Fender recommendations?
 

I going to be getting a new bike for commuting (as well as some light touring, etc.) and have been trying to research fender options. The LBSs I have gone to don't seem to cater to touring or commuting that much, so have limited fender options.

The bike will have the proper attachments for fenders. I am not sure how wide of tires I will end up using, but likely somewhere between 28 and 35 mm 700c tires, maybe even try wider, not sure.

I would like something durable, that attaches well, doesn't rattle, and looks nice - preferably black.

Any recommendations on fenders? How wide do I need for a given tire size? What brands, styles, models should I consider? Any to avoid?

Appreciate your input!

I used a pvc rain gutter and cut it every 6" and bent it to fit around the wheels. My local LBS helped me install it. Not sure it's the most aesthetically pleasing thing, but it certainly works and is quite rugged.

The other option I considered was cutting a 29er finder down the length and adding a strip of plastic or metal to widen it. A friend is working on this and it does look better than the gutter, but it is not a sturdy.

Third option seems to be a place called Big O manufacturing that sells a fatbike fender.

I use SKS and Planet Bike. I prefer the SKS.

still have 30 year old SKS , they're fine..

I've got Planet Bike Cascadias, which I thought were great until recently when I went on a group ride with some people who had SKS Longboards. After a rainy stretch we pulled up to a stop light and one guy was covered in mud. It turns out that's because he was riding behind me. Apparently the Longboards have better coverage.

I'm looking at a set of the P45 Longboards now, not just as a courtesy to my fellow riders but also because better front fender coverage should help keep my drivetrain cleaner. At least that's the theory.

I have some Planet Bike for one bike and SKS for another, and neither of them are as sturdy as the ones that came with my Kona Sutra. There is no name attached to them (that I can find anyway) but I would think that whoever made them for the Sutra, makes them for independent sale as well.

I use these http://www.amazon.com/Evo-Power-Guar...owViewpoints=1

They fit under my brakes and don't rub my gatorskins. Plus they have mud flaps

What is it about SKS that you like better then Planet Bike? Sturdier, better coverage, etc?

I switched from P45s to P45 Longboards last fall. Best thing I ever did. They certainly keep the drivetrain cleaner, and my boots too. With the three-seasons coming, I've just ordered two sets of P35 Longboards to replace the P35s I ordinarily use.

I wanted sturdy and durable, and I generally prefer metal over plastic in most things, so I went with aluminum fenders by Velo Orange. They only come in highly polished chrome which is very nice, but like you, I wanted black fenders since this was for my city bike where attention-getting bling is not necessarily a good thing. I ended up getting them powdercoated black which added about 50 bucks to the cost. I see that Civia makes aluminum fenders in black, but I have no direct experience with them. The double stays on the rear fender leads me to suspect they aren't as sturdy as the VOs, but I can't say for sure. They also come in only one width.

Speaking of width, the fender specs should list the max tire width they will accommodate. Keep in mind that the tire width that is labeled on the sidewall of a bicycle tire is usually not the actual width. They are usually narrower than labeled, so measuring your tire width will give you the best idea of what size fender to get. Basically, you want to get them as close to the fender's width limit as possible without going over. So, for example, if the fender specs say they will accommodate up to 35mm tire width, and your tire is labeled at 38mm but actually measures 34mm, I'd get the fenders with the 35mm width limit rather than the next size up. Keep in mind some manufacturers/websites list the actual width of the fender while some list the largest width tire they will accommodate. These are two different things, so make sure you know what they are listing.

Lastly, be aware that installing fenders can be a big pain, particularly the VOs. I spent an entire day getting mine to fit right, but that's because my actual tire width is 1mm over the limit for the fenders, so I had very little room for error. Plus, I am a bit of a perfectionist. Once you get fenders set up the first time, they are much easier to install/remove after that. Now that my VO fenders are mounted correctly, they follow the tire profile very cleanly and they only rattle on the harshest of bumps. Usually they are quiet.

Coverage, fit, appearance, strength.

Just ordered casadas in white for a white Escape 1. I had planed to take a scour pad to the rubber flap to remove the logos. I would be interested to see how the coverage is given Andy_Ks comment on the amount of mud on the rider behind him.

I have been running a set of SKS P45 Chromoplastic fenders on my Giant Rapid since the summer of 2012. That said, I had the rear fender split near the caliper bolt mount on a cold day in December. I patched the fender back together to get me through the rest of the winter, but I'll be replacing them with another brand sometime soon.

To be fair, the Cascadias are longer than most fenders, I think. Here's a picture of my bike with the Cascadias installed:

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3808/1...b8129e78_c.jpg

For comparison, here's an image of somebody else's bike (found via Google) with Longboards:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_TB-ys9pER...0/P1010738.jpg

In this instance, at least, the rear coverage of the Longboard doesn't look significantly different. I can see either giving off a bit of spray. The dramatic difference, of course, is the front fender.

To me the question is what are you keeping dry. I had a pair of old Bluemel fenders in the wrong size, 27" fenders on 26" wheels, and they looked too big, but had nice coverage and kept the bike dry. After both of them cracked I just recently replaced them with PB clip-on fenders, a much shorter set. They keep me dry, but the bike gets a lot more splattered, and I wouldn't want to ride behind them. But now that I have them I think they are a better choice for my use. I don't purposely ride in the rain, and I'm just as likely to duck into the subway if I get caught. We always have the long silver sag wagon here.

If I lived in Seattle and commuted all year long I'd go for longboards, and in fact when I bought the Bluemels 35 years ago I did live in Seattle. And the last time I biked in Seattle, a few years ago without fenders, I of course got soaked, not once but 3 times in a week.

So from what I can tell the Longboards are longer then "other" SKS fenders, and better protection. Are there other differences? This sounds like a good thing - any reason NOT to get a longboard or similar longer fender?

It looks like a P45 would work for tires 28-37, which should be a good range for commuting, trouring etc. If I ever wanted wider tires would need a wider fender.

TSL, why did you just get P35s Longboards instead of P45s? What size tire are you using. Is there a disadvantage to a wider fender wiht a narrower tire? I haven't really decided what size tire I want to use, 28 or something larger, and may set it up with larger in winter and smaller the rest of the year, not sure. Trying to understand how this should impact my fender choice.

Well that would pretty much sell me on SKS vs planet bike.

Are the ones you have metal, plastic, "chromoplastic"?

I prefer the single-strut PB Freddys. I've used them on several bikes,and properly installed(remember the blue Loctite) I've never had rattle issues. I had a rear get folded up under itself during bike polo;popped it back into place,straightened the stays,and it's still on the bike years later.

Other than the part about being black, these stainless steel Gilles Berthoud fenders meet the criteria. I just ordered these in the 700 x 60 size for my new commuter / tourer. I have been riding with a set of Planet Bike fenders for the last 7 years or so, and they've been fine, but they rattle and don't provide as much coverage.

http://store.biketouringnews.com/gil...ders-700-x-50/
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fenders.asp

Good luck!

My Longboards require removal if I want to put my bike on my Yakima roof rack (the kind where the fron wheel comes off). To be fair most full fenders also would have to come off.

Other than that, my Longboards seem to pick up the occasional leaf or other road debris once in a while, which causes some rubbing noises. Not a huge problem, but a bit of an annoyance until I stop and remove the offending material.

The P-series Longboards are longer in the front and both ends have a mudflap.

My choice is purely aesthetic. I use the P45s on the Portland with the studded snow tires. I use the P35s on both the Portland and the Ribble with 28mm tires. I just think a skinny tire under a fat fender looks weird. On the Portland, I don't mind changing the fenders when I change the tires. It's only twice a year.

I'm also one of the few who like the silver fenders better than the black. The black ones show all the dirt, especially the salt in winter.

My SKS and PB are both plastic.

That's the problem that I have now. I relocated my headlights and would like some protection for them. 26" but 32s right now, 28s soon to come. All of the 26" fenders are for wider tires.

Could some 700 fenders make the bend so as not to look goofy with the smaller diameter tire??

I used to look for skinny 26" fenders now and then before I broke down and put 1.6's on the LHT. The closest I found were 26"x45mm Blackburn Cloudbursts. I never got around to trying them out. I'm happily using SKS P50's with the 26x1.6's, having previously unhappily used them with 26x1.25's.

Thanks. Haven't seen these before. Some good info. Maybe I could do steel/silver on a black bike...