So I took the plunge yesterday, and had a set of PB Hardcore fenders mounted. They look great, and though the weather was dry, I managed to find a few spots to test them out ;-)

My issue is this, though: Foot clearance - - I seem to need more! I don't have particularly large feet -- size 44 MTB shoes -- but my left foot made contact with the fender stay several times in my 27 mile shakedown ride, including one event during a relatively normal turn from street to street (i.e. not a low speed, sharp turn / parking lot maneuver). One of the contacts was hard enough to bend the stay slightly. Is this something I just need to get used to, or is there some strategy for avoiding this unintended contact?

I seem to have plenty of clearance to the rear, so I am considering moving my cleats forward some (which should have the effect of moving my toes back, right?), to see if gaining some space that way is practical --I didn't work too hard aligning my cleats when I started -- I more-or-less centered them, figuring that I'd move them if there was an issue. That was well over 400 miles ago.

Another idea was to cut off the 'excess' part of the fender stay, as it sticks out about an inch? behind the fender hardware itself. I have no plans to remount these to another bike, but is there some functional reason to keep the excess?

Thanks for anyone who might have some ideas.

What bike and what size wheel are you mounting the fenders to?
I have 4 bikes that have these fenders and the only way I possibly get that much extra say sticking out is with the fenders meant for a 700c wheel mounted on my Hardrock with the 26" wheels (commuter with skinnier slicks).

I use BMX style pinned platforms instead of clipless and have never had an issue with clearance.
Perhaps it's the geometry and headtube angle of your bike that is the major contributor to clearance issues.

Trimming excess stay sticky-outage (technical term) shouldn't cause a problem and my help prevent leg perforations in a crash.
Just make sure you file down any sharp edges.

The only other thing I can think of right now is you probably will need to broaden and extend the mudflap section a bit if you will be having very wet conditions on your route, as sometimes the water will still spray a bit of your feet with the setup as is.

Those are SKS style fender stays. Cut them down so less than 1cm protrudes from the grippy metal gizmo (with a dremel) and file or grind off any sharp edges then refit the plastic caps. T.

This is exactly what I did after recently installed some PB hardcore fenders. I also mounted the fender stay to the front of the fender to rotate it up for a bit more clearance.

Like CptjohnC I went on a 22-mile ride after installation and had a couple toe strikes in really tight turns. So far after trimming the mounting arms and a couple adjustments it hasn't been an issue.

Hope this helps.

I won't fool with foot position by changing cleats unless you already don't have a good fit. You might be asking for problems. Maybe the other suggestions for altering the stays will help.

I've ran into some toe overlap with my PB Hardcore fenders on my T700. It's as much frame geometry as it is the fenders.

You can do what I do. Just be aware of it when turning at slow speeds.

I forgot to add it takes a pretty tight turn for toe strike. I found it just to be a matter of being aware and after a while I just don't think about it.

i have giant feet, and a bike with tight geometry, AND i have fenders on in the winter.
you will get used to it and learn when to turn in and etc.. just takes some time and its second nature

Thanks to all for the feedback. Sounds like I should skip the cleat movement idea :-)

In answer to one of the questions early on: I have 700c wheels, with tires marked 28 x 1 3/8 x 1 5/8, so perhaps a bit larger than some hybrid tires? I think they're nominally 37s?

The fenders should be appropriate (ordered by my very competent LBS - same one that sold me the bike), and they seem to fit quite nicely - everything looks right in terms of fit and orientation. The excess stay length is definitely less than 2 inches, and probably just over 1 (I haven't measured). As to the need for better mud flaps -- I'm really a fair weather bicycle commuter, but because one can never really predict the weather, and because I ride some unpaved sections, I have to deal with puddles and excess mud/dirt even on nice days. So, fenders seem like a good idea, though I think I'll be okay with the short/narrow MFs that came standard. If not, I'll follow the advice for extending them

My first couple of strikes were very tight turns -- the kind that I occasionally strike the front tire (I probably should have anticipated the issue, huh?) But the last one (and the hardest) was a pretty ordinary turn. The bend was just the end of the stay where it goes into the 'grippy thing' ;-)

It sounds like I need to cut down the excess stay length, at the very least. Good thing I have a dremel.

You can order extended mudflaps directly from PB for about $5.00 a pair. Since you only need a flap on the front, you'll have a spare. Definitely worth it for keeping your feet drier and drivetrain cleaner.

I've been procrastinating doing the exact same thing, with the same results, on an almost identical PB fender. Time to fire up the Dremel this weekend.

This . . . Big Time.

I have the same fenders on my bike. I use clipless pedals, and find that my toe rubs the tire even without the fenders, if the wheel is turned enough. I've already gotten accustomed to avoiding that by positioning the pedals closer to 12 & 6 o'clock in a turn so they aren't close to the wheel, so it's not really any worse with the fenders on. For me, it's not practical to pedal with the wheel turned that much anyway.

+1 an easy fix. My latest bike doesn't have eyelets on the fork dropouts, so I had to mount them on the lowrider braze-ons, which left a good 3-4 inches of strut sticking out. I don't have a dremel so I just used a hacksaw, filed the ends, and reinstalled the caps.

I had the problem with touching the tire on extreme turns before the fenders -- I certainly know what causes it, and to avoid pedaling when the turn is that sharp (though in really tight situations, I sometimes need to pedal to keep some momentum, or put a foot down). This happens when I have to use the pedestrian ramp from a bridge to the towpath, for example, which involves 180 degree turns in tight spaces. I haven't tried this since the fenders were installed, but I already know that it will cause a bit more trouble, because:

I made pretty solid contact with the fender stay on a 'regular' (i.e. 'not tight') turn -- this was the genesis of my inquiry. The situation was turning right from one street onto another -- a 90 degree change of direction, but done in a 'normal' arc. Admittedly, I was moving pretty slowly, so I may have tightened the line a bit more than I realized, but I wasn't doing anything I consider 'extreme'

Oh, and how important are the plastic end caps? The one on the stay I hit disappeared at that time and I couldn't locate it. I presume they are to keep me from drilling through my leg if I crash, right?

It sounds like you are hitting the stay, not the fender.

Trim the excess (it's normal to do). PB probably sells replacements anyway. (Note that you should mount the fenders for the largest tire size you plan to use.)

I ran the tips of mine across a brick.

You can also just bend the extra behind the mudguard, so it wraps around.

Don't move your cleats, otherwise, you're asking for pain.

Cut the stays.

Learn not to hit it with your feet.

Get some of those 'breakaway' mounts for the times when you forget, lest you push the fender into the tire and do an endo. Don't ask me why i sugget this.

You're assuming my cleats are properly located to begin with ;-)

Best advice ever. I definitely had to think about my feet a little bit more, esp. on tight turns, but I also didn't hit too much today. Once, I think. I did cut down the excess on the stays, which may have helped, but I noted that my feet seem to overlap my wheel whenever it is turned, regardless of the fenders... so it will be more about my riding and less about the extra hardware.

I've no problems with fenders and I've them on several of my bikes.