so its getting wetter and colder and as today demonstrated, im gonna be needing some fenders soon. I like the topeak defender fender, cheap, QR, front and back coverage. anyone had any negative experiences with those? or can someone recommend a better or similar fender?

If you're getting fenders, don't bother with those things - they're too small and have gaps in the coverage. QR on fenders is a total waste. Get a good, full-coverage fender like Planet Bike Freddy Fenders or SKS Chromoplastics. You should only use clip-ons if for some reason your bike can't equip full-coverage fenders. They're more secure, and they'll keep a lot more road gunk off of both you and your bike.

SKS chromoplastic have a safety release on the front stays which really works. Mine has operated on two occasions and saved me from a spill. They are the best design around.

Ditto on the Topeak Defender, not worth the money, no decent coverage. I have been real happy with my Planet bike Fenders.

One problem to note with plastic fenders like SKS and Zefal - ones I bought were warped, which is totally annoying because they don't have enough attachment points to straighten them out. I had to zip-tie my rear fender to the rear rack to straighten it out so that it didn't rub the tire. The front looks totally funny because it isn't in line with the tire. Buy them in a store so you can make sure they're straight or at least return them.

I had some Zefel snamp on fenders. They were "okay" and lasted almost a year. I really like the new Planet Bike Freddy Fenders! They rock!

Keep Cycling,

word of advice: i just got some zefals for the girlies commuter and i gotta say skip em! they are barley adjustable and pretty flimsy.

and i also echo everyones advice to get full fenders.

i'd even recommend a mudflap for the front one.

i leave mine on all year now, just in case.......

I have used the sks on my commuter since last December. I have riddded through 2 inches of slush with no problems, thankfully I had Nokian studded tires on at the time.

The pure-plastic fenders do get warped, true, but I've heated both of them up with a lighter and bent them to the appropriate position so they line up just right over the tires. I think the Planet Bike fender are easiest to install, but less adjustable than the SKS models. The small flaps on the Planet Bike Freddy Fenders are adequate, but a larger flap seems essential for the front...

I bought Zefal cab fenders (for 700 x 35 tires) online and they sucked big time. I've never seen such poor directions and the fender stays were much too short. I ended up sending them back for a refund. I looked around the LBS's but saw only the short QR kind, not the full fenders. Maybe I'll order some Freddy Fenders as I've heard good things about those. A question about that though: The hybrid version is for 45mm tires but I use 35mm tires on my hybrid bike. Is there any problem ordering the 35mm road fenders for my hybrid?

I'm thinking of getting fenders too. I've resigned myself to the fact that I'm going to need full fenders, but one thing concerns me. I've noticed while riding in the rain, that the water tends to stick to my front tire for almost the entire trip around, and only comes loose about 30 degrees after passing the front fork. Caught by the wind, the concentrated spray of dirty water from the tire is blown right back at me. Will fenders help against this? They seem to mostly cover the part of the wheel behind the front fork...

I'm running DeFenders on my Giant because nothing else will fit. There aren't any eyelets on the fork and the rear disc completely blocks the rears. They work pretty good,but I did add a pair of mug guards to the downtube and seattube to block what they don't cover. Biggest complaint is having to readjust the rear every couple of rides.

Honestly though,if you can get Freddy Fenders to fit,go with those. Full coverage,and no need to fiddle once they're installed. If you're running rim brakes,there should be no probs. And a proper front fender should take care of the front spray. If it doesn't,try switching to a smoother tread tire(which will roll easier anyway).

I finally put fenders on my commuter....

Planet Bike Grunge Board for the front... I have an old Manitou Mach 5 shock on the front... hard to find a "fender" to fit it. Luv the Grunge Board though!

The rear, I found an Old Old Zefal rear fender.... I zip-tied it to the rear rack only to keep it from bouncing around and driving me crazy when it bangs the rack

The 35mm fenders are only good for clearance on upto 28mm tires. The 45mm should be perfect on your hybrid. I tried using the 35mm road fenders with some Marathon 35mm tires. I could get it to work but the fenders rubbed the tire on every little bump and I had to fiddle with them all the time to keep them from rubbing constantly. Your hybrid will take the wider fenders easily so I would suggest using them.
Craig

thanks everyone, i was set on the QR fenders, but i think ill look into the freddy fenders instead.

the delivery guys around here use cardboard and cut up plastic milk jugs as fenders front and rear. they also tie plastic bags over the seat for some reason.

Front fenders don't extend far enough forward to stop the forward rooster-tail. I still get sprayed in the face if I'm going 20+ or there's any hint of wind, so I need to extend the stupid thing with some scrap plastic. However, at least it provides a foundation on which to modify the fender to what I need. I built an adequate rear fender into my rear rack by hand, but for the front I really needed the pre-shaped fender because nowadays I don't have a machine shop at work to roll a strip of aluminum.

Try SKS fenders, as they are well-designed and work well.

They will also make any bike super-hotttttt.

Just a question... Is there any possibility of running 2 rear fenders to prevent the rooster spray?

I might try a heat gun, but I haven't so far because I wasn't sure if they'd survive.

Theoretically possible, and not a bad idea, but the going price for a set of SKS Chromoplastics at the LBS is 40 bucks. I'm not willing to pay 80 smackeroos for the privilege of keeping my face dry.

As an aside, I just installed a set of SKS fenders on my brother's new (old) bike today. Damn are those things a mother to install! Back to Planet Bike fenders for me...

I like mine. Beyond that you're in the rain. You're going to get wet

I've SKS full fenders on 3 of my bikes, and swap there Raceblade "clip on" model between my fixed gear & Brevet bikes. The race blades do a descent job, but are a bit tricky to get placed correctly on the rear.

Fenders do make a bike look SHARP!

I've used both SKS and the PB Freddy Fenders, and I agree, the FFs are far easier to install. Everything you need is in the package (although I wish they'd use SS screws & nuts instead of the cad plated stuff). I also like that they have mudflaps (although they are too small... I extended my front one).