Anyone know the efficacy of full fenders hacked onto a road bike? - Page 2

01-18-2005, 11:35 AM

On 2005-01-18, maxo <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
>> And fenders don't really do all that much to
>> protect rims, drivetrains and brakes.
>
> They do a good job for my drivetrain, but only if they're fitted really
> tightly down by the bb and there's not much gap between tire and fender.
> Most "out of box" configurations will leave a cm of tire/fender clearance
> down there, allowing spray to escape. Since I tightened the gap on my
> bike--the fenders have indeed done a fabulous job protecting the
> drivetrain. It still gets dirty but seems to stay reasonable 3x longer.

Maybe that's the key. I just know I have had success with fenders helping
out in this regard in the past. My current bike, basically ends up a big
sand box down there. I would literally have to wash it every day, whereas
with fenders this isn't as necessary. That's a huge difference, in my
book. Not something I can quantify, but definitely something where, when
you see it, you can tell the difference.

> Brakes and rims--nothing you can do there except run good pads or a
> fancier weatherproof braking system.

I've had fenders help with that as well, actually. I think this is because
rather than all the water/mud splashing up into the brakes, and
haphazardly all over the bike, it hits the fender and mostly water falls
onto the wheel, the mud sticks to the fender. This definitely helps to
give the rim a break from being constantly ground down by silt, I've
found. But then again, I hadn't had that kind of luck with fenders on my
Trek 1000. Thus my query.

Preston

01-18-2005, 11:35 AM

On 2005-01-18, maxo <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
>> And fenders don't really do all that much to
>> protect rims, drivetrains and brakes.
>
> They do a good job for my drivetrain, but only if they're fitted really
> tightly down by the bb and there's not much gap between tire and fender.
> Most "out of box" configurations will leave a cm of tire/fender clearance
> down there, allowing spray to escape. Since I tightened the gap on my
> bike--the fenders have indeed done a fabulous job protecting the
> drivetrain. It still gets dirty but seems to stay reasonable 3x longer.

Maybe that's the key. I just know I have had success with fenders helping
out in this regard in the past. My current bike, basically ends up a big
sand box down there. I would literally have to wash it every day, whereas
with fenders this isn't as necessary. That's a huge difference, in my
book. Not something I can quantify, but definitely something where, when
you see it, you can tell the difference.

> Brakes and rims--nothing you can do there except run good pads or a
> fancier weatherproof braking system.

I've had fenders help with that as well, actually. I think this is because
rather than all the water/mud splashing up into the brakes, and
haphazardly all over the bike, it hits the fender and mostly water falls
onto the wheel, the mud sticks to the fender. This definitely helps to
give the rim a break from being constantly ground down by silt, I've
found. But then again, I hadn't had that kind of luck with fenders on my
Trek 1000. Thus my query.

Preston

01-18-2005, 12:22 PM

On Tue, 18 Jan 2005 13:32:45 -0600, Preston Crawford wrote:

> So I'm trying to figure this out before I go
> spend $100 on this. Is it possible the shop that did the full fenders
> split and braced around my road brakes did something wrong?

In a perfect world you'd have long reach brakes, but that's not the case
soo...

I'd get a set of 35mm full sized road fenders, a utility
knife/dremel/leatherman, some zip ties, and start hacking about. You can
get a set of full size fenders on sale at Nashbar for a twenty--so if you
screw up, no big deal. Remember--35mm fenders are key, those wider 45mm
hybrid ones just won't work for this.

It would seem to me that if you could use a tool to notch out some room
for brake to operate, you should be able to fit them. I think this would
be a lot stronger than "splitting" them. You'll also perhaps have to
modify the way they mount to the brake bolt to get them high enough to
clear the tires. If you don't have fender eyelets, either get some
P-clamps or use two zip ties on each side--zip a tie around the fork, then
zip the fender stay to that zip tie with another--a little confusing, but
I think you'll see what I mean--or I'll post an image on flickr for you.

On the rear, do the same notch out to clear the brakes, and where you
mount by the BB, don't use the included clip. Shave the sides off of the
fender down by the BB if you need to to make it fit between the
chainstays, then drill two small holes and attach each to one
chainstay--this will allow you to adjust the clearance between tire and
fender easily.

finally, slap on a mud flap up front. Milk carton, old piece of floor mat,
leather boot tongue, be creative.

01-18-2005, 12:22 PM

On Tue, 18 Jan 2005 13:32:45 -0600, Preston Crawford wrote:

> So I'm trying to figure this out before I go
> spend $100 on this. Is it possible the shop that did the full fenders
> split and braced around my road brakes did something wrong?

In a perfect world you'd have long reach brakes, but that's not the case
soo...

I'd get a set of 35mm full sized road fenders, a utility
knife/dremel/leatherman, some zip ties, and start hacking about. You can
get a set of full size fenders on sale at Nashbar for a twenty--so if you
screw up, no big deal. Remember--35mm fenders are key, those wider 45mm
hybrid ones just won't work for this.

It would seem to me that if you could use a tool to notch out some room
for brake to operate, you should be able to fit them. I think this would
be a lot stronger than "splitting" them. You'll also perhaps have to
modify the way they mount to the brake bolt to get them high enough to
clear the tires. If you don't have fender eyelets, either get some
P-clamps or use two zip ties on each side--zip a tie around the fork, then
zip the fender stay to that zip tie with another--a little confusing, but
I think you'll see what I mean--or I'll post an image on flickr for you.

On the rear, do the same notch out to clear the brakes, and where you
mount by the BB, don't use the included clip. Shave the sides off of the
fender down by the BB if you need to to make it fit between the
chainstays, then drill two small holes and attach each to one
chainstay--this will allow you to adjust the clearance between tire and
fender easily.

finally, slap on a mud flap up front. Milk carton, old piece of floor mat,
leather boot tongue, be creative.

01-18-2005, 12:22 PM

On Tue, 18 Jan 2005 13:32:45 -0600, Preston Crawford wrote:

> So I'm trying to figure this out before I go
> spend $100 on this. Is it possible the shop that did the full fenders
> split and braced around my road brakes did something wrong?

In a perfect world you'd have long reach brakes, but that's not the case
soo...

I'd get a set of 35mm full sized road fenders, a utility
knife/dremel/leatherman, some zip ties, and start hacking about. You can
get a set of full size fenders on sale at Nashbar for a twenty--so if you
screw up, no big deal. Remember--35mm fenders are key, those wider 45mm
hybrid ones just won't work for this.

It would seem to me that if you could use a tool to notch out some room
for brake to operate, you should be able to fit them. I think this would
be a lot stronger than "splitting" them. You'll also perhaps have to
modify the way they mount to the brake bolt to get them high enough to
clear the tires. If you don't have fender eyelets, either get some
P-clamps or use two zip ties on each side--zip a tie around the fork, then
zip the fender stay to that zip tie with another--a little confusing, but
I think you'll see what I mean--or I'll post an image on flickr for you.

On the rear, do the same notch out to clear the brakes, and where you
mount by the BB, don't use the included clip. Shave the sides off of the
fender down by the BB if you need to to make it fit between the
chainstays, then drill two small holes and attach each to one
chainstay--this will allow you to adjust the clearance between tire and
fender easily.

finally, slap on a mud flap up front. Milk carton, old piece of floor mat,
leather boot tongue, be creative.

01-18-2005, 03:55 PM

maxo wrote:
> On Tue, 18 Jan 2005 13:32:45 -0600, Preston Crawford wrote:
>
>
>>So I'm trying to figure this out before I go
>>spend $100 on this. Is it possible the shop that did the full fenders
>>split and braced around my road brakes did something wrong?
>
>
> In a perfect world you'd have long reach brakes, but that's not the case
> soo...
>
> I'd get a set of 35mm full sized road fenders, a utility
> knife/dremel/leatherman, some zip ties, and start hacking about. You can
> get a set of full size fenders on sale at Nashbar for a twenty--so if you
> screw up, no big deal. Remember--35mm fenders are key, those wider 45mm
> hybrid ones just won't work for this.
I didn't need to do this for my road bike. If you have 25mm or smaller
tires, you could be able to get away with properly mounting SKS full
fenders. They are 35 mm wide, I have standard reach brakes and 26mm
tires. The clearance between the wheel and fender is about 1mm. Try
this before hacking away. I also have a friend with 35mm Planet Bike
fenders on his peugeot with a similar configuration who required no
adjustment, just standard installation.
>
> It would seem to me that if you could use a tool to notch out some room
> for brake to operate, you should be able to fit them. I think this would
> be a lot stronger than "splitting" them. You'll also perhaps have to
> modify the way they mount to the brake bolt to get them high enough to
> clear the tires. If you don't have fender eyelets, either get some
> P-clamps or use two zip ties on each side--zip a tie around the fork, then
> zip the fender stay to that zip tie with another--a little confusing, but
> I think you'll see what I mean--or I'll post an image on flickr for you.
>
> On the rear, do the same notch out to clear the brakes, and where you
> mount by the BB, don't use the included clip. Shave the sides off of the
> fender down by the BB if you need to to make it fit between the
> chainstays, then drill two small holes and attach each to one
> chainstay--this will allow you to adjust the clearance between tire and
> fender easily.
>
> finally, slap on a mud flap up front. Milk carton, old piece of floor mat,
> leather boot tongue, be creative.

01-18-2005, 03:55 PM

maxo wrote:
> On Tue, 18 Jan 2005 13:32:45 -0600, Preston Crawford wrote:
>
>
>>So I'm trying to figure this out before I go
>>spend $100 on this. Is it possible the shop that did the full fenders
>>split and braced around my road brakes did something wrong?
>
>
> In a perfect world you'd have long reach brakes, but that's not the case
> soo...
>
> I'd get a set of 35mm full sized road fenders, a utility
> knife/dremel/leatherman, some zip ties, and start hacking about. You can
> get a set of full size fenders on sale at Nashbar for a twenty--so if you
> screw up, no big deal. Remember--35mm fenders are key, those wider 45mm
> hybrid ones just won't work for this.
I didn't need to do this for my road bike. If you have 25mm or smaller
tires, you could be able to get away with properly mounting SKS full
fenders. They are 35 mm wide, I have standard reach brakes and 26mm
tires. The clearance between the wheel and fender is about 1mm. Try
this before hacking away. I also have a friend with 35mm Planet Bike
fenders on his peugeot with a similar configuration who required no
adjustment, just standard installation.
>
> It would seem to me that if you could use a tool to notch out some room
> for brake to operate, you should be able to fit them. I think this would
> be a lot stronger than "splitting" them. You'll also perhaps have to
> modify the way they mount to the brake bolt to get them high enough to
> clear the tires. If you don't have fender eyelets, either get some
> P-clamps or use two zip ties on each side--zip a tie around the fork, then
> zip the fender stay to that zip tie with another--a little confusing, but
> I think you'll see what I mean--or I'll post an image on flickr for you.
>
> On the rear, do the same notch out to clear the brakes, and where you
> mount by the BB, don't use the included clip. Shave the sides off of the
> fender down by the BB if you need to to make it fit between the
> chainstays, then drill two small holes and attach each to one
> chainstay--this will allow you to adjust the clearance between tire and
> fender easily.
>
> finally, slap on a mud flap up front. Milk carton, old piece of floor mat,
> leather boot tongue, be creative.

01-18-2005, 03:55 PM

maxo wrote:
> On Tue, 18 Jan 2005 13:32:45 -0600, Preston Crawford wrote:
>
>
>>So I'm trying to figure this out before I go
>>spend $100 on this. Is it possible the shop that did the full fenders
>>split and braced around my road brakes did something wrong?
>
>
> In a perfect world you'd have long reach brakes, but that's not the case
> soo...
>
> I'd get a set of 35mm full sized road fenders, a utility
> knife/dremel/leatherman, some zip ties, and start hacking about. You can
> get a set of full size fenders on sale at Nashbar for a twenty--so if you
> screw up, no big deal. Remember--35mm fenders are key, those wider 45mm
> hybrid ones just won't work for this.
I didn't need to do this for my road bike. If you have 25mm or smaller
tires, you could be able to get away with properly mounting SKS full
fenders. They are 35 mm wide, I have standard reach brakes and 26mm
tires. The clearance between the wheel and fender is about 1mm. Try
this before hacking away. I also have a friend with 35mm Planet Bike
fenders on his peugeot with a similar configuration who required no
adjustment, just standard installation.
>
> It would seem to me that if you could use a tool to notch out some room
> for brake to operate, you should be able to fit them. I think this would
> be a lot stronger than "splitting" them. You'll also perhaps have to
> modify the way they mount to the brake bolt to get them high enough to
> clear the tires. If you don't have fender eyelets, either get some
> P-clamps or use two zip ties on each side--zip a tie around the fork, then
> zip the fender stay to that zip tie with another--a little confusing, but
> I think you'll see what I mean--or I'll post an image on flickr for you.
>
> On the rear, do the same notch out to clear the brakes, and where you
> mount by the BB, don't use the included clip. Shave the sides off of the
> fender down by the BB if you need to to make it fit between the
> chainstays, then drill two small holes and attach each to one
> chainstay--this will allow you to adjust the clearance between tire and
> fender easily.
>
> finally, slap on a mud flap up front. Milk carton, old piece of floor mat,
> leather boot tongue, be creative.

01-18-2005, 04:12 PM

On Wed, 19 Jan 2005 00:55:52 +0000, Collin wrote:

> I didn't need to do this for my road bike. If you have 25mm or smaller
> tires, you could be able to get away with properly mounting SKS full
> fenders. They are 35 mm wide, I have standard reach brakes and 26mm
> tires. The clearance between the wheel and fender is about 1mm. Try
> this before hacking away.

Are you running sidepulls or dual-pivots? Dual pivots need a little more
room to do their thing than side-pulls.

SKS's are fine fenders, I was just suggesting that the OP take advantage
of a cheap set if he wants to do a little experimentation.

1mm is some tight clearances!

01-18-2005, 04:12 PM

On Wed, 19 Jan 2005 00:55:52 +0000, Collin wrote:

> I didn't need to do this for my road bike. If you have 25mm or smaller
> tires, you could be able to get away with properly mounting SKS full
> fenders. They are 35 mm wide, I have standard reach brakes and 26mm
> tires. The clearance between the wheel and fender is about 1mm. Try
> this before hacking away.

Are you running sidepulls or dual-pivots? Dual pivots need a little more
room to do their thing than side-pulls.

SKS's are fine fenders, I was just suggesting that the OP take advantage
of a cheap set if he wants to do a little experimentation.

1mm is some tight clearances!