Originally Posted by
mrchaotica
One word:
FENDERS.
Get either
SKS Longboard or
Planet Bike Cascadia; those are the ones with the best coverage (that aren't super-expensive -- they should be about $45 on sale). And yes, you really do want the longest fenders you can get; the dirt-bike-style ones that clip to your seatpost are mostly useless.
I have 26" ATB Cascadias on my old-MTB-turned-commuter-bike, and I only get wet from the water falling from above, not dirty from stuff splashing up from below.
I've tried a couple sets of fenders from SKS. The problem is I can't find ones that fit on the forks since I don't have eyelets and the blades aren't shaped normally. I just picked up some for next fall/ winter that I will try. Most of the LBS around here cater to the MTB crowd for fenders and the road fenders they do have clamp onto the seat post. Internet returns are not my favorite.