Fender suggestions
 

I am interested in mounting fenders on my rig, never had fenders on a bike before. Any suggestions? My tires are currently 700 x 32mm. I know I can go wider, probably up to 45mm. The bike is a Charge Zester if that matters.

For the best water protection, I would recommend SKS Longboards. The only downside is the front fender is so long it can potentially get caught when going over obstacles. I also like the SKS Bluemels-still good protection but a little shorter in the front. I also have a set of Planet Bike Cascadias-good coverage but they seem to rattle a bit more than the SKS sets.

Anyone heard of these; Portland Design Works Full Metal Fender?

Yes, I have heard of them.

Funny man! Any input? They are certainly more expensive than some others but they are aluminum.

Berthoud, in Stainless steel .

Have you taken the time to read any of the reviews? http://gomeansgo.org/2012/12/07/revi...tal-fenders-2/

Couldn't find any reviews sorry. But thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

yup. have them on a 2014 Jamis Coda Elite. they're high quality, good lookin', very functional. i commute in Olympia, WA, where it does indeed get wet. i've been entirely pleased with them.

tim

edit: ...City! i have the City model(s): https://www.ridepdw.com/goods/fender...l-fenders-city

They look nice, but then I would have to explain to my wife why I was putting $120 fenders on my $50 bike.

I love the look and the aesthetic of metal fenders. If I were putting fenders on a nice custom rig that didn't get thoroughly abused, I'd go with a hammered metal for sure. But my commuter/town bike (cross-check) is a workhorse that get's a lot of miles and abused. I've been nothing but pleased with Planet Bike Cascadia's. Yeah they're plastic, but they don't dent or bend, they work perfectly and have help up for 7 years in year round Minneapolis weather without replacement or any issues. There are other brands of plastic that are comparable I'm sure but I haven't needed to try them as these are still going strong. Do they look as good as the nice metal ones? Oh hell no, but that's isn't what I'm going for with the commuter.

sometimes it's good to have to explain ourselves to our accountants... i just go count her shoes when i get the look.

I'll have to try that.

Another vote for Planet Bike from Minneapolis. I have Fenders Full ATB . They have held up grade great with a lot of hard miles in very diverse conditions. I like the shorter fenders (not the very long ones I have on my city bike), because I can mount the Kona on the fork-mount roof rack.

Here's a pic of the Dew Drop with Planet Bike fenders:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-V...203040_297.jpg

...careful... YMMV!

I have Velo-Orange aluminum fenders on my bike, and also had them on a previous bike. Love them. PITA for initial install, but once mounted, they are solid. Just a bit more than plastic fenders, half the cost of the PDW Full Metal Fenders, I don't imagine I will consider other fenders on any other bike I build...

I got some VO fenders for the wife's city bike (Civia Twin Cities) and the look GREAT - we are both big fans! But I could not install them, I lacked some parts (not included) and some serious know-how. Unless you have a great in-house shop; I recommend having your LBS install VO fenders.

It matters a lot. Many bikes don't have mounting eyelets for fenders. Fortunately yours does, at least going by the photo on the Performance Bike web site.

I use SKS P-35 and P-45 Chromoplastics Longboards on both my commuting bikes. Careful on the nomenclature. There are Chromoplastics, there are Longboards, and there are Chromoplastics Longboards. I run the P-35s in the three seasons over 28mm tires, and the P-45s in winter over my 38mm studded snow tires. While all the cool kids buy 'em in black, I prefer the silver ones since they hide the dirt and salt much, much better.

I prefer the plastic because they have some give and don't dent. While I'm as careful as I can be, I still bump them into things. And who knows what happens when it's locked in a rack someplace. They've never broken either. Plus, they're cheaper. About $45 online. I also drilled the rear one and installed a reflector on it.

The key thing about the Longboard length (no matter which SKS fender you buy) is coverage. The Longboards reach nearly to the ground in front which keeps my feet, bottom bracket, crankset, chain, RD and cassette much cleaner, and reach down farther in back to in order to be polite to any other cyclists behind you.

Here they are on my Portland, my bike that's closest in concept to yours. See how low that front one reaches? That's what keeps my feet and the drivetrain clean(er).

http://www.brucew.com/images/portrai...ommute-800.jpg

EDIT: The one downside to the length is that they pick up leaves easier at this time of year. I get at least one per trip. Noisy is all.

You def don't want the PDW fenders then:
-Designed for bikes with 700x23 tires
-30mm wide

Those are for skinny-tired road bikes.

I like PB's regular Freddy Fenders because the single strut design doesn't get knocked out of wack as easily as multi strut ones. Since you have hydro brakes,which tuck in tighter than mechs,they should go straight on with maybe only a touch of bending needed to the left front strut. They'll clear 38mm tires.

The PDW City fenders are for 700x28m-38m tires. I think the spec you spotted is for the PDW Road model.

options!

tim

Very nice. What's funny is when I bought my Charge I was looking for something as close to your Portland as I could find. I saw that Portland on Trek's website a bunch of years back and fell in love with it for commuting. Nice bike! Thanks for the input. I really need to decide, I want the coverage but I also want it to be sporty, I don't think I can have both. Your right, my Zester is set up to receive fenders, that's one of the big reasons I am looking to put them on.

You could go with shorter fenders and add a mudflap to get the desired coverage.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=410904
I think I may forsake the better quality full coverage stuff for something a little more sporty.
Planet bike clip on ATB's

I've got Planet Bike Cascadias on several bikes and they have worked great for me. They are very easy to install, don't rattle and provide plenty of coverage. Available in black or silver. They also include mud flaps, which is nice. Bought mine on-line for only about $40 shipped.

BTW, for 32 mm tires, you would want 45 mm fenders -- perhaps wider if you might ever want to use larger tires.

How handy are you?* my closest wheel/tire to your size is a 700X38, and it (as well as my 29er and other commuter junkers) all sport coroplast fenders. cost me nothing or very close to nothing, custom fir to the bike, and when they get damaged I can pretty much not care.




*you dont have to be very handy, just willing