Some Honjos come pre-drilled, others have not. Some Honjos have even
come with a flat area already made for under the fork crown. I have
several sets of Honjos purchased from various sources over the past 9 or
10 years, and one set of VO purchased just prior to last Christmas. I
think my VO are made of thinner material than my Honjos, but I wouldn't
swear to it or claim that this is true of all VO vs Honjo fenders. One
thing I think is true is that the folded under edge under the fender,
where you can't see it, is far more nicely finished with the Honjos, all
of them, than with the VO. At one time, VO fenders used to come with
only one draw bolt, but that's changed now - a significant improvement
because a single draw bolt mount is rather prone to rattling. VO
fenders are much cheaper, especially when you buy them during the
pre-Christmas sale, as I did.
On 05/12/2016 07:04 AM, ascpgh wrote:
I have both. Honjos on my Rambouillet, VO Zeppelins on my commuter and
that's been a perfect distribution based on each's particulars.
Honjos may not be the best for a first time installation unless you
are careful, useful with your tools and have finished all your other
chores (I got mine undrilled, with all the parts from a list member).
Used Jan Heine's article in BQ as my instructions. Thin, light and
quiet. Pricey, unless sourced as I did, but really do have a good
visual result.
The hammered pattern has a small crease on the rear where a
plastic-go-faster goober rear ended me with a brake/shifter at a
stoplight downtown (head aero-tucked and intention to run the light to
preserve a Strava segment record?). Her bike rendered inoperable as a
result. Honjo vs. brifter? Fender won that time not needing adjustment
to ride on.
VOs came with holes drilled, parts and instructions. After having
learned on the Honjos, these went quickly. I did redrill the front one
to rotate more fender behind the wheel so I didn't need a foot long
flap for best spray protection. Thicker metal, bigger stays, a bit
less coverage length than comparable Honjos, but quiet and half the
price. Have taken the bashing of year round commuting, parking in
racks and a couple of spills with aplomb and no visible damage.
Whatever negatives they may have are lost in their performance of
function.
Honjos if you want light, longer, precise placement of that coverage,
don't mind the cost for more refined aesthetic and feel handy enough
after reading the BQ article.
VO if the utter weight is less of a concern, having them prepped for
your installation is attractive, and don't mind the difference in
length to the comparable product. You still have to install them. Even
if you intend to just take them to a bike shop, don't.
Read how to and install your fenders yourself. You will have more
acuity of the details, appreciation of the fender line and exactitude
of the execution than a shop mechanic would and every time you ride
this fact will revisit and torture your soul. This applies unless you
patronize a very informed, Bob-like shop that can swim out of the
mainstream and remain fiscally pertinent while acquiring knowledge and
skill in bizarre low frequency subjects like low trail, hub
generators, fenders, bags and racks, etc.
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