What width SKS fenders?
 

Hi there,
my wife has asked me to put some fenders on her bike. It is a touring bike, with a 28c rear tyre and a 28c front. Nothing wider than 32c will ever be fitted, as the rims won't take it.
Does anyone have any experience with the 35mm wide SKS fender with 32c tyres? Is it a fitting nightmare? Should I try for the 45mm ones instead?
Thanks!
Dave

According to SKS, the max tire size that can be paired with the 35mm fender is 28mm. You'll need 45mm fenders if you intend to ride a 32mm tire.

I use 35mm SKS Commuters with my 25mm Armadillos (which are a bit more like 27, honestly). Not a huge amount of room left there.

I have 35mm SKS fenders with 700X32 tires. It works...okay. The coverage would be a tad better if I used the larger size but it can be done. Anyhow, I'm switching to 700X28 mm tires so that point will be mute sometime in the future.

Get the widest fenders that will fit in your fork. The fender can't be too big, but it can be too small. And if your wife decides to run slightly bigger tires one day for any reason, you won't need to buy new fenders. Been there, done that. :(

Check. If the fenders are too wide where they would pass between the forks or stays cut notches in each side. Worked for me. I run 50 mm fenders for my 38 mm Armadillos.

The SKS 35mm works fine with a 28mm tyre and even on a 32mm touring tyre.
Larger fenders have more air resistance and the 35 gives plenty of protection.
I have used mine on muddy tracks with no problems. It does clog up in wet snow.

Thanks for the advice. Lot's of conflicting advice too! I have decided to play it safe, and ordered the 45mm onmes. They will match the guards on my Dawes trekking bike, which may be handy if something breaks or gets lost. Bikes don't look right without them. I look forwward to fitting them!
Dave

Why didn't I think of that! :)

I think 28mm / 32mm is the borderline between 35mm and 45mm fenders. If you never wanted to use anything bigger than 28's, then 35mm fenders are great. 32mm tires are a tight fit in 35mm fenders. I'm doing that now with some 27 x 1 1/4 (32mm) tires and 35mm Freddy Fenders. The skinny fenders look good. It just takes a lot of adjustment to get the fenders centered over the tire. Gotta be right on because they barely cover.

You can say that again. I spent 2 hrs one day nitpicking my install. I even measured the distance from each fender support to the sidewall of the tire.
I had plenty of time that day and was feeling a tad anal. :p