Today I rode through some tarred-up road gravel from a resurfacing. I'm quite glad my front fender was there to keep the gravel chunks from flying up and hitting my body or my face.

I ride in the Denver, CO, area, and I ride year-round (or will once I've been commuting a full year ) with fenders. For me, front and rear fenders are a necessity, not a luxury, on my commuter bike.