Recommendation for a high end road bike that can have fenders?
 

There's often a lot of rain in my city, I'd like a road bike where fully enclosed fenders (this is a strict requirement) is a possible install. I assume this means it must be a disc brake based bike, but beyond that, what should I look for?

My definition of "high end road bike": Preferably an aero bike (not required) with a carbon frame (required), ultegra/Di2 groupset.

Yes, I understand that the benefit of the aero will suffer greatly from the presence of the fenders.

Primarily you need to look for clearance beyond the tire size you plan to use. If you use 28s, a bike that clears 32s will probably give you room for fenders. It's also best to have mounts on the frame and fork to avoid clamps. FWIW, "high end road bike" is pretty subjective so you might be a little more specific.

"High End" road bikes and fenders usually don't mix. A high end road bike usually means a racing bike and racing bikes aren't designed with fenders in mind.
Now this doesn't mean that you can't find a "high End" bike for road use that takes fenders or even have a custom bike built for your personal requirements, its just that "High End Road" isn't what I would be calling this bike.
A Touring bike or an Urban bike would be better categories to start looking at.

Custom built titanium. High end road bikes aren't meant for wide tires, fenders, and rain.

Op....are you looking for a "Racing road-bike" with fenders? You might have better luck searching "Touring bike" category.
Here's an example https://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/auroraseries.html

Check out “Gravel” bikes. Geometries vary from relaxed to road bike. I’ve been looking at Trek Checkpoints and Salsa Warroads. For an all around bike. I’d like two sets of wheels. Skinny for fast road rides. Well my fast. And a set for wide road to gravel. Both accept racks too.

Breadwinner B-Road

But things to look for are: if the frame is steel are the tubes treated to resist rust or corrosion?
Can it take wide tires, 32~40mm, if need be?

What I mean by "high end road bike" is a light bike with a carbon frame, ultegra groupset and Di2. Preferably an aero bike, despite this being mostly ruined by the presence of the fenders, this is the reality of using a racing bike as a commuter.

Buy 2 bikes.
Square hole, round peg conundrum.

You can cut fenders at the fork crown and seatstay bridge and use River City's brackets to join the two halves. (The bike does need to have drillings for rim brakes.) Means fenders on and off is a little more tedious but not a lot.

I'm a huge fan of second (beater) bikes to spare the race bike for racing and good days. At the suggestion of the club vets my rookie racing season, I set my existing second bike up as a fix gear, Never looked back. Still have it (44 years and 5 frames later). Discovered early on that fix gears work well in snow and ice; that with skill you had far more balance control than on geared bikes. ()Standard transmission vs automatic before all the new stuff came to be.)

I'd search bike coops and yard sales for a 1980s steel bike with clearance for decent size tires and fenders and horizontal dropouts. A lot of the early '[80s bikes were for 27" wheels. Run 700c and you have plenty of room for good all weather tires and fenders. $500 or so should get you started there and this will free up your good bike choices a lot.

Ben

What about this one?

"Synapse Carbon Disc Ultegra"

I'm not allowed to post links, sorry.

They state it has "hidden fender mounts".

Is it possible to get this one with Di2?

I don’t mean to be pedantic, but why a carbon fiber frame? If you’re going to race, I agree with some of the other posters, you need two bikes. A pure racing bike with a high bottom bracket and very responsive handling and a ‘winter weather’ bike with a bit more forgiving steering and handling for bad weather.

What is a ‘light’ bike to you? The frame portion is around 20-25% of the weight of a bike. Any frame material (steel, Al, Ti, CF) you can get you to a sub-20lb bike (without fenders) with a lightweight wheel set, fork, high end drive train, and cockpit. Although, there is some debate if weight savings from a carbon fiber handlebar and stem are worth the weight savings or not in terms of reliability, but that is a topic for another debate.

Yes, you can get Di2 or SRAM wireless if you are willing to pay.

I know you say high-end and aero but that might be a tall order to fill. If you would consider high-end carbon endurance, then you have lots of choices including the Cannondale you inquired about. Trek Domane also comes in Di2 Ultegra and Dura Ace and comes with hidden fender mounts.

I doubt you'll find an 'aero' bike that meets your criteria, but high-end road bikes as you define them are certainly becoming available.

One example: clearance for 35 tires, comes stock with 32s. Has Ultegra Di2 and mudguard (fender) mounts front/rear.
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/ca/defy-advanced-pro-1

Yeah, aero bikes are very most likely off the table vis-a-vis fenders, because they’re predicated on tight tolerances to smooth and control airflow, but fenders require gaps to fit into.

The tip to look at endurance style bikes is a good one.

Also remember that fender mounts are not a strict necessity, as Crud Roadracer Mk3 fenders are fitted with DuoTec. Roadracers are a very good option, IMO, for those who do not want to live with fenders all the time, as they remove and install very quickly and without tools. They’re also very thin and cleverly designed to fit on sportier frames with tight tolerances and which may lack stay bridges (as well as dropout mount points).

I use them on my winter/spring/gravel rig, an aluminum Kinesis Racelight 4S. I’m the most popular wheel on rainy day club rides, because I don’t kick up a rooster tail!

Feature-wise, the RR3s are excellent, with a long front fender to keep feet dry, and rattle-free, plastic construction; the front is one piece, and the rear two, screwed together with one plastic screw. There are no fender stay nuts to fuss with or rivets to rattle. There is a flare at the front of the rear fender to protect the derailleur from getting gunked up. The English say “brilliant” in a toss-off way, but I say the Crud Roadracer Mk3 are brilliant in a substantial and meaningful way, unlike any other product on market that I’m aware of.

Here are some pics to show how they mount. I’m running 28mm Gravel Kings here, which are biggest I can fit with the RR3s with this frame.


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...aaf060003.jpeg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c469a51ba.jpeg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ee2f7e844.jpeg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...792bf1ca0.jpeg

https://www.crudproducts.com/product/roadracer-mk3/

The OP has pretty well defined his needs and wants and most folks seem to question his desires, and even suggest gravel bikes and touring bikes.

OP - check out the Trek Domane. It's got some sleek hidden fender mounts, I know the bike can take 32c tires with fenders, and can maybe do 35c with fenders, but I'm not sure of that. OCLV 700 Carbon fiber, di2 on the SLR7. If you want Dura-Ace get the SLR9.

Fenders will wipe out any gains from an aero bike. Unless you plan to taske the fenders off occasionally you might want to relax that preference, it will open up a lot more possibilities - aero is very narrow. For example, the Trek Domane is really not considered as an aero bike. So what do you mean by aero?

The OP wanted us to inform him as to how he can capture the Fairy at the bottom of the garden. Many of us were simply pointing out that the Fairy at the bottom of the garden didn't exist.

Well put.

To assist the OP. This is what an aero bike looks like,. You will not find any that can take fenders and would you want them on such a bike? I think you are looking for a high-end carbon performance road bike but not one of these. Hope this helps.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3407005bb7.jpg

And I'm saying the fairy exists. Check out the Domane. I'm sure the other big hitters (Spec and Giant) make something similar.

Usually they're not, but there's no reason they can't be. With current typical chainstay lengths, tire sizes, and crankset q-factors, many road bikes don't have a lot of technical reasons to be unsuitable for fenders.

I really dislike the widespread attitude that fenders are somehow unsuitable for performance builds. It's an attitude that results in people building bad rain bikes that they dislike riding. If you build a rain bike with the intention of it riding well, and you equip it with supple nice-rolling tires, and you use quality fenders and mount them well... there doesn't have to be much difference in feel and performance between that and an unfendered road bike.
I don't think of my fendered bikes as "rain bikes", since I regularly ride them in sunny weather as well. It's more like the non-fendered bikes are "sun bikes", messy if used in wet conditions.

Touring bikes tend to involve a variety of compromises to accommodate heavy and bulky rear loading, both in terms of geometry and stiffness profile. Even unloaded with lightweight components, they're generally less lively and significantly heavier than a performance road build. Getting one just for the sake of having fenders would be pretty weird.

I sometimes use my touring bike on rainy road rides for the sake of variety, but it's not how I'd do a wet-weather performance road build at all.

I'm often struck by how few bikes on American roads have fenders, including "commuter" bikes. To me, a bike isn't a commuter bike if it doesn't have fenders and ideally even a chain guard--for those who might want to wear trousers. Unless one only ever rides when the pavement's dry, and there are never ever any puddles. Or unless one is racing with a bike, in which case there are other priorities.

PS. I have seen fairly small straight rear "fenders" that attach to the seat post on racing bikes. Though far from being a full fender, it makes a significant difference re: getting stuff splashed on one's rear and back.

First, I have no idea. But, if I were in your, shall we say, frame of mind, I would look across the pond to old Blighty where rain is a given. If Made in USA is important, I would check out Portland, OR where anything less than 0.25" is "partly cloudy"
Good luck