could you go a bit wider? Wider fenders won't do anything but improve the functionality of said fenders.

kirke

That was my plan, but I have measured a couple times and I am doubting that the 45mm VO fenders will clear my Shimano R600 calipers (standard reach 47-57mm).

Anyone with these brake calipers (the more recent R650 version) get away with using 45mm fenders?

Cynikal 

Try https://www.thebikebiz.com/

wahoonc

Longleaf Bicycles in Wilmington, NC is a dealer. Give Anthony a call and ask, I know he stocks some items. Others he orders on a regular basis.

Aaron

Grand Bois

VO Imports Inc. distributes to retailers worldwide.

EjustE

Nobody will get away with this

37mm is the absolute max you can use with standard reach calipers. I would suggest trying something like a 35mm (widely available.) Both 37 and 35mm have clearance for 28mm tires max (for some reason VO quotes the max tire size for their 37s as "27mm"; must be a VO-only tire), so there is not a real advantage for a 37 instead of 35mm. Here is a nice aluminum pair with mudflaps for the same price and better quality than VO. If you don't care about mudflaps, REI has top of the line aluminum fenders for $35

RobbieTunes

If you can afford to wait, go V-O. After meeting them, they have the intangibles I prefer. They are basically us, in temperament and outlook.

They're also businessmen, so they'd understand. I'm waiting on Uncle Sam, and when he kicks back my overpayment, I'm getting a box of V-O goodies.

illwafer

call/email them and ask who is the nearest retailer.

kirke

Thanks for the suggestions, y'all. I might just go ahead and wait.

But, on the subject, EJustE says there is no standard reach 47-57mm caliper that will fit 45mm fenders. Is it true? Anybody been able to pull this off?

GV27

Talk to VO about that but I believe both their Grand Cru dual-pivots and Tektro R538s will fit a 45mm fender.....

JunkYardBike

I've got the anodized 45mm version on this Raleigh with 28c Paselas and 47-57mm Shimano A550 dual pivot calipers. There's plenty of clearance with the caliper arms. This frame is built for 27" rims, however, so I have room to position the fenders low. Actually, I was in a hurry to install them, so the poor fender line in the front is because the fender mounting tab was interfering with the headset cup. Instead of taking some time to modify the tab, I simply installed the front very low. However, I still think the fender could be raised several millimeters and still afford the caliper arms free movement.

robatsu

I've got 45 mm running w/good old fashioned Dia Compe centerpulls, medium reach (610?). I've got another set of 45s rattling around, haven't installed them yet, but have used them to check clearance on other bikes. Looks to me like they will work with medium reach Suntour Superbe/Cyclone (which are record knockoffs) as well as the venerable Dia Compe 500 sidepulls.

So looks to me like no worries, mate.

fender1

He is wrong. I have done it many times w/ SKS 45mm fenders and Shimano Long reach (47-57) dual pivot calipers. E tries hard but misses the mark sometimes, as we all do. He also has a bug up his rear about VO for some reason........

In addition, the fenders he shows a link too are aluminum cored w/ a plastic outer shell painted silver. They are not the same type of fender.

BTW Peter White Cycles sells 40mm Stainless Steel Berthoud fenders that (IMHO) are far nicer than the VO fenders. Granted they are bit heavier and spendy-er(?) but they are more robust and rattle less than the VO fenders. I have used both and preferred the Berthoud's. YMMV

Soylent 

+1. I went with them because they take Paypal. Great service and the shipping was quite fast.

frpax

Music to my ears! I love their site. I visit all the time.

robatsu

Same here. My first set of VO's, I was sort of astounded at how loud they were compared to the Berthouds I had had for years. Only benefit imo for the VO 45's are the ability to run a 35 for cushy riding. But then when I run a 32 or 28, they look a little empty, the 40mm Berthouds look better w/this tire size.

The Berthoud stay/fender connection is much cleaner looking as well, although a little trickier to setup and drill for. However, once you do get a set up and running, you're good to go for years and years.

FWIW, the Honjos are gorgeous, but they are even more delicate than the VO aluminum ones. I've got a set on my wife's bike, ya just gotta look hard at them to create a ding.

The price difference isn't all that much, in the grand scheme of things

southpawboston

i think that's a popular model, so it doesn't surprise me that they ran out. i also wonder whether they keep their production runs small until they know for sure things will be steady sellers. here are those fenders on one of my bikes, with 700 x 25 tires:



i'm hoping they keep their shine and don't dull as many uncoated aluminum fenders do.

i agree completely. i actually am very impressed with VO's fenders overall, and i think they are possibly better than honjos, quality-wise. the honjos are foil thin, and the weight savings over the VOs is negligible. i also found lots of minor manufacturing artifacts on the honjos, and the degree of polishing is not consistent. i think VO hit the perfect balance between durability and weight. both brands supply comparable hardware.

kirke

Well, I have a set of Honjo 43mm fluted fenders I just installed on my Mercian. I thought they felt pretty solid, but the only thing I can compare them to is SKS chromoplastics, which felt a little flimsy to me.
I think I am going to take one off the Mercian and see if it will work with the Shimano R600 calipers. If so, then I will go with the VO 45mm, if not, I will hold out for the 37mm.

Thanks everyone.

robatsu

I installed my first VO fenders after some fairly long experience with both Honjos and Berthouds. IMO, there were two (somewhat minor) problems with the VO's that kept them from being a really great product.

The first was the open eyelets on the fender/stay attachment. This is significantly weaker than a closed eyelet.

https://nihonmaru.blogspot.com/2009/0...ld-fender.html

VO has since rectified this, so I guess that is no longer an issue.

The other issue was a single point of fender/stay attachment per stay, as opposed to the two on the Honjo and the two on the Berthoud. The way the Berthoud works, by drawing the stay flush against the fender, makes the the stay essentially integral across the width of the fender.

The first time I rode my VO's down the unpaved rail-trail I ride daily, I was shocked at how much more the VO fenders swung around and how much easier it was to get a tire strike. At first, I thought something was loose. I got sort of obsessive about this problem (hey, I've got advance mech engr degree, can't help it..), you can read about it here, here, and here.

Bottom line, in my opinion, is to buy a couple of extra eyelets when you get your VO's and make them 2 fender attachments per stay.

That all being said, I'll acknowledge I'm a little extreme on this issue and plenty of other folks are undoubtedly quite happy with the stock setup for their application.

beech333

Having just bought a VO and Honjo fender set recently, I immediately appreciated the double eyelet on the Honjo over the VO. The problem with VO's current fender design is that they are predrilled now. It isn't the easy fix that it would have been in the past.

That being said, I haven't taken either set out for a ride yet. Hopefully, the VO one works out ok.

southpawboston

right. you're stuck with that centered hole, and pretty much have to use it. the only way to do a double fender/stay eyelet is to use the pre-drilled center one for a taillight, and drill two new ones an inch or two below.

beech333

I bought the stainless set. So far, they seem like they may be rigid enough, but I'm still keeping my fingers crossed.

It is a bit of a shame, because the VO fenders do look great. I'd certainly pay $5-10 more per set to get the extra hardware for a double eyelet set. They would still be a bargain and on the same level in quality, IMHO.

Since they keep an eye out on BF, maybe they will read this and take our thoughts into consideration.

Doohickie

Wow Anton.... Nice!

southpawboston

thanks, paul!