Phyoomz

Hello folks:

Here's my issue. I was once a fair-weather cyclist but with my latest addition (Specialized Steel Allez) I've become a commuter, and will commute on all non-icy days. Just today as it was raining cats and dogs I found myself with quite an impressive amount of muddy water coursing down both the rear and front of my pants and of course into my shoes. I take it I need fenders.

So, once again, I humble myself to the collective wisdom of the forum in asking a) do fender sizes make a difference in performance? and b) what would you guys/gals recommend given what I'm working with?

I've attached pictures of where I think the fenders would mount. I'm currently riding 23x700c tires but will probably get 25x700c tires for the coming winter.

Thanks in advance guys/gals.

LeftinFlint

I have some Planet Bike fenders that work pretty well. I didn't have good luck with small fenders. I like the full fender that covers as much of the tire as possible.

1nterceptor

I use Planetbike SpeedEZ fenders on my 2009 FUJI Newest 1.0;
it was installed when I bought my bike in Sept. of '09. I'm using
700 X 25 slicks.


SNOWBOUND by 1nterceptor, on Flickr

bicycleflyer

you can fit fenders to almost anything. Just do a Google search and you will see some clever ideas.

Personally I use aluminum fenders from Velo Orange on my Rivendell. complete with mud flaps. They look good and they work great.

On my beater bike..I have a set of those plastic fenders that are quick release. They are ok for keeping water off your back, but a good rear rack would do the same thing.

drbenjamin

The Crud Mudguard 2 are what you want. I'm on my 3rd season w/ them here in the NW, they are ligtweight, effective, look pretty good and require no eyelets.

old's'cool

You'd be amazed how much spray and crud gets past what appear to be full coverage fenders, even with a mudguard, and makes a mess of your drivetrain and shoes. If you're going to be doing a lot of rain riding, I'd recommend the largest circumferential coverage that you can get, and width according to tire size and what the bike will accommodate. A large mudguard on the front will help somewhat with spray.

chaadster

I'm also a user and fan of Planet Bike fenders, and I think some of their Cascadia fenders in white would look cool on the Allez!

The PB Cascadia's offer several widths, but probably the road 35s are what you'd be able to get on the Allez (without cutting the fender). They offer excellent foot protection with the long mud flaps, and I think that in terms of design and construction, the PB fenders are excellent products. It's nice you can easily buy replacement/repair bits easily.

Here's my utili-'muter in her standard dress with PB Hardcores:

mercator

Get some sks chromoplastics

ThermionicScott 

As long as you're in good enough shape to blow the doors off your riding buddies, any fender is "sporty."

innaminka

+1 for Crud products. I use the Roadracer mk2 on my roadbike, you can barely see them on there, they give good coverage, replacement parts are cheap and they are easy to remove if necessary.

Mudguards are great, I find that unless it is actually raining at the time I ride, I arrive at work/home dry. Which means I get out on the bike more.

Big Lebowski

I recently put a set of Planet Bike Hardcore Road fenders on my bike with 23 tires. The stays on these adjust easily. Whatever you get, be careful that you get a fender that is narrow enough to get through the seat stay bridge.

cod.peace

I am part way through installing the SKS 35mm fenders on my Lemond. It is taking some work despite front/rear eyelets partly because I really like the Pasela TG tires in 28mm but mostly due to brake caliper clearance. You can get Planet Bike mudflaps for the SKS fenders right from Planet bike for $5, with free shipping. They fit perfectly.

Ridefreemc

SKS Longboards.

bicycleflyer

I'm curious, how far down do your mud-flaps hang? Mine stop about a inch and a half above the surface and are very effective. I get almost no road grime/spray on my shoes or bottom bracket area. I made them from stair tread rubber.

This is where I got the instructions from....

https://www.phred.org/~alex/bikes/fendermudflap.html

tarwheel 

Since your frame has eyelets, I would not recommend the Crud fenders, which are designed for bikes that don't have eyelets or normal clearances for fenders. Regular full-fit fenders are much more effective than Cruds or SKS Raceblades (another detachable brand). I have owned all 3 types, and full-fit fenders are far superior. I could not get Cruds to fit my bikes with any tires larger than 23 mm, and even then the clearances were extremely tight with occasional rubbing. My commuter bikes now all have eyelets and clearances for fenders, and I've got Planet Bike Cascadias on two bikes. I've got the 35 mm version for road bikes and they provide ample clearance and coverage for tires up to 28 mm. If using tires larger than 28 mm, I would get the 45 mm or hybrid version. Since your frame has eyelets, fender installation should be a snap. Black fenders would look better with your bike, IMHO.

old's'cool

Yes, well, in my walk of life, rather than going with maximum coverage fenders/mudflaps, I've gotten by with fairly minimal road bike fenders & no or minimal mudflaps (on the 2 out of my 4-and-counting bike fleet that are equipped with fenders at all). Generally, I studiously avoid riding in the rain or on wet roads, so spray etc. is almost never an issue for me these days. However, I do have real world experience (in the form of "negative reinforcement") on which my post #6 is based.

RichardGlover

I love my SKS Longboards. If you can fit them (they're 45mm wide, IIRC), they provide great coverage. Note how far down the included rubber mud guard goes down the front fender (could mount the fender at the front of the HT instead of the rear if you're concerned about clearance while curb-hopping or something).