cycle16v

I don't know what took me so long to buy some fenders for my bike but now that I have them I love it!

I bought some SKS "Commuter" fenders for my bike (45mm) and can't see how I rode without them.

Big shout-out to my local bike shop in Plano, Texas, Plano Cycling for having exactly what I needed for my bike!

Anyone else still considering fenders? Go get them because they are well worth it!

daven1986

LOL I got the SKS chromoplastic mudguards and I hated the installation - I have front disc brakes and that made it very hard. Rear disc brakes didn't affect anything though.

Haven't had a chance to test them yet, have you?

tarwheel 

I just put some Planet Bike Cascadia fenders on my commuter-touring bike. I considered the SKS fenders, but got the Cascadias because they have a simpler look (no stripes) and built-in mud flaps. They were easy to install, probably because my frame is designed to handle fenders with plenty of clearance and mounts. I had my first ride in the rain with the fenders yesterday, and although it was a very light rain, I could tell that the fenders were working -- mainly because my bike was so clean when I got home. It is supposed to rain all day today, and I tempted to go for a ride just to see how the fenders work in heavier stuff.

fuzz2050

The only problem with the built in mudflaps, you have to take them off if you want to add your own. Those cascadia flaps are a little puny, they barely touch the ground.

d2create

If you don't want to deal with the tougher installation and more fragile nature of stainless or aluminum fenders, SKS are the bomb. I ran a set on my Atlantis for a year or two and they were great. Install and forget about it. Enjoy!!!

joejack951

I had to put a "Z" bend in my disc-side fender stay to make my SKS fenders fit. It took a little patience but in the end, I put far more mental effort into thinking about it than actual effort installing it. I used rear cantilever brakes so no problems there. You can sort of see the bend in the stay in this pic if you look closely:

https://home.comcast.net/~joejackson9...s/DSC09675.JPG

frankenmike 

I'll give shout out to the sks chromoplastic. I added my own mudflaps made from thick plastic, zip tied through two vertical drilled holes. Tough as nails, and so far through two wet seasons my feet and back stay dry, not to mention the drivetrain.

daven1986

I ended up having to use my mid-blade mount holes and cutting and bending the stays!

They do look sleek though, and I can't wait to try them out

cycle16v

Very nice pic of your bike and fenders. I'll have to a pic too! My SKS fenders are all black, no stripes, and included the mud flaps.

I haven't had a chance to put them through a weather test though.

The rear fender installation was easy. Everything lined up right and fit perfect. My front fender gave me a little trouble, (not because of the fender), because my bike is a crosstrail and there is a lot of clearance between the top of the tire and the bottom of the fork. Rather than have a jacked up fender in the front, I had to fabricate a 1 1/2 inch bracket to extend reach between the fender mounting bracket to the hole in the frame to accomodate the fender. Now, it looks clean and is functional.

I also have cantilever brakes too. I only had to disconnect them to have a hassle-free installation. No adjustments required.

Bring on the rain!

zephyr

I have SKS 50 mm full fenders on my Riv Atlantis and Surly Cross Check. The fenders on the Atlantis are about 5+ years old. I added Planet Bike Cascadia mudflaps on the front fender (used to have a duct tape mudflap) and it provides great additional coverage. Although it doesn't rain often here in southern california, I commute daily and don't like to clean my chain very often. With the full fenders and flaps, I can usually ride 400+ miles between chain cleaning and re-lube. The fenders and flaps really cut down on the sand and grit that the front wheel throws into the chain and onto me and the rest of the bike.

cycle16v

I got a chance to ride with my new fenders today. As the garage door closed behind me and I pushed off down the driveway, I noticed that I would hit the fender with the tips of my shoes as I pedaled and made sharp turns. Hitting the tire was not uncommon before but it seems I need to be more conscientious of the fact that there's now a fender closer to my feet.

After my ride, I looked to see what I could adjust to get the fender closer to the tire but it's as close as I'd like it to be. I guess I'll just have to practice a pedaling/turning technique that won't cause me to hit this front fender too often.

Anyone else have this problem?

joejack951

If you look at the side view of my Gunnar, you can see how close the pedal comes to the front tire/fender. I've never had to deal with a toe overlap problem like this before but in the 3 weeks I've been riding the bike, it has not proven to be a problem. The only time I did manage to hit my toe on the fender was messing around on my street making a very sharp turn and attempting to pedal. I made a mental note to keep my feet at the top and bottom of the stroke, with the inside foot up, to avoid any issues when making tight turns and haven't done it since. Considering I have to think through the position of my feet during a tight turn to avoid pedal scrape, it's not much of a burden to also consider toe overlap at the same time.