removable fenders for a 700c all city macho man

[jbay]

Originally Posted by druptight

Seems to me "good" and "easily removable" are an oxymoron when it comes to fenders. Not sure something exists that capture both qualities.

I respectfully disagree. I have "full-metal" setups on various bikes which can be taken on and off quickly. I described the setup in this post. The only change I would suggest from what I described in that post is to use Berthoud brake nuts instead of Sheldon nuts.

-- John

[dawgie]

I've tried SKS Raceblades and Crud racer removable fenders. Both of them are better than nothing but not nearly as effective as fully mounted fenders. They do a decent job of keeping road spray off you, but are not as effective at keeping your bike clean -- which is one of the main advantages of fenders.

The Cruds look nicer and are lighter weight, but I could never get mine to work without rubbing the tires. Most of my bikes have tires that are 25 mm or wider, and Cruds only seem to work on tires that are 23 mm or less.

SKS Raceblades are clunkier in appearance and a little heavier, but you can adjust them so they don't rub your tires -- if you buy the right size and use some patience in setting them up. They also are available in silver as well as black, if that makes a difference, and a range of widths for tires ranging from 23 to more than 40 mm wide.

One of my commuter bikes has Planet Bike Cascadias, which are full fenders that are easy to mount and much more effective than the removable ones. However, I can sympathize with the appeal of running fenderless, so I use the SKS Raceblades on other bikes when the weather is uncertain.

[madness]

Originally Posted by FlashUNC

SKS Raceblades.

Problem solved.

I am running 38mm tires. It seems the raceblade xl set only go to a 35mm tire. I think those would work fine, just need a wider fender.

[madness]

[QUOTE=dawgie;1455797]
SKS Raceblades are clunkier in appearance and a little heavier, but you can adjust them so they don't rub your tires -- if you buy the right size and use some patience in setting them up. They also are available in silver as well as black, if that makes a difference, and a range of widths for tires ranging from 23 to more than 40 mm wide.

I did not see where they will handle a 40 mm wide tire. widest I saw was a 35 mm. where did you find that info?

[jbay]

Originally Posted by dawgie

The Cruds look nicer and are lighter weight, but I could never get mine to work without rubbing the tires. Most of my bikes have tires that are 25 mm or wider, and Cruds only seem to work on tires that are 23 mm or less.

Where do you have a problem with the Cruds rubbing? I ask because I use them with tyres which measure 30mm wide on two frames which use 57mm reach brakes. I would guess that clearance under your brakes is the limiting factor, versus a limitation in the Cruds themselves.

Speaking of the Cruds, they are wonderful when used on an S&S bike as they fit into a case easily. I love the extended section on the rear 'guard that protects the drivetrain. Just make sure to:

(a) Use wide rims. They make the 'guards more stable. See (b).
(b) Use some strong glue to attach the strips which rub on the rims.
(c) Be aware that prolonged exposure to UV appears to make them brittle.

-- John

[Coluber42]

I got a good number of years out of the Planet Bike version of Raceblades on my brevet bike. They're easy on/off and better than nothing, but not as good as full fenders. I tried the CrudRacer fenders and busted them fairly quickly, although I did like that they give better coverage between the rear wheel and the seatpost. They are about 80% of the way to being quick to put on and take off, but not quite all the way there.
Now I have "RaceBlade Long's" and I'm really pretty happy with them. They take a bit of time to install initially, but after that they snap on and off quickly. My two complaints with them are that the rear doesn't extend all the way down to the bottom bracket, but I just kept the segment of the Crud one that does, so I'm covered there; and that the tip in front of the front brake isn't well supported, so it bounces against the tire, which eventually wore through the little plastic bit that kept it clipped on, so it went flying one day when I went over cobbles. One of these times I'll think of a better way to attach it and put it back on, but it's not a huge deal. Otherwise, they work great.

The problem, though, is that those and the Crud ones and the regular Raceblades are all basically designed for putting them onto bikes that don't have enough clearance for "real" fenders, which means they are designed for tires up to 25-28mm at the most. I do appreciate the easy-on, easy-off aspect for air travel and for loading the bikes into the back of rental cars. But they really wouldn't work for wider tires than the 25's I use.

[dawgie]

Originally Posted by jbay

Where do you have a problem with the Cruds rubbing? I ask because I use them with tyres which measure 30mm wide on two frames which use 57mm reach brakes. I would guess that clearance under your brakes is the limiting factor, versus a limitation in the Cruds themselves.
-- John

My problem with Cruds is that they barely fit under my brakes, and I couldn't properly align them with the attachment mechanism (zip ties). I fiddled and fiddled with them, but couldn't get them mount straight so they wouldn't rub.

[dawgie]

[QUOTE=madness;1455979]

Originally Posted by dawgie

SKS Raceblades are clunkier in appearance and a little heavier, but you can adjust them so they don't rub your tires -- if you buy the right size and use some patience in setting them up. They also are available in silver as well as black, if that makes a difference, and a range of widths for tires ranging from 23 to more than 40 mm wide.

I did not see where they will handle a 40 mm wide tire. widest I saw was a 35 mm. where did you find that info?

You are correct. I have Raceblades in two sizes and thought they were available in a larger size as well for tires 40 mm and larger. Just checked the SKS website and the XL is the largest size, and it's designed for 28-32 mm tires.