I was thinking today while out for a lonely ride in the drizzle that my fenders might be extraneous. When I commute I wear a jersey and shorts, but I do not work in those clothes. I carry my clothes/lunch/books in one of these:
It has a semi-hard waterproof outer surface, so no stripe up my back fenders or no. If I'm out for a leisurely ride in the rain, I wear a jacket, so no stripe on my back either.
I will confess, I do like the look of fenders, but for the moment they seem like an extra pound and a half of weight rather than a functional addition.
*Note; I do commute on my roadie rig in many weather conditions too, and that definitely does not have fenders.