TallRider

1. I've got fenders on my commuting bike, and really like how they not only keep water at bay when riding in the rain, but they also keep crud and gunk (highly technical terms, eh?) from getting sprayed into the drivetrain or brakes or headset or otherwhere on the bike where it might do damage or I'd just have to clean it off.

2. In the past I've usually opted to have road bikes and to just run on trails, because I don't need to worry about the dirt messing up my running shoes. (Plus the difference in speed between running and cycling is much lower on trails than on roads.)

3. I came by an old Diamondback mtb with horizontal dropouts and nor derailer hanger, and am finally building up a singlespeed mtb, which I intend to use on trails. It won't be superlight (the frame+fork weigh in at around 10 pounds) but it should work well and be very durable.

Fenders seem like a nice thing to use not only for riding in the mud and rain, but also for dusty times - you simply get less buildup of gunk on the bike.

Drawbacks: weight (not more than a pound), potential to crack if you get a stick up in between the tire and fender.
Any other reasons, pro or con, here?

disco2000

try those fenders you already have on your commuting bike. If you don't like 'em, take them off.

TallRider

The fenders installed on the commuting bike are staying on there - they'd be a pain to remove from that bike, and they're a different size (narrower, and for larger wheels) than fenders designed for mtb tires.

I'm less interested in try-and-see-how-they-work than I am in other people's thoughts and experiences.

dutret

they probably won't last long and are likely to misaligned frequently.
get some clipons and use them when necessary.(I would never use clipons on a comuter but they are the right tool for the job in this case.)

schnee

Fenders are awesome, if you don't mind looking like a bit of a Fred. That's the only drawback I can think of.

Eatadonut

if you're riding real trails, and they ever get muddy, don't expect the fenders to keep mud off the bike. That stuff is nasty. I suppose it depends on your mud, really. Here in the midwest, it's wet clay, and comes up in clumps. Last ride I did I had to scoop pounds of mud off my frame because it was so packed the wheels would no longer move.

lubes17319

timcupery, around here (CHNC) every trail's closed when it's wet, so fenders are a moot point.


However, with zip ties, a razor & some hard plastic, such as that found on the bottom of a 2 1/2 gal water bottle, you can fashion together a rear fender that attaches to your seatpost.

A cool aproach I saw for the front was a piece of ?vinyl? gutter that was dremelled to fit, then zip-tied to the downtube.

schnee

We have that same problem here in SoCal. It can be dangerous, too; ride through it at some speed, clumps of clay and rocks build up on the tires and chainstays, then *wham* one big rock gets wedged in there, and you go over the bars or break your frame.

dutret

no stream crossings, mudpits or anything?

You can also just buy a clip on fender for $10 that will be easier to get on and off.

Shiznaz

I have fenders on my SS MTB but its a commuter and not a trail bike. I'd imagine that the fenders would kill the mud clearance and get clogged badly (happens to me with snow).

If you're just doing non-transportational rides on the trail I wouldn't bother because it doesn't matter if you get a skunk stripe up your back and you'll be carrying less mud and weight on the bike. Maybe some of those motocross style ones that with alot of clearance that attach to the seatpost and the downtube?

lubes17319

It seems if there's any amount of H2O around here, they lock up everything off-road. Hard to get messy around here, I need to get up to Pixburgh to wheel durty.


Hey, you knocking zip-ties?!?! If you say anything about duct tape, they'll be trouble!

....& where's the fun in buying something pret-a-porter when you can build something from scratch? (Hurting yourself in the process, as well as, going back to the drawing board several times & pulling your hair out till you get it right.)

mander

If you wipe out (as is common when mtbing) and damage a full front fender, it could send you over the bars a bit later. Yes this happened to me; next time i run fenders on a trail bike they'lll be clipons.

doofo

they rattle which is ****ing obnoxious

but moutain bikes are loud anyhow

max-a-mill

i agree with everyone if your gonna do real trail riding skip the fenders.

i will make a cutout bottle to strap to my downtube this year if i have to race in the rain/mud again. i found out last year it is really hard to race when you can't see!

but generally if trails are muddy you probably shouldn't be on them anyway... thats when you do your road biking.

Aeroplane

This is a big one.

Also, mountain bikes get crashed about 1000x more often than your commuter. They will break at some point.

Mountain bikes get dirty. Trying to keep it clean by prevention is a futile task, IMHO. Just ride it and clean it every couple months. If it's so muddy that you need fenders, you shouldn't be riding trails anyways.

Re-Cycle

I use SKS clip on fenders on my redline monocog. Works great.