On 07/26/2014 03:16 PM, Michael Hechmer wrote:
Bo, here's another data point. I rode my Rambouillet with Honjo
hammered fenders from the Fall of '05 till mid summer of '13 when the
rear fender broke at the seat stay bridge. They never rattled until
just before the break - or maybe actually between the crack and the
break. They were installed by a very good and experienced mechanic.
I live on a dirt road in a state with notoriously bad roads so the Ram
saw its share of rough surfaces. In contrast I installed Honjo
fenders on an Ebisu, which I used as a commuter on 30 miles of mostly
rough surface every day and broke 2 fender in 4 years. After that I
went back to the original mechanic; installed Bertoud steel fenders,
and never had a problem again. Proper installation is critical (and
not beyond us DIY folks) but if you are doing a lot of rough riding
and not concerned about the extra weight, steel is the way to go.
A man may be a highly skilled and experienced mechanic, but installing
Honjo fenders is a specialized skill with a few gotchas. Did he have
experience and skill at installing Honjo fenders? Were they installed
with leather washers at the contact points with the bicycle? I'm not
saying you shouldn't use Berthoud steel fenders, but I am not convinced
Honjos can't survive on rough surfaces.
My wife broke an SKS plastic fender when a pine cone kicked up between
the rear tire and fender. That installation required a wide gap at
the chain stay because her '84 Sequoia has vertical drop outs. I
think the break away feature of plastic fenders is crucial in that
kind of application,
SKS breakaway stays are in front only, not in back.
but with a properly installed metal fender on vertical drop outs there
should be no more than 10 or 15 mm between the tire and fender, which
offers little space for sticks or pine cones.
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