SKS fenders may be easy-er than nothing to install for someone like a bike shop looking for a path of least resistance, but sheesh .... they look awful. I have some Bluemel P50's on my Bombadil. Frankly, any fender can be a challenge to install so I'd rather have some metal ones that look like they belong on the bike if I'm going to have anything on there.
As Patrick pointed out though, regular SKS fenders are much too short in length, and they doesn't make longboard styles for the larger 700c fenders. They do sell x-long flaps as add-ons, but it's an add-on that would be better served as being included. SKS is wildly inconsistent in their fender offerings. I ordered some 63mm VO fenders for more coverage and they look nice. I'll likely have to move the front stay down because it looks like they drill it for right where the toes would come closest to the fenders and the bolts stick out. I like the way Berthoud does their stays though as they are flattened at the bend. I read that the Portland Design Works safety tabs work for VO stays. Again, it would be nice to have them as standard on the VO. I really dislike buying new stuff and then needing to change something about it. The funny thing is most of the times I've been caught in rainstorms have been on my 1999 custom Franklin that has no fenders. I used to rain ride for hours in Minnesota back in the day with no fenders , nor would they have fit on a racing bike. I was out riding today in cold and wind and felt like crap. Then I thought of Mike the Mailman riding all those hard miles on his whatever bike he had. So I let go all silly ideas of obligations and rode on, broke out in songs of appreciation .... and just enjoyed everything about it. The Secret to Life is that there is no Secret to Life..... tee hee hee .... On Wednesday, April 27, 2022 at 5:39:35 PM UTC-4 Patrick Moore wrote: > Just for the record, and not trying to change anyone's mind: I've used > most major brands, extant and defunct, of plastic fenders, and many makes > of metal fenders, aluminum and stainless steel. > > Good plastic ones -- SKS, Planet Bike (not Avocet or Zefal!), perhaps > Bumels, tho' it's been too long for those -- are sturdy, relatively easy to > install, and -- *if long enough:* some PBs and SKS's are shamefully short > in front -- work well, especially if you add mudflaps at the "spray" end, > ie forward edge of rear, trailing edge of front. > > But metal ones are stiffer, quieter, lighter, generally have fuller > coverage, can be adjusted more precisely, and look better. OTOH, they do > take practice. I can install them quickly and accurately now, but at the > expense, in the past, of more than a couple of sets installed badly and > having to be replaced. I would say, either get expert help for your first > ones, or buy 2 pairs, one to mess up and the other to install correctly. > Or, if you are handy and follow the instructions on the Jitensha Studio > site, you might do it right the first time. > > I happily rode SKS's on my ex-Ram and many other bikes and have used a few > PBs out of many pairs that weren't sinfully short, but IMO metals set up > more like an integral part of the bike. > > I can see how the owner of a small business might panic at the thought of > all the returns, bad feeling, and bad press that might come from selling > metal fenders to neophyte klutzes. > > Patrick Moore, who ceased being a neophyte klutz the hard and expensive > way, in ABQ, NM (where we say, "Rain? Whazzat?" -- who actually has metal > fenders on 2 bikes, and though he'd get caught in a SW downpour on this > afternoon's ride, but it blew away in the strong southeasterly headwind). > > On Wed, Apr 27, 2022 at 12:39 PM 'John Hawrylak' via RBW Owners Bunch < > rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com> wrote: > >> Roberta >> >> I believe Grant was spot on regarding the metal fenders drawbacks. I >> recently installed 52mm VO Zeppplins and the installation was a challenge. >> In contrast, the SKS go on much easier. >> >> John Hawrylak >> Woodstown NJ >> >> >> On Wednesday, April 27, 2022 at 7:12:37 AM UTC-4 Roberta wrote: >> >>> Grant responds. >>> >>> GrantthatGrant <https://www.reddit.com/user/GrantthatGrant/> >>> · 5 hr. ago >>> <https://www.reddit.com/r/xbiking/comments/ubs2oy/comment/i6dclgq/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3> >>> >>> We let everybody pick their saddles, and encourage them to ride one they >>> already have and like, rather than buying new. But boy or boy, wait till >>> you see what we've got coming from Brooks. It may be a year or even two >>> out. My favorite Brooks ever, good for men or women with upright positions. >>> It won't be right for everybody, but it'll be hard to hate. Not impossible, >>> just hard. >>> 1 >>> Reply >>> Share >>> ReportSaveFollow >>> <https://www.reddit.com/user/GrantthatGrant/> >>> level 2 >>> GrantthatGrant <https://www.reddit.com/user/GrantthatGrant/> >>> · 4 hr. ago >>> <https://www.reddit.com/r/xbiking/comments/ubs2oy/comment/i6dddh0/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3> >>> >>> Metal fenders are fine, but plastics are good, too...and as a business >>> we have to be careful about things that individual riders don't have to >>> give much thought to. SKS recycled plastic fender, besides being quiet and >>> only about a thousand times easier to mount (if I am allowed an >>> exaggeration) also have a quick-release feature on the front, and that's a >>> safety thing I've got to insist on if I'ma gonna sell them. I'm not saying >>> Honjo fenders are dangerous. I'm saying there's an extra level of prudence >>> that comes with being a seller of stuff. I am not saying that other >>> businesses are irresponsible. I am just saying that when it comes to things >>> like this, I always try to err on the conservative side. That way, I don't >>> have to fret as much. That's all. My first two posts on Reddit. I probably >>> won't get hooked, but I saw this and the Brooks one, and thought what the >>> heck, I'll risk it. >>> >>> On Tuesday, April 26, 2022 at 8:11:57 AM UTC-4 Doug H. wrote: >>> >>>> If you've been following Grant's "Bicycle Sentences" on Instagram you >>>> probably saw the one about saddle to handlebar rise. It spurred an >>>> interesting Reddit conversation linked here: Reddit >>>> <https://www.reddit.com/r/xbiking/comments/ubs2oy/grant_petersens_opinion_on_bike_fit/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3> >>>> >>>> Doug >>>> >>> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com. >> To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/88aeb53f-ef30-4100-9fcb-591cedcf9159n%40googlegroups.com >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/88aeb53f-ef30-4100-9fcb-591cedcf9159n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > > > -- > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > Patrick Moore > Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/5827f81e-7beb-42ab-994b-0531233b564cn%40googlegroups.com.
