Fenders

[cbratina]

Fenders make riding on wet roads or light rain a joy. We had been using the 35c hammered Velo Orange fenders on our Lynskey tandem with Continental 4 Seasons 28c tires, but once I tried the larger Grand Bois 30c Cypress we were sold on their comfort and speed. So I bought and just installed the wider Velo Orange 45 mm hammered fenders on our tandem using R Clips instead of the darumas to secure the stays. It turned out great. When I initially tried the darumas, they hit my shoe's toe due to their extending out 12.5 mm from the fender. The R Clips only extend out 6.0 mm and clear my toes. The flattened Berthoud stays would have provided even more clearance. I used 5 mm stainless steel truss bolts, whose head is 11.5 mm wide and only extends inside by 3.5 mm versus 7.0 mm for a washer and aircraft nut. I used a jam nut on the outside of the R Clip with locktite, so it does not extend past the R Clip. From industrial as well as biking experience, I am comfortable that locktite is comparable to an aircraft nut. Thus I ended up with more clearance both inside and outside. The fender has 7 mm clearance both vertically and horizontally with the Cypres tire, which has worked for us in the past. I also used the 5 mm truss bolt for the fork L-clips and the seat/chain stays. Our tandem did not have seat and chain stay bosses, so I used the rubber coated clamps from Velo Orange which work great.

In conclusion, I see absolutely no benefit using darumas for the stays and recommend either using the round stays with R-clips or if clearance is really tight, flattened Berthoud stays.

The hammered fenders look absolutely fantastic on our titanium tandem and have proven a great benefit when touring and during spring riding. I now have to get a set for my randonneuring bike, would love to find a 50 mm wide hammered fender to match the Continental Cyclocross speed 35c tires. If anyone is interested, I can provide photos.

[Cat3roadracer]

Always interested in seeing photos.

[doomridesout]

Yup- I'm excited for my PDW Full Metal Fenders to show up- My IF is finally going to be rain-ready!

[54ny77]

i would really like to see detailed photos of that if you have some time.

sounds awesome and well thought out.

[fiataccompli]

I like fenders. Don't use them as much as I probably ought to...

[FastforaSlowGuy]

I finally bought some fenders, albeit nowhere near as nice as those Velo Orange ones. I went with Crud Cutters and installed them on my new-to-me cross/winter bike. I've only done one ride, and it wasn't especially wet, but I definitely came out without the usual grit strip up my back and it made bike cleanup a breeze. I wish I had done this years ago.

[keevon]

Another request for pictures. I'm extremely interested in your R-clip solution, since I have occasional toe overlap with the stock Velo Orange hardware.

I've looked at Berthoud fenders for this exact reason. I've heard that the stays are available separately, but who stocks them?

Thanks!

[jamesutiopia]

I've looked at Berthoud fenders for this exact reason. I've heard that the stays are available separately, but who stocks them?
Peter White stocks Berthoud spare/replacement parts (http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/berthoudparts.asp), maybe Wallbike as well

Here's an example of a bike with a Berthoud front stay and a Velo Orange rear stay with daruma bolts. In this case the darumas are better than the Berthoud stay for the rear because rear stay attaches to the seat stay, 2 inches above the axle (with a Berthoud rear stay the fender would be twisted, because the stay would want to mount flat against the outside of the fender)
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/6493539/2013-03-06%20Johnny%20Cash/IMG_2164.JPG

[redir]

I'm a big Fender fan too. I have one training road bike that keeps them on year round and a touring bike with full sized fenders. I need to get a rear fender for my mountain bike.

Oh and I have a Fender Twin too! Yup big fan of Fender.

[pdmtong]

I finally put full fenders on my winter bike and man is it nice. the clip ons are not even close to the same "performance" I also added buddy flaps with the trucker girl design. those make a huge difference in keeping crap off me and are quite the conversation starter for anyone over 30.

[donevwil]

Peter White stocks Berthoud spare/replacement parts (http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/berthoudparts.asp), maybe Wallbike as well

Here's an example of a bike with a Berthoud front stay and a Velo Orange rear stay with daruma bolts. In this case the darumas are better than the Berthoud stay for the rear because rear stay attaches to the seat stay, 2 inches above the axle (with a Berthoud rear stay the fender would be twisted, because the stay would want to mount flat against the outside of the fender)
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/6493539/2013-03-06%20Johnny%20Cash/IMG_2164.JPG

jamesutiopia, what brand fenders are these ? Berthoud, VO ?

OP, thanks for this info, I'll be adding a Berthoud stay to the front of my wife's commuter with VO fenders with overlap currently.

[Bob Ross]

Oh and I have a Fender Twin too! Yup big fan of Fender.

:banana:

I still kick myself for selling the 1977 silverface Twin Reverb that I bought brand new in high school. Less than two years later I was hurting for money, figured "eh, I'm playing mostly bass these days, why would I need a guitar amp?"

Because it's awesome, that's why.

[krhea]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v66/KRhea/Fondriest/DSCF1592_zpsa7bdbb7d.jpg

I love my fendered bikes! Just hooked this ride with a set of PDW Full Metals about a week ago. Could be the nicest fenders I've seen for close clearance bikes. Have had nothing but bad luck with Honjos both hammered and smooth, SKS Chromos worked pretty good but the customization took way to long and had to be exact, I like Cascadias but they don't do it aesthetically for me on every bike, however, they do look great on my Serotta CDA, they're priced right and are durable yet still don't work with all frames.
There was a lot of design/engineering thought put into these PDW FMs. I'm shocked by the number of hard core race bikes I see around town sporting these with no mods. They're said to work with only 23s but depending on the bike, clearance etc 25s will fit and work fine. I had 25c front/rear on this Fondriest and found the front would work but it was to close for comfort and I heard every little stone so I swapped for a 23. The rear 25 works like a charm with plenty of clearance.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v66/KRhea/Fondriest/DSCF1594_zps57c8031f.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v66/KRhea/Fondriest/DSCF1595_zpsc7846ed1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v66/KRhea/Fondriest/DSCF1596_zps8c6b8822.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v66/KRhea/Fondriest/DSCF1599_zpsac1e547f.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v66/KRhea/Fondriest/DSCF1600_zps293d63a6.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v66/KRhea/Fondriest/DSCF1606_zps6dec3794.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v66/KRhea/Fondriest/DSCF1607_zps1efadaf8.jpg

[54ny77]

damned fine classy go-fast fendered rig right there, sir.

[soulspinner]

Nice.

[Bob Ross]

PDW Full Metals

Wow, thanks for the incredibly detailed photos of how those attach. Looks like they addressed all the issues for getting fenders to work with limited-clearance modern racebikes. I'm impressed.

I suspect a set of PDWs is in my near future.