Fenders

[cbratina]

Good fenders make riding in rain or on wet roads a pleasure. Plastic fenders are generally made for narrow tires and don't last long. I have installed four sets of Honjo and Velo Orange fenders which come in various widths and found they work great and the hammered aluminum looks fantastic. The Velo Orange rubber coated clamps work great on bridges that are not drilled for fenders. Unfortunately, fenders can take a good 8 hours to install properly. Most brands have you putting the nuts underneath which requires more fender clearance. I have switched to using SS truss nuts, putting the low profile head under the fender and the nut outside. The darumas that generally come with them to hold the fender stays stick out way too far and put the nuts on the inside, so I have been using R-Clips. The aircraft nuts are great except for the front stay where they can create toe interference, so I use a jam nut with locktight. Getting the stays angled right with R-clips is painstaking. Next time I will probably buy the Berthoud flattened stays which have drilled holes for $15 to save the effort and provide a cleaner look. After all the effort, looking at them is as much a pleasure as riding a drenched road and staying dry.

[Bob Loblaw]

I'm partial to the carbonate fenders myself. They don't corrode or discolor from road salt, they don't get brittle or warp when exposed to extremely cold temps the way plastic can, they bear up well under UV exposure, they come in a wide variety of sizes and are lightweight and relatively affordable.

The metal ones look great, but I don't have the luxury of buying just for looks. All my bikes are workhorses and see thousands of miles a year on New England roads.

BL

[palincss]

Unfortunately, fenders can take a good 8 hours to install properly.


Honestly, I can't imagine how it could take 8 hours to install fenders. I am a menace with hand tools and a total klutz, and my first Honjo installation took me at most 4 hours, and that included working outdoors on a cold day in November with a horrible cold, and having to search for a couple of hours for metric nuts and bolts.



After all the effort, looking at them is as much a pleasure as riding a drenched road and staying dry.

Agree 100%.

[cbratina]

Must confess that I am a close to being a perfectionist.
Want to get the radius of the fender matching that of the tires so you have to squeeze and pull them apart.
Have to put them on and take them off several times to mark the seat stay holes.
Have to get the stays centered with the fenders, hard to adjust with the R-clips. Modifying the L-clip for the front fender so it fits right.
It is amazing, but worth it.

[merlincustom1]

Raceblade Longs here. Easy, good coverage.

[Frankwurst]

Must confess that I am a close to being a perfectionist.
Want to get the radius of the fender matching that of the tires so you have to squeeze and pull them apart.
Have to put them on and take them off several times to mark the seat stay holes.
Have to get the stays centered with the fenders, hard to adjust with the R-clips. Modifying the L-clip for the front fender so it fits right.
It is amazing, but worth it.

I go both ways. Some get'em right. Some just get'em. But they all get'em except one.:beer: