SKS Chromoplastic and the Planet Bike flaps are my fav too. On my Fuji Touring Series V and will be on my soon-to-be-finished Pake C'Mute:

I'd never even consider riding without fenders. Neither would you, if you lived in Seattle.

I've got fenders - Planet Bike Cascadias, I believe - on one of my two bikes. Consequently, that's the bike that gets ridden when it's wet outside, as the fenders do a good job of keeping most water off my feet, and crud (there's a lot of it on Shanghai roads) off my back and off my bike.

The OP said that he was finally able to afford fenders. I think that a TI frame might be out of his reach.

Biggest disadvantage of a titanium frame. What does one cost? What does a set of fenders cost? There's a slight price differential that to some of us is significant.

Since I ride my bike for a living slowing down is not an option...time is money...I have a dedicated bad weather bike with full fenders and it keeps my feet, and butt dry....If I can help it I would never ride a bike without full fenders in the rain or snow....fenders make a world of difference.

Yeah, c'mon Aaron. Fenders can be had for as little as $20, a Ti bike costs... Oh, quite a bit more!

I am car-free and I also ride all year round in the most nasty weather. I find fenders very useful, they allow me to arrive at my destination clean, if I didn't have fenders my clothing would be coverd with road crap and grime.

Why waste money on a titanium frame when steel and aluminium are perfectly adequete. None of my steel and aluminum bikes have any corrosion on them even after many winters and lot's of exposure to salty slush and rain. Once again the reason I run fenders is not so much to protect the frame but to protect my clothing, I don't want to walk into a store looking like I just finished swimming through a swamp.



If I was to slow down that much it would take me 2 hours to get to work instead of only 50 minutes.

Yeah so what ? How often do you have to tighten them and how long does it take to do it ?

Irrelevent. I never had a problem fitting racks....Time consuming ?? How often do you have to take them on/off ?? Once racks are fitted they stay there for a long time without removing.

Very simple: buy tires which fit without rubbing. And keep your wheels true. Or run oversized fenders which have a little more room.


Irrelevent... Not a very significant increase in weight to slow me down on my commute. Seriously how much does a set of plastic fenders weigh ??

Locking a fendered bike is no different then locking an unfendered bike..I never had a problem getting my bike locked to a rack. If there is a problem with a rack then find another object to lock your bike to, such as a railing, lamp post or a sign post.

I've tried really hard to come up with the negatives and I just couldn't do it. So far I only see the positives.

I ordered Planet Bike Cascadia fenders after my commute a few days ago here in the PNW. I noticed that the spray from my front tire was flying directly into my mouth when I was on the drops and breathing hard. While I like to stay hydrated, street spray is not my ideal water source. Cant wait for my fenders to get here.

Ewwww! Maybe the fender manufacturers should market the health aspects of their products.

Ti may be "better," but for a broke student like me it's waaaaaaay out of the price range. Can't say how they work for snow, but I was impressed at how well fenders keep mud and puddle slop off of me. They may not be perfect but they're a good bit better than nothing for my purposes.

It might be irrelevant to you - but it isn't to me. I built my ti winter bike for under $300 - granted I got lucky. Apologies if it's coming across as snobbery, but to me fenders are a second choice when there are better solutions available. If others like them, great...but it can be useful to hear other perspectives. Mine is that fenders offer me minimal advantage and I've explained what I view as negatives. And I get to lock my bike indoors on a large rack...unfortunately the fender prevents me from putting my front wheel over the rack - which means I have to lock an awkward way, or just the wheel (unless I get lucky and get an end position). So yes - it's a disadvantage to me.

I'm not insulting other people's views on them, so it would be nice not to be insulted for mine. We all ride in different places and with different needs - mine make fenders inferior to other options.

So how does a TI keep your feet dry?

That's what rain pants and shoe covers are for...and my feet get wet in puddles with fenders too.

So after a few more days of rainy riding, I'm still impressed with the fenders. Some people warned me they rattle, but none of that so far. I still get a little spray on my shoes (no mudflaps, not sure if they help with that) but my pants and shirt stay clean. The plastic is light and doesn't slow me down at all.

I don't have a rack on my bike, and it only has one set of eyelets. So maybe that would be a problem for someone who does want racks, although I'm sure a workaround wouldn't be hard to find.

Fine you hate fenders, but I love them...stay dry.

I keep at least one bike with full fenders in the fleet at all times for reasons already mentioned by others here.

When my regular commuting bike went OOC for a week, I rode a road bike without fenders. We had the normal 2-3 rainy days that week and although I liked better performing bike, I hated how much more wet I was when I arrived at work and also the additional time it took to wipe the bike down. Fenders are a pain when you don't need them: they rattle, make me deflate the rear tire to get the wheel off, and occasionally collect random debris. In wet weather, though, I wouldn't want to be without them.

What I like best is the water droplets shooting out of the front fender when illuminated by my fork crown mounted headlight. A hypnotic light show - what a treat!

Not that your opinion on fenders will change; this is just a general point...

If your feet are getting wet with fenders mounted, you need better mudguards (or fenders). The front guard should be low enough to keep water from spaying back at your feet and drivetrain, and wide enough to stop the side-splash. The rear fender should be close enough at the chainstay bridge to keep any spray from coming forward off the tire. A rear guard should hang down far enough to keep your paceline buddies from getting sprayed much above the hubs.

The front one is negotiable based on how much road grit you're willing to consume every time you hit your water bottle.
The rear one, for rain rides with my randonneuring group, is not optional. You don't have a mudguard, the only change of scenery you get is a different butt as everyone else gets to take a turn up front except for you.

Guess you're entitled to your views!

I have one bike that takes full fenders and have QR mtb fenders for several others. On top of that I wear a rainsuit and ocassionally gaiters is conditions are really wet or slushy. Full fenders have no issues with Nokian 240's in a 700x42c size in the winter or 26x1.75" Marathons in the summer. I need the clip-ons for the 2" and 2.5" tire sizes.

My winter bike is an 18 year old Giant so with proper maintenaince the issues of salt danage are probably a little exaggerated, but all the mud, dog crap and other stuff on the road I'd rather NOT have all over my clothes. Not only is it a mess - it means clothing has to be washed more often which reduces its life expectancy, and materials like GoreTex are far less effective when dirty.

Your tastes may vary.

SKS race blades are a quick and easy version for quick on and off. The ones that I think that are more of an elegant look are the Bontrager quick release fender. I actually own a pair, brand new never used as they came with a bike I purchased but I switched them out with full coverage fenders. Just remember that there is o compromise when using those fenders.

You're going to love those. I put a set on mine earlier this winter and they work very well even for the slush and salt spray. The rubber mud flaps are nice and long and if you can, mount the front fender top tab on the rear of your fork if possible which will give you a little longer length on the front which should keep your feet perfectly dry. The best part about fenders is not having to slow down for puddles anymore and it keeps the bike so much cleaner and for you, no more yuk yuk in your face

I've had my fenders installed for several months. I never noticed the weight (what's a couple of hundred grams when my fully loaded bike is well over 15kg), they'e never rattled, didn't interfere with my rear rack, and I haven't had to adjust them once. In my view, fenders are pretty much set them up and then forget about them - they're hardly what I'd call 'high maintenance'!

When I don't need them, I prefer to ride without fenders. However, my main commuter bikes have fenders and I'm not taking them off. If you commute regularly, you are going to get caught in the rain or at least riding on wet streets. Having fenders on my commuter bikes means that I'm able to ride a lot of days that I would otherwise wimp out and drive. The biggest advantage to me is that they keep my bikes and drive train much cleaner, but it's also nice not having a brown strip up my back. When the weather is nice and there is zero chance of rain, I generally ride one of my bikes without fenders, simply because they are lighter and faster.