Fenders
 

I need to get some new fenders for my commuter. I've been contemplating something along the lines of SKS Longboards, the Planet Bike Cascadia II, or a set of Velo Orange 45 mm Fenders. The Velo Orange cost a fair bit more, but I think they look really great. How well do they stand up? I'm worried that they may get bent easily. Thoughts?

Cascadia MTB 60mm (26") on my new commuter Kinesis Decade Tripster.

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u...10_160152A.jpg
They are fitting a little loose to the tire in the back but I might leave them that way. The mud flaps look durable and are firmly attached with (2) stainless steel rivets.

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u...10_152750A.jpg
The mounting hardware is top notch (everything is stainless steel) and the stays bend nicely to fit a disc brake if necessary. I had to shim the from fork attachment because my fork has so much room.

I've had really good luck with both Planet Bike and SKS fenders. I prefer the SKS, even though they're a tad bit pricier. At any rate, fenders are fenders; it's not a complicated piece of equipment, and any fender from a reputable vendor will work as promised.

I like to get fenders that are a bit over-sized. For example, I ride on 28 mm tires, but I use fenders designed for 37 mm tires. I've noticed that wet tires pick up debris from the road, and if you have fenders with minimal clearance, occasionally that debris gets stuck between the fender and tire. It's never catastrophic, but kind of annoying. With larger fenders, you avoid this problem but still stay dry.

Have an excellent time with all the PB Cascadia fenders I have fitted and they have to endure some extreme temps and abuse... just fitted PB fenders to my folder and my only gripe is that they sell these separately as many get fitted to recumbents with different sized wheels. This made them cost more than I would normally pay.

Also run SKS and have found these to be very good as well.

I've got Planet Bike fenders on my bike (can't remember which model) which are the hybrid size, so they're a little wide for my 28mm tires - which is fine because I think a slightly wider fender does a better job blocking spray. Quality is very good too.

I have Velo-O alum fenders. Took some time to set up but they look and work great.

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u...flyer/0012.jpg

Fender installation is always a bit of a pain; each one is different and unpredictable. If this is your first time, stick with a plastic fender, they go on easier. I've used both the SKS and PB fenders, and honestly, once they are on the bike, there isn't too much difference. The metal fenders have all been more of a pain to instal, but once they're in place, they have all worked great.

Fender installation: +1. When we bought my daughter's bike, instead of putting me through the hassle, we bought fenders and had the mechanics install them. They took as long as I would have to install, so I was (a) bored and (b) felt like a master mechanic.

Mount and forget for a long time. Lost a mounting bolt last week -- first time I've worried about a fender on a ride in a dozen years. (Got home with a twist-tie from a bread bag!)

I have 30 year old SKS/Esge mudguards that are still fine..

Be aware of toe clip overlap once you add them.


I got PB recumbent mudguards for my Bike Friday for those 20" wheels,

But then, fabricated how they are mounted , with strips of aluminum, and
poprivets.

The PB Hardcore fenders are "easy" to install and are adjustable. Love them.

I have several bikes fitted with plastic and VO alloy fenders. VO fenders are a little harder to install than plastic, partly because you have to tweak the attachment points with leather and rubber washers and dampeners to kill the noise you get with metal fenders. Metal fenders rattle and amplify road noise; plastic fenders are silent.

Once installed, the VO fenders look very good, better than plastic, in part due to the nicer looking stays and attachments (which detract from appearance on plastic).

My VO alloy fenders (VO sells various models in stainless steel too) are still like new after a few thousand miles of road use, with no dents. I suppose this might not be the case if I had traveled dirt/gravel roads instead.

One of my commuter bikes has velo orange fenders on it, and they aren't bent yet after 3 years of riding back and forth to work and being outside 24/7. They are a bit more fussy to install, but once they are properly installed, you can forget about them. One thing I have come not to like, however, are the leather washers. They don't hold up when left outside 24/7 in the rain and heat. If metal fenders are installed tightly, they don't need leather washers to keep from rattling. If one wanted some damping, an actually UV and weatherproof washer - maybe EPDM - would probably be a better way to go.

I have PB Cascadias on one bike and SKS Longboards on another.
The PBs were easy to install and have held up well.
The SKS were tough to install, and the front fender broke off inexplicably just in front of the hanging bracket after 6 months of use. SKS very promptly sent a new set, so we'll see if it was just an anomaly.

Pic of bike balanced on the edge of river? Yikes!

Another vote for the Planet Bike fenders. Once you've got them on, you'll never have to think about them again.

I really like my SKS P50's