TheChosenOne

It seems to me if I ride over a huge puddle, I would get wet even if I had fenders on my commuting bike

flangehead

Fenders work well. However, if you ride into a lake they will not prevent the bike from sinking. You may want to take swimming lessons for that situation.

EnjoyinTheRide

They sure do, you wont get the wet streak up your back, front and legs. They actually help protect the bike from kicked up stones and gravel as well.

Phil_gretz

Absolutely, yes. Why ride through a deep puddle? Ride around or, if you're certain of the road underneath because you've passed over it many times before, go very slowly through the puddle. That'll keep splashing to a minimum.


I remember mountain biking when a stream crossing became deeper than my bottom bracket or hubs. Not good for the bike. I once destroyed a cheap suspension fork by repeated dunkings in muddy river crossings on a particular route...

Cyclist0084

Yes.

bulldog1935

depends on the puddle and how you hit it, but it's the miles and miles of muck that trash your bike and your clothes, helmet, etc.

all this wet sand didn't end up on my chain

BobbyG

I have a very long front fender on my main commuter, and extended the front fender of my older commuter to the ground. Now I can take puddles up to three inches deep at speed and even my toes stay dry.

Bandera

The "mud" that mudguards were intended to keep from being flung upon the rider and machine was a British euphemism from the time when draft animals and flocks of sheep were common on rural roadways. "Mud" was certainly not what one would wish to be spattered with back then.

Now we have a toxic soup of automotive chemicals, pesticides, herbicides and pet-mud to prevent being soaked in.
Even the full mudguards w/ long mudflaps fitted to my winter/wet & town bikes can be overwhelmed by sprinting into a stream, which is not a good plan for variety of other reasons.
Riding on wet roads with a modicum of common sense they work quite well for around town and on long endurance rides on wet roads.

As always, suit yourself.

-Bandera

bulldog1935

The local greenways follow the same path as the municipal sewage since the time of the San Antonio missions.
After floods they put out raw sewage warnings on portions of the greenways.

jefnvk

Do they keep you absolutely dry? No. Do they keep 95% of what is coming off the tire from ending up on your legs, back, or in your face? Yes. It is amazing how much cleaner you stay with them on.

indyfabz

Maybe I am missing something, but if you ride over a puddle instead of through it you would not get wet at all.


In any event...This morning I wore a jacket for my walk to work. Did it keep me as warm as I was before I left the house? No, but it kept me warmer than I would have been without it.

bulldog1935

analogies will get you in trouble around here

indyfabz

"Trouble" is my middle name. Oh. Wait. It's "Danger." Never mind.

RJR5

This video should anwser your questions.

RJR5

Check out this video should anwser some questions.

SloButWide 

I thought it was "CeramicBike" .

Fenders work well if adjusted correctly, up until the water is deep enough to slow your bike. Then you don't need them because the wheel isn't turning fast enough to throw muck.

Reynolds 

Yes they work, but they must:
Be 50% wider than your tire
Cover at least 170º rear/110º front
Have flaps

indyfabz

Taylor Swift recorded a song mentioning you.

bulldog1935

ok, but, in my photo above, I'm running fenders rated for 32mm tires with 38mm tires and they're working great.
I've had muck-covered friends editorialize my "almost 100%" coverage.
Yeah, my other bike has full honjos, but for a bike with no other fender options, the raceblades work great

Anything is better than nothing, including the basic blade that keeps mud off your back.

Marcus_Ti

OP: Yes. It takes a really hard driving rain to make fenders irrelevant.

And what is more they make you richer. See the other guys in your paceline will love you (more), and be more inclined to pay your tab at the bar.

Reynolds 

I see your race blade and raise you an ass saver:

bulldog1935

somebody even makes one that curls up under your saddle, and you pull it out like a window shade when you need it.

jefnvk

To be fair, a very stiff sidewind in damp conditions can negate their usefulness, too. I was on an island in the Detroit River in a light rain one day, with a very strong wind blowing onshore from my right to my left. My right foot remained at least comfortably not too wet, my left was soaked because the stuff that would have normally ridden the tire and come off straight up and into the fender was getting blown off into my foot before it got to the fender.

Or, better, saves your relationship and tour, when your significant other tells you she's not leaving the town you're in without either a) putting fenders on the bikes so she stops getting hit in the face with your back tire spray, or b) leads from now on

Needless to say, we found a bike shop with fenders, and after realizing their usefulness, they're going on almost everything.

1Mule

Yes

caloso