Fenders - 2024 edition

[reuben]

Welp, the new house, barn, property, garden, etc. are mostly under control, with all of the big projects (that I know of) complete, and only small ones left which I can pick at as I feel like it, with no real sense of urgency.

So this afternoon I'm going to head down to the basement and see if I can find a bike or two that still work without any major issues. This brings me to the trial runs I want to start on for future bikepacking trips. And thus, fenders.

I had bookmarked this old thread for reference. My guess is that not much has changed, but I figure it's worth taking the red pill to find out the truth (I recently watched The Matrix for the first time ever, a mere 25 years after it premiered ).
https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=287047

SKS and PDW seem to still be the biggies, with Cascadia, VO, and others in the mix. I'm looking for function, not beauty.

The fenders would be for a Kona Sutra LTD, as shown here.
https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=301346

It has bosses and mounts galore, which is one of the reasons I bought it.
https://www.konaworld.com/products/sutra-ltd

1. Terrain - gravelish, probably plenty of fine gravel/stones. Some paved sections, some dirt sections. Nothing gnarly to start.
   Front - I'd like my feet to remain relatively clean and dry, at least of mud, if not water, so full coverage or close to it in the front. But maybe that's a pipe dream.
2. Rear - What can be done to keep the rear drivetrain functioning relatively well? Prayer? My guess is that the rear fender is mostly to avoid rooster tail.
3. While I'd prefer metal fenders from an environmental point of view, they seem to be more prone to breakage and fit issues than plastic. Yes, no? Can I start an argument here?
4. Are the miniature rear fenders sufficient? If no one's behind me, what's the difference?
5. The Sutra currently has 40mm tires on it, I may go down to 32 or 35, and may go up to 2.1. So probably different sets of fenders over time.
6. I'd take them off from time to time, but not often, so semi-permanent mounting is probably OK if not too complicated or painful.

[EB]

Originally Posted by reuben

SKS and PDW seem to still be the biggies, with Cascadia, VO, and others in the mix. I'm looking for function, not beauty.

These are still the two correct choices in my opinion, though I find the PDWs slightly easier to setup. You will need to cut metal to fit in either case - PDW ships with very long stays, and I still had to cut the length down to fit the rear fender on a bike with 452mm chainstays.

Still nothing like the horror of setting up Honjos.

Originally Posted by reuben

Terrain - gravelish, probably plenty of fine gravel/stones. Some paved sections, some dirt sections. Nothing gnarly to start.

In my experience, as long as you have 1cm of clearance between tire and fender throughout the fender, you should be totally fine on this kind of terrain and loose rocks should "zing" through. Knobby tires will pick up more rocks, so I usually run semi-slicks for this kind of setup. However, if things get extremely muddy, there is a potential for the bike to seize up from mud accumulation - don't ask me how I know.

Do not run with less than 1cm of clearance.

Originally Posted by reuben

Front - I'd like my feet to remain relatively clean and dry, at least of mud, if not water, so full coverage or close to it in the front. But maybe that's a pipe dream.

You must have mudflaps to guarantee that. I think both SKS and PDW come with them out of the box.

Originally Posted by reuben

Rear - What can be done to keep the rear drivetrain functioning relatively well? Prayer? My guess is that the rear fender is mostly to avoid rooster tail.

In my experience with full coverage both front and rear properly setup with mudflaps, your drivetrain should do well. I have seen people run a mudflap on the front of the rear fender, though I'm not sure this is necessary.

Originally Posted by reuben

While I'd prefer metal fenders from an environmental point of view, they seem to be more prone to breakage and fit issues than plastic. Yes, no? Can I start an argument here?

SKS (plastic) and PDW (metal) performed equally well for me. I have noticed the SKS front fenders tend to vibrate more.

Originally Posted by reuben

Are the miniature rear fenders sufficient? If no one's behind me, what's the difference?

No. See your drivetrain question. If you want to protect your drivetrain, full coverage is necessary.

[mtbmoose]

Still love my PDW fenders. They were easy to setup, function well, and look great.

[christian]

PDWs are ridiculously good.

Since SKS / Planet Bike fenders are now > $100, it feels like PDW is the smartest choice.

[rccardr]

Been very happy with both SKS plastic (they’re actually a plastic/aluminum sammich, I think) and VO metal fenders. Would consider both of them full coverage when used with flaps front and rear (I make my own flaps out of plastic spiral notebook covers).

Recently completed two 300-mile tours, one on mostly gravel with VO snakeskins over 38mm GK’s, the other on mixed surfaces (grass to singletrack to doubletrack to rough gravel to smooth gravel, some pavement) with the SKS ones. Had to split the rear fender and make a couple mounting points to get everything to fit over the 35’s on that particular frame; with 32’s it would have been easier.

Them fender things can be fiddly. Expect to take your time, curse a little, and be inventive. Either that, or they go on super easy like they did on the Cherubim.

[RoosterCogset]

You could try here:
https://www.fender.com/en-US/new-releases/

[NHAero]

I use the Planet Bike Cascadia ALX on my Bingham and they saw plenty of dirt on the VT Green Mtn Growler. They are now on my Habanero as that bike is the one that normally sees any wet roads or bad weather. They seem to do a good job in keeping the drivetrain cleaner than it would be without them! And they are easy to install.