Hi ya all.

I'm setting up a couple of 26" LHT for my wife and i to tour on. Now we have Tubus racks front and rear and will be using ortilieb panniers.

So i'm wondering about full guards.
It go for plastic or alloy?
Ease of removal and assembly, as we will be travelling via aircraft here and there.

Cheers.
les.

Fenders? I like my aluminum Velo Orange fenders, but that's more a preference of how they look then how they work. Mostly. I do thing my plastic fenders were easier to get out of alignment. I think I spent much more time adjusting them then I do my metal fenders. But almost any time the bike is packed or put in a car, the fenders need some adjustment.

But if you want easy removal, I think you're limited to a subset of plastic fenders. I've never had quick release fenders.

It would be a huge deal either way. Fenders or no, plastic or metal, you will be fine.

I have plastic fenders on my touring bike and they are nice, but I have lately been riding a road bike without fenders for lighter touring and have not really missed having them. It is definitely easier packing the bike without having to deal with fenders. So far that is only one tour without them but it was a longish tour (2400 miles from San Diego to Sarasota).

I have only had one real day of rain since I started touring without them, but I didn't miss them at all on that tour.

I just leave mudguards on, [sks/blumels] slip the pinch bolts to touch the rear side of the tyre.

If I had to remove the front wheel,(& stuff a shipping block between the fork tips),
I take off the mudguard too..

last return, a ride up to the airport [AMS -Shiphol] I got one of KLM's Boxes, there.
big boxes... both wheels stay on..

I have SKS Chromoplastics on my Surly Long Haul Trucker and I am pretty happy with them. I have boxed up and flown with them on the bike. A bit of a tight fit and had to pull them out of the Secu-clip but otherwise didn't remove them.





The bike is in the larger box, the Qantas box.

Regards
Andrew

I only have a pair of Planet Bike Hybrid fenders and have yet to have a problem. On the Erie Canal with all the stone dust, they kept most of the dust off me & bike. They work well in the rain and the weight fctor is not noticed

Thanks all.
I will look at the SKS and the Planet Bike.
Cheers.
heaps. :-)

A couple weeks ago rode through a road construction zone immediately after the water truck went thru to liquify the mud into a nice uniform layer on the road surface. That reminded me how great fenders are. Prefer plastic fenders, I find the cheap ones to be adequate.

If you are going to be flying a lot, perhaps those easily removable fenders would be better? I have a small rear one that I can strap onto the seat tube of my foldup bike, the fender has no other stays or attachments. Even a small removable one like that is a lot better than no fender at all.