The Honjos, 45s, are 559s and hammered, which may make them stiffer than the smooth VO 45 622s, but whatever the reason, they are stiffer and the metal seems harder. The front VO on the Moto will crimp slightly at the edges where it bends, either because of hitting (lightly; a solid blow would deform it) the long trailing edge on a curb or from ham handed adjustments. The fittings seem to be of similar quality in each case. I'd personally choose Honjos for a "nice" bike or for longer term investment, but I'd choose VOs over SKSes, not necessarily for longevity but simply because I've found metals to be quieter, longer and less prone to warping; and they are lighter, for wtw.
The Berthouds I owned were 650B 50s. They seemed to dent more easily than any of the aluminums; can't say why. They were quite stiff and at least as sturdy (dents aside; I mean as to crimping, warping and bending, loosening) as the Honjos. Here an anecdote: I gave the trailing edge of the front a good, solid whack once when riding off a curb. The blow jammed the leading edge hard against the tire, but it did not crimp the fender or, at least, did so only slightly. The VOs would have bent severely, and probably the Honjos would have crimped, too. They are the heaviest of the lot. I prefer the aluminum for the combination of strength, looks and weight (Honjos) or cost and weight (VO). IIRC: Aluminums about 1 lb/pair; SKSes about 1 1/2 lb, Berthouds about 2 lb. On Fri, Mar 12, 2010 at 9:37 PM, Earl Grey <earlg...@gmail.com> wrote: > Since you tried all 3 main brands, can you tell me if you have any > preferences? Are the Honjos worth it? I love some VO products (the > seatpost), but others just seem cheaply made out of inferior materials > (i.e the bags), in which case I'd rather spend double or triple and > get something really nice and durable. > > Gernot > > > On Mar 13, 10:10 am, PATRICK MOORE <bertin...@gmail.com> wrote: > > T > > > > On Fri, Mar 12, 2010 at 6:58 PM, Earl Grey <earlg...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > I was under the impression that they are more rattley, but perhaps > leather > > > washers solve that. > > > > I've used Honjos, VOs and Berthouds, and found that they rattle less > because > > they flex less, regardless of leather washers (which, I understand, you > use > > to allow a bit of flex between fender and frame and thus prevent > cracking). > > (The front VO 45 on the Motobecane rattles only because I used pop rivets > to > > hold on the L bracket on instead of tight, loctited screws.) SKSes seem > to > > be far less rattly than Zefals (ugh!) or PBs. > > > > > Also, I have never had composite fenders warp. Which brands have you > had > > > warping problems with? > > > > I've left my bike in the back of my car, resting on the SKS fender, and > had > > it warp, not permanently but for a few days until, released, it relaxed. > I > > daresay that the SKSes are actually stronger than some of the metals, > since > > they will -- as your experience shows -- bounce back, but in seven or > eight > > years of using metals, I've had no breakage or undue damage despite > somewhat > > careless treatment. > > > > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com<rbw-owners-bunch%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups.com> > . > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. > > -- Patrick Moore Albuquerque, NM For professional resumes, contact Patrick Moore, ACRW at resumespecialt...@gmail.com (505) 227-0523 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
