Maukaman

I was thinking of installing theses Civia Brownie 700c 50mm bike fenders on my Cannondale Quick 5. I read stories of riders flying over the bars when something gets stuck in between the fenders and tire. I am too old to fly over my bars and was wondering if the positives are greater than the negatives. I mostly ride on paved roads but the bike lane has numerous pieces of broken branches which I try to avoid as best as I can. So far only one flipped up and broke a spoke. Wondering if I had fenders installed, would I have flipped bet my handlebar. I want to get fenders to keep the road dust and rain off of me and bike, but I can live without it if it could be be dangerous as well. My hybrid bike is used mostly for exercise which I ride 15 -20 miles about 4 times a week.

Maukaman....

Wanderer

In all my years of biking, I have never seen anyone flipped over the handlebars by a stick in the fender......... never.

I sure do like mine!

Maukaman

I really like the way fenders can keep me and my bike clean during the rain and dusty days. I read about the safety issues here and also a feedback on Amazon.com on a riders review on one of the bike fenders which got me worried a little. https://sheldonbrown.com/fenders.html

Maukaman....

martinus

If you are that paranoid ... use just the rear one.

Wanderer

Modern, properly installed, fenders are a joy. You and the bike stay cleaner and drier. Maintenance is lessened because of this.

It is extremely unlikely, that fenders will cause you a problem. It's probably more likely, that a wheel will fall off, or the frame break..

Everything should be inspected from time to time, to make sure the whole bike is in one piece. A good time to do this, is when you are cleaning and lubricating.

I have installed dozens of fenders, on mine and friends bikes, and never, ever, had a problem.

Slap some on! You will pat yourself on the back later! Life is too short, to worry about what might happen. Done properly, most things are safe.

jbchybridrider 

This thread is a

Kai Winters

I've never heard of anyone or anything having such a problem with their fenders.
I've used a variety of fenders, some home made, on my bikes for decades without a problem.
I love riding dry in wet conditions with the fenders on my old cross bike. They keep me dry and my bike much cleaner...win win

kaliayev

Many of the newer fenders have security clips that release when a large object gets wedged into your wheel. Look for a set of those and be worry free.

RickBlane

Something else to add to my list of upgrades.

Thanks guys.


https://thefrugalhamstercyclist.blogspot.com/

Bill Kapaun

+1
I recently purchased some Planet Bike fenders for my Hybrid and the front has a release mechanism.

Maukaman

Thanks for all the positive replies about fenders. I am looking to buy the Civio brownie 700c 50mm on Amazon or something similar to fit my 37mm tires. Does the wheel have to be removed when installing them? I am taking in my new rim and hubs to my LBS today to have them laced up.

Maukaman....

Maukaman

Thanks for the info.

alexaschwanden

Just make enough clearance in the fender if your worried.

dynaryder

The only ones I've ever seen with these are SKS. Both times I've installed SKS fenders on bikes,the fork design wouldn't let me install the clips on the front,so I've never used them. These could be useful on the rear if you've got an SS/FG/IGH drivetrain with track ends,but if they were really necessary for the front,all makes would come with them.

The only case of crashing from the fender getting fouled I've ever heard of was from some guy over in the Commuting forum who says it happened to his friend,and now he thinks we're all going to die. Honestly,I could only see this being an issue off-road,and even then you'd have to either be not paying attention or very unlucky.

Maukaman

I appreciate all the replies and thanks for the reassurance on fenders. I just ordered the Civio Brownie 700c 50mm online and they should be arriving by mail by next week. My new rims with Nuvinci hub are being laced today and I'll be picking it up from my LBS this afternoon. Hopefully to get all my parts in by next week for installation. Tinkering is an addiction that keeps me happy.

Maukaman....

pierce

a stick into the chain stays is going to be just as hazardous.

I like the Blackburn cloudburst fenders I put on my hybrid. plastic on the outside, and aluminum lined, built in mudflaps. they are very light, but quite sturdy. the stay wire clamps can be moved on the fenders, so you can clear racks. the stay ends are enclosed by compression clamps instead of sticking up to snag things.

Maukaman

The Blackburn cloudburst look great. I check the specs and it says for 700x35c. I just put on 700x37c when I had my new rims laced today at the bike shop. I also just bought a set of the Civio Brownie 700c 50mm fenders. It says, it can fit up to 42mm max. Looks like it would work.

dynaryder

I had these on my Dr Good. Was able to test fit 40mm knobbies under them.

pierce

I have the 700x45 Cloudbursts, they fit on a 37mm tire if you bend the stays a bit. they have like plastic compression fittings to hold the end of the stays, so bend those fittings out away from the tires at an angle, then bend the stays about 2-3" away from the ends to face inwards at the same angle.

you can kind of see that bend here..


(note, I've since moved that stay to be completely in front of the rack)

Burton

Fenders have at least SOME give to them. On the other hand, a bike frame has none and anything that'll give you a problem with fenders would give you a problem getting stuck between the tire and frame anyway.

Get the fenders.

martinus

Sorry, to do this ... but as the bumper sicker goes, " **** (does) happen(s) "

This, is why you have yearly tune-ups/safety inspections !!! ... any, fender rattles should be addressed immediately !

Doohickie

The moral of the story here is not that you shouldn't use fenders, it's that you should use modern fenders and fender hardware, they should be properly installed, and, just like the rest of your bike, you should check them periodically to make sure everything's tight.

I've had two fender mishaps. Both times the fender quick-release hardware allowed it to pop off and there were no safety issues at all. In both the examples, the one above, and the one on Sheldon Brown's page, the fender hardware is old school without the releases.