Anna, Wav:

I share the same concern about the fenders, but fortunately these too can be upgraded without too much difficulty. I'm still riding my Dt VIII to work everyday, and bought it partially because it had the fenders (as opposed to the FS model). The rear fender is just too short, and I'd still wind up with sand/grit/muck on my arse when I had to pedal in rainy weather. The front fender seems serviceable enough, though I'd prefer if it had a rubber mudflap at the bottom.

I finally got around to ordering a set of Freddy Fenders (20" recumbent size) for my planned Swift upgrades, and ordered an extra rear fender for the DT as well. What an improvement! I'm not particularly mechanically-inclined, but was able to install it with no troubles, and since then have kept my butt dry, even when riding in pouring rain. I use the fenders and a bike poncho to keep me dry from above and from below. I wear sandals when I ride, and will get a small amount of spray/spash on my feet and ankles, but that's it.

The Freddy Fender doesn't look as out-of-place on the bike as I thought, either. Bike is silver, fender is black. I'm thinking of putting a front one on too.

I can't stress enough that if you're going to sell a bike with a fender on it, they really should be long enough to provide full coverage and eliminate splashing up onto the rider. It just seems a shame, wasteful to buy a bike with a fender only to find that the fender's not good enough, and so toss it out and replace it with an adequate one.

When speaking to Yan, he said that he'd take my suggestions under consideration. They may or may not get incorporated in future bikes. He also mentioned that he found very little splash-up from the front wheel in extensive testing; most of it getting stopped by the frame-tube.

Anna, if you ride the bike to work and plan on riding in all-weather, I'd really recommend getting a set of Freddy Fenders for your bike. Not only will you be saving your own derriere from road grit, you will also reduce the amount of grime that gets thrown from the front wheel into the crank/chain.