Fender Facts

[Too Tall]

I could use some insight from dedicated fender mavens.
The Big Red Vanilla had a disagreement with a large stick this morning :( A branch circulated thru the rear fender causing the top to buckle and point of attachment to bend some. Everything is fixable blah blah blah. What is the logic and trick setup to prevent problems? Maybe I needed to have the fender leading edge (point where the tyre first rotates under a fender) as close as possible nearly skimming the rubber? Maybe it was "one of those things" chalk it up to bad luck?

Talk to me :cool:

[palincss]

I could use some insight from dedicated fender mavens.
The Big Red Vanilla had a disagreement with a large stick this morning :( A branch circulated thru the rear fender causing the top to buckle and point of attachment to bend some. Everything is fixable blah blah blah. What is the logic and trick setup to prevent problems? Maybe I needed to have the fender leading edge (point where the tyre first rotates under a fender) as close as possible nearly skimming the rubber? Maybe it was "one of those things" chalk it up to bad luck?

Talk to me :cool:

This is common enough with plastic fenders that SKS makes quick-release stays for the front fork. It is said to be very uncommon to virtually unknown with metal fenders. What kind were you using? If plastic, might be time for an upgrade.

[paczki]

To the "Securi-clips". No fender-loving household is complete with out them. Allow the fender to break away.

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/fenders.html

[paczki]

This is common enough with plastic fenders that SKS makes quick-release stays for the front fork. It is said to be very uncommon to virtually unknown with metal fenders. What kind were you using? If plastic, might be time for an upgrade.

Even with metal fenders wouldn't you want securi-clips anyway, in case a stick gets caught in the fender which can't go through so you don't flip right over?

[rwsaunders]

TT...perhaps you need to install a "cow catcher"?

[Kevan]

being new to the fender crowd, I can't offer any solution, but having experienced pebbles and sticks clanking their way through the tire space, I can appreciate just how unsettling that racket can be.

Might there be a soft brush that can be installed on the inside, at the entry as it were, sweeping the tire clean as it rolls? Is it worth it?

[dauwhe]

I've had a stick get caught in a front SKS fender, and pop the quick-releases. Not sure if I've even heard of it happening to the rear :confused:

But since I moved to Berthoud/Honjo fenders, it's never happened. Some fenders have been tighter than others and I've never deliberately set the leading edge closer to the tire, although that makes a certain amount of sense. Bad stuff would also have to get by the bolts for the stays on the inside (which must reduce the clearance at that spot by a small amount)...

What kind of fenders are they? Is there a lot of space between the fenders and the tire?

Glad you're OK! That's a scary one...

Dave

[Erik.Lazdins]

How many miles have you ridden with fenders until this point until this stick got stuck?

I would guess the fenders are precisely where they should be and this was a fluke!

I'm glad this didn't take you down and why weren't you on the Speedvagen? :beer:

[mschol17]

This is horrible news, since those painted and box-lines fenders were beautiful!

Personally, I've had this happen on my rear Berthoud fender. I attributed it to the ReachArounds I was using weakening the fender. Everything I've read says to make the gap on the "in" side of the fender smaller than the "out" side.

From a logical point of view, the strength of anything that passes within the fender needs to be less than the fender/stay combination. Smaller gap equals narrower/weaker sticks being admitted.

Watch out for metal wires, though...

[chrisroph]

better in the rear than the front. sometimes shizz happens.

[spiderman]

and similar problems...
has me running a rear fender only on the fixed gear
only when it's wet.
...the sks rear fender is currently on my hanging file in the office
since it has been a very dry week or two.
i used it every day for a week not long ago.
i just use the rear rack on the uniscasi.

[Too Tall]

This is common enough with plastic fenders that SKS makes quick-release stays for the front fork. It is said to be very uncommon to virtually unknown with metal fenders. What kind were you using? If plastic, might be time for an upgrade.
(Formerly) Smooth Honjos, it was the rear where I had an problem.

[Too Tall]

How many miles have you ridden with fenders until this point until this stick got stuck?

I would guess the fenders are precisely where they should be and this was a fluke!

I'm glad this didn't take you down and why weren't you on the Speedvagen? :beer:
Mschol and Erik - I've put many many many miles on this rig yeah maybe it was a freak thing however wondering if maybe I should run the fender even closer to the tyre? There is about a 3/8ths gap now. The fender is fine, once I've straightened it and apply a little love it will have character :)

[paczki]

(Formerly) Smooth Honjos, it was the rear where I had an problem.
They just have a yearning to be hammered.

[jthurow]

Any chance you could tighten the attachment to the drop-out such that it will act as a Securi-clip and allow the stay to pull out if this happens again?

jimi

[Too Tall]

They just have a yearning to be hammered.
Ontogeny Recapitulates Phylogeny
Ach zoe, you are reffering to ze princliple whereby beings and sometimes fancy schmancy oriental fenders resemble their ancient ancestors in their early existance non? I'll look for gill slits too ;)

[mschol17]

...wondering if maybe I should run the fender even closer to the tyre? There is about a 3/8ths gap now. The fender is fine, once I've straightened it and apply a little love it will have character :)

Glad to hear the fender is okay...

I don't think there is any downside to running the fender close in the back, other than leaves getting stuck and making noise. The standard wisdom is something around 8-10 mm overall, but mine are certainly tighter than that. Something getting jammed and locking up the wheel is less of a concern in the rear.

[Too Tall]

Any chance you could tighten the attachment to the drop-out such that it will act as a Securi-clip and allow the stay to pull out if this happens again?

jimi
I'm dsylexic...or dyspepsic you choose...did you mean "loosen" not "tighten"??? Anywho, the front fender is where potential flips come from...that' needs a look. Rear fender I reckon there is no good or at least cautious thing to do other than wait for gremlins.

[vaxn8r]

The only issue with bringing the fender closer to the tire is picking up sticky mud and leaves and such which tend to get caught rather than easily passing through. I think it was a fluke. Try to avoid the sticks.

Too bad about the Nilla.

[dauwhe]

Any chance you could tighten the attachment to the drop-out such that it will act as a Securi-clip and allow the stay to pull out if this happens again?

jimi

With metal fenders, I would not try to set things up to allow anything to pull out. Seems like asking for trouble.

I'm leaning towards the "freak occurrence" theory.

Dave

[bironi]

20 yrs in the PNW mostly on fenders, and I don't recall a similar incident. My group likes the Berthouds, a little more stout and durable. :beer:

[Too Tall]

20 yrs in the PNW mostly on fenders, and I don't recall a similar incident. My group likes the Berthouds, a little more stout and durable. :beer:
PNW wisdom. It does not get better :) OK OK, deal. I'll chalk it up to bad luck.

[jthurow]

I'm dsylexic...or dyspepsic you choose...did you mean "loosen" not "tighten"??? Anywho, the front fender is where potential flips come from...that' needs a look. Rear fender I reckon there is no good or at least cautious thing to do other than wait for gremlins.

One man's loosen is another man's tighten. But now that you mention it, I think "loosen" would have been a more appropriate word choice.

jimi

[coylifut]

I'm going to have to side with my PNW brethren and cry fluke. about 4 years ago, I had a stick catch in the front fender, the release did it's job, but it still locked up my front wheel causing a group ride pile-up. I've never seen something like that occur in the rear.

[11.4]

I've had all kinds of stuff get picked up in fenders -- regardless of whether they were Honjos, Berthouds, SKS, carbon, or whatever. It just happens.

You cut out a fair amount of it simply by putting big mudflaps on the fenders -- they seem to help brush some of the stuff off before it gets into the fenders.

Next, it does pay to have the rear end of the fender slightly closer than the front. This is not to prevent stuff from entering per se, but if the spacing tapers down as you head forward under the fender, then leaves and other junk will build up underneath instead of getting flushed through. A small stick or other junk will do a lot more damage if it jams in place rather than running right through plus it's a pain to clean out fenders when you're riding through lots of leaf mulch on the roads this time of year.

Third, a sizeable stick shouldn't make it through the fenders if your side struts are in a good place. With Honjos or Berthouds where you pick the location yourself, I mount the lower strut quite close to the bottom of the fender. That way it knocks out of the way most sticks and such that might get caught. With SKS's, you can accomplish the same simply by trimming the back end of the fender slightly so there's only an inch or two below the lower strut.

Fourth, I wouldn't crowd narrow fenders with tires that are too big. People like to run the narrow SKS fenders with 24-27 mm tires. In theory they fit, but there's not much room in there for anything else and certainly if junk gets in, it can't fall out as readily. Go with decent sized fenders. That means the larger Honjos if you like to ride tires such as Vittoria Paves or anything bigger.

As for the fender quick-disconnects, I'm mixed about them. Once I was attacked by a killer squirrel that got caught in the front SKS fender, which promptly pulled loose. Well, the squirrel escaped and the fender strut promptly bounced back down into the spokes and really messed up a wheel plus the fork. Personally, I'd prefer simply to have it all locked down tight. A loose strut can flip you just as fast as Suicidal Squirrel.

[paczki]

As for the fender quick-disconnects, I'm mixed about them. Once I was attacked by a killer squirrel that got caught in the front SKS fender, which promptly pulled loose. Well, the squirrel escaped and the fender strut promptly bounced back down into the spokes and really messed up a wheel plus the fork. Personally, I'd prefer simply to have it all locked down tight. A loose strut can flip you just as fast as Suicidal Squirrel.

That's interesting. I've had it disconnect and it didn't damage anything. But what you describe hadn't occured to me as a possibility. Well I guess I'd prefer a live squirrel and a bit of a mess to a dead squirrel in my bike, but that may just be me.

[RIHans]

...This kind of fender stuff will happen. It happened two days ago. The leaves and **** are falling here in lil' Rhodie. A stick went around-and-around, derailer stopped it. No damage, It (the stick), was caught-up in the Fender Protection System...FPS, (patented in RI like yesterday).

Rain and snow protection to follow.

Hans

[Too Tall]

...This kind of fender stuff will happen. It happened two days ago. The leaves and **** are falling here in lil' Rhodie. A stick went around-and-around, derailer stopped it. No damage, It (the stick), was caught-up in the Fender Protection System...FPS, (patented in RI like yesterday).

Rain and snow protection to follow.

Hans
LMAO, no kidding next I'll whinge about snow :rolleyes:

Good news, gave the lovely bespoke fenders some much needed lovin' and they look pretty swell once again :) Moving the lower tip of the fender closers and adding a homemade mudflap all seems reasonable. Thank You Forum :)