snow_echo_NY

first it was the SKS raceblades. they have sent me pieces to replace the ones that have broken. but i had enough. now it is the honjo fenders. they were really nice until i guess there was a crack and now it's completely broken off and the rear contact point. i've only used them for 7 months - we got them on in January and earlier this month they're broken at one of the connection points.

i can't find their customer service online at all. anyone have any ideas how i get in touch with this company?

and a bigger question - why do even the nice fenders not last? is it b/c the vibrations from city road are just that bad? i want fenders but i don't want ones that consistently break on me.

can anyone please lend their advice with regards to fenders that would work for me...?

I-Like-To-Bike

Flimsy light weight after market fenders are often not built to last.

On the other hand:

Find an old (say 40 or 50 years old) English or American made bike that came with fenders installed when new and more than likely those 40 or 50 year old fenders are still intact and will be for the next 40 or 50 years.

snow_echo_NY

right... but i don't have that option right now.

i'm looking for contacts of whoever makes honjo fenders...and recommendations on fenders

Spoonrobot 

I've got some 10 year old plastic sks fenders I was using up until last winter. Only retired them because I switched wheel sizes. Current pair is 12 months/6k miles old, seem to be going strong. Hope for at least a decade from these too.

Anyway, got any pics of your fenders mounted? The broken ones I've seen at the shop were almost always damaged or installed improperly.

ETA: Whoops just saw your second post.

Where'd you buy them from? That might be the best place to try to warranty. Looks like they don't really have a US corporate presence and are sold and support through their dealers. I'd recommend you try the SKS chromoplastic models. We have yet to get any returned to us due to breakage in the few years we've been selling them.

Leebo

Planet bike. Mine have lasted for years on 3 different bikes.

jade408

Velo Orange? Mine are doing fine but I don't put a ton of miles. Other people I know do, and they seem to be doing just fine. I wonder if there was something else that caused the problem.

Did these 2 sets of fenders crack in the same way?

alan s 

Like they say in New York, Fahgettaboudit. Get some PB Cascadias.

Staggerwing

From what I seem to remember, Honjo is a very small shop, with just a few employees.

Honjo factory photos

By chance, has your bike spent any time being carried on the back or top of a car? Wind buffeting at highway speeds destroyed the rear SKS fender on one of my bikes. Breaking point was right where the lowest mounting brace attached to the fender.

Kedosto

The secret to making metal fenders durable and lasting is all in the way they're mounted. Honjos are great fenders, but if not mounted appropriately, they'll crack and break like any other metal fender.

1.) Fenders must be mounted in their original, manufactured shape. ANY twist, torque or force applied (no matter how slight) in an attempt to make the fender follow an arc other than their original shape will result in a stress crack. Vibration from normal use combined with the applied pressure eventually will cause a crack. Once a crack starts, it's virtually impossible to stop it. Drilling a small hole at the leading end of the crack can sometimes help to dissipate the forces which caused the crack to begin, but usually it's a temporary fix at best.

2.) Use thick isolating type washers at every mounting contact point. Leather used to be the choice, but rubber works well too. Avoid metal washers. If a metal washer is desired for aesthetic reasons, back them up with leather or rubber. Plastic washers can work well too.

3.) Don't over tighten the mounting hardware. Use blue Locktite on attachment point threads and tighten the screws to just snug and no more.

The idea is to mount the fenders in such a way as to make them floating in their original shape, hovering around the tire. Aluminum fenders are the worst for cracking as the metal gets brittle over the lifetime of the fender. SKS fenders are a sandwich design with polycarbonate on the outside and aluminum on the inside. Too much torque on an SKS fender and it can end up cracking too; it just takes a little longer. Pure polycarb fenders like Planet Bike brand are nearly bombproof but lack the style and cache of quality metal fenders. One must make choices.

Everyone wants a nice tight fitting fender, wrapped stylishly around their tire with as little gap as possible. Unfortunately, the fender can't match the arc of every possible tire size it fits around, so compromises must be made.

Long story short; DON'T BEND THE FENDER. I only know what I know after having spent all the money.


-Kedosto

RubeRad

I'm not a fender guy, but after your experiences with plastic/metal, I'd look into some beautiful wood fenders.

Woodys Custom Wood Bicycle Fenders
MK Fenders | Handmade Wooden Fenders for Bikes
sykeswoodfenders
Laminated Wood Bicycle Mudguards

However they're pricey, and might make your bike look more steal-worthy, which might not be good for NYC

fietsbob

I have 30+ year old SKS. NB: there are Also Bamboo bike fenders Grasshopper Fenders

Paint them a color, if you want, + add reflective tape..





./.

Booger1

Fender mounts need to be able to move around a little bit.....Something have got to give or the mounting will (rivets and such)....Rubber or leather washers are best....Nylon/fiber is better than steel on steel.

snow_echo_NY

Thanks for all the replies. I'll look into these ideas more

wolfchild

My Planet Bike full fenders are 8 years old and going strong.

PaulH

Agree with I-Like-to-Bike on the flimsiness of typical aftermarket bike fenders. However, Velo Orange stainless steel fenders are really great -- superior in long-term durability to the OEM ones that came with my German bike. Added bonus -- you can bolt a taillight onto them.

ColonelJLloyd 

This. It's all about the installation. Do what you can to spread the stress points.

wesmamyke

I've had no issues with SKS chromoplastic fenders. Even with some pretty drastic cuts taken out of my P65 fenders to clear an aluminum frame and fork they are fine. Probably have 10k miles on them at this point.

snow_echo_NY

augh. well i should point out that i didn't remove the rear fender when it cracked and then detached from one of the contact points - this is a warning - when that happens, remove the whole fender.

i left it on and i started commuting to work yesterday morning and the second contact point gave out and the entire fender rolled forward and stopped me in my tracks. it would have been bad if i had been turning, but since i was going straight, i slowed to a halt and the outside of the honjo fender is completely destroyed.

i heard it detach and then it happened, hardly enough time to put on the brakes.

in any case. sad bc these fenders cost a bunch and i expected them to last years, not months.

noglider 

That's a shame. I've used Bluemels plastic fenders (no longer made) and SKS chromoplastic. Both have lasted years for me. My Bluemels are in sorry shape, but they've been through a couple of collisions, and I installed them in 1982, so that's a pretty good record. I installed the SKS fenders in about 2012.

pdlamb

I've got 15 year old SKS fenders that the front mounting point of the rear fender broke off a while back, repaired with two holes and a zip tie. Another set that's only 8-9 years old has some cracking.


Unacceptable, shoddy, doesn't last any better than a car.


Is there any significant reason to choose Velo-orange aluminum fenders over stainless steel, or vice versa?

snow_echo_NY

thanks everyone i finally went about getting Planet Bike Cascadias in November - then REI misplaced my order and i never got them. so instead i went to a LBS redbeard bikes here in brooklyn and got SKS chromoplastic fenders installed and so far so good. they were great in the snow this morning. unfortunately i didn't get 50s i got 45s (i have 40 nokian hakkas). i'll see if they hold up with the studded tires.

you know the honjo fenders they came loose and there was a lot of rattling. so i re-tightened it without thinking but after hearing all you mention that the vibrations need to be dispersed, perhaps i re-tightened it too tightly which caused the fracture. so it sounds like you're all saying that if any parts come loose i ought to just go to my LBS and let them do it? b/c they probably know more about how much to tighten it. they (my LBS) didn't explain that to me (what @kedesto said) after the fenders were installed - but maybe i will bring it up with them that this could be the reason why the fenders failed.

thank you all for your knowledge sharing and such. really appreciate it!

tarwheel 

I've got several sets of Planet Bike Cascadias that have lasted for years (one set is about 10 years old). One set inexplicably broke in half after only a few months of use, but PB sent me a brand new at no cost when I emailed them about it.

noglider 

It can't hurt to have your mechanic "tune up" your fenders. The worst that can happen is that you pay too much, and wouldn't worry about it. You have good mechanics in your hood.

Loose Chain

I have several sets of PB fenders used on rough roads with no problems. J

Moe Zhoost

I like my PB Cascadias, but after five years they look a bit raggedy. I have thought often that hammered Al fenders would look great, but perhaps they won't stand up as well, from what I am hearing.

Has anyone tried the VO 45mm stainless fenders? Seems that they would be less likely to crack.