Fender recommendations?

[Kubla]

I didn't think I'd be researching fenders until after I bought a Cross-Check (future N+1), but it looks like I'll need them sooner for the Aurora.

The bike came with flat, slab-like (plastic?) fenders (brand unknown) which are not the most attractive things, but they do the job. Yesterday while resting briefly, my front wheel casually turned when I reached for my water bottle. The fender put a nasty 2" gash in my leg-which bled for the rest of the ride.

The first time this happened, I was preventing the bike from falling over. The turn of the wheel was more forceful, so I wasn't too surprised to get a significant bruise and a cut where the end of the fender had hit my lower leg. This time, though, it was just a gentle turn of the wheel at a standstill. I don't even want contemplate the additional damage these fenders could cause in a fall.

This is my favorite bike, so replacing these poorly-designed things would probably be a good idea. I'm considering silver Velo Orange fenders that are have rounded edges. Can anyone comment on them-or offer other brands?

[indysteel]

We have Planet Bike Cascadia road (not touring) fenders on our Auroras. Like you, we didn't like the stock fenders that came on the bike. On a tour last year, a piece of wood managed to lodge itself between the fender and tire. Part of the fender was damaged. Planet Bike replaced it for free.

[Becky]

Another vote for the Cascadias. They've held up well, and I love that Planet Bike sells lots of little replacement pieces (hardware, mudflaps, etc.).

[Kubla]

Great endorsements for Planet Bike. I'll have a look at them. My tires are currently size 32s. I don't think I'll be changing that, but was wondering if fenders are sized in such a way so that you can possibly make minor changes if you wanted to?

[Gypsy]

I have the Planet Bike fenders too on my hybrid (new purchase, new installation) and they work great. I have 32s on my hybrid and the fenders that I purchased worked find. I can adjust how close or far I want the fenders to be to the tire surface.

[Sky King]

I have experience with all of the one's you have mentioned. The VO's will not be as noisy as the Planet bikes tend to be as they are aluminum not plastic. I am putting the VO Zeppelin's on Sky because my Gilles Berthoud's aren't wide enough for my new tires. Another one to look at is the SKS Longboards - super nice fender for a great price.

[Kubla]

I don't know where the time goes, but I've been remiss in getting back to this discussion. My apologies to everyone who took the time to respond to my fender inquiry-only to have me disappear.

I'm still wavering between the VOs and Planet Bike Cascadias. I do know that I want silver-colored fenders, as the bike is cerulean blue with silver accents. The rims and rear rack are black, which darkens things quite a bit. If I ever upgrade the wheels, I'd want silver. But that's a long way off...

Also, I'm leaning more toward metal fenders-while trying to keep an open mind to other options.