Originally Posted by
bragi
Unless you're racing or mountain biking or doing some other form of purely recreational/sport riding, I think it's totally nonsensical to ride without fenders. They're not that expensive, they weigh less than a change of clothes, there's no aesthetic downside, really, and they keep your backside nice and dry when you get caught in unpleasant weather. For a commuter, what's not to like?
1. Use of fenders may force you to go with a narrower tire than you otherwise would.
2. Could create problems with toe overlap
3. If clearance is tight, could have occasional issues with tire rub
4. Less convenient access to rear tire for inspection
5. Getting a stick or other hunk of debris caught between tire and fender could ruin your day
6. Aesthetics is in the eye of the beholder. Some bikes look good with them, others not as much.
If I commuted in my work clothes, I'd probably have them on all year just in case. As it is, I change when I get to work so getting wet isn't a big deal. My road tires don't kick up that much spray anyway and most of it ends up on my waterproof backpack or my feet. In warm weather I don't really care.
I also don't have a dedicated commuter bike nor do I want one (not at this time anyway). I have a road bike and an offroad bike. So, I pull the fenders off in the summer.
For a lot of the year the positives of fenders outweigh the negatives but for me there are negatives.