There are a few drawbacks to using fenders. They eliminate the opportunity to "glove" your tires while riding. You can do the front wheel but it is a stretch. They make transporting your bike by car more difficult. Removing the wheels doesn't reduce the size of the bike significantly. It is usually difficult or impossible to use a fork mount type carrier. The back end of the front fender will hit the tray. I've been blocking up the rear wheel on mine. Fenders increase toe clip overlap. Not that it is a big concern but I find myself stubbing my toe quite frequently on the brace on my Honjos... They do great job of keeping you and the bike clean and dry... A mud flap is recommended.
Aesthetically fenders look best mounted concentric with the wheel. One should bare in mind that they are manufactured to a specific radius so there is only one position that will look correct. Usually the bridge and crown heights are not optimized so a certain amount of experimentation is necessary. It is possible, on Honjos at least, to slightly modify or correct the radius by gently squeezing or spreading the fender across it's width. Squeezing increases the radius. Spreading reduces it.
I recently built a frame to accept Honjos. It was an educational experience.
Jamie Swan - Northport, N.Y.
Tom Martin wrote:
> To clarify my intent, I would like to open a discussion on fitting fenders
> on the bikes we usually discuss. Yes it's June, but it's still raining in
> the Northeast (or so my sister tells me). And fender season will be here
> sooner than later.
> I sense there was a strong need for bikes to be fitted with fenders
> (especially Britan from all the rain). Supposedly standard reach brakes were
> made so fenders could be positioned undereath the calipers and still have
> room for the tires to spin. The story I was told was that the guys would
> ride their fendered and racked and bagged bike to a certain point to meet
> up, remove all the unnecessary items and then race to, say a pub, have a
> pint and then turn around and go back to pick up their stuff and ride home.
> Sounds like a nice way to spend a sunday. So is this a wrong history-
> fenders were only used on utility bikes and never on the sunday racers? Club
> racers they were called?? Steer me wrong here....or right for that matter.
> I have checked out some randonneuring websites and got a glimpse of how they
> attach and some of the more popular homemade options. There is something
> missing in all this- the actual detailed anecdotal histories of what does
> and doesnt work. That's what I'm fishing for.
>
> What kind of fender would you put on your Hetchins or Calude Butler? or the
> Rene Herse?
>
> Am I off topic?
>
> Tom Martin
> Oakland CA
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Tom Martin" <tom@wilsonbike.com>
> To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2003 1:50 PM
> Subject: [CR]fenders
>
> List:
>
> BTW, thanks all for the Hujsak info.
>
> I would like to pick some of you'zes brains on fenders, like what do you
> like about em, hate about em, what looks cool, what actually works, how they
> attach, etc. Blummels? Honjo? SKS? Any others long forgotten or frequently
> overlooked? Off list replies are appreciated, but on list replies might make
> it more interesting and increase the body of knowledge. It's your call.
>
> Tom Martin
> Oakland CA