Adding Fenders
#26
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Now that is aesthetically ........................... unique!?!
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Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.
Vintage, modern, e-road. It is a big cycling universe.
#27
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I have the hammered aluminum fenders from Velo-Orange on a couple bikes. The hammered finish hides scratches better than a polished finish, and being metal, they don't shatter in cold weather like plastic fenders.
https://velo-orange.com/collections/fenders
https://velo-orange.com/collections/fenders
#29
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I think this is "big fish in a little pond" kind of thinking. The cross-section of a bike is pretty small from the rear (or from the front). You're worried about the color of a 1.5" x 15" strip of plastic down near the road surface.
I've got a Showers Pass Transit jacket in bright yellow, the color you're asking for. It's got a reflective strip across the back that's got about the same surface area as the visible fender, and that reflective stripe is less than a tenth of the visible area of the jacket!
You can, if it bothers you, add reflective tape of your choice of colors to the fender. If you want to be seen, better get a screaming bright jacket to wear in the rain.
I've got a Showers Pass Transit jacket in bright yellow, the color you're asking for. It's got a reflective strip across the back that's got about the same surface area as the visible fender, and that reflective stripe is less than a tenth of the visible area of the jacket!
You can, if it bothers you, add reflective tape of your choice of colors to the fender. If you want to be seen, better get a screaming bright jacket to wear in the rain.
Ben
#30
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I have the hammered aluminum fenders from Velo-Orange on a couple bikes. The hammered finish hides scratches better than a polished finish, and being metal, they don't shatter in cold weather like plastic fenders.
https://velo-orange.com/collections/fenders
https://velo-orange.com/collections/fenders
Is this just something you heard of second- or third-hand, or did it happen to you, personally? The reason I ask is that, in my whole 68 years, I've only had one experience of plastic shattering in the cold. That was the Blizzard of '78; it hit while we were on a grocery run and by the time we headed home, the road was drifted over and we had to hike the groceries most of a mile home. The plastic grocery sacks shattered; nothing else. We had to go back with a kids' wagon to retrieve some dropped items; there might have been other cold-related losses, but I don't recall.
#31
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High temperature the past couple days has been -5°F.
Yes. Otherwise, I wouldn't have mentioned it. My old ESGE fenders held up well in cold, but more modern ones from e.g. Planet Bike have failed. To their credit, they did replace the failed fender, with one that has two braces instead of one. That one has not yet failed.
Is this just something you heard of second- or third-hand, or did it happen to you, personally?
Last edited by JohnDThompson; 12-28-17 at 10:05 PM.
#32
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High temperature the past couple days has been -5°F.
Yes. Otherwise, I wouldn't have mentioned it. My old ESGE fenders held up well in cold, but more modern ones from e.g. Planet Bike have failed. To their credit, they did replace the failed fender, with one that has two braces instead of one. That one has not yet failed.
Yes. Otherwise, I wouldn't have mentioned it. My old ESGE fenders held up well in cold, but more modern ones from e.g. Planet Bike have failed. To their credit, they did replace the failed fender, with one that has two braces instead of one. That one has not yet failed.
The hammered aluminum looks really cool, in any case.
#34
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#35
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Velo Orange 45mm Facette. On my touring bike. The 'foul-weather bike' has SKS plastic fenders. I don't ride in the winter/roadsalt any more, so winter-time corrosion isn't an issue for me.
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I have the hammered aluminum fenders from Velo-Orange on a couple bikes. The hammered finish hides scratches better than a polished finish, and being metal, they don't shatter in cold weather like plastic fenders.
https://velo-orange.com/collections/fenders
https://velo-orange.com/collections/fenders
#37
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#38
Cycleway town
I have a set of Velo Orange aluminium fenders which are not anodised. Just bare ally. Seems so, anyway - they polish up and it's very much a raw aluminium finish (they're the smooth ones, much as i'd like the hammered one).
I'm only using the rear one, for the solar powered recumbent trike, so being for sunny weather it's not an issue for me.
I'm only using the rear one, for the solar powered recumbent trike, so being for sunny weather it's not an issue for me.
#39
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I have a set of Velo Orange aluminium fenders which are not anodised. Just bare ally. Seems so, anyway - they polish up and it's very much a raw aluminium finish (they're the smooth ones, much as i'd like the hammered one).
I'm only using the rear one, for the solar powered recumbent trike, so being for sunny weather it's not an issue for me.
I'm only using the rear one, for the solar powered recumbent trike, so being for sunny weather it's not an issue for me.
#40
Senior Member
Long term metal fenders are typically steel (stainless, now, though Wald still makes chrome-plated ones) or brass, since they tolerate such repairs better.
At the end of the day, though, all fenders are consumable items. One day, they will crack around a mounting point, or buckle as debris is jammed beneath them, and you'll be shopping for new ones. It may take 10 years, but it will happen.
#41
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I emailed VO and got a quick reply from a guy named Igor that all of their aluminum fenders are anodized.
#43
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One of the reasons I bought a new bike - a Boulder All Road rando - is just so I can always have fenders; my vintage Trek road bike (maximum tire width 25mm) has seriously limited fender options.
Also, while I like how good fenders keep you drier in the rain, what I really like is how they help keep the drivetrain cleaner; I don’t mind riding in rain, but I’m lazy and hate having to clean/relube chain/gears/sprockets to remove sand, grit and muck. Fenders make my bike maintenance much easier.
Finally, they’re useful even if you avoid the rain and ride after. Large puddles of water are nothin’.
Also, while I like how good fenders keep you drier in the rain, what I really like is how they help keep the drivetrain cleaner; I don’t mind riding in rain, but I’m lazy and hate having to clean/relube chain/gears/sprockets to remove sand, grit and muck. Fenders make my bike maintenance much easier.
Finally, they’re useful even if you avoid the rain and ride after. Large puddles of water are nothin’.
Last edited by New Yorker; 12-31-17 at 10:28 AM.
#44
Senior Member
Yes, the area of a fender is relatively small. I often wear a Showers Pass Jacket, but when it warms up, the jacket comes off and most jerseys are not as bright. And yes, you can add reflecting tape to fenders. I do, But it looks half-***ed on a custom road bike. A fender of yellow plastic would always look good and more important, always be there, regardless of whether the jacket was on my back or rolled up in a pocket. I see the yellow fender as a simple win-win. It looks good and it might just maybe make a real difference just once. So why not?
Ben
Ben
It makes perfect sense and even if it didn't,
life is too short not to live it as we like.
#45
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about 8 years ago, I purchased a Waterford frame and wanted the Honjo zeppelin fenders painted the same "bamboo" color since I was going to have them both aftermarket pinstriped.
Waterford charged $300 to paint the fenders at the same time I ordered the frame.
Waterford charged $300 to paint the fenders at the same time I ordered the frame.
#46
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#47
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A few years ago, I had Ed Litton paint a mixte frame I was building up for my wife. I had him paint the fenders and chain guard for it at the same time. I don't remember exactly what he charged me, but it wasn't much more than that ($500?) for the whole project including many modifications to the frame. He also restored a 1971ish Colnago Super frame for me (decals and all) for around $800.
#48
Senior Member
I suppose that I might worry about the color of my fenders in a few years when I get everything else done that I worry about now. I might even have the fenders that are laying around mounted on the bike by then. When that's done I will probably be OK with the black that they are now.
#49
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Spiffy fenders for your bike...
I'd research polished aluminum fenders -- they are durable and add a touch of class. But they can be pricey, but probably not as pricey as getting fenders painted to match your bike. I'm not certain of the weight of aluminum vs plastic fenders, but you'd want to check that out if weight is a big deal for you.