LOL, you guys are
really getting lathered up over this !
How many times to I have to stipulate that fenders serve a valid purpose ? I've
never disputed that, so comments like, "
people with a dirt stripe up their back look great?" are kinda stupid, given that I complained about that very issue, in my first post.
It's extremely common for people to change seats, stems, etc on a new bike, yet the bike manufacturers keep equipping them with race-looking gear, because that's what they've determined the majority of their customer base want (even if it ain't what they actually need).
If a majority of their customer base desperately wanted fenders, you can bet damn well they'd be routinely bolting on some cheap set of fenders with their house-brand name on them (Icon, Coda,Oval, Bontrager, etc.etc.).
But, that isn't to say fenders aren't popular with certain segments of the market, or in certain regions, obviously they are, I never claimed otherwise.
So, let's everybody take a breath and calm down, nobody is talking bad about yer momma or anything, we're all just bike enthusiasts yacking with strangers on the internet about stuff that, in the grand scheme of things, don't matter a hill o' beans.