Fenders

[jpw]

I'm deciding which fenders to have on my CX commuter bike.

I'm looking at Full Wood fenders by River City Cycles. Has anyone tried a pair? Do they need TLC and how do they fair in the winter?

http://www.rivercitybicycles.com/product_info.php?cPath=130&products_id=505


Or, any other make you might recommend. Thx.

[dave1215]

those are beautiful but they won't function as well as honjos. the flat profile of those wood fenders will deflect and spray some water outward while curved aluminum will capture and run water through the bottom.

hope this helps.

[dirtdigger88]

my comments are based on three years of use-

their function isnt really much of an issue for me- they do a good job of controlling spray- I would agree that "real" fenders would do a "better" job- but if its so wet outside that my real wood fenders are not enough- I'm really not going for a ride-

they have warped some over time- not much but they are no longer as straight as they were when I bought them- this is very easy to see in my front fender- the front tip is off by about a half a centimeter compared to the tire

they are hard to keep a consistant distance from the tire to the fender along the entire fender- if that matters to you -

they wiggle some- I dont know if other fenders do the same- but I can feel the rear fender wiggle if Im out of the saddle ridding hard- the front fender wiggles enough that it actually creates a high speed wobble - it is the fenders for sure- I can not ride my Kirk no handed at high speeds with my fenders on- when they are off I can do it with ease-

that said- the fenders go on and off in about 5 minutes- so if its going to be a dry "hammer fest" ride- I just pop them off

NOTHING looks as cool as these do- I get more comments about my fenders than any other part of my bike- considering what my Terraplane looks like- that speaks volumes-

the only thing I really do to take care of them is a shot of pledge now and then-

All thing considered I love my fenders- I would not change them for another type -
http://forums.thepaceline.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=8202&stc=1

http://forums.thepaceline.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=8203&stc=1
Jason

[jpw]

those are beautiful but they won't function as well as honjos. the flat profile of those wood fenders will deflect and spray some water outward while curved aluminum will capture and run water through the bottom.

hope this helps.

Oh yes, it does. Thanks. :)

[jpw]

my comments are based on three years of use-

their function isnt really much of an issue for me- they do a good job of controlling spray- I would agree that "real" fenders would do a "better" job- but if its so wet outside that my real wood fenders are not enough- I'm really not going for a ride-

they have warped some over time- not much but they are no longer as straight as they were when I bought them- this is very easy to see in my front fender- the front tip is off by about a half a centimeter compared to the tire

they are hard to keep a consistant distance from the tire to the fender along the entire fender- if that matters to you -

they wiggle some- I dont know if other fenders do the same- but I can feel the rear fender wiggle if Im out of the saddle ridding hard- the front fender wiggles enough that it actually creates a high speed wobble - it is the fenders for sure- I can not ride my Kirk no handed at high speeds with my fenders on- when they are off I can do it with ease-

that said- the fenders go on and off in about 5 minutes- so if its going to be a dry "hammer fest" ride- I just pop them off

NOTHING looks as cool as these do- I get more comments about my fenders than any other part of my bike- considering what my Terraplane looks like- that speaks volumes-

the only thing I really do to take care of them is a shot of pledge now and then-

All thing considered I love my fenders- I would not change them for another type -
http://forums.thepaceline.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=8202&stc=1

http://forums.thepaceline.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=8203&stc=1
Jason

Is that the Zebrawood?

[CNY rider]

My commuter takes an absolute beating in the winter with slush, snow and salt spray.
The Planet Bike black plastic fenders have taken it all and basically come through unscathed, while keeping me dry.

You may want to add a front flap as well to keep your feet really dry.

[StefanZ]

I have been commuting for years now with fenders on my Novara and more recently Jamis Aurora. I have been running the German ESGE/SKS fenders: they really are great, light, functional, indestructible, and safe. The latter I experienced just a few days ago when I got piece of steel rod caught with the front wheel. The front fender pops off its attachment on the front dropouts. It likely saved me from going down. You can get a pair from Peter White's store (great cycling gear!). http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fenders.asp

[dirtdigger88]

Is that the Zebrawood?

yes

Jason

[jthurow]

If you're really worried about road spray, Honjo or Berthoud's are the way to go. Only down side is that they can take a bit of time to set up if you don't have bosses on your brake bridge or fork crown for'em. I always found the support bridges on the ESGE/SKS caused water to drip around the fender, which also happens with the woody fenders. Not a big deal but not what I want from fenders. That said... the woody's do look pretty cool.

jimi

[mike p]

Is that the Zebrawood?

Yes, Jason's depleteing our rain forests. ;) Jason when are going to see pic's of your new bike?

Mike

[Spinner]

... where do you ride to pick up that goop? you must be out mashing as usual.

great review.

cheers.

[fixednwinter]

Well, Jason's cool pictures and comments just about trumps any further discussion, but here are my two cents on using Honjo's:

- Length gives great coverage over my previous ESGE/SKS and Bluemels to the point where I haven't installed mudflaps and didn't miss them this past winter

- Angled sides provides great spray coverage

- If you have the proper eyelets and braze-ons, this helps ease installation, although they are defiinitely trickier to install initially than plastic fenders

- The Sheldon nuts are are a great addition to any fender set-up, if you use brakes that use the brake bridge or crown (i.e. dual pivots, single pivots, or centre-pulls with the central bolt bridge). It allows fairly easy removal and re-install without mucking with the brakes. Not an issue with any brake that uses its own bosses (i.e. cantilevers, centre-pulls with bosses, V-brakes) or discs.

[WadePatton]

danmit I though this was a guitar thread... :confused:

[dirtdigger88]

Jason when are going to see pic's of your new bike?

Mike

soon -

I dig this one of my terraplane- mtb Kirk style

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l162/dirt_011/summer07261.jpg

Jason

[Blue Jays]

/\/\ Interesting factoid: dirtdigger88 is in the photograph above. He just happens to be wearing a lycra Ghillie Suit for the snapshot. :D

[nobrakes]

I like the wooden fenders from River City. I feel they add a lot of class to any bike. I put this bike together with a $150.00 steel bargain mountain bike frame that had an eccentric BB, leftover parts and disc brakes and 700c Aerohead rims, and Vittoria XN cross tires. It makes an awesome comuter/run-to-get-coffee errand bike, and with the cross tires, even light trails are easy on it. My wife gave me the fenders for my birthday, and I think it really adds a touch of class to a cheap experiment. I get lots of compliments from other cyclists, but so far can't comment on the fender's durability, as I've only had them a month. I had to do some creative bending of the front-left fenders stay to clear the disk brake. These fenders are much more sturdy than some of the plastic ones I have on other bikes, the stays and hardware are much more substantial.

[thwart]

I'd agree about the wood fenders making a so-so bike really stand out. So it comes down to the inevitable trade-off: form vs function... at least if spray is a big deal for you.

These are Woody's fenders, he does nice work.

[Lifelover]

What's the price range for the wood fenders?

[thwart]

Bought mine from Woody on eBay a couple of years ago... so they weren't custom... around $70 or so including shipping.

[jpw]

Bought mine from Woody on eBay a couple of years ago... so they weren't custom... around $70 or so including shipping.

Who is "Woody"?

[thwart]

Here you go...

http://www.woodysfenders.com/contact.php

I don't want to hear anything about 30%... ;)

[palincss]

I'd agree about the wood fenders making a so-so bike really stand out. So it comes down to the inevitable trade-off: form vs function... at least if spray is a big deal for you.

These are Woody's fenders, he does nice work.

I wonder if they'd spray less if they were wider. So far, all the ones shown in this thread are barely wider than the tire they cover.

[nobrakes]

I wonder if they'd spray less if they were wider. So far, all the ones shown in this thread are barely wider than the tire they cover.

The only change I'd like to see, if it were possible, would be that they were more contoured, similar to the popular plastic or metal fenders. I don't know if they could be made like that, though. I think River City has wider ones available, but then fitting them might be more difficult. Skinny fenders are better than no fenders here in Oregon.

In answer to the cost question, I nearly had a heart attack when my wife said these fenders cost $200.00. That's almost more than I have wrapped up in the whole bike! That brings it back to the sheer artistry and labor that went into building these fenders, and the laminating process that is so labor intensive. In the end, I don't mind paying for true art, but for true functionality, the plastic fenders work just fine on my fixed Serotta. This bike is about individuality, and deserved the wood fenders, even though it started out as a modest budget project, just as much as the nice Kirk or the Surly.

I'm now exploring the possibility of adding a front rack, like the ones on so many of the cool bikes I saw at NAHBS, that can utilize the unused cantilever bosses on the front fork. That, or shave off the bosses.

[palincss]

In answer to the cost question, I nearly had a heart attack when my wife said these fenders cost $200.00. That's almost more than I have wrapped up in the whole bike! That brings it back to the sheer artistry and labor that went into building these fenders, and the laminating process that is so labor intensive. In the end, I don't mind paying for true art, but for true functionality, the plastic fenders work just fine on my fixed Serotta.



Honjos set a good balance between artistry and function, I think. They look great - and it really warms my heart to see a look I fell in love with 35 years ago reasserting itself with so much power today - but what's truly impressive to me is how well they work. They're a lot more than plastic fenders, but plastic fenders IMO never worked this well and certainly never were so attractive.