Fender suggestions?

[illuminaught]

Setting up a Cx bike as a commuter with fenders...
Looking at the sks bluemels, anyone have strong opinions on ~35mm fenders?
Thanks,

[Peter P.]

All I have ever used in the last 30 years are SKS fenders. No problems at all. The squared profile makes for a great surface to adhere reflective tape to the rear fender, both the back and the sides.

The 35's will fit a 28mm tire with easy clearance. Run anything wider and setup might be tricky to avoid rubbing.

[CNY rider]

I use Planet Bike fenders in various sizes on my commuters and have never been disappointed.
Easy to set up, durable, block spray.
What more to ask for?

[etu]

just make sure the front one goes low enough to protect your feet.

[druptight]

just make sure the front one goes low enough to protect your feet.

^This, and a rear one that goes low to protect your fellow riders if you're not riding alone all the time.

I use the Planet Bike Cascadias. They've been set it and forget it for me. The few times I've had to take them off, they go right back on no problem since all the nuts are set to fit the bike.

[illuminaught]

Thanks guys!
I found some sks ones with the additional rubber flaps, so that's what I'm gonna do.
Cheers,

[tv_vt]

I'm going to try some Portland Design Works fenders. https://www.ridepdw.com/goods/fenders

I'm ordering the City version, but you may want to try the Road model.

[Davist]

Probably not in your wheelhouse, but I like the clip on convenience of the SKS raceblade long, which counter-intuitively, is longer than the XL.

It fits nicely, and is on an off quickly (pushbutton type removal)

It seems to be in the process of being discontinued, though, which means there are deals to be had.

Not as much coverage from the back brake forward as some may need or like, but so far so good for me.

http://baroudeurs.cc/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/1.Race_Blade_Long.jpg

[chiasticon]

I'm going to try some Portland Design Works fenders. https://www.ridepdw.com/goods/fenders

I'm ordering the City version, but you may want to try the Road model.I fitted these last year and had great luck with them. they're very strong, so there's basically zero rubbing or rattling. a huge benefit! they're light too. I went with the road version because I typically just use 25mm tires during the winter and there's plenty of clearance for them on a cross bike. the only downside is that because they're designed for 23mm tires, when I run 25mm tires there's actually a decent bit of road spray that comes out the sides and gets onto the fenders/bike. but it's not significant enough to worry about. they just don't stay 100% clean, basically, so I'll give 'em a quick bottle spray after rides. wish PDW made something between the road and city versions.

[EPIC! Stratton]

I have a set of black mud butler fenders from
handsome. Overall pretty good. Setup is easier than most of the VO stuff but still a bit of work. Just depends on the look you're going for. I wanted metal and black.

[acoffin]

I have used Planet Bike, SKS, and VO. You really can't go wrong with any of them as long as your tires fit under. Plastic fenders are nearly indestructible in my experience, but aluminum has it's place too. That being said, my next set will be Mud Butlers, really looking forward to trying those out in black.

[velofinds]

I have a set of black mud butler fenders from
handsome. Overall pretty good. Setup is easier than most of the VO stuff but still a bit of work. Just depends on the look you're going for. I wanted metal and black.

These look great, and the price is on point. Can you please post a photo or two of them mounted? Wanted to get an idea of the coverage.

I also assume you need to trim the stays.

[11.4]

Thanks guys!
I found some sks ones with the additional rubber flaps, so that's what I'm gonna do.
Cheers,

For them really to work well, ditch the little flaps that SKS supplies with them and get some Buddy Flaps. These are long flexible plastic fender flaps that will extend down to within an inch or so of the ground. It's that last 2-3 inches that make all the difference between wet feet and dry feet. I can't emphasize this enough. In the Pacific Northwest Buddy Flaps are ubiquitous. I used to live there and tried cut up water bottles, pieces of rubber tread material, you name it. Buddy Flaps are head and shoulders better. They even make an extra long version for the shorter SKS Raceblades so you can still have the same coverage. Even full fixed fenders front and rear are only a B- in keeping you dry. The Buddy Flaps take you to a solid A. The only water that hits you at that point is from the air, not from the road. And most of the water is actually already on the road so that is what matters most.

[guido]

I much prefer Honjo or VO fenders to the SKS. Much more solid and rattle free...

[velofinds]

For them really to work well, ditch the little flaps that SKS supplies with them and get some Buddy Flaps. These are long flexible plastic fender flaps that will extend down to within an inch or so of the ground. It's that last 2-3 inches that make all the difference between wet feet and dry feet. I can't emphasize this enough. In the Pacific Northwest Buddy Flaps are ubiquitous. I used to live there and tried cut up water bottles, pieces of rubber tread material, you name it. Buddy Flaps are head and shoulders better. They even make an extra long version for the shorter SKS Raceblades so you can still have the same coverage. Even full fixed fenders front and rear are only a B- in keeping you dry. The Buddy Flaps take you to a solid A. The only water that hits you at that point is from the air, not from the road. And most of the water is actually already on the road so that is what matters most.

I was looking at the Buddy Flaps just yesterday. Do they not flap (true to their name) at higher speeds, thereby reducing their effectiveness (https://janheine.wordpress.com/2013/02/16/no-mudflap-what-a-mess/#comment-9777)? They look like they would.

[11.4]

I was looking at the Buddy Flaps just yesterday. Do they not flap (true to their name) at higher speeds, thereby reducing their effectiveness (https://janheine.wordpress.com/2013/02/16/no-mudflap-what-a-mess/#comment-9777)? They look like they would.

They catch the wind just a little, perhaps a couple inches. Not enough to mess with their functionality and not enough to get close to your pedals. If they don't catch the wind a little and then spill it, they would create vibrations and stress weakening in the fenders that cause them to crack over time.

Someone mentioned Honjos above. They are beautiful, but honestly, I tried them on three different bikes with a dozen different mounting systems. If you whack them from leaning your bike against a pole, they bend and don't come back. If they get mucked up with road grunge while riding, you can't flex them to wipe them out with your finger. And most important, I found that even with rubber grommets and leather washers to insulate them from the frame, they still developed local work hardening and cracked wherever I had a mounting hole, especially on the front which always caught air and tended to vibrate. Three times I had the front fender crack and separate right at the mounting hole at the fork crown. I had various people try their hand at installation, with no better results. Once with their hardware, once with threaded fittings on a frame, and once using zip ties and rubber bumpers to isolate the fenders as much as possible from vibration. Others seem to have had fine luck with them. I just didn't. And never once had a broken SKS or other fender on the same bikes. I even took Honjo hardware and used it to re-mount SKS fenders to make for a more versatile and classier solution, and never had problems with the SKS's.

[velofinds]

They catch the wind just a little, perhaps a couple inches. Not enough to mess with their functionality and not enough to get close to your pedals. If they don't catch the wind a little and then spill it, they would create vibrations and stress weakening in the fenders that cause them to crack over time.

Sweet! Ordered.

[Ronsonic]

Maybe a Telecaster with humbuckers and a coil split switch.

Oops, wrong forum.

Just read the title not the post.

[Jeff N.]

Maybe a Telecaster with humbuckers and a coil split switch.

Oops, wrong forum.

Just read the title not the post.
Ha! Ya beat me to it...

[ElHardeen]

Have had really good luck with the SKS longboard. Front fender reaches nearly to the ground doing a great job with road spray.

[acoffin]

I much prefer Honjo or VO fenders to the SKS. Much more solid and rattle free...

My experience has been contrary to this. I have never had issues with SKS fenders rattling, and very little with Planet Bike. My VO fenders did need periodic tightening as rattles would sometimes develop, was not really a big deal though.

Plastic fenders have been trouble free and indestructible in my experience. On the other hand you can't beat aluminum for presentation on the right build.

[WWKayaker]

Another vote for the SKS fenders. I have the 35 mm version and they are a perfect fit for my 28 mm tires, though I wouldn't try bigger tires. I had my last set around 8-10 years. They just broke, at the rivet holes, yesterday. I bought a new pair. The Portland Design Works are pretty to my eye and I think lighter, but they don't make a fender in this size. They have two sizes. The narrow one is too small for 28 mm tires and the wider one looks too wide to be optimal for 28's.

[jeffwidman]

You can also make your own flaps: http://phred.org/~alex/bikes/fendermudflap.html

Very worthwhile if you regularly ride in rain and don't have really long front fenders.

[guido]

My experience has been contrary to this. I have never had issues with SKS fenders rattling, and very little with Planet Bike. My VO fenders did need periodic tightening as rattles would sometimes develop, was not really a big deal though.

Plastic fenders have been trouble free and indestructible in my experience. On the other hand you can't beat aluminum for presentation on the right build.
Problem I have encountered with the plastic fenders is that they can't be shaped to hold a curve by themselves. So they always are in tension. This leads to failure. A properly installed set of metal fenders holds it's shape without any stay tension at all, so there is no stress that causes fatigue and a loosening of bolts.

[WWKayaker]

Problems with plastic fenders( SKE) under tension may be more theory than practice. Mine were under tension. My SKS fenders that just broke at the rivet holes were 8-10 years old and since I am in Seattle, they were on my bike from the first rainy stretch in October until June 1 each year. I suspect that the main stress to them was sliding my bike into the back of my Subaru wagon. I'm OK with new fenders every 8-10 years. I appreciate the lack of dents vs the Honjo fenders on my Rando bike.

I do appreciate that others may prefer metal, I just find the plastic to be more carefree. My hammered Honjo's sure are purdy though.

[nalax]

Good to hear about the SKS. I have a set of P45's coming for my Black Mountain Cross.

[kgbianchi]

Big thumbs up for Portland Design Works fenders


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[11.4]

Problem I have encountered with the plastic fenders is that they can't be shaped to hold a curve by themselves. So they always are in tension. This leads to failure. A properly installed set of metal fenders holds it's shape without any stay tension at all, so there is no stress that causes fatigue and a loosening of bolts.

Metal fenders may not be in tension when the bike is at rest, but when riding, wind will put strain on them. Especially the front, and especially with homemade fender flaps. I've never seen an SKS fail if it hasn't been hit or been installed wrongly.

One thing is that you can improve on the SKS mounting system by buying Honjo mounting hardware from Jitensha. I get the over-the-top routing system, stainless hardware, and so on and it makes a really nice system. It also takes out the cross-brackets that go underneath the SKS fenders, which tend to collect more dirt. You just drill out the single rivets and use the same hole to install the Honjo hardware. And if you're riding a fixie, you can get hardware that's all allen-key based and can be loosened and removed at the rear stanchion in a few seconds, making rear-ward removal very easy.