Fenders - Options and Opinons?
 

Curious about adding a front and rear fender or maybe a rear cargo rack/fender to my Otso Warakin. Ideally the fenders would be easy to install on days where the terrain is a bit sloppy or the roads are wet, light weight and durable.

Interested in hearing what others have chosen for this purpose. Am considering doing a bit of overnight adventure riding/Bike camping later this year with this bike...

Thanks!

I kinda like the plastic SKS fenders (plastic doesn't ding or rattle or make noise). You can get them in pretty much any size you need to fit tires from 23mm to 60mm. The ones i use have optional stays - I don't use the stay on the front and I can just slide it off/on at will. The rear, I just leave on. Never understand why people don't use a rear fender. I even race crits & CX with it on - but my favorite is just a seat post mount. No aero issues and no wet butt, nor brown stripe on my shorts and jersey.

Depends how quickly you want to be able to install them. I find that in general, the easier they are to install/remove, the less effective they are at being actual fenders. The SKS Raceblades are an almost acceptable middle ground, but they are limited in width and still only mediocre in protection. Personally I just run proper fenders full time on my all-road type of bike. Even on my road bike, I run fenders full time during the wet half of the year. I've used a bunch and they all work well: SKS Bluemels/Longboards, Planet Bike Cascadia, PDW, Velo Orange, Honjo, etc..

SKS VELO 47 Trekking 700c Fender Set
 

SKS trekking. Choose your size, but probably want about <5mm wider than your tires. Not my bike but this is what they look like without the stays. They do basically slide off if you want, but I leave the rear on, cause why not? For gravel, I don't want the full 180 degree coverage. Sometimes mud or snow will get stuck inside the fender (another reason why it is good to have easily removable fenders - can clean out the gunk on the road).

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...da4b0cfdc8.jpg
SKS VELO 47 Trekking 700c Fender Set

I will always recommend fill fenders with metal stays, but I am in the PNW.

If you do go with full fenders, I highly recommend that you “pre-bend” all of your stays. That is key to a solid installation. There should be no “spring” (elastic deformation) when you attach or detach the fenders, or they will be more apt to vibrate, rattle, and go out of adjustment, as well as posing a bigger risk of catching on a tire and making the rest of your day very unpleasant.

Those fenders are way too short to give adequate protection. In particular, the front fender, on the trailing end, only comes down to about the 3 o'clock position, which must allow the front tire to spray road grime at your feet, pedals, bottom bracket, and chain. Those might be better than no fenders, but not by much.

If you want to actually protect yourself and your bike from dirty water and muck, you need a front fender that extends down much further - and even then, a bolted-on mudflap is often useful, too. Ideally, the front fender, on the wheel's trailing edge, will come down to within maybe a few inches of the road surface.

OP, look at full coverage fenders from Rene Herse or Berthoud (expensive), or Velo Orange (almost as good, and more affordable).

If you are serious about fenders and adventure riding, the OMTM group based in Portland, Oregon have tons of experience adventure riding in wet weather. Seriously, these guys ride A LOT, all year round, and they love to get off of the pavement. They know foul weather riding.

Fenders ... or How to Retain a Modicum of Dignity This Winter ? Our Mother The Mountain

Those full coverage fenders are a good option. I would recommend those if this was the "commuting" forum. But, its not.

Still, it depends what "adequate protection" means to you. As stated above there are potential problems riding gravel in the wet with full coverage fenders. I've had problems with mud and snow build up that have brought me to a stop. And, I don't exactly expect to stay dry on a gravel road like I might commuting. Full coverage doesn't exactly meet the definition easy to install, where the trekking ones just slide off. Makes it great for putting the bike in/on a car too (taking a wheel off a full fender bike doesn't buy you much).

Food for thought. We all have different requirements and expectations.

:popcorn

SKS thermoplastic fenders have worked very well for me commuting. Use the plastic quick releases to avoid a bad situation if you hit debris.
As for debris, whenever I've gone over gravel on the commute, I can hear the tire kick up the gravel bits and they get sent all the way round the tire rolling along the fender gap. I have a feeling this can be a very bad thing if you factor in even light mud collection, along with grit and gravel bits. The gap is good for water, but not stones, possibly giving a sudden nasty result.
I'd imagine for wet gravel a better option is a high tail type fender, like a motocross bike. It'd prevent major muddying of your back and face, but leave room for debris clearing. Strategically placed guards could keep drivetrains a little cleaner but sounds fiddly

I Like the SKS Fenders!

I’ve added 3-4” strips of black duct tape to the rubber flaps on my SKS Raceblades if I needed a little bit of extra protection. On my Revolt, the front Raceblade flap stops at about 4:30 position which is fine, but on the rear it stops at only about 2:00, which isn’t good for anyone behind me.

Keith

I agree. The front of the rear fender is a giant chute to dump water and gravel onto your front derailleur and crank. You should have fenders that extend at least to below teh chainstays.

Good point! I mounted the front of mine much lower than in that picture so they go down to the chainstays and keep the drive train cleaner.

I got SKS fenders for my Revolt, but the front didn't seem to do much good, so I don't use it anymore. The rear works well tho, and is easy on/off with the seatpost clamp.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ce798cb745.jpg

The front fender is the most useful, as - assuming it extends down far enough on the wheel's trailing side - it helps protect your feet, pedals, crankset, BB, and chain from dirty water and much that is getting kicked up by the front tire.

Agreed, if it comes down far enough. I had to run a short fender due to my repair kit on the downtube, so it really didn't do me much good, easier to just leave it off.

Probably a good decision, the more I think about it. On a gravel bike, you don’t want something being kicked up and getting caught in that front fender – could be catastrophic. that’s not such a concern with the rear fender.

I run SKS. Partially because I have no mounts on the frame and the low seat stay wont fit most fenders. And partially because I can easily move them to all my bikes with a minimum amount of setup.

As mentioned these are minimal enough to get by. They have no cover on the front of the front wheel and in very wet conditions you will get road spray in your face. They are not quite wide enough to keep your feet dry through puddles or flooded roads.

But for most of what I ride in (PNW here as well) they do well. They are great in a "dry rain" where the roads are wet and it's more of a drizzle but not a downpour. Once you get into a heavy wet rain they only prevent a percentage of the water from soaking your feet.

The best part about them is that in less than a minute I can mount them or take them off and can easily swap them across bikes.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...56247bf3fb.jpg

Wow, really squeezed it in for that front tire. Reminds me of another issue on short wheelbase bikes - toe overlap.

Yippers. Toe overlap is the sacrifice for a short wheelbase.
Suprisingly the straps on the fenders do a great job of staying in place and they dont move at all. No noise. They are very quiet.

I've got a set of those on a road bike. They don't provide much protection - they are only slightly better than nothing. But I will echo your comments - they stay in place, run quietly, and can be removed (or put back on the bike) in about ten seconds.

Here's a link to another post describing my "foul-weather" setup on my Cannondale Topstone.

https://www.bikeforums.net/21357164-post670.html

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...fba7c95c88.jpg