Fenders, Part II

[7rider]

Hi there.
Did't want to hijack the other thread, so I wanted to start a new one.
I'm pondering (again) fenders for my flat bar road bike/commuter.
It's got 700 x 25's (28's in the winter) on it and a carbon fork with eyelets. I also have a rack on the back for panniers.
I really don't ride when it's actively raining, but that's not to say I haven't been caught in it before (I use a probability of 40% rain from www.weather.com as my go/no-go decision point). However, I do occasionally ride when the roads are wet and crummy.
So..
1. Should I bother to get fenders for the bike?
2. If I do, should I just get a cheapy fender for the front only (like, one of those that clamps on to the downtube) and say my rear rack is a "de facto" rear fender?
3. Should I go with a full-on set of fenders? I don't think I can use a "blade" style with the rear rack, so they'd have to be the full bolt-on to the stays kind of fenders.
Thoughts? Advice?
Thanks!!

[SadieKate]

What is a "blade" type fender? I know the term as a model of fender from SKS. I ordered a set for my cross bike (I sure hope I have the clearance for them, I just ordered on a leap of faith). My mtb's get THE mini-fenders which just zip tie on the down tube in front, a completely different beast from road bike fenders.

http://www.biketiresdirect.com/searc...lts.asp?cat=fe

Maybe someone can give us a list of the different styles.

[GLC1968]

Good questions, Regina!

I'm going to have to do a bit of research myself. From what I'm seeing, most fenders come in pairs (the road ones)...so are they wheel size specific? I have a 24inch front wheel and a 700 cc rear. Is this going to be really difficult to do?

I guess since they aren't very expensive, if I have to buy a bunch to make it work, I can. **stupid short legs!!**

[7rider]

What is a "blade" type fender? I know the term as a model of fender from SKS. I ordered a set for my cross bike (I sure hope I have the clearance for them, I just ordered on a leap of faith). My mtb's get THE mini-fenders which just zip tie on the down tube in front, a completely different beast from road bike fenders.

http://www.biketiresdirect.com/searc...lts.asp?cat=fe

Maybe someone can give us a list of the different styles.

Oh, I guess that is my own term!
I mean the kind that bolt on to your seatpost and are not fastened to your rear dropouts - like this one from the link you provided. I think SKS has some "...blade" models like that, which is probably where I picked up the term.
"Since I have a rack, I don't think I can use the seat-post bolt on style", is what I probably should have said!

[SadieKate]

GLC - I have seen the SKS Blades sold individually, but haven't a clue about 24" fenders.

[Rai Sue]

I used to put have the full fenders which attached to eyelets and I hated them--they rattle, and if you want to take them off (during the summer, say) they were a pain in the ***, especially if--like me--you have center pull brakes and the fenders shared an eyelet with the rack.

So, I highly recommend the full fenders that attach to the seat stays (rear) and fork. They are very easy to take off and put on, and also easy to adjust (most adjustments involve slightly moving the rubber-attaching band up or down the stay). I think I got the Planet Bike brand, b/c they were cheapest--i think something like $25 for front and rear.

I have one like the "blade" above for my sexier bike, so that she didn't have to be weighed down by the fender look when it wasn't raining (the easy on, easy off was a big selling point). It kept the wet stripe off of my back, but definitely wasn't as functional as the full fenders.

[Rai Sue]

That's the one I was talking about from Planet Bike. They make wide ones for touring/mtb/cross, and skinnier ones too. But the SpeedEZ system of mounting is what I like about them. And they seem to rattle less than my old ones as well.

[pooks]

So that rattling I hear is probably my fenders, huh? They're very lightweight and flimsy. I'd wondered about getting better ones, myself, but don't know anything about them. Good topic.

[Eden]

What is a "blade" type fender? I know the term as a model of fender from SKS. I ordered a set for my cross bike (I sure hope I have the clearance for them, I just ordered on a leap of faith). My mtb's get THE mini-fenders which just zip tie on the down tube in front, a completely different beast from road bike fenders.

http://www.biketiresdirect.com/searc...lts.asp?cat=fe

Maybe someone can give us a list of the different styles.

You shouldn't have any clearence problems with those fenders - I have them on my old race bike turned rain bike that has no clearance what so ever. They don't have to go forward of the rear brake like full fenders so you don't have to worry so much about being able to get under there. They are rather short though so getting yourself a nice long buddy flap for riding with others is a must.

I'm going to have to do a bit of research myself. From what I'm seeing, most fenders come in pairs (the road ones)...so are they wheel size specific? I have a 24inch front wheel and a 700 cc rear. Is this going to be really difficult to do?

I guess since they aren't very expensive, if I have to buy a bunch to make it work, I can. **stupid short legs!!**

I'm going to be getting a new rain bike that will have 650's rather than 700's. I'm going to see if my current fenders can be adapted to fit the new wheels. With the way that they attach and adjust I think that it will work - if it does then I would think that it should work with a 24" wheel too. I'll try to remember to let you know.

[7rider]

I ended up getting the PlanetBike Grunge Guard for my bike. It attaches to the down tube and keeps spray off the front end of the bike (and me - and my water bottle), and I"m letting the rear rack act as my "de facto" fender.
The guy at the shop was going to order me a set of full fenders, too, so we could jury-rig a fix for the rear tire, but the ding-dong wrote down the wrong part number and ordered 2 Grunge Guards! I haven't pressed the issue. I think this will be sufficient. I put it on my road bike, and had clearance issues with tight corners (it hit the front tire), but that doesn't appear to be an issue with the commuter.