kg1

All:

I will be attempting a 400k brevet this weekend and the forecast is calling for rain. My only option for a bike is my Gunnar Roadie -- a wonderful bike, but I don't have any idea how to get fenders on the bike, particularly with the 25mm tires I am running. Any suggestions would be welcome.

Thank you.

Kurt

unterhausen

if you really want fenders and have no clearance, you can get something like Race Blades. Most shops carry those or similar fenders. If clearance isn't a problem, but eyelets are missing, you can use p-clamps

What I do is carry a rain jacket and toe covers, no fenders. My toe covers apparently cause some problems with my circulation or nerves, so I don't wear them for long periods. Some people like rainlegs, but I actually have more problems with my calves, and rainlegs only cover your thighs.

My current bike has clearance for fenders, I just haven't gotten around to installing them yet

texasdiver

I used to have a Cannondale R900 road bike (a late 90s era Ultegra road bike) that had no frame clearance anywhere for traditional fenders and due to the headshok fork design had no mounting positions for fenders anyway.

I still mangaged to satisfactorily mount full plastic fenders on it with some creative use of machinist snips, drill, and cable ties. I think they were Zefals but I don't remember for sure. I had to trim the fenders down a few places with the snips and a knife to make them fit and attached them to the seat tube, rear brake stay, and fork by drilling holes in the fender through which I fed cable ties. The result was far more satisfactory than the cheap clip on fenders they sold for road bikes back in those days. There's not much you can't attach to a bike using cable ties. And you can usually find a wide selection of sizes and colors at home depot.

Chris_W

Crud RoadRacers will fit almost any bike, they need extremely little clearance and no braze-ons/eyelets are needed for attachment. However, they don't provide a lot of protection from the rain. If the roads are simply wet then they'll work OK, but if it's actually raining any decent amount then they don't do much.

MUDDY88YJ

how did you do on the 400k brevet last weakend.

kg1

Well, thank you for asking. It was a very long day -- 18.5 hours of riding and 22 hours of total time. The weather was terrible -- a driving, stinging rain and a wind that kept my speed down to about 10mph for about six hours. I saw seven riders abandon at one of the controls just before the rain broke. By the end of the ride, my knee was hurting so badly I could barely walk once I got off the bike.

With the weather being what it was, fenders wouldn't have done a thing for me, though I suppose it would have made riding in a pace line easier if we had chosen to ride that way.

But, the farther I get away from the ride, the more fun it seems I had. I had the chance to ride with some really interesting people, and I learned a lot about the sport. For the first 40 to 60 miles I rode with a guy who had left most of his gear at the start, including his rain gear. He was a strong rider, but I was a little faster, so we didn't stay together for the ride, in spite of the fact the he was a fascinating character. When the weather hit, I thought that would be the end of his ride, but I heard later that he managed to finish. I don't know how, but he must be one resourceful individual to finish that ride without a coat and the majority of his gear.

I rode with a woman who was a very experienced rider and an asset to everyone she rode with. She kept the pace steady; fixed two flats; had a tire boot to fix a tire for a stranded couple; had a spoke wrench and knew how to use it, and convinced me to put some holes in a garbage bag and wear it between my soaking wet jersey and my soaking wet coat. I had been shivering uncontrollably, and that fixed me right up. And the night riding was beautiful -- stars and a tailwind home.

This is a really interesting activity.

Again, thanks for asking.

kg1

StephenH

One thing I've learned is that part of the enjoyment comes from the feeling of accomplishment after you're done, not all during the ride. Congratulations on finishing a tough ride.

MUDDY88YJ

Witch 400k brevet was this. I did the boston brevet 400k the same day and this dosent sound like the same one.

Daveyboy

I put fenders on my zero clearance road bike using reach around brackets and Sheldon browns nuts. I had to split the rear fender into 2 pieces, and cut off the forward part of the front fender in order to clear the fork. But I am able to fit conti all season 28's with this set up. It works well enough, however some grit does collect inside the front fender at times. The SB nuts replace the STD brake bolts and are threaded inside which allow you to fasten the brackets at the same point as the brake/frame. I did need to shape the fender ends with a dremel tool.
These were full plastic fenders (SKS) 33's Iirc.