Oh yeah, don't forget those absurd little racings fenders that only really cover the brakes.
I think I'm going to pull one off of another bike and put one on my UO8.

I'd love to get full fenders on my commuting mtb, but i can't find any that fits this frame properly (front shocks too). I had to settle for similar plastic clip-on ones as the one in the OP, but to be honest they're not very good at keeping the water off my legs or my ass, and I shudder to think about its aerodynamic efficiency when i look at it

Do you like drinking rain water off the road that's thrown up into your mouth by the front tire? A few rides dealing with that and I was sold on fenders for my commuter bike. My rear rack keeps my backside mostly clean but the full coverage rear fender keeps things even cleaner (although my bike is far from spotless).

I dont know about that. This isnt my first bike. I have had other bikes in my lifetime with full fenders on them, and didnt like then better or worse then the clip-ons I have now. Although, I must say that factory installed fenders look a whole lot better then some of the aftermarket stuff that people are putting on there bikes. Some of the pics on here show the wrong size fenders that dont conform to the wheel, or have been sqeezed or bent to fit on a bike that they dont belong on, or a flimsy plastic ones on an expensive mountain bike that dont even have fender eyelets and have to be jury rigged. Those look good to you?

The other thing is I DONT get wet with these particular clip-ons attached to this particular bike, so why would I think the full mounted fenders would be better? I dont think ANY fenders look good on a mountain bike, personally. Not even the ones that I have. That is why I like the fact that: A) I dont get wet with my fenders and B) they come right off when not needed. Its great that people have different opinions and different tastes. My original post was to find out what full fender people thought, thats all.

well, for the most part that's what you have gotten

How are fenders a waste if you ride in bad weather? I have ridden with and without and now outfit all of my bikes (well 3 anyway:D ) with full SKS fenders. I like the sks because they have a "breakaway feature" that allows them to come loose when you crash or pick up road debris and then snap them back into place afterward. I had a pair of Feddy fenders from planet bike and they have no breakaway feature. The stays got bent and then were a pain to adjust. Fenders are cool and don't even get me started on homemade mudfalps!:D

....but brown colored skunk stripes on your rear are so sexy! :rolleyes:

or

dirt + rain = ????

BTW- Here is my Mountain bike w/ fenders. I think it looks pretty good....

[IMG]http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k2...3/5mrffbbq.jpg[/IMG]

Wheres there a Piggly Wiggly in Brooklyn :eek:

I :love: the Pig !!

What I gather from your posts is that you obviously don't ride a lot in the rain. I mean, I don't like the look of fenders either but I'm slowly but surely coming around to appreciate the practical uses of my bike, both in terms of utility and aesthetics. I can appreciate that a bike with fenders, particularly here in Seattle, is used throughout the year -- ridden in the rain when it's 38 degrees and raining sideways, as is the case so many days here in Seattle.

I don't think to myself, 'boy that bike looks silly with fenders', even if that's the case. I tend to appreciate that the rider of that bike is hardcore too, not afraid of a little rain and crappy conditions, but willing to bike through a Seattle winter. Maybe I'm stretching it a bit, but it's so much more than the looks of the bike with fenders, it's the attitude that bikes are as much a vehicle for transportation & utility as they are for recreation. There's a certain beauty in that too.

Full fenders for me. I will never go back to RaceBlades. They simply don't cover enough of the wheel to keep you and your bike clean. And once they're installed, they stay put. I was forever readjusting the rubberbands on the RaceBlades.

+stairtreads

I modded my PB Freddy HC fenders last weekend and attached full coverage mudflap extenders. I went to the local big-box home improvement and purchased a $1.98 piece of stairtread rubber. I already had a bag of 4" cable-ties and a drill.
With my multi-tool, I cut the small original mudflap off the rear fender and drilled 4 holes near the end of the fender (to thread the cable-ties through.) I cut the mudflap out of the stairtread, marked the fender holes on the flap, drilled it out and attached it. For the front, same procedure just without cutting off the original small mudflap. Both hang to about 2" off the ground and are at least 1" wider than the regular fender/mudguard. I haven't had wet booties from standing water splashups, or problems with iced over slush or road grit caking itself onto my under-the-BB-routed cable cluster.
Looking over at my bike right now, I can see the grass and dirt clinging to the front flap, and I'm glad that it's there and not on my BB and cranks.
The rear flap is just a courtesy, really. I can ride the MUP in the rain and not leave a giant motocross rooster-tail for everyone else to deal with when I go through a puddle.

stairtreads!

Mudflap plans here:

http://phred.org/~alex/bikes/fendermudflap.html

I have the full fenders held to my susp shock by 4 zip ties, 2 at the crown (above the brake arch) and one at each dropout where an eyelet might otherwise be. I'm amazed how stable it is.

And it looks *very* sharp.

While I'll agree that bolt on fenders do a better job of protecting the bike, they just don't work on some bikes...at least not without a whole lot of redneck engineerin';) As a rule, I don't run fenders all year long. We just don't need it here. This winter has been the exception...in spades! I've modified my clip-ons to provide better protection and still be able to remove them on short notice

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r...e/IMG_0175.jpg

If you look behind the seat tube, you'll see that I've added an extender to the clip-on fender. I took a piece of another fender and, using zipties, I now protect the derailer and bottom bracket from spludge.

To keep the fender from hitting the wheel in the back, I routed the fender over the top of the brake bridge and hold the end of the fender up with a large o-ring around the taillight.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r...e/IMG_0149.jpg
http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r...e/IMG_0146.jpg

Since this picture was taken, I've also added a spray guard on the down tube to keep stuff off the crank. But all this junk can be removed in less than 10 minutes when the world dries out and I can ride in the dirt again:)

Hmm... Actually I ride my bike to work every day, year round except in the snow.

I feel I am hardcore since I dont care if I get wet or if the bike gets wet. I can ride to work without the expensive raingear or the full fenders. I don't really need a touring bike or a road bike either since I am capable of getting to work in a more hardcore fashion (although they would be nice) . I dont mind getting wet, and my fenders keep me from getting dirty. My bike gets dirty, but I know how to clean it. New York is getting colder every day, and I will be out there then also. I may not be the most hardcore (your words), but I am going at it OK.

Bring on the slop, I am not afraid.

Matty in Brooklyn

Alright, you got me. That bike looks pretty good.

Matty in Brooklyn

If you commute on a road bike steel frame the clip-ons are the only ones you can install. Correct? Nothing else is narrow enough to pass through to the other side in order to have full coverage.

In me experience it's just the opposite: steel frames are made of thinner tubes and therefore have greater clearance than Al or CF frames. This isn't the closest shot, but you can see that I was able to get a set of full coverage SKS Chromoplastic fenders on my Trek 660.


http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18...erfixie010.jpg

It depends on whether or not you have enough clearance between the tire/brake & fender/fork crown. I tend to favor older touring frames from the 70's & 80's as they are easy to modernize, relatively cheap to aquire, usually have plenty of clearance and are asthetically pleaseing, IMHO. The bike below is a 1973 Schwinn World Voyageur that has been "modernized" and it has full fenders.

[IMG]http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k2...tures198-1.jpg[/IMG]

Sweet. What fenders are those? I have a Cannondale F600 (which looks like a similar frame except I have a suspension fork and discs brakes and would have to manipulate the mechanism probalby using spacers.) What frame is that and any suggestions or tricks on installing the fenders?

Thanks.

No one likes my toupee analogy. :(
j/k

Anyhow, I agree that clip ons are many bikes only recourse. However, on bikes that can take either my little wannabe formula is what I favor. :)
You know it never occurred to me that I could take them off. When do you remove your fenders? Wouldn't that be an invitation to the rain gods? :p

1. I think permanent fenders look better than clip-ons.

2. Permanent fenders are usually mounted closer to the tires and are longer than clip-ons. This yields better protection for the same width fender.

3. Commuting is a 2 event endeavor. To work followed by home from work. These events can be separated by many hours. Often, you can be surprised by the weather when its time to ride home. Better to be prepared.

Depends on the vintage. They don't make em like they used to. Ok, maybe they do, but you can find old steel bikes with eyelets by the dropouts and plenty of room for permanent fenders. These old bikes can be had for $15 to $100.

If you ever ride a bike with full fenders in the rain, then you'll have your answer this question.

Also, it looks like your clip-ons shoot water (and grime) into your headset and into your bottom-bracket.

I do like drinking rain water off the road, it saves me from having to reach for my water bottle or camel pack tube :)

I live in Rochester, if it isn't raining at least 1 day a week for the spring thru fall something is wrong, and it's been all snow or slush for the past 2 weeks, and I still say fenders are a waste except for group riding.